English translation
[4607] 74 - (1773) It was narrated from Ibn 'Abbâs that Abû Sufyân told him: During the truce between me and the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ, I set out, and whilst I was in Syria, a letter came from the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ to Heraclius, the ruler of the Byzantines. Dihyah Al-Kalbî brought the letter, and gave it to the ruler of Busra, and the ruler of Busra gave it to Heraclius. Heraclius said: Is there anyone here from the people of this man who claims that he is a Prophet? They said: Yes. I was called, along with a number of men from Quraish, and we entered upon Heraclius, who seated us before him and said: Which of you is closest in kinship to this man who claims that he is a Prophet? Abû Sufyân said: I said: I am. So he seated me in front of him, and my companions sat behind me, then he called his interpreter and said to him: Tell them that I am going to ask this man about the man who claims that he is a Prophet, and if he tells me a lie, let them refute him. Abū Sufyān said: By Allāh, were it not for the fear that people would say that I lied, I would have lied. Then he said to his interpreter: Ask him, what is his (the Prophet's) lineage among you? I said: He is of good lineage among us. He said: Was there any king among his forefathers? I said: No. He said: Did you ever accuse him of lying before he said what he said? I said: No. He said: Who are his followers? Are they the nobles among the people or the lowly? I said: The lowly. He said: Are they increasing in number or decreasing? He said: They are increasing. He said: Have any of them turned away from his religion after entering it, out of dissatisfaction? I said: No. He said: Have you fought him? I said: Yes. He said: How was (the outcome of) your fighting with him? I said: The war between us goes by turns; sometimes he prevails over us and sometimes we prevail over him. He said: Does he act treacherously? I said: No, but we have recently concluded a truce with him, and we do not know what he will do. He (Abû Sufyân) said: By Allâh, I could not say anything more than that. He said: Has anyone said such a thing before him? I said: No. He said to his interpreter: Tell him: I asked you about his lineage and you said that he is of good lineage among you; such are the Messengers, who are sent from the best lineages of their people. I asked: Was there any king among his forefathers, and you said: No. If there had been any king among his forefathers, I would have said that he was a man seeking the kingdom of his forefathers. I asked about his followers, whether they were lowly or noble, and you said they were lowly. Such are the followers of the Messengers. I asked you whether you accused him of lying before he said what he said, and you said no. I knew that if he did not tell lies about people, he would not tell lies about Allâh. I asked you whether anyone had turned away from his religion after entering it, out of dissatisfaction with it, and you said: No. Such is faith: when it penetrates deeply into the heart. I asked you whether they are increasing in number or decreasing, and you said that they are increasing. Such is faith, until it prevails. I asked you whether you have fought them, and you said that you have fought them, and the war between you and him goes by turns: sometimes he defeats you and sometimes you defeat him. Thus the Messengers are tested, but ultimately the victory is theirs. I asked you whether he acts treacherously, and you said that he does not act treacherously. Such are the Messengers, they do not act treacherously. I asked you whether anyone had said such a thing before, and you said: No. I thought that if anyone had said such a thing before, he would be a man who was following what was said before. Then he said: What does he enjoin upon you? I said: He enjoins us to pray, give Zakât, uphold ties of kinship and remain chaste. He said: If what you say about him is true, then he is a Prophet. I knew that he would appear, but I did not think that he would be from among you. If I knew that I would be able to reach him safely, I would like to meet him, and if I were with him, I would wash his feet. His dominion will most certainly reach that which is beneath my feet. Then he called for the letter of the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ and read it. It said: "In the Name of Allâh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. From Muhammad the Messenger of Allâh to Heraclius the ruler of the Byzantines. Peace be upon those who follow true guidance. I invite you with the call of Islam. Become Muslim and you will be safe. Become Muslim and Allâh will give you a twofold reward, but if you turn away, then upon you will be the sins of the peasants (your subjects). Say (O Muḥammad ﷺ): '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 (Alone), 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.' [Âl 'Imrân 3:64]. When he had finished reading the letter, there were raised voices and a great deal of clamour, and he ordered that we be expelled. I said to my companions when we left: Ibn Abî Kabshah (i.e., the Prophet ﷺ) has come to wield a great deal of power; the king of Banû Al-Aṣfar is afraid of him. I continued to be certain that the Messenger of Allâh ﷺ would prevail, until Allâh caused me to become Muslim.