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1.6: Narrated `Abdullah bin `Abbas (ra): Abu Sufyan bin Harb (ra)
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).
[Hadith Al-Bukhari
1.6: Narrated `Abdullah bin `Abbas (ra): Abu Sufyan bin Harb (ra) 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).
[Hadith Al-Bukhari
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