Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.a.w.)
In the six year A.H., the Prophet (s.a.a.w.) decided to
send messages to the kings beyond Arabia calling them to
Islam. The Prophet attached great importance to this
initiative. These messengers were going to distant lands with
whom there was no agreement or treaty. They did not know
the languages of these lands nor anything about the ways and
disposition of their rulers. They were to invite these rulers
to give up their religion and forsake their power and glory
and enter the religion of a people who shortly before were
almost their subjects. The mission was undoubtedly hazardous.
To make known his plan, the Prophet (s.a.a.w.) called his
companions together and addressed them. He started by praising
God and thanking Him. He then recited the Shahadah and went
on:
"I want to send some of you to the rulers of foreign lands but
don't dispute with me as the Israelites disputed with Jesus, the
son of Mary.
"O Prophet of God, we shall carry out whatever you wish,"
they responded. "Send us wherever you desire."
The Prophet commissioned six of his Sahabah to carry his
letters to Arab and foreign rulers. In order to authenticate
the credentials of his envoys, a silver seal was made in which
were graven the words: “ Muhammad the Messenger of Allâh.”
Prophet Muhammad (s.a.a.w.) himself was unlettered, so
the writings of his messages were done by Sahabah. Envoys
were chosen on the basis of their experience and knowledge, and
sent on their errands in Muharram in the year 7 A.H., a few
days before heading for Khaibar.
A Deputation to Abyssinia (Ethiopia)
Negus, king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia), his name was Ashama bin
Al-Abjar, received the Prophet’s message, despatched by Amr
bin Omaiyah Ad-Damari, which At-Tabari referred to, either
late in the sixth year or early in the seventh year A.H. Deep
scrutiny into the letter shows that it w as not the one sent
after Al-Hudaibiyah event. Wording of the letter rather
indicates that it was sent to that king when Ja‘far and his
companions emigrated to Abyssinia (Ethiopia) during the Makkan
period. One of its sentences read “I have despatched my cousin,
Ja‘far with a group of Muslims, to you. Do be generous
towards them and give up haughtiness.”
Al-Baihaqi, on the authority of Ibn Ishaq, gave the following
narration of the Prophet’s letter sent to Negus:
“This letter is sent from Muhammad, the Prophet to Negus
Al-Ashama, the king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia). Peace be upon
him who follows true guidance and believes in Allâh and His
Messenger. I bear witness that there is no god but Allâh
Alone with no associate, He has taken neither a wife nor a son,
and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. I call you unto
the fold of Islam; if you embrace Islam, you will find safety,
“Say [O Muhammad (Peace be upon him)]: ‘O people of the
Scripture (Jews and Christians), come to a word that is just
between us and you, that we worship none but Allâh, and that
we associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall
take others as lords besides Allâh.’ Then, if they turn away,
say: ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims.’ ” [The Holy Quran,
3:64]
Should you reject this invitation, then you will be held
responsible for all the evils of the Christians of your people.”
Dr. Hameedullah (Paris), a reliable verifier, has adduced a
version of the above letter disclosed only a short time ago and
identical to Ibn Al-Qaiyim’s narration. Dr. Hameedullah exerted
painstaking effort and used all means of modern technology to
verify the text of the letter, which reads as follows:
“In the Name of Allâh,the Most Beneficent, the Most
Merciful. From Muhammad the Messenger of Allâh to Negus,
king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia). Peace be upon him who follows
true guidance. Salutations, I entertain Allâh’s praise, there is
no god but He, the Sovereign, the Holy, the Source of peace,
the Giver of peace, the Guardian of faith, the Preserver of
safety. I bear witness that Jesus, the son of Mary, is the
spirit of Allâh and His Word which He cast into Mary, the
virgin, the good, the pure, so that she conceived Jesus. Allâh
created him from His spirit and His breathing as He created
Adam by His Hand. I call you to Allâh Alone with no associate
and to His obedience and to follow me and to believe in that
which came to me, for I am the Messenger of Allâh. I invite
you and your men to Allâh, the Glorious, the All-Mighty. I
hereby bear witness that I have communicated my message and
advice. I invite you to listen and accept my advice. Peace be
upon him who follows true guidance.”
When ‘Amr bin Omaiyah Ad-Damari communicated the Apostolic
letter to Negus, the latter took the parchment and placed it on
his eye, descended to the floor, confessed his faith in Islam and
wrote the following reply to the Prophet (Peace be upon him).
“In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most
Merciful. From Negus Ashama to Muhammad, the Messenger
of Allâh. Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allâh! and
mercy and blessing from Allâh beside Whom there is no god. I
have received your letter in which you have mentioned about
Jesus and by the Lord of heaven and earth, Jesus is not more
than what you say. We fully acknowledge that with which you
have been sent to us and we have entertained your cousin and his
companions. I bear witness that you are the Messenger of
Allâh, true and confirming (those who have gone before you), I
pledge to you through your cousin and surrender myself through
him to the Lord of the worlds.”
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) had asked Negus to send
Ja‘far and his companions, the emigrants to Abyssinia
(Ethiopia), back home. They came back to see the Prophet
(Peace be upon him) in Khaibar. Negus later died in Rajab 9
A.H. shortly after Tabuk Ghazwa. The Prophet (Peace be
upon him) announced his death and observed prayer in absentia
for him.
Letter to the Vicegerent of Egypt, called Muqawqas
The Prophet (s.a.a.w.) wrote to Juraij bin Matta, called
Muqawqas, vicegerent of Egypt and Alexandria saying:
“In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most
Merciful.
From Muhammad servant of Allâh and His Messenger to
Muqawqas, vicegerent of Egypt.
Peace be upon him who follows true guidance. Thereafter, I
invite you to accept Islam. Therefore, if you want security,
accept Islam. If you accept Islam, Allâh, the Sublime, shall
reward you doubly. But if you refuse to do so, you will bear
the burden of the transgression of all the Copts.
“Say [O Muhammad (Peace be upon him)]: ‘O people of the
Scripture (Jews and Christians), come to a word that is just
between us and you, that we worship none but Allâh, and that
we associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall
take others as lords besides Allâh.’ Then, if they turn away,
say: ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims.’ ” [3:64]
Hatib bin Abi Balta‘a, who was chosen to communicate the
message, requested an audience with Muqawqas before imparting
the contents of the letter. He addressed Egypt’s vicegerent
saying:
“There used to be someone before you who had arrogated the
status of the Supreme Lord, so Allâh punished him and made an
example of him in the Hereafter, and in this life; therefore,
take warning and never set a bad example to others.” Muqawqas
answered: “We are in no position to relinquish our religion except
for a better one.”
Hatib resumed: “We invite you to embrace Islam, which will
suffice you all what you may lose. Our Prophet has called
people to profess this Faith, Quraish and the Jews stood
against him as bitter enemies, whereas Christians stood closest
to his Call. Upon my life, Moses’s news about Christ is
identical to the latter’s good tidings about the advent of
Muhammad; likewise, this invitation of ours to you to embrace
Islam is similar to your invitation to the people of Torah to
accept the New Testament. Once a Prophet rises in a nation,
he is eligible for positive response, hence you are subject to
the same Divine Law. Bear in mind that we have not come to
dissuade you from religion of Christ but rather bidding you to
adhere to its tenets.”
Muqawqas meditated over the contents of the letter deeply and
said: “I have come to the conviction that this Prophet bids
nothing abominable; he is neither a straying magician nor a lying
soothsayer. He bears the true manifest seeds of Prophethood,
and so I will consider the affair deeply.” He took the
parchment and ordered that it be kept in an ivory casket. He
called a scribe to write the following reply in Arabic:
“In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most
Merciful.
From Muqawqas to Muhammad bin ‘Abdullah:
Peace be upon you. I have read your letter and understood its
contents, and what you are calling for. I already know that the
coming of a Prophet is still due, but I used to believe he would
be born in Syria. I am sending you as presents two maids, who
come from noble Coptic families; clothing and a steed for riding
on. Peace be upon you.”
It is noteworthy that Muqawqas did not avail himself of this
priceless opportunity and he did not embrace Islam. (Reference:
Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum)
A Letter to Chosroes, Emperor of Persia
“In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most
Merciful.
From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allâh to Chosroes, king of
Persia.
Peace be upon him who follows true guidance, believes in Allâh
and His Messenger and testifies that there is no god but Allâh
Alone with no associate, and that Muhammad is His slave and
Messenger. I invite you to accept the religion of Allâh. I am
the Messenger of Allâh sent to all people in order that I may
infuse fear of Allâh in every living person, and that the charge
may be proved against those who reject the Truth. Accept
Islam as your religion so that you may live in security,
otherwise, you will be responsible for all the sins of the
Magians.”
‘Abdullah bin Hudhafa As-Sahmi was chosen to carry the
letter. Abdullah got his camel ready and bade farewell to his
wife and son. He set out, alone, and traversed mountains and
valleys until he reached the land of the Persians.
He sought permission to enter into the king's presence informing
the guards of the letter he was carrying. Khusraw Parvez
thereupon ordered his audience chamber to be made ready and
summoned his prominent aides. When they had assembled he gave
permission for Abdullah to enter.
Abdullah entered and saw the Persian potentate dressed in
delicate, flowing robes and wearing a great, neatly arranged
turban. On Abdullah was the plain, coarse clothes of the
bedouin. His head though was held high and his feet were firm.
The honor of Islam burned fiercely in his breast and the power
of faith pulsated in his heart.
As soon as Khusraw Parvez saw him approaching he signalled to
one of his men to take the letter from his hand.
"No," said Abdullah. 'The Prophet commanded me to hand over
this letter to you directly and I shall not go against a command
of the Messenger of God."
"Let him come near to me," Khusraw said to his guards and
Abdullah went forward and handed over the letter. Khusraw
then called an Arab clerk who originally came from Hira and
ordered him to open the letter in his presence and read its
contents. He began reading:
"In the name of Allah, the Beneficent the Merciful. From
Muhammad, the Messenger of God, to Khusraw the ruler of
Persia. Peace on whoever follows the guidance . . ."
Khusraw only heard this much of the letter when the fire of
anger burst within him. His face became red and he began to
perspire around the neck. He snatched the letter from the
clerk's hand and began tearing it to pieces without knowing what
else it contained and shouted, "Does he dare to write to me like
this, he who is my slave". He was angry that the Prophet had
not given him precedence in his letter. He then commanded
Abdullah to be expelled from his assembly.
Abdullah was taken away, not knowing what would happen to
him. Would he be killed or would he be set free? But he did
not want to wait to find out. He said, "By God, I don't care
what happens to me after the letter of the Prophet has been
so badly treated." He managed to get to his camel and rode off.
When Khusraw's anger had subsided he commanded that
Abdullah be brought before him. But Abdullah was nowhere to
be found. They searched for him all the way to the Arabian
peninsula but found that he had gone ahead.
Back in Madinah, Abdullah told the Prophet how Khusraw had
torn his letter to pieces and the Prophet's only reply was,
"May God tear up his kingdom".
Meanwhile, Khusraw wrote to Badhan, his deputy in the Yemen,
to send two strong men to "that man who has appeared in the
Hijaz" with orders to bring him to Persia.
Badhan dispatched two of his strongest men to the Prophet and
gave them a letter to him in which he was ordered to go with
the two men to meet Khusraw without delay. Badhan also asked
the two men to get whatever information they could on the
Prophet and to study his message closely.
The men set out, moving very quickly. At Taif they met some
Quraysh traders and asked them about Muhammad. "He is in
Yathrib," they said and they went on to Makkah feeling
extremely happy. This was good news for them and they went
around telling other Quraysh, "You will be pleased. Khusraw is
out to get Muhammad and you will be rid of his evil."
The two men meanwhile made straight for Madinah where they
met the Prophet, handed him the letter of Badhan and said to
him, "The king of kings, Khusraw, has written to our ruler
Badhan to send his men to get you. We have come to take you
with us. If you come willingly, Khusraw has said that it will be
good for you and he will spare you any punishment. If you
refuse, you will know the power of his punishment. He has
power to destroy you and your people."
The Prophet smiled and said to them, "Go back to your mounts
today and return tomorrow."
On the following day, they came to the Prophet and said to
him, "Are you prepared to go with us to meet Khusraw?"
"You shall not meet Khusraw after today," replied the
Prophet. "God has killed him and his son Shirwaih has taken his
place on such a night and on such a month."
The two men stared in the face of the Prophet. They were
completely dumbfounded.
"Do you know what you are saying?" they asked. "Shall we
write about this to Badhan?"
"Yes," replied the Prophet, "and say to him that my religion
has informed me about what has happened to the Kingdom of
Khusraw and that if he should become Muslim, I would appoint
him ruler over what he now controls".
The two men returned to the Yemen and told Badhan what had
happened. Badhan said, "If what Muhammad has said is true,
then he is a Prophet. If not then we shall see what happens to
him."
Not long afterwards a letter from Shirwaih came to Badhan in
which he said, "I killed Khusraw because of his tyranny against
our people. He regarded as lawful the killing of leaders, the
capturing of their women and the expropriating of their wealth.
When this my letter reaches you, take the allegiance of
whoever is with you on my behalf."
As soon as Badhan had read Shirwaih's letter, he threw it
aside and announced his entry into Islam. The Persians with him
in the Yemen also became Muslim.
That's the story of Abdullah ibn Hudhafah's meeting with the
Persian king. His meeting with the Byzantine emperor took
place during the caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab. It too is an
astonishing story.
In the nineteenth year after the Hijrah, Umar dispatched an
army to fight against the Byzantine. In it was Abdullah ibn
Hudhafah. News of the Muslim force reached the Byzantine
emperor. He had heard of their sincerity of faith, and their
willingness to sacrifice their lives in the way of God and His
Prophet. He gave orders to his men to bring to him any Muslim
captive they might take alive.
God willed that Abdullah ibn Hudhafah should fall captive to
the Byzantines and he was brought before the Emperor. The
Emperor looked at Abdullah for a long time. Suddenly he said,
"I shall make a proposal to you."
"What is it?" asked Abdullah. "I suggest that you become a
Christian. If you do this, you will be set free and I shall grant
you a safe refuge." The prisoner's reaction was furious: "Death
is preferable to me a thousand times to what you ask me to do."
"I see that you are a bold man. However, if you respond
positively to what I propose to you, I will give you a share in
my authority and swear you in as my aide."
The prisoner, shackled in his chains, smiled and said, "By God,
if you give me all that you possess and all that the Arabs have
in exchange for giving up the religion of Muhammad, I shall not
do so."
"Then I shall kill you."
"Do what you want," answered Abdullah.
The emperor then had him put on a cross and ordered his
soldiers to throw spears at him, first near his hands and then
near his feet, all the while telling him to accept Christianity
or at least give up his religion. This he refused over and over
again to do.
The emperor then had him taken down from the wooden cross.
He called for a great pot to be brought. This was filled with
oil which was then heated under a fierce fire. He then had two
other Muslim prisoners brought and had one of them thrown into
the boiling oil. The prisoner's flesh sizzled and soon his bones
could be seen. The emperor turned to Abdullah and invited him
to Christianity.
This was the most terrible test that Abdullah had to face up
till now. But he remained firm and the emperor gave up trying.
He then ordered that Abdullah too be thrown into the pot. As
he was being taken away he began to shed tears. The emperor
thought that he had at last been broken and had him brought
back to him. He once more suggested that Abdullah become a
Christian but to his astonishment, Abdullah refused.
"Damn you! Why did you weep then?" shouted the emperor.
"I cried," said Abdullah, "because I said to myself 'You will now
be thrown into this pot and your soul will depart'. What I
really desired then was to have as many souls as the number of
hairs on my body and to have all of them thrown into this pot
for the sake of God."
The tyrant then said, "Will you kiss my head? I will then set
you free?"
"And all the Muslim prisoners also?" asked Abdullah.
This the emperor agreed to do and Abdullah said to himself,
"One of the enemies of God! I shall kiss his head and he shall
set me and all other Muslim prisoners free. There can be no
blame on me for doing this." He then went up to the emperor
and kissed his forehead. All the Muslim prisoners were
released and handed over to Abdullah.
Abdullah ibn Hudhafah eventually came to Umar ibn al-Khattab
and told him what had happened. Umar was greatly pleased and
when he looked at the prisoners he said, "Every Muslim has a
duty to kiss the head of Abdullah ibn Khudhafah and I shall
start." Umar then got up and kissed the head of Abdullah ibn
Hudhafah .