Sahih al-Bukhari 7

Hadith text

Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas: Abu Sufyan bin Harb informed me that Heraclius had sent a messenger to him while he had been accompanying a caravan from Quraish. They were merchants doing business in Sham (Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan), at the time when Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) had truce with Abu Sufyan and Quraish infidels. So Abu Sufyan and his companions went to Heraclius at Ilya (Jerusalem). Heraclius called them in the court and he had all the senior Roman dignitaries around him. He called for his translator who, translating Heraclius's question said to them, "Who amongst you is closely related to that man who claims to be a Prophet?" Abu Sufyan replied, "I am the nearest relative to him (amongst the group)." Heraclius said, "Bring him (Abu Sufyan) close to me and make his companions stand behind him." Abu Sufyan added, Heraclius told his translator to tell my companions that he wanted to put some questions to me regarding that man (The Prophet) and that if I told a lie they (my companions) should contradict me." Abu Sufyan added, "By Allah! Had I not been afraid of my companions labeling me a liar, I would not have spoken the truth about the Prophet. The first question he asked me about him was: 'What is his family status amongst you?' I replied, 'He belongs to a good (noble) family amongst us.' Heraclius further asked, 'Has anybody amongst you ever claimed the same (i.e. to be a Prophet) before him?' I replied, 'No.' He said, 'Was anybody amongst his ancestors a king?' I replied, 'No.' Heraclius asked, 'Do the nobles or the poor follow him?' I replied, 'It is the poor who follow him.' He said, 'Are his followers increasing decreasing (day by day)?' I replied, 'They are increasing.' He then asked, 'Does anybody amongst those who embrace his religion become displeased and renounce the religion afterwards?' I replied, 'No.' Heraclius said, 'Have you ever accused him of telling lies before his claim (to be a Prophet)?' I replied, 'No. ' Heraclius said, 'Does he break his promises?' I replied, 'No. We are at truce with him but we do not know what he will do in it.' I could not find opportunity to say anything against him except that. Heraclius asked, 'Have you ever had a war with him?' I replied, 'Yes.' Then he said, 'What was the outcome of the battles?' I replied, 'Sometimes he was victorious and sometimes we.' Heraclius said, 'What does he order you to do?' I said, 'He tells us to worship Allah and Allah alone and not to worship anything along with Him, and to renounce all that our ancestors had said. He orders us to pray, to speak the truth, to be chaste and to keep good relations with our Kith and kin.' Heraclius asked the translator to convey to me the following, I asked you about his family and your reply was that he belonged to a very noble family. In fact all the Apostles come from noble families amongst their respective peoples. I questioned you whether anybody else amongst you claimed such a thing, your reply was in the negative. If the answer had been in the affirmative, I would have thought that this man was following the previous man's statement. Then I asked you whether anyone of his ancestors was a king. Your reply was in the negative, and if it had been in the affirmative, I would have thought that this man wanted to take back his ancestral kingdom. I further asked whether he was ever accused of telling lies before he said what he said, and your reply was in the negative. So I wondered how a person who does not tell a lie about others could ever tell a lie about Allah. I, then asked you whether the rich people followed him or the poor. You replied that it was the poor who followed him. And in fact all the Apostle have been followed by this very class of people. Then I asked you whether his followers were increasing or decreasing. You replied that they were increasing, and in fact this is the way of true faith, till it is complete in all respects. I further asked you whether there was anybody, who, after embracing his religion, became displeased and discarded his religion. Your reply was in the negative, and in fact this is (the sign of) true faith, when its delight enters the hearts and mixes with them completely. I asked you whether he had ever betrayed. You replied in the negative and likewise the Apostles never betray. Then I asked you what he ordered you to do. You replied that he ordered you to worship Allah and Allah alone and not to worship any thing along with Him and forbade you to worship idols and ordered you to pray, to speak the truth and to be chaste. If what you have said is true, he will very soon occupy this place underneath my feet and I knew it (from the scriptures) that he was going to appear but I did not know that he would be from you, and if I could reach him definitely, I would go immediately to meet him and if I were with him, I would certainly wash his feet.' Heraclius then asked for the letter addressed by Allah's Apostle which was delivered by Dihya to the Governor of Busra, who forwarded it to Heraclius to read. The contents of the letter were as follows: "In the name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful (This letter is) from Muhammad the slave of Allah and His Apostle to Heraclius the ruler of Byzantine. Peace be upon him, who follows the right path. Furthermore I invite you to Islam, and if you become a Muslim you will be safe, and Allah will double your reward, and if you reject this invitation of Islam you will be committing a sin of Arisiyin (tillers, farmers i.e. your people). And (Allah's Statement:) 'O people of the scripture! Come to a word common to you and us that we worship none but Allah and that we associate nothing in worship with Him, and that none of us shall take others as Lords beside Allah. Then, if they turn away, say: Bear witness that we are Muslims (those who have surrendered to Allah).' (3:64). Abu Sufyan then added, "When Heraclius had finished his speech and had read the letter, there was a great hue and cry in the Royal Court. So we were turned out of the court. I told my companions that the question of Ibn-Abi-Kabsha) (the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ)) has become so prominent that even the King of Bani Al-Asfar (Byzantine) is afraid of him. Then I started to become sure that he (the Prophet) would be the conqueror in the near future till I embraced Islam (i.e. Allah guided me to it)." The sub narrator adds, "Ibn An-Natur was the Governor of Ilya' (Jerusalem) and Heraclius was the head of the Christians of Sham. Ibn An-Natur narrates that once while Heraclius was visiting ilya' (Jerusalem), he got up in the morning with a sad mood. Some of his priests asked him why he was in that mood? Heraclius was a foreteller and an astrologer. He replied, 'At night when I looked at the stars, I saw that the leader of those who practice circumcision had appeared (become the conqueror). Who are they who practice circumcision?' The people replied, 'Except the Jews nobody practices circumcision, so you should not be afraid of them (Jews). 'Just Issue orders to kill every Jew present in the country.' While they were discussing it, a messenger sent by the king of Ghassan to convey the news of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) to Heraclius was brought in. Having heard the news, he (Heraclius) ordered the people to go and see whether the messenger of Ghassan was circumcised. The people, after seeing him, told Heraclius that he was circumcised. Heraclius then asked him about the Arabs. The messenger replied, 'Arabs also practice circumcision.' (After hearing that) Heraclius remarked that sovereignty of the 'Arabs had appeared. Heraclius then wrote a letter to his friend in Rome who was as good as Heraclius in knowledge. Heraclius then left for Homs. (a town in Syrian and stayed there till he received the reply of his letter from his friend who agreed with him in his opinion about the emergence of the Prophet (ﷺ) and the fact that he was a Prophet. On that Heraclius invited all the heads of the Byzantines to assemble in his palace at Homs. When they assembled, he ordered that all the doors of his palace be closed. Then he came out and said, 'O Byzantines! If success is your desire and if you seek right guidance and want your empire to remain then give a pledge of allegiance to this Prophet (i.e. embrace Islam).' (On hearing the views of Heraclius) the people ran towards the gates of the palace like onagers but found the doors closed. Heraclius realized their hatred towards Islam and when he lost the hope of their embracing Islam, he ordered that they should be brought back in audience. (When they returned) he said, 'What already said was just to test the strength of your conviction and I have seen it.' The people prostrated before him and became pleased with him, and this was the end of Heraclius's story (in connection with his faith)

Abdullah bin Abbas (رضی اللہ عنہما) bataate hain ke Abu Sufyan bin Harb ne unhe bataya ke Heraclius (Roman badshah) ne Sham ke ek Quraishi tijarati qafile ko bulaya — us waqt jab Nabi (ﷺ) aur Quraish ke kuffar ke darmiyan sulah thi. Heraclius ne apne darbar mein pucha: "Tum mein se us shaks (Nabi) ka sabse qareebi rishtedaar kaun hai jo Nabuwwat ka dawa karta hai?" Abu Sufyan ne kaha: "Main sabse qareeb hoon." Heraclius ne unhe apne paas bulaya aur baaki sathiyon ko peeche khada kiya, phir tarjuman se kaha: "In se kaho, main is shaks (Abu Sufyan) se us aadmi ke baare mein sawal karunga — agar yeh jhoot bole to tum log tasdeeq mat karna." Abu Sufyan kehte hain: "Allah ki qasam, agar mujhe apne saathiyon ke jhutlaane ka dar na hota to main zaroor jhoot bolta." Heraclius ne poochha: "Uska khandaan kaisa hai?" Maine kaha: "Woh humare andar acche khandaan ka hai." Poocha: "Kya kisi ne is se pehle yeh dawa kiya?" Kaha: "Nahi." Poocha: "Kya uske baap-dada mein koi badshah tha?" Kaha: "Nahi." Poocha: "Ameer log uski pairvi karte hain ya gareeb?" Kaha: "Gareeb." Poocha: "Uske maanne wale badh rahe hain ya kam ho rahe hain?" Kaha: "Badh rahe hain." Poocha: "Kya koi deen mein aane ke baad naraz hokar wapas jaata hai?" Kaha: "Nahi." Poocha: "Kya uske dawe se pehle tum use jhoota samajhte the?" Kaha: "Nahi." Poocha: "Kya woh wada todta hai?" Kaha: "Nahi, hum abhi sulah ki muddat mein hain, pata nahi aage kya karega." Poocha: "Kya tumne uske khilaf jung ki?" Kaha: "Haan." Poocha: "Nateeja kya raha?" Kaha: "Kabhi hum jeete, kabhi woh." Poocha: "Woh kya hukum deta hai?" Kaha: "Kehta hai sirf Allah ki ibadat karo, kisi ko shareek na karo, baap-dada ki (baatil) baaton ko chhod do — aur namaz, sach bolne, pakizgi aur sila-rehmi ka hukum deta hai." Heraclius ne tarjuman se kaha: "Isse kaho — maine uske khandaan ke baare mein poocha, tumne bataya woh acche khandaan ka hai — Rasool aise hi apni qaum ke behtareen khandaan se aate hain. Maine poocha kisi ne pehle yeh dawa kiya, tumne kaha nahi — agar kisi ne kiya hota to main sochta yeh usi ki naqal kar raha hai. Maine poocha uske baap-dada mein badshah tha, tumne kaha nahi — agar hota to main sochta yeh apne baap ki saltanat wapas chahta hai. Maine poocha kya pehle usse jhoot ki tohmat lagti thi, tumne kaha nahi — jo shaks logon se jhoot nahi bolta woh Allah par jhoot kaise bandhega. Maine poocha ameer log uski pairvi karte hain ya gareeb, tumne kaha gareeb — aur yehi Rusul ke pairokar hote hain. Maine poocha badh rahe hain ya kam ho rahe hain, tumne kaha badh rahe hain — iman ka yehi tareeqa hai jab tak mukammal na ho. Maine poocha koi naraz hokar wapas jaata hai, tumne kaha nahi — jab iman ki khushi dilon mein rach jaati hai to aisa hi hota hai. Maine poocha woh wada todta hai, tumne kaha nahi — Rusul kabhi wada nahi todte. Maine poocha kya hukum deta hai, tumne bataya Allah ki ibadat ka, shirk na karne ka, aur namaz, sach aur pakizgi ka." (Phir Heraclius ne kaha:) "Agar tumhari baatein sach hain to woh (Nabi) jald hi meri in donon paon ki jagah tak malik ho jayega. Mujhe pehle se pata tha ke woh zahir hoga, magar mujhe nahi pata tha ke woh tum mein se hoga. Agar mujhe yakeen hota ke main us tak pahunch sakta hoon to zaroor mushkil uthata, aur agar main uske paas hota to uske paon dhota." Phir Heraclius ne Nabi (ﷺ) ka woh khat mangaya jo Dihya ke zariye Busra ke gawarnar ko bheja gaya tha. Parh kar dekha to usmein likha tha: "Allah ke naam se jo bada meharban, nihayat reham karne wala hai. Muhammad, Allah ke bande aur uske Rasool ki taraf se, Heraclius, Roomiyon ke sardar ke naam. Salamati ho us par jo hidayat ki pairvi kare. Ammaa baad, main tumhe Islam ki dawat deta hoon — Islam qubool karo, salamati paoge, Allah tumhe dohra ajr dega. Agar tum mun mode to Aarisiyeen (tumhari raiyat) ka gunah tum par hoga. Aur 'Aye Ahl-e-Kitab! Aao us baat ki taraf jo hamare aur tumhare darmiyan barabar hai — ke hum sirf Allah ki ibadat karein, usme kisi ko shareek na karein, aur hum mein se koi ek dusre ko Allah ke siwa Rab na bana le. Agar woh mun morein to keh do: Gawah raho ke hum musalman hain.'" Abu Sufyan kehte hain jab khat khatam hua to darbar mein bahut shor ho gaya, hum bahar nikaal diye gaye. Maine apne saathiyon se kaha: "Ibn Abi Kabsha (Nabi) ka maamla itna baRh gaya hai ke Bani Al-Asfar (Roman) ka badshah bhi us se dar raha hai." Main yaqeen karta raha ke woh ghalib hoga, yahan tak ke Allah ne mujhe Islam ki hidayat di.

Sahih al-Bukhari 7 · Book 1, Hadith 7