The Life and Martyrdom of Saint Rizq Allāh ibn Nabaʿ
Saint Rizq Allah was born in Damascus. He was a clerk or deputy who reported directly to the court of the Emir of Tripoli. His highest priority was service to God. He was highly honored both by the elite and the common people. The governor trusted, relied on, and loved him, therefore the governor sought to convert him from faith in Christ to Islam. To this end, he adopted a method of gentleness and kindness. But his attempt failed after Rizkallah refused to give up his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ under any circumstances. Feeling humiliated and angry, he ordered that Rizkallah be thrown in prison, hoping to secure the conversion by means of force after he failed with leniency. The governor waited for days, after which he sent some of his entourage to Rizkallah, hoping that he had relented and converted to Islam. So they came to him and offered him gifts of great value. He did not listen to them, nor was he tempted by their gifts. Rather, he openly declared the name of the Lord Jesus before them, not caring about their faces, stressing that his faith was not for sale. Rizkallah’s refusal increased the governor’s insistence and determination to obtain what he wanted from him, no matter the cost. The governor thought to himself, “Am I not the governor? And is not the word of the governor to be accepted without protest?!” So he threatened Rizkallah and described the types of punishments that he would inflict on him if he remained stubborn. Rizkallah’s answer was: “This world and its honor and luxury are nothing to me. It is like a fleeting shadow. I deplore your punishments, tortures, and threats, but I do not care about them because the love of my God and Savior Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, binds me.” Then, Rizkallah and the messengers entered into a heated dialogue in which his boldness and magnanimity were evident. When they saw him steadfast in his opinion and not swaying from his faith, they conveyed their disappointment to the governor, so he ordered that Rizkallah be beheaded. The soldiers took Rizkallah out of the city to a place called Tel Mishta. There he asked the swordsman to give him a period of time while he prayed, and he got what he wanted. Rizkallah stood with his face toward the East, then prostrated himself to the ground, took dust, and ate it as if it were the Body and Blood of Christ.
Then he stood up, raised his arms, and prayed, saying: “O Lord Jesus Christ, my God, in Thy name I accept and testify that Thou hast mercy on me at this hour!” Accept me as a pure sacrifice on this honorable night! Into Thy hands do I entrust my spirit.”
Then his killers gathered a lot of firewood and wanted to burn him. As soon as they threw his body into the fire, the Lord God sent down hail and heavy rain on the place until the rivers overflowed, so those present dispersed in fear, and the flames of the fire subsided. The Saint had achieved his martyrdom, but his body was not destroyed. The believers came during the night and took the saint’s body and took it to the island of Cyprus, where they performed prayers over him with all honor and reverence, and buried him in one of the holy temples. The martyrdom of Saint Rizkallah, according to sources, was on Saturday afternoon, the first of February of 1477, at the end of the day.
Through the intercession of the Holy Martyr, Rizq Allāh ibn Nabaʿ, O Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us and save us, Amen.
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Saint Rizq Allāh ibn Nabaʿ is not yet canonized in the Great Church of Christ.
