Of the many letters sent by the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam the following were remarkably significant :

1. Dihya Ibn Khalifa al-Kalbi Radhi Allahu Anhu was sent to Heraclius, the Byzantine emperor
2. Abdullah Ibn Huzaifah Sahmi Radhi Allahu Anhu was sent to Chosroes II, the ruler of Persia
3. Hatib Ibn Baltaá Radhi Allahu Anhu was sent to Muqauqis of Egypt
4. Amr Ibn Umayya Radhi Allahu Anhu was sent to the Negus of Ethiopia.

Content of the Letters

The content of the letter addressed to Heraclius was as follows :

"In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. This letter is from Muhammad, the slave and Messenger of Allah, to Heraclius, the great King of Rome. Blessed are those who follow guidance.

Verily, I call you to Islam. Embrace Islam that you may find peace and Allah will give you a double reward. If you reject then on you shall rest the sin of your subjects and followers. 0 people of the book, come to that which is common between us and you : that we will serve none but Allah, we will not associate partners with him and not take others as gods besides Allah. But if you turn away, then tell them to bear witness that we are Muslims."

The letter sent to the Chosroes read as follows :

"In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah to Chosroes, the great King of Persia.

Peace be upon him who follows guidance, believes in Allah and His Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, bears witness that there is no god but Allah and that I am the prophet of Allah for the entire humanity so that every man alive is warned of the awe of Allah. Embrace Islam that you may find peace, otherwise on you shall rest the sin of the Persians."

In the letter addressed to Negus, the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam wrote :

"In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah to Negus, the great King of Abyssinia.

Peace be upon him who follows guidance. Glory be to Allah besides whom there is no god. He is the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace, the Guardian of Faith and the Protector. I bear witness that Jesus, the son of Mary, is the Spirit of Allah and His Word which He cast unto Mary, the virgin, the good and the pure so that she conceived Jesus. Allah created him from His Spirit and his breathing as He created Adam by His hand. I call you to Allah, the One without any partner, to His obedience, to follow me and to believe in that which came to me, for I am the messenger of Allah. I invite you and your men to the Mighty, the Sublime. I have accomplished my task of conveying the message and admonition, so accept my advice. Peace be upon those who follow guidance."

The letter sent to Muqauqis, the Chief of the Copts of Egypt, read:

"In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah to Muqauqis, the Chief of the Copts.

Peace be upon him who follows guidance. I call you to Islam that you may find peace and Allah will give you a double reward. If you reject, then on you shall be the sin of your countrymen. 0 people of the book, come to that which is common between us and you : that we will serve none but Allah, we will not associate partners with him and not take others as gods besides Allah. But if you turn away, then tell them to bear witness that we are Muslims." (2)

Reactions of the kings

Negus and Muqauqis received their letters from the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam with all due respect and each gave a courteous reply. They showed the highest regard to the envoys and Muqauqis even sent gifts to the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. These included two slave-girls, one of whom was Maria who gave birth to the Prophet's Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam son, Ibrahim. Negus accepted the message of Islam.

Chosroes II was arrogant and tore the letter into pieces, saying: "My slave dares to write to me like this!" He took it as an insult that the name of Allah and His prophet had been written before his own. When his reply was conveyed to the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam he said: "Even so shall Allah shatter his kingdom to pieces."

Chosroes II wrote to Badhan, his governor in Yemen, to have the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam sent to him in Ctesiphon. Badhan sent two of his men to Madinah to accomplish this task. When they arrived in Madinah, the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam told them that his own son had killed Chosroes II. The prophecy came true exactly as foretold by him.

In a few years the whole of Iran lay at the feet of the Muslims. The bulk of the population accepted Islam and men of such intellect were born in Iran that proved true, word for word, what the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam had once remarked:

"If knowledge were to be found in Pleiads, some of the sons of Persia would attain it."

Heraclius and Abu Sufyaan

Heraclius decided to satisfy himself about the contents of the Prophet's Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam letter. He ordered to search for a man from Arabia who could tell him about the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. Abu Sufyaan happened to be there on a business trip and so he was brought before him. The questions asked by Heraclius on this occasion show that he had a deep insight into the scriptures and the teachings of the prophets. Abu Sufyaan, too, acted like a true Arab for he considered it below his dignity to tell the emperor anything but the truth. The conversation between Heraclius and Abu Sufyaan is significant enough to be quoted here in full:

Heraclius : Tell me about his lineage.
Abu Sufyaan : He is of the best lineage.
Heraclius: Did anybody before him make the claim he does?
Abu Sufyaan: No.
Heraclius: Has there been any king in his family?
Abu Sufyaan: No.
Heraclius: Who follows him? Are they the poor and weak or the nobles?
Abu Sufyaan: They are all poor and weak.
Heraclius: Are his followers increasing or are they deserting him?
Abu Sufyaan : Their numbers are growing.
Heraclius: Do those who enter his religion despise and leave him?
Abu Sufyaan: No.
Heraclius: Did you find him telling lies before he made this claim?
Abu Sufyaan: No.
Heraclius: Did he ever break his promise?
Abu Sufyaan: Not as yet, but we have to see what he does in future.
Heraclius: Did you ever fight against him?
Abu Sufyaan: Yes.
Heraclius: What was the result?
Abu Sufyaan: The fortunes have varied, sometimes in our favour, sometimes in his.
Heraclius: What does he teach?
Abu Sufyaan: He asks to worship one Allah, not to associate any partners with Him, to offer prayers, to be virtuous, to speak the truth and to be kind to people.

Heraclius than told the interpreter to tell Abu Sufyaan:

"I asked you about his lineage and you replied that it was the noblest among you. Prophets always come from the best lineage. I asked you if any man in his family had made a similar claim and your reply was 'no.' If anybody had made a claim to prophethood in his family, I would have thought that he was imitating him. Then I asked if there had been a king in his family, and you said 'no.' Had it been so, I would have surmised that he was trying to recover his lost kingdom. I enquired if you knew him to be untruthful before making the claim and you said 'no.' I know that it is not possible for a man to be truthful to the people but to mince the truth with regards to Allah. Then I asked you if his followers were drawn from the people of rank and distinction or they were the poor and the weak and you replied that they were humble and meek. Prophets are always followed by the humble and poor in the beginning. And I asked if his followers were increasing and you said that they were gaining in numbers. Faith is always like that. It goes on increasing until it is triumphant. Then I asked if anybody had turned away from him and rejected his faith and your reply was 'no.' Faith once settled in the heart never leaves it. And then I asked if he ever broke his word and you said 'no.' Prophets never break their promises. Then I asked about his teachings and you told me that he asked you to worship one Allah, not to associate any partners with Him, to turn away from the idols, to speak the truth, to be virtuous and to glorify the Lord. Now, if you have told me the truth about him he will conquer the ground that is beneath my feet. I knew that a prophet was about to be born but I had never thought that he would come from Arabia. If it had been possible I would have called upon him, and if I had been with him, I would have washed his feet." (3)

Heraclius after discussion with his chiefs and courtiers did not accept Islam. He had seen the light but lost the golden opportunity. He gave preference to his kingdom over the eternal truth. In consequence, he lost his kingdom after a few years during the time of Umar Radhi Allahu Anhu.

Letters to the Arab Leaders

The Prophet Sallallahu Alaiahi Wasallam also sent letters to the rulers of Bahrain, Oman, Yamama and other states. Some accepted while others did not. Haudha Ibn Ali wrote that he would accept Islam provided he was allowed to share the dominion with the Muslims. The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam turned down his request and he died soon thereafter. Harith Ghassani was enraged with the letter and prepared an army to fight the Muslims. (4)

Lessons to learn

• One who is mindful of the political map of the world in the seventh century would arrive at the conclusion that only a man sent by Allah on a mission could dare to summon the arrogant autocrats to put their trust in his prophethood. Such a man could never have a doubt in the success of his sacred task nor any fear in his heart. He had to possess such a glowing conviction in the majesty of Allah that the proudest sovereign was to him but an illusory puppet going through the motions in Allah's grand system.

• The letters were not only meticulously drawn up by the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam but he also took care to select appropriate messengers to different kings keeping in view their status and dignity. The messengers were conversant with the languages spoken as well as with the political conditions of the countries to which they were deputed. This again showed the wisdom behind the Prophet's Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam decisions.

• The letters proved that the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam was not only a prophet for the Arabs. He was a prophet for all of humanity and his message was universal and eternal.

• The sparkling testimony given by Abu Sufyaan, the avowed enemy of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, spoke volumes about the personal excellence of the Prophet's Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam character and morals.

Dua when in fear

Sunnah

It is not permissible for a Muslim to create fear in another Muslim.