Chief of the Prophets

Chief of the Prophets — Page 174

Chapter Eight 174 Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return. The rest of the Muslims, after burying him at Saiful-Baḥr, appeared before Muḥammad sa with mixed feelings of happiness and grief. Invitation to Various Rulers to Accept Islam, 6 A. H. During the time when the Muslims enjoyed some respite from the battles after the Ḥudaibiyyah Treaty and were freely inviting people towards Islam in Arabia, Muḥammad sa sent letters to the rulers of the neighboring areas inviting them to Islam. Muḥammad sa sent letters to the following rulers: 1. Heraclius, Emperor of the Byzantine Empire 2. Khosrau, Emperor of Persia 3. Muqauqis, Viceroy of Egypt 4. Negus, King of Abyssinia 5. Various chieftains of the neighboring lands of Arabia Letter to Heraclius, the Byzantine Emperor Dihya al-Kalbī took the letter of Muḥammad sa to the chief of Baṣrah who delivered it to Heraclius, the Byzantine Emperor. Heraclius asked his people to locate an individual belonging to the nation of the claimant of prophethood. Incidently, Abū Sufyān was in Syria on a trading trip and was, therefore, presented before the court. The exact dialogue that took place between Heraclius and Abū Sufyan regarding the claimant of prophethood is recorded in history and reproduced here: Heraclius: How is his family and lineage?