Life of Muhammad — Page 134
sa 134 an aggressive adventurer with designs on Iran. Soon after, the Chosroes wrote to the Governor of Yemen, saying that one of the Quraish in Arabia had announced himself a Prophet sa. His claims were becoming excessive. The Governor was asked to send two men charged with the duty of arresting this Quraishite and bringing him to the court of Iran. B a dh a n, the Governor of Yemen under the Chosroes, sent an army chief with a mounted companion to the Prophet sa. He also gave them a letter addressed to the Prophet sa , in which he said that on receipt of the letter the Prophet sa should at once accompany the two messengers to the court of Iran. The two planned to go first to Mecca. When somewhere near Ta ’ if, they were told that the Prophet sa lived in Medina. So they went to Medina. On arrival this army chief told the Prophet sa that B a dh a n, the Governor of Yemen, had been ordered by the Chosroes to arrange for the Prophet's sa arrest and despatch to Iran. If the Prophet sa refused to obey, he and his people were to be destroyed and their country made desolate. Out of compassion for the Prophet sa , this delegate from Yemen insisted that the Prophet sa should obey and agree to be led to Iran. Having listened to this, the Prophet sa suggested that the delegates should see him again the following day. Overnight the Prophet sa prayed to God Who informed him that the insolence of the Chosroes had cost him his life. "We have set his own son against him, and this son will murder his father on Monday the l0th Jum a d al- ’ U l a of this year. " According to some reports, the revelation said, "The son has murdered the father this very night. " It is possible that that very night was the l0th Jum a d al- ’ U l a In the morning, the Prophet sa sent for the Yemen delegates and told them of what had been revealed to him overnight. Then he prepared a letter for B a dh a n saying that the Chosroes was due to be murdered on a certain day of a certain month. When the Governor of Yemen received the letter he said, "If this man be a true Prophet sa , it will be even as he says. If he be not true, then God help him and his country. " Soon after, a boat