A
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 Messenger (ﷺ) 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:’What is his family status amongst you?’I replied, ‘He belongs to a good (noble) family amongst us.’Heraclius further asked, ‘Has anybody amongst you ever claimed the
same (i.e. to be a Prophet) before him?’I replied, ‘No.’He said, ‘Was anybody amongst his ancestors a king?’I replied, ‘No.’Heraclius asked, ‘Do the nobles or the poor follow him?’I replied, ‘It is the poor who follow him.’He said, ‘Are his followers increasing decreasing (day by day)?’I replied, ‘They are increasing.’He then asked, ‘Does anybody amongst those who embrace his religion
become displeased and renounce the religion afterwards?’I replied, ‘No.’Heraclius said, ‘Have you ever accused him of telling lies before his
claim (to be a Prophet)?’I replied, ‘No. ‘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.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.’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 Apostlewhich 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 of
Arisiyin (tillers, farmers i.e. your people). And (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 (ﷺ) 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 Messenger (ﷺ) 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 (ﷺ) 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).