The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) – Volume III — Page 187
VI - All Races Invited to Islām 187 clear triumph over the Quraish of Makkah in the field of Badr. 1 Caesar secured its final and decisive victory against the Chosroes close to the era of the Treaty of Ḥudaibiyyah. 2 In his joy and gratitude of this remarkable triumph, Caesar travelled from Ḥimṣ 3 to Īlyā (i. e. , Jerusalem) by foot. 4 In actuality, this journey of Caesar was in fulfillment of a vow, which he had taken in the case of his victory. Therefore, he travelled from Edessa 5 to Jerusalem by foot, where the ‘True Cross’ of the Messiah of Nazereth was recovered from the Persians and restored to its place once again. 6 This journey was undertaken with such pomp that a carpet, and on top of the carpet, a bedding of flowers was laid down wherever the Caesar would proceed. Letter of the Holy Prophet sa Inviting the Caesar to Islām After the Treaty of Ḥudaibiyyah, the first letter to be sent out was perhaps to Heraclius, Caesar of Rome, inviting him to accept Islām. This letter was sent by the Holy Prophet sa immediately after the Treaty of Ḥudaibiyyah in the month of Dhul-Ḥijjah 6 A. H. 7 The Holy Prophet sa appointed an intelligent and sincere companion to this service, named Diḥyah bin Khalīfatul-Kalbī, who had travelled to Syria before and was familiar with the territory. Diḥyah was a handsome young man, in whose personage, the Holy Prophet sa once saw Ḥaḍrat Gabriel as in a vision. 8 Moreover, while sending this letter, the Holy Prophet sa expressed his wish that Diḥyah or whoever else performs this service, whether he apparently succeeds in this expedition or not, God-willing, would indeed 1 Sunan At-Tirmidhī, Kitābut-Tafsīr, Bābu Wa Min Sūratir-Rūm, Ḥadīth No. 3193 2 The Life of Mahomet, By Sir William Muir, Chapter XX, Embassies to Various Sovereigns and Princes, pp. 368-369, Published in Edinburgh: John Grant (1923) 3 Ḥimṣ or Emesa 4 Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābul-Jihādi Was-Siyar, Bābu Du‘ā’in-Nabiyyi sa Ilal-Islāmi Wan-Nubuwwati. . . , Ḥadīth No. 2940 5 Perhaps what is meant is Emesa, i. e. , Ḥimṣ, but Edessa has been written by mistake. 6 The Life of Mahomet, By Sir William Muir, Chapter XX, Embassies to Various Sovereigns and Princes/Despatch of Mahomet to Heraclius, p. 369, Published in Edinburgh: John Grant (1923) 7 Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 5, p. 5, Wa Ammā Mukātabatuhū ‘Alaihiṣ-Ṣalātu Was-Salāmu Ilal-Mulūki Wa Ghairihim, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 8 * Shamā’ilun-Nabī sa , By Muḥammad bin ‘Īsā bin Saurah, p. 8, Bābu Mā Jā’a Fī Khalqi Rasūlillāhi sa , Ḥadīth No. 12, Nur Foundation, Third Edition (2010) * Musnad, By Imām Aḥmad bin Ḥanbal, Volume 2, p. 473, Musnadu ‘Abdillāh-ibnil-Khaṭṭāb, Ḥadīth No. 5857, ‘Ālamul-Kutub, Beirut (1998)