Chief of the Prophets

Chief of the Prophets — Page 183

Chapter Eight 183 Go and tell your master (the Viceroy of Yemen) that my Lord, the Majestic God, has killed his lord (the Khosrau) this very night. When these two messengers returned to Bādhān with the message of Muḥammad sa , Bādhān spontaneously said, “If what he says really comes to pass, there will be no doubt in his prophethood. ” Not long after, Bādhān received a directive from Shīrwaeh (also known as Qabād II), the son of the emperor Khosrau Parvez, which read, “I, in the interest of my country, have killed my father, Khosrau Parvez, who was a tyrant and mercilessly killed the nobles of the country. When you get this letter, take a pledge of allegiance in my name from the people of your land. I have been informed that my father sent you an order about an Arabian person—consider that rescinded and wait for my next directive. ” When Bādhān received the directive of Shīrwaeh, the new Khosrau, he spontaneously said, “Muḥammad’s words proved true. It appears that he is a true prophet, and I believe in him. ” He immediately wrote a letter expressing his allegiance to Muḥammad sa , and many people of Yemen also became Muslims with him. 1 The tradition says that Khosrau Parvez was killed the same night when Muḥammad sa recieved the news about him from God. Allah the Exalted dealt with Heraclius and Khosrau the same way they dealt with the letters of Muḥammad sa. Because of the tearing of the letter of Muḥammad sa , the great state of Khosrau was disintegrated into pieces. On the other hand, because of honouring the letter of Muḥammad sa , Heraclius’s descendents were given respite for a long time, and his family ruled for centuries. The Letter to Muqauqis, the Viceroy of Egypt The third letter of Muḥammad sa was addressed to Muqauqis, who was the viceroy or the heir of Heraclius for Egypt and Alexandria, 1 Aṭ-Ṭabarī and Tārīkhul-Khamīs.