1.6:

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'

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 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

Ilya' (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' story (in connection with his faith).