Guided
[Abū Sufyān said that Heraclius sent for him while he was with a caravan of riders from Quraysh, who were traders in the Levant during the period in which the Messenger of Allāh (may the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) had a truce with Abū Sufyān and the disbelievers of Quraysh. They came to Heraclius while he was at Īliya' (Jerusalem). Heraclius called them to his court, and around him were the dignitaries of Byzantium. Then, he called for them, and he called for his translator, and he said: "Which of you are nearest in lineage to this man who believes himself to be a prophet?" Abū Sufyān said, "I said, 'I am the nearest of them to him in lineage." Heraclius said, "Bring him near to me, and bring his companions near, and put them at his back." Then, he said to his translator, "Say to them, 'I am going to ask him about this man, so if he lies to me, brand him a liar." Abū Sufyān said, "By Allāh, if it were not for the shame of being branded a liar, I would have lied about him."
[He continued, "The first thing that he asked me about was that he said, 'How is his lineage [seen amongst you?' I said, 'He is a person of high lineage.' He said, 'Did anyone among you ever make this claim before him?' I replied, 'No.' He said, 'Were there any kings among his ancestory?' I replied, 'No.' He said, 'Have the people of nobility followed him or the meek among them?' I said, 'Rather, the meek among them.' He said, 'Are they increasing or decreasing [in number?' I said, 'Rather, they are increasing.' He said, 'Does any of them renounce their faith in displeasure after having entered it?' I said, 'No.' He said, 'Did you used to accuse him of lying before he said what he said?' I said, 'No.' He said, 'Does he act treacherously?' I said 'No. We are in a period of truce with him, but we do not know what he is doing in [this period.'" Abū Sufyān said, "He didn't allow me an opportunity to put a [negatve word in, other than that. [Heraclius said, 'Have [your people fought him?' I said, 'Yes.' He said, 'What was the [outcome of you fighting him?' I said, 'War between us and him is in buckets [i.e., like taking turns to draw buckets from a well; he does harm to us and we do harm to him.' He said, 'What does he command you to do?' I said, 'He says, 'Worship Allāh alone and do not associate anything in worship with him, and leave what your ancestors said;' and he orders us to pray, to be truthful, to be chaste, and [to maintain good ties of kinship.'"
Then he said to the translator, "Say to him, 'I asked you about his lineage and you mentioned that he is of high lineage; such are the messengers - they are sent from the [highest lineage of their people. And I asked you if anyone among you ever make this claim before him, and you mentioned that they did not. Were someone to have made this claim before him, I would have said that he is a man following the example of something that was said before him. And I asked you if there were any kings among his ancestory, and you said that there were not. Were there kings among his ancestory, I would have said that he was a man seeking the kingdom of his forefather. And I asked you if you used to accuse him of lying before he said what he said, and you mentioned that you did not. THEN I KNEW THAT HE WAS NOT GOING TO LEAVE LYING ABOUT PEOPLE AND THEN LIE ABOUT Allāh. I asked you whether the people of nobility have followed him or the meek among them, and you mentioned that the meek have followed him, and they are the followers of the messengers. I asked you whether they are increasing or decreasing [in number, and you mentioned that they are increasing; the matter of faith is like this, [it increases until it is complete. I asked you whether any of them renounce their faith in displeasure after having entered it, and you mentioned that they do not; faith is like this, to the extent that it MIXES WITH THE DELIGHT (INSHIRAAH) of the hearts. I asked you whether he act treacherously, and you mentioned that he does not; the messengers are like this, they do not act treacherously. I asked you what he commands you to do, and you mentioned that he commands you to worship Allāh alone and do not associate anything in worship with him, and that he forbids you from worshipping idols, and that he orders you to pray, to be truthful, and to be chaste, and if what you say is true, he will take possession of the place of these two feet of mine. I knew that he was going to appear, and I did not think that he would be from you [people. If I knew that I could reach him, I would have taken up [the chance to meet him, and if I were in his presence, I would wash his feet.'"
Then, he called for the letter of the Messenger of Allāh (may the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) with which he had sent Diḥyah to the ruler of Buṣrā, and he had forwarded to Heraclius and he read it, and in it was:
"In the name of Allāh, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy, from Muḥammad, the slave of Allāh and His messenger, to Heraclius, the ruler of Byzantium. SALAAM upon the one who follows the guidance; to continue: Indeed, I invite you to the call of Islam [i.e., the testimony of faith; become Muslim and you will be safe, and Allāh will double your reward. But if you turn away, then you will have the sin of the [peasant farmers. 'O People of the Book! Come to a word that is just between us and you: that we worship none but Allāh, and we associate none in worship with Him, and that none of us take others as lords besides Allāh. Then, if they turn away, say: 'bear witness that we are Muslims.' [āl-'Imrān 3:64'."
Abū Sufyān said, "When he had said what he said, and he had finished reading the letter, there was a great clamour around him, and voices were raised, and we were made to leave. I said to my companions when we were being taken out: 'The affair of Ibn Abī Kabshah [the descendant of Abū Kabshah, i.e., the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) has become so great that he is feared by the king of Banī al-Aṣfar [the Byzantines!' Then I did not cease to be sure that he would emerge victorious, until Allāh caused me to enter Islam."
[az-Zuhrī added: Ibn an-Nāṭūr - the Governor of Īliya' and the companion of Heraclius - was the religous head of the Chrisitans in the Levant, and he used to narrate that when Heraclius came to Īliya', he awoke in a foul mood. Some of his advisers said, "We dislike [to see you in this state of yours." Ibn an-Nāṭūr said, "Heraclius was an foreteller who practiced astrology." Heraclius replied to them when the asked him [the reason: "Last night, when I looked at the stars, I saw the king of the circumcised people had appeared, so who among the nations practises circumcision?" They said, "Nobody practises circumcision except the Jews, so don't let them concern you, [just write to the towns of your kingdom [commanding that they kill those Jews that are among them." While they were engaged in the matter, a man sent by the King of Ghassan was brought in, informing them of the news of the Messenger of Allāh (may the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him). When Heraclius had heard the news from him, he said, "Go and see if he is circumcised or not?" So they looked at him and they coveryed to Heraclius that he was circumcised. They asked him about the Arabs and he replied. "They practise circumcision." Heraclius said, "It is the king of this nation that has appeared." Then, Heraclius wrote to a companion of his in Rome who was similar to him in knowledge. Then, Heraclius travelled to Homs and he did not leave until the letter came from his companion, agreeing with the opinion of Heraclius regarding the emergence of the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him), and that he was a prophet. Then, he informed the dignitaries of Byzantium at a palace of his in Homs [to assemble, then he commanded the doors be closed, then he came out and said, "O Byzantines! Do you have [desire for success and the guidance and to keep your kingdom established, and so pledge allegience to this prophet?" [The dignitaries fled to the doors like zebras [being chased, and they found that they had been closed. When Heraclius saw their aversion and despaired of their faith, he said, "Bring them back to me." Then, he said, "I said this statement of mine earlier in order to test your strength in [adhering to your religion, and I have seen it. Then, they bowed to him and were pleased with him, and this was the final state of Heraclius." This [second part of the story was narrated by Ṣāliḥ ibn Kaysān, Yūnus, and Ma'mar, from az-Zuhrī.
[Abū Sufyān said that Heraclius sent for him while he was with a caravan of riders from Quraysh, who were traders in the Levant during the period in which the Messenger of Allāh (may the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) had a truce with Abū Sufyān and the disbelievers of Quraysh. They came to Heraclius while he was at Īliya' (Jerusalem). Heraclius called them to his court, and around him were the dignitaries of Byzantium. Then, he called for them, and he called for his translator, and he said: "Which of you are nearest in lineage to this man who believes himself to be a prophet?" Abū Sufyān said, "I said, 'I am the nearest of them to him in lineage." Heraclius said, "Bring him near to me, and bring his companions near, and put them at his back." Then, he said to his translator, "Say to them, 'I am going to ask him about this man, so if he lies to me, brand him a liar." Abū Sufyān said, "By Allāh, if it were not for the shame of being branded a liar, I would have lied about him."
[He continued, "The first thing that he asked me about was that he said, 'How is his lineage [seen amongst you?' I said, 'He is a person of high lineage.' He said, 'Did anyone among you ever make this claim before him?' I replied, 'No.' He said, 'Were there any kings among his ancestory?' I replied, 'No.' He said, 'Have the people of nobility followed him or the meek among them?' I said, 'Rather, the meek among them.' He said, 'Are they increasing or decreasing [in number?' I said, 'Rather, they are increasing.' He said, 'Does any of them renounce their faith in displeasure after having entered it?' I said, 'No.' He said, 'Did you used to accuse him of lying before he said what he said?' I said, 'No.' He said, 'Does he act treacherously?' I said 'No. We are in a period of truce with him, but we do not know what he is doing in [this period.'" Abū Sufyān said, "He didn't allow me an opportunity to put a [negatve word in, other than that. [Heraclius said, 'Have [your people fought him?' I said, 'Yes.' He said, 'What was the [outcome of you fighting him?' I said, 'War between us and him is in buckets [i.e., like taking turns to draw buckets from a well; he does harm to us and we do harm to him.' He said, 'What does he command you to do?' I said, 'He says, 'Worship Allāh alone and do not associate anything in worship with him, and leave what your ancestors said;' and he orders us to pray, to be truthful, to be chaste, and [to maintain good ties of kinship.'"
Then he said to the translator, "Say to him, 'I asked you about his lineage and you mentioned that he is of high lineage; such are the messengers - they are sent from the [highest lineage of their people. And I asked you if anyone among you ever make this claim before him, and you mentioned that they did not. Were someone to have made this claim before him, I would have said that he is a man following the example of something that was said before him. And I asked you if there were any kings among his ancestory, and you said that there were not. Were there kings among his ancestory, I would have said that he was a man seeking the kingdom of his forefather. And I asked you if you used to accuse him of lying before he said what he said, and you mentioned that you did not. THEN I KNEW THAT HE WAS NOT GOING TO LEAVE LYING ABOUT PEOPLE AND THEN LIE ABOUT Allāh. I asked you whether the people of nobility have followed him or the meek among them, and you mentioned that the meek have followed him, and they are the followers of the messengers. I asked you whether they are increasing or decreasing [in number, and you mentioned that they are increasing; the matter of faith is like this, [it increases until it is complete. I asked you whether any of them renounce their faith in displeasure after having entered it, and you mentioned that they do not; faith is like this, to the extent that it MIXES WITH THE DELIGHT (INSHIRAAH) of the hearts. I asked you whether he act treacherously, and you mentioned that he does not; the messengers are like this, they do not act treacherously. I asked you what he commands you to do, and you mentioned that he commands you to worship Allāh alone and do not associate anything in worship with him, and that he forbids you from worshipping idols, and that he orders you to pray, to be truthful, and to be chaste, and if what you say is true, he will take possession of the place of these two feet of mine. I knew that he was going to appear, and I did not think that he would be from you [people. If I knew that I could reach him, I would have taken up [the chance to meet him, and if I were in his presence, I would wash his feet.'"
Then, he called for the letter of the Messenger of Allāh (may the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) with which he had sent Diḥyah to the ruler of Buṣrā, and he had forwarded to Heraclius and he read it, and in it was:
"In the name of Allāh, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy, from Muḥammad, the slave of Allāh and His messenger, to Heraclius, the ruler of Byzantium. SALAAM upon the one who follows the guidance; to continue: Indeed, I invite you to the call of Islam [i.e., the testimony of faith; become Muslim and you will be safe, and Allāh will double your reward. But if you turn away, then you will have the sin of the [peasant farmers. 'O People of the Book! Come to a word that is just between us and you: that we worship none but Allāh, and we associate none in worship with Him, and that none of us take others as lords besides Allāh. Then, if they turn away, say: 'bear witness that we are Muslims.' [āl-'Imrān 3:64'."
Abū Sufyān said, "When he had said what he said, and he had finished reading the letter, there was a great clamour around him, and voices were raised, and we were made to leave. I said to my companions when we were being taken out: 'The affair of Ibn Abī Kabshah [the descendant of Abū Kabshah, i.e., the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) has become so great that he is feared by the king of Banī al-Aṣfar [the Byzantines!' Then I did not cease to be sure that he would emerge victorious, until Allāh caused me to enter Islam."
[az-Zuhrī added: Ibn an-Nāṭūr - the Governor of Īliya' and the companion of Heraclius - was the religous head of the Chrisitans in the Levant, and he used to narrate that when Heraclius came to Īliya', he awoke in a foul mood. Some of his advisers said, "We dislike [to see you in this state of yours." Ibn an-Nāṭūr said, "Heraclius was an foreteller who practiced astrology." Heraclius replied to them when the asked him [the reason: "Last night, when I looked at the stars, I saw the king of the circumcised people had appeared, so who among the nations practises circumcision?" They said, "Nobody practises circumcision except the Jews, so don't let them concern you, [just write to the towns of your kingdom [commanding that they kill those Jews that are among them." While they were engaged in the matter, a man sent by the King of Ghassan was brought in, informing them of the news of the Messenger of Allāh (may the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him). When Heraclius had heard the news from him, he said, "Go and see if he is circumcised or not?" So they looked at him and they coveryed to Heraclius that he was circumcised. They asked him about the Arabs and he replied. "They practise circumcision." Heraclius said, "It is the king of this nation that has appeared." Then, Heraclius wrote to a companion of his in Rome who was similar to him in knowledge. Then, Heraclius travelled to Homs and he did not leave until the letter came from his companion, agreeing with the opinion of Heraclius regarding the emergence of the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him), and that he was a prophet. Then, he informed the dignitaries of Byzantium at a palace of his in Homs [to assemble, then he commanded the doors be closed, then he came out and said, "O Byzantines! Do you have [desire for success and the guidance and to keep your kingdom established, and so pledge allegience to this prophet?" [The dignitaries fled to the doors like zebras [being chased, and they found that they had been closed. When Heraclius saw their aversion and despaired of their faith, he said, "Bring them back to me." Then, he said, "I said this statement of mine earlier in order to test your strength in [adhering to your religion, and I have seen it. Then, they bowed to him and were pleased with him, and this was the final state of Heraclius." This [second part of the story was narrated by Ṣāliḥ ibn Kaysān, Yūnus, and Ma'mar, from az-Zuhrī.