The Messenger of Allaah's (saw) Letter to Heraclius, Emperor of Rome

[- Qatada -]

warahmatulahi wabarakatuh..

all praise is due to Allah (swt) and his beloved prophet (salallahu alahi hi wasalam) and the prophet (salallahu alai hi wasalam)'s family and all who follow them.


Abu Sufyan, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

I went out (on a mercantile venture) during the period (of truce) between me and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). While I was in Syria, the letter of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was handed over to Heraclius (Caesar), the Emperor of Rome (who was on a visit to Jerusalem at that time).


The letter was brought by Dihyah Al-Kalbi who delivered it to the governor of Busra. The governor of Busra passed it on to Heraclius, (On receiving the letter), he (Heraclius) said:

Is there anyone from the people of this man who claims that he is a prophet?

People said: Yes.

So, I was called along with a few others from the Quraish. We were admitted to Heraclius and he seated us before him.

He asked: Which of you has closer kinship with the man who claims that he is a prophet?
Abu Sufyan said:

I said: I.

So they seated me in front of him and seated my companions behind me. Then he called his interpreter and said to him:

Tell them that I am going to ask this fellow (i.e. Abu Sufyan) about the man who claims that he is a prophet. If he tells me a lie, then refute him.

Abu Sufyan told (the narrator): By Allah, if there was not the fear that falsehood would be imputed to me I would have lied. (Then) Heraclius said to his interpreter:

Inquire from him about his ancestry.

I said: He is of good ancestry among us.

He asked: Has there been a king among his ancestors?

I said: No.

He asked: Did you accuse him of falsehood before he proclaimed his prophethood?

I said: No.

He asked: Who are his followers, people of high status or low status?

I said: (They are) of low status.

He asked: Are they increasing in number or decreasing?

I said: No, they are rather increasing.

He asked: Does anyone give up his religion, being dissatisfied with it, after having embraced it?

I said: No.

He asked: Have you been at war with him?

I said: Yes.

He asked: How did you fare in that war?

I said: The war between us and him has been wavering like a bucket, up at one turn and down at the other (i.e. the victory has been shared between us and him by turns). Sometimes he suffered loss at our hands and sometimes we suffered loss at his (hand).

He asked: Has he (ever) violated his covenant?

I said: No, but we have recently concluded a peace treaty with him for a period and we do not know what he is going to do about it. (Abu Sufyan said on oath that he could not interpolate in this dialogue anything from himself more than these words).

He asked: Did anyone make the proclamation (of prophethood) before him?

I said: No.

He (now) said to his interpreter: Tell him,

I asked him about his ancestry and he had replied that he had the best ancestry. This is the case with Prophets; they are the descendants of the noblest among their people (Addressing Abu Sufyan),

He continued: I asked you if there had been a king among his ancestors. You said that there had been none. If there had been a king among his ancestors, I would have said that he was a man demanding his ancestral kingdom.

I asked you about his followers whether they were people of high or low status, and you said that they were of rather low status. Such are the followers of the Prophets.

I asked you whether you used to accuse him of falsehood before he proclaimed his prophethood, and you said that you did not. So I have understood that when he did not allow himself to tell a lie about the people, he would never go to the length of forging a falsehood about Allah.

I asked you whether anyone renounced his religion being dissatisfied with it after he had embraced it, and you replied in the negative. Faith is like this when it enters the depth of the heart (it perpetuates them).

I asked you whether his followers were increasing or decreasing. You said they were increasing. Faith is like this until it reaches its consummation.

I asked you whether you had been at war with him, and you replied that you had been and that the victory between you and him had been shared by turns, sometimes he suffered loss at your hand and sometimes you suffering loss at his. This is how the Prophets are tried before the final victory is theirs.

I asked you whether he (ever) violated his covenant, and you said that he did not. This is how the Prophets behave. They never violate (their covenants).

I asked you whether anyone before him had proclaimed the same thing, and you replied in the negative. I said: If anyone had made the same proclamation before, I would have thought that he was a man following what had been proclaimed before.

(Then) he asked: What does he enjoin upon you?

I said: He exhorts us to offer Salah, to pay Zakah, to show due regard to kinship and to practice chastity.

He said: If what you have told about him is true, he is certainly a Prophet.

I knew that he was to appear but I did not think that he would be from among you. If I knew that I would be able to reach him, I would love to meet him; and if I had been with him, I would have washed his feet (out of reverence). His dominion would certainly extend to this place which is under my feet. Then he called for the letter of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and read it. The letter ran as follows:

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious and Most Merciful. From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, to Heraclius, the Emperor of the Romans. Peace be upon him who follows the guidance. After this, I extend to you the invitation to accept Islam. Embrace Islam and you will be safe. Accept Islam, and Allah will give you double the reward. And if you turn away, upon you will be the sin of your subjects :{ Say (O Muhammad SAW): "O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians): Come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but Allâh, and that we associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allâh Then, if they turn away, say: "Bear witness that we are Muslims" }


When he had finished reading the letter, noise and confused clamor was raised around him, and he ordered us to leave. Accordingly, we left. (Addressing my companions) while we were coming out (of the palace), I said: Ibn Abu Kabshah (referring sarcastically to the Holy Prophet) has come to wield a great power. Lo! (even) the king of Banu Al-Asfar (the Romans) is afraid of him. I continued to believe that the authority of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) would triumph until Allah imbued me with (the spirit of) Islam.


Allah (swt) knows best.

wasalam o alikum warahmatulahi wabarakatuh..
(Sahih Muslim)

 

[Mainul_Islam]

Re: romans feared our beloved Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alai hi wasalam)

assalaamu alaikum,

i thought this was with the emperor of Byzantine, not Rome.

 

[Afr!can angel]

Re: romans feared our beloved Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alai hi wasalam)

assalaamu alaikum,

i thought this was with the emperor of Byzantine, not Rome.

dnt knw but that was gr8t ! nice thread!

 

[Mainul_Islam]

Re: romans feared our beloved Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alai hi wasalam)

by the way, i dont like the title of the thread

man should fear none but Allah

 

[Far7an]

Re: romans feared our beloved Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alai hi wasalam)

Assalamu alaikum

Thread moved.

by the way, i dont like the title of the thread

man should fear none but Allah

If you read all of it, you would have noticed the title of the thread comes from the hadith...

When he had finished reading the letter, noise and confused clamor was raised around him, and he ordered us to leave. Accordingly, we left. (Addressing my companions) while we were coming out (of the palace), I said: Ibn Abu Kabshah (referring sarcastically to the Holy Prophet) has come to wield a great power. Lo! (even) the king of Banu Al-Asfar (the Romans) is afraid of him. I continued to believe that the authority of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) would triumph until Allah imbued me with (the spirit of) Islam.

 

[khairullah]

Questions about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

Questions about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) from his Enemy

Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas: Abu Sufyan bin Harb informed me that Heraclius had sent a messenger to him while he had been accompanying a caravan from Quraish. They were merchants doing business in Sham (Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan), at the time when Allah's Apostle had truce with Abu Sufyan and Quraish infidels. So Abu Sufyan and his companions went to Heraclius at Ilya (Jerusalem). Heraclius called them in the court and he had all the senior Roman dignitaries around him. He called for his translator who, translating Heraclius's question said to them,


"Who amongst you is closely related to that man who claims to be a Prophet?"

Abu Sufyan replied, "I am the nearest relative to him (amongst the group)."

Heraclius said, "Bring him (Abu Sufyan) close to me and make his companions stand behind him." Abu Sufyan added, Heraclius told his translator to tell my companions that he wanted to put some questions to me regarding that man (The Prophet) and that if I told a lie they (my companions) should contradict me." Abu Sufyan added, "By Allah! Had I not been afraid of my companions labeling me a liar, I would not have spoken the truth about the Prophet. The first question he asked me about him was:

1: 'What is his family status amongst you?

'I replied, 'He belongs to a good (noble) family amongst us.

2:Heraclius further asked, 'Has anybody amongst you ever claimed the same (i.e. to be a Prophet) before him?'

I replied, 'No.' He said,

3: 'Was anybody amongst his ancestors a king?

I replied, 'No.' Heraclius asked,

4.Do the nobles or the poor follow him?

I replied, 'It is the poor who follow him.

5: He said, 'Are his followers increasing decreasing (day by day)?'

I replied, 'They are increasing.'

6:He then asked, 'Does anybody amongst those who embrace his religion become displeased and renounce the religion afterwards?'

I replied, 'No.'

7:Heraclius said, 'Have you ever accused him of telling lies before his claim (to be a Prophet)?'

I replied, 'No.

8: Heraclius said, 'Does he break his promises?'

I replied, 'No. We are at truce with him but we do not know what he will do in it.' I could not find opportunity to say anything against him except that.

9: Heraclius asked, 'Have you ever had a war with him?'

I replied, 'Yes.' Then he said, 'What was the outcome of the battles?' I replied, 'Sometimes he was victorious and sometimes we.'

10:Heraclius said, 'What does he order you to do?'

I said, 'He tells us to worship Allah and Allah alone and not to worship anything along with Him, and to renounce all that our ancestors had said. He orders us to pray, to speak the truth, to be chaste and to keep good relations with our Kith and kin.

' Heraclius asked the translator to convey to me the following, I asked you about his family and your reply was that he belonged to a very noble family. In fact all the Apostles come from noble families amongst their respective peoples.

I questioned you whether anybody else amongst you claimed such a thing, your reply was in the negative. If the answer had been in the affirmative, I would have thought that this man was following the previous man's statement.

Then I asked you whether anyone of his ancestors was a king. Your reply was in the negative, and if it had been in the affirmative, I would have thought that this man wanted to take back his ancestral kingdom.

I further asked whether he was ever accused of telling lies before he said what he said, and your reply was in the negative. So I wondered how a person who does not tell a lie about others could ever tell a lie about Allah.

I, then asked you whether the rich people followed him or the poor. You replied that it was the poor who followed him. And in fact all the Apostle have been followed by this very class of people.

Then I asked you whether his followers were increasing or decreasing. You replied that they were increasing, and in fact this is the way of true faith, till it is complete in all respects.

I further asked you whether there was anybody, who, after embracing his religion, became displeased and discarded his religion. Your reply was in the negative, and in fact this is (the sign of) true faith, when its delight enters the hearts and mixes with them completely.

I asked you whether he had ever betrayed. You replied in the negative and likewise the Apostles never betray. Then I asked you what he ordered you to do. You replied that he ordered you to worship Allah and Allah alone and not to worship any thing along with Him and forbade you to worship idols and ordered you to pray, to speak the truth and to be chaste. If what you have said is true, he will very soon occupy this place underneath my feet and I knew it (from the scriptures) that he was going to appear but I did not know that he would be from you, and if I could reach him definitely, I would go immediately to meet him and if I were with him, I would certainly wash his feet.'

Heraclius then asked for the letter addressed by Allah's Apostle which was delivered by Dihya to the Governor of Busra, who forwarded it to Heraclius to read. The contents of the letter were as follows:

"In the name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful (This letter is) from Muhammad the slave of Allah and His Apostle to Heraclius the ruler of Byzantine. Peace be upon him, who follows the right path. Furthermore I invite you to Islam, and if you become a Muslim you will be safe, and Allah will double your reward, and if you reject this invitation of Islam you will be committing a sin by misguiding your Arisiyin (peasants). (And I recite to you Allah's Statement) 'O people of the scripture! Come to a word common to you and us that we worship none but Allah and that we associate nothing in worship with Him, and that none of us shall take others as Lords beside Allah. Then, if they turn away, say: Bear witness that we are Muslims (those who have surrendered to Allah).' (3:64).

Abu Sufyan then added, "When Heraclius had finished his speech and had read the letter, there was a great hue and cry in the Royal Court. So we were turned out of the court. I told my companions that the question of Ibn-Abi-Kabsha) (the Prophet Muhammad) has become so prominent that even the King of Bani Al-Asfar (Byzantine) is afraid of him. Then I started to become sure that he (the Prophet) would be the conqueror in the near future till I embraced Islam (i.e. Allah guided me to it)." The sub narrator adds, "Ibn An-Natur was the Governor of llya' (Jerusalem) and Heraclius was the head of the Christians of Sham. Ibn An-Natur narrates that once while Heraclius was visiting ilya' (Jerusalem), he got up in the morning with a sad mood. Some of his priests asked him why he was in that mood? Heraclius was a foreteller and an astrologer. He replied, 'At night when I looked at the stars, I saw that the leader of those who practice circumcision had appeared (become the conqueror). Who are they who practice circumcision?' The people replied, 'Except the Jews nobody practices circumcision, so you should not be afraid of them (Jews). 'Just Issue orders to kill every Jew present in the country.

' While they were discussing it, a messenger sent by the king of Ghassan to convey the news of Allah's Apostle to Heraclius was brought in. Having heard the news, he (Heraclius) ordered the people to go and see whether the messenger of Ghassan was circumcised. The people, after seeing him, told Heraclius that he was circumcised. Heraclius then asked him about the Arabs. The messenger replied, 'Arabs also practice circumcision.' (After hearing that) Heraclius remarked that sovereignty of the 'Arabs had appeared.

Heraclius then wrote a letter to his friend in Rome who was as good as Heraclius in knowledge. Heraclius then left for Homs. (a town in Syrian and stayed there till he received the reply of his letter from his friend who agreed with him in his opinion about the emergence of the Prophet and the fact that he was a Prophet.

On that Heraclius invited all the heads of the Byzantines to assemble in his palace at Homs. When they assembled, he ordered that all the doors of his palace be closed. Then he came out and said, 'O Byzantines! If success is your desire and if you seek right guidance and want your empire to remain then give a pledge of allegiance to this Prophet (i.e. embrace Islam).' (On hearing the views of Heraclius) the people ran towards the gates of the palace like onagers but found the doors closed. Heraclius realized their hatred towards Islam and when he lost the hope of their embracing Islam, he ordered that they should be brought back in audience. (When they returned) he said, 'What already said was just to test the strength of your conviction and I have seen it.' The people prostrated before him and became pleased with him, and this was the end of Heraclius's story (in connection with his faith).

Sahih Bukhari Book of Revelation hadiths #6

But those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, and believe in the (Revelation) sent down to Muhammad - for it is the Truth from their Lord,- He will remove from them their ills and improve their condition. [047:002]