22 January 2012
Letter to Heraclius
Seerah of Muhammed**: May the Peace, Blessings and Mercy of Allah be upon him
TMQ: Translation to the nearest meaning of the Qur’an
TMQ: Translation to the nearest meaning of the Qur’an
The Prophet*’s Letter to Heraclius
The letter was delivered by
Dihya to the Governor of Busra (Al-Harith Al-Ghassani), who then forwarded it
to Heraclius. The Prophet* sent him with the letter to Heraclius towards the end
of the 6th year after the Hijrah. Dihya reached Heraclius in the month of
Al-Muharram in the beginning of the year 7 H. Busra was a city between
Al-Medina and Damascus (not the present day Basra in Iraq). Al-Harith bin
Shamir Al-Ghassani, the governor of Busra, forwarded the letter to Heraclius.
It is recorded in the Musnad of Al-Bazzar that Dihya handed the letter to
Heraclius himself.
The letter said: “In the name of Allah, the entirely
merciful, the especially merciful From Muhammad….” The majority of scholars
say that it is the sunnah to start a letter with one’s own name as the Prophet*
did here. It is also narrated that when Heraclius was presented with the
letter, his nephew was also present. This nephew mocked the letter when he
heard it and said, “Don’t read it, because he started the letter with his own
name,” but Heraclius emphatically rejected this suggestion.
The letter said: “To Heraclius, the ruler of the Romans”.
The Prophet* avoided addressing him as “King,” because Islamic law essentially
deposes him from his rule. However, he did not deprive him of all respect, in
order to soften his heart to Islam. In some narrations, it is mentioned that
Heraclius’ nephew objected to the Prophet* not addressing Heraclius as “The
King of the Romans.”
The letter said: “Peace be upon him, who follows the guidance
(to the right path)”. This is similar to the words of Allah regarding Musa
and Haroon amid (what took place with) Fur’awn (Pharaoh) in the Qur’an:
“…indeed, we have come with a sign from your Lord! And peace will be upon him
who follows the guidance! (Ta-Ha 20:47)”. If it is asked, how a disbeliever can
be greeted with the Islamic greeting of salaam, the answer is that the correct
meaning of Peace here is salvation from the punishment of Allah upon whomsoever
submits (to correct guidance).” That is why the verse above is immediately
followed by: “’Truly, it has been revealed to us that the torment will be for
him who denies [believes not in Islam], and turns away (from the truth and
obedience of Allah)” (Ta-Ha 20:48)” The meaning is clarified in a later part of
the letter, “if you reject this
(invitation of Islam) you will also carry the sin (of misguiding your) subjects.”
And since Heraclius did not “follow the guidance (to the right path),” he has no
peace from the torment of Allah.
The letter said: “I invite you to Islam. Embrace Islam and
you will be safe; Allah will double your reward, I invite you to testify that
there is no deity worthy of being worshipped except Allah and Muhammad is His
Prophet*” . In the narration recorded by Muslim, “I invite you with the
call to Islam.” Meaning with the word that identifies with Islam, which is
bearing witness that there is no deity worthy of worship other than Allah and
that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.
In the Book of Jihad in Sahih
Al-Bukhari, the author has narrated that the letter said: “Embrace Islam, embrace Islam; your reward will be doubled.” The
command to embrace Islam was repeated possibly for emphasis, or the first was a
command to enter Islam and the second to remain steadfast, as Allah said in the
Qur’an, “O you who believe! Believe in Allah, and His Messenger….” (4:136).
The letter said: “Allah will double your reward”. This is
in accordance with what Allah said in the Qur’an “Those to whom We gave the
Scripture before it, – they believe in it (the Qur’an). And when it is recited
to them, they say: “We believe in it. Verily, it is the truth from our Lord.
Indeed even before it we have been from those who submit themselves to Allah in
Islam as Muslims. These will be given their reward twice over, because they are
patient, and repel evil with good, and spend (in charity) out of what we have
provided them.” (Al-Qisas 28:52-54). He would receive a double reward either
due to the fact that he already believed in his own Prophet (Jesus) and would
go on to believe in the Prophet Muhammad*, or he would receive a double reward
for becoming a Muslim and leading his subjects to Islam.
The letter said: “…and if you reject this (invitation of
Islam) you will carry the sin of (misguiding your) subjects”. In the
original Arabic the word used is ‘upon you would be the sin of the peasants,
but as the scholars pointed out, ‘peasants’ here is an expression used to mean
‘subjects of the kingdom’ or ‘the weak, who follow those higher in status and
power’. This means that ‘you will carry along with your sin, the sin of the
subjects’. This does not contradict the words of Allah, “and no bearer of
burdens will bear the burden of another”; Because the burden of one person will
not be carried by another person, however the one who not only does evil but
causes others to follow him in that evil carries two parts of the burden. One
for the sinful act itself and the other for causing others to sin as well.
The letter said: “And (Allah said in the Qur’an): ‘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 meets the King
‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas informed
that Abu Sufyan bin Harb informed him that Heraclius had sent for him while he
was in a camel-caravan (from Quraish). They were merchants doing business in
Al-Sham (area comprising preset-day Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan), at
the time when Allah’s Prophet* had a truce with Abu Sufyan and the infidels of
Quraish. So they went to Heraclius at Ilya (Jerusalem). Heraclius called them
in the court and he had Roman governors around him. Then he called for them and
his translator (translating Heraclius’ questions) said: “Whom amongst you is
the most closely related to this 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 let his companions come forward and make them
stand behind his back.” He then told his translator, “Tell them (Abu Sufyan’s
companions) that I will ask him (Abu Sufyan) about this man (the Prophet*) so
if he lies to me deny what he says.” Abu Sufyan added, “By Allah! Had I not
been afraid of my companions exposing my lies, I would have lied about him. The
first question he asked me 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 weak (and poor) follow him?’
I replied, ‘It is the weak who
follow him.’
He said, ‘Are his followers increasing
or decreasing?’
I replied, ‘They are
increasing.’
He then asked, ‘Does anybody
amongst those who embrace his religion become displeased with the religion and renounce
it?’
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 betray
(break his promises)?’
I replied, ‘No. We are in a
truce with him but we do not know what he will do in it.’ I could not find
opportunity to insert anything (against the Prophet*) 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 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 up the ties with our relatives.’
Heraclius said to his
translator: “Tell him, I asked you about his family and your reply was that he
belonged to a very noble family. In fact all the Prophet*s 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
noble people followed him or the weak. You replied that it was the weak who
followed him. And in fact all the Prophet*s 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 such is the way of true faith, until it is complete in all
respects.
I further asked you whether
there was anybody who, after embracing his religion, became displeased with his
religion 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 heart and
mixes with it 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 anything 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 (from the
scriptures) that he was going to appear but I did not expect that he would be
from you (your people), and if I knew I could reach him, I would go out of my
way to meet him and if I were with him, I would certainly wash his feet.’
Heraclius responds
Heraclius then asked for the
letter sent by Allah’s Prophet* which was delivered by Dihya to the Governor of
Busra, who forwarded it to Heraclius. He read the letter, which said: (In the
name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful).
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) and people raised their voices and we were
turned out of the court.
Then I told my companions:
“The matter of Ibn Abi Kabsha (the Prophet*) has become so great that even the
King of Sons of Yellow (i.e. Romans) is afraid of him”. Then I remained sure
that he (the Prophet*) would be the conqueror in the near future until I
embraced Islam (i.e. Allah guided me to it).”
(The sub narrator Al-Zuhri
adds) “And Ibn An-Natuur – the Governor of llya’ (Jerusalem) and a friend of
Heraclius- was the head of the Christians of Al-Sham. Ibn An-Natuur said that
once while Heraclius was visiting ilya’ (Jerusalem), he got up in the morning
with a sad mood. Some of the dignitaries of the Roman state 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 King of those who practice
circumcision has become the conqueror. Who are they who practice circumcision?’
The people replied, ‘Except the Jews nobody practices circumcision and you
should not worry about them (the 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 Prophet* to Heraclius was brought
in. After having questioned this messenger, he (Heraclius) ordered his men 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, “The kingdom of these people has
appeared”. Heraclius then wrote a letter to his friend in Rome who was as
strong as Heraclius in knowledge. Heraclius then left for Hims (a city in
Syria) and stayed there until he received the reply to his letter from his
friend who agreed with his opinion about the emergence of the Prophet* and the
fact that it was Muhammad*. On that Heraclius invited all the heads of the
Romans to assemble in his palace at Hims. When they assembled, he ordered that
all the doors of his palace be closed. Then he came out and said, ‘O Romans! 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).’
(Upon hearing the views of Heraclius) the people ran towards the gates of the
palace like wild donkeys 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 his audience. (When they returned)
he said, ‘What I said just now was only to test your steadfastness upon your
religion, 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 being called to Islam).
ompanions prayed over him
and buried him, and made a mosque at the place of his burial; then they went to
join the Prophet* in Medina.'
No Hadith
Feedback:
Anger in Islam
Muslim Inventions: Paper
Celebration of 5 years of the Study Circle
By the Grace and Permission of Allah, this Study Circle has been going strong for the past 5 years. Thanks to all the people involved and make du'a that it continues and the learning grows.All the Good is from Allah and any mistakes are mine alone.
The participants were requested to think about things that they wanted to cover in future Study Circles...
