Offering Islam and inviting to it before fighting

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would not fight any people until he had first invited them (to Islam).
Ahmad, Abu Ya'la and Tabarani recorded it with various chains, the narrators of one of which are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) to a people to fight them, and then sent a man after Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "Do not call him from behind, and tell him: Do not fight the people until you have first invited them."
Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih, except Uthman bin Yahya al-Qurqusani, and he is thiqah (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Marthad bin Zabyan (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: A letter from the Messenger of Allah came to us, and we found no one who could read it out to us, until a man from Banu Dubay'ah read it out: "This is from the Messenger of Allah to Bakr bin Wa'il: Accept Islam and you will be safe."
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wrote to Bakr bin Wa'il: "Accept Islam and you will be safe." They found no one who could read it out to them; they found a man from Banu Dubay'ah (who read the letter out to them), and those people came to be called Banu al-Katib (the clan of the scribe).
Al-Bazzar and Abu Ya'la recorded it, and Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Saghir. The narrators of the first ones are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "A person will be with the one he loves." Before his passing, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wrote letters to Chosroes, Caesar and every ruler.
Ahmad recorded it, and Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains Ibn Lahi'ah, whose hadith is hasan (good). The rest of Ahmad's narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to a man: "Accept Islam and you will be safe." He said: "I feel that I would be doing so unwillingly." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Accept Islam, even if you do so unwillingly!"
Ahmad and Abu Ya'la recorded it, and the narrators of both are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to a man from Banu al-Najjar to visit him in his illness. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: "O maternal uncle, say La ilaha illallah (there is no god but Allah)." He asked: "Am I a maternal uncle or a paternal uncle?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No, rather a maternal uncle." He said: "Say La ilaha illallah." He said: "Will it be better for me?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "Yes!"
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyidah Asma' bint Abi Bakr (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: On the occasion of the Conquest of Makkah, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyiduna Abu Quhafah (may Allah be pleased with him): "Accept Islam and you will be safe."
Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna al-Miswar bin Makhramah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out to his Companions and said: "Indeed Allah Almighty has sent me as a mercy for you people, so convey (the message) on my behalf, may Allah Almighty have mercy on you, and do not fall into disagreement as the disciples of Sayyiduna Isa (peace be upon him) disagreed concerning him. For Sayyiduna Isa (peace be upon him) also invited them to the same thing to which I have invited you. The one whose place was near would respond (that is, accept) and embrace Islam, and the one whose place was far would dislike it. Sayyiduna Isa bin Maryam (peace be upon him) complained of this to Allah Almighty, and then all of them came to be such that every one of them could speak in the language of the people to whom Sayyiduna Isa (peace be upon him) had sent him. Sayyiduna Isa (peace be upon him) said to them: Allah Almighty has made this matter binding for you, so now do this task." The Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Messenger of Allah! We too will convey on your behalf; send us wherever you wish." So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Abdullah bin Hudhafah (may Allah be pleased with him) to Chosroes; he sent Salit bin Amr to Hawdhah bin Ali, who was the ruler of al-Yamamah; he sent al-Ala' bin al-Hadrami to al-Mundhir bin Sawa, who was the ruler of Hajar; and he sent Amr bin al-As to Jayfar and Abbad, who were the sons of al-Julanda and the rulers of Oman. He sent Dihyah al-Kalbi to Caesar; he sent Shuja' bin Wahb al-Asadi to al-Mundhir bin al-Harith bin Abi Shimr al-Ghassani; and he sent Amr bin Umayyah al-Damri to the Negus. All of these men returned before the passing of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), except al-Ala' bin al-Hadrami, who did not come back; at the time of the passing of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) he was in Bahrain.
Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Muhammad bin Isma'il bin Ayyash, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Dihyah al-Kalbi (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent me with a letter to Caesar, the ruler of Rome. I said (to his courtiers): "Seek permission for the (envoy of the) Messenger of Allah to enter." The doorkeeper went to Caesar, and he was told that at the door there was a person who claims that he is the envoy of the Messenger of Allah. They became alarmed at this. Caesar said: "Bring him to me." (Sayyiduna Dihyah (may Allah be pleased with him) says:) They took me to him, and with him were his patricians (religious scholars or priests). I gave him the letter and it was read before him, and in it was written: "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. This is from the Messenger of Allah to Caesar, the ruler of Rome." Then Caesar's nephew, who was of red complexion, blue-eyed and with straight hair, said: "Do not read this letter today, for he has begun the letter with his own name, and he has written you as the man in charge of Rome; he has not written the king of Rome." The narrator says: The letter was read until, when it was finished, Caesar gave orders concerning those people and they got up and left him. Then Caesar sent for me; I went to him, he asked me questions, and I answered him. Then he sent a message to a bishop and called him. He came to him; he was a man of prominent standing, the people gave weight to his opinion and preferred his word. When the letter was read, the bishop said: "By Allah! He is the very one about whom Sayyiduna Musa (peace be upon him) and Sayyiduna Isa (peace be upon him) gave us glad tidings, and for whom we were waiting." Caesar said: "Then what do you command me?" The bishop said: "I will affirm him and I will follow him." Caesar replied: "I know that it is so, but I cannot do it; in that case my kingdom would depart, and the Romans would kill me."
Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Yahya bin Abd al-Hamid al-Himmani, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "Who will take this letter of mine to the tyrants of Rome?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) put this before the people three times. After that he said: "Whoever takes it will have Paradise." A man from the Ansar whose name was Ubaydullah bin Abd al-Khaliq said: "I will take it, so that in return I get Paradise, even if I perish before that." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Very well, you will have Paradise whether you deliver it (to the person concerned) or are killed; and if you perish, then too Allah Almighty will make Paradise binding for you." He took the letter of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) until, when he reached the tyrants and told them, "I am the envoy of the Messenger of Allah to you," they gave him permission and he entered. The tyrants of Rome realised that he had brought the truth from a Prophet who had been sent. Then he presented the letter of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) before him, and that man gathered the people of Rome to himself and then put it before them, and they disliked what the envoy had brought. One man among them believed in it, and as soon as he believed he was killed. Then that Companion returned to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and told him about the situation there and about that man. On that occasion the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "On the Day of Resurrection Allah Almighty will raise him as a nation by himself." (The narrator says:) He said this about that slain man.
Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Yahya bin Abdullah al-Babulti, who is da'if (weak).

Abdullah bin Shaddad narrates: Sayyiduna Abu Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him) stated: (Before I accepted Islam,) the first day on which awe of Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) came over my heart was the day when Caesar, in his kingdom, his dominion and his presence, said what he said. The narrator says: He meant Caesar's words: "If I come to know that he is the one, I will walk on foot to him, kiss his head and wash his feet." Abu Sufyan says: I was present there; sweat flowed from his forehead and fell onto the letter which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had sent to him. Sayyiduna Abu Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him) says: After that I remained continually in awe of Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) until I accepted Islam. In that letter was written: "O People of the Book! Come to a word that is common between us and you: that we worship none but Allah, and associate no one with Him, and that none of us takes another as lord besides Allah. If you turn away, then say: We are Muslims. He is the One who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth, so that He may make it prevail over all religions, even though the polytheists dislike it." "Fight those who do not believe in Allah and the Last Day, and do not make unlawful what Allah and His Messenger have made unlawful, and do not adopt the religion of truth, from among those who were given the Book, (keep fighting) until they pay the jizyah by hand, in a state of humility." (Allamah Haythami says:) I say: A hadith narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him) is mentioned in the Sahih, but it is other than this report.
Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Khalid bin Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent me to Yemen and said: "Whichever (tribe or settlement) of the Arabs you encounter and you hear the call to prayer (adhan) among them, do not move against them; and those among whom you do not hear the adhan, invite them to Islam. If they do not accept, then wage jihad against them."
Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Yahya bin Abd al-Hamid al-Himmani, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Dihyah al-Kalbi (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent me to Caesar. I came to him and gave him the letter. With him was a nephew of his, a man of red complexion, blue eyes and straight hair. When he read the letter, in it was written: "This is from Sayyiduna Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), to Heraclius, the man in charge of Rome." The narrator says: Then his nephew, who had red complexion, blue eyes and straight hair, said: "Do not read it." Caesar asked him: "Why?" He replied: "This man has mentioned himself first, and he has written you as the man in charge of Rome; he has not written the king of Rome." Caesar said to him: "You shall certainly read it." When he had read the letter, those people got up and left him. Caesar called me to him, and then sent a message to a bishop who held a prominent position in their affairs. Caesar told him about this and had him read the letter. That bishop said: "This is the one for whom we were waiting and about whom Sayyiduna Isa (peace be upon him) gave us glad tidings." Caesar asked him: "What do you command me?" The bishop said to him: "As far as I am concerned, I will affirm him and I will follow him." Caesar said to him: "If I do so, my kingdom will depart." The narrator says: Then we came out from him. Then Caesar sent a message calling Abu Sufyan, who was staying there in those days, and said: "Tell me about this person who has appeared in your land; who is he?" Abu Sufyan replied: "He is a young man." He asked: "What is his lineage among you?" Abu Sufyan replied: "He holds such a position among us that no one has superiority over him." Caesar said: "This is a sign of prophethood." He said: "How is his truthfulness?" Abu Sufyan said: "He has never told a lie." Caesar said: "This is a sign of prophethood." Caesar asked: "What do you say about this: whoever of your companions has gone out to him, has he come back to you?" Abu Sufyan replied: "No." Caesar said: "This is a sign of prophethood." Then Caesar asked: "What is your view about this: if any of his companions has come out to you, do they return to him?" Abu Sufyan replied: "Yes." Caesar said: "This is a sign of prophethood." Caesar asked: "Has it ever happened that when he and his companions took part in battle, they were defeated?" Abu Sufyan replied: "People have fought him; sometimes he routed the people and sometimes the people routed him." Caesar replied: "This is a sign of prophethood." The narrator says: Then Caesar called me and said: "Convey to your master that I have come to know that he is a Prophet, but I will not give up my kingdom." The narrator states: As for that bishop, the people used to gather to him every Sunday; he would come out to them, talk with them and give them admonition and advice. When Sunday came, he did not come out to them, and he stayed shut in until the next Sunday came. I used to go in to him; he would talk with me and ask me questions. When the next Sunday came and the people were waiting for him to come out to them, he did not go out to them and told them that he was ill. When this happened several times, those people sent him a message: "Either you come out to us, or we will come in to you and kill you, for ever since this man from Arabia came, we have felt that your state has changed." The bishop said (to me): "Take this letter and take it to your master; convey my greetings of peace to him and tell him that I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah; I believe in him, affirm him and follow him. The people are objecting to me; convey to him what you have seen." Then he went out to those people, and they killed him. Then Sayyiduna Dihyah al-Kalbi (may Allah be pleased with him) set out from there towards the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). At that time the envoys of the governor appointed by Chosroes over San'a' were present with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); the governor had sent these people to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Chosroes had written this letter to the governor of San'a', threatening him: "Deal on my behalf with this man who has appeared in your land; he has invited me to his religion, (saying) that either I accept it or pay the jizyah. (Do this,) otherwise I will kill you, and I will do this and that to you." So the governor of San'a' sent twenty-five men to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Sayyiduna Dihyah (may Allah be pleased with him) found those people with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) read the letter of their master, he left them as they were for fifteen nights. When fifteen nights had passed, those people came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw them, he called them and said: "Go back to your master (that is, to the governor of San'a') and tell him: Last night my Lord killed his lord." Those people went back and told the governor about this. The governor said: "Keep this night in mind." Then he said: "Tell me, how did you find him?" They said: "We have never seen a king more at ease among the people than him. He walks among the people without fear of anything, and he is not guarded; the people do not raise their voices in front of him." Sayyiduna Dihyah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Then the news came that Chosroes had been killed that very night.
Al-Bazzar recorded it from Ibrahim bin Isma'il bin Yahya bin Salamah from his father, and both of them are da'if (weak).

Umayr bin Muqbil al-Judhami transmits this statement of his father: Sayyiduna Rifa'ah bin Zayd al-Judhami came with a delegation to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had a letter written for him in which was written: "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. This is a letter from Sayyiduna Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), for Rifa'ah bin Zayd: I am sending him to his people, (and to) whoever enters among them; he will invite them to Allah and His Messenger. Whoever believes will be counted in the party of Allah and the party of His Messenger, and whoever turns away will have safe conduct for two months." When Sayyiduna Rifa'ah (may Allah be pleased with him) came to his people, they accepted his invitation. Then he set out until he camped on the stony ground (harrah) of al-Rajla, and after that he remained there until Sayyiduna Dihyah al-Kalbi (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived from Caesar, to whom the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had sent him. When they were staying in one of their valleys called Shanar, and he had merchandise with him, al-Hunayd bin Uways attacked it; his father was al-Dab'i, belonging to a sub-clan of Judham. They took everything he had with him. Then some men of Sayyiduna Rifa'ah's (may Allah be pleased with him) people went out to them and came towards them; among those who came was al-Nu'man bin Abi Ji'al. Eventually they confronted those people and fighting took place. Qurrah bin Ashqar al-Dab'i struck al-Nu'man bin Abi Ji'al with a stone, wounding his leg and covering it in blood, and said: "(Take that, I am) Ibn Uthalah." Then al-Nu'man bin Abi Ji'al threw a stone and struck him on the knee, and said: "I am Ibn Uthalah." Hassan bin Millah had been with Dihyah al-Kalbi before this, and he had taught him Surah al-Fatihah. Then they recovered what was in those people's hands and returned it to Sayyiduna Dihyah (may Allah be pleased with him). Then Sayyiduna Dihyah (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and told him about this, and he demanded the blood of al-Hunayd and his father Uways. The reason for this was that there was agitation between Zayd and Judham. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Sayyiduna Zayd bin Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him) and sent an army with him. They headed towards Ghatafan, Judham and Wa'il, and the men of Salman and Sa'd bin Hudhayl, until Sayyiduna Rifa'ah (may Allah be pleased with him) came to them with the letter of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He camped on the stony ground of al-Rajla, while Sayyiduna Rifa'ah (may Allah be pleased with him) was at Kura' al-Amim, and with him were some men of Banu Dabib, while all the rest of Banu Dabib were in the valley of Madarah on one side of the stony ground.
Tabarani recorded it in this way as a connected (muttasil) report, and also as a disconnected (munqati') and abridged report from Ibn Ishaq, not going beyond them. The connected chain contains a group of narrators whom I do not know, and the chain of both up to Ibn Ishaq is jayyid (good).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wrote a letter to a tribe of the Arabs inviting them to Islam. They did not accept the letter. Those men came back to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and told him about it, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Had I sent this letter to a people on the coast of Oman from Azd Shanu'ah and Aslam, they would have accepted it." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent a letter to al-Julanda inviting him to Islam, and he accepted it and embraced Islam. He sent a gift to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); when the gift arrived, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had already passed away. Then Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) took that gift and distributed it as inheritance between Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) and other people.
Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Amr bin Salih al-Azdi, who is matruk (abandoned).

Mujammi' bin Attab bin Shimr transmits this statement of his father: I said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "My father is a very old man, and I also have brothers. I will go to them; perhaps they will accept Islam, and then I will bring them to you." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If they accept Islam, that will be better for them; and they may well remain where they are, for Islam is broad and spacious."
Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains Abd al-Samad bin Jabir, who is da'if (weak).

Abu Wa'il narrates: Sayyiduna Khalid bin al-Walid (may Allah be pleased with him) wrote a letter to the people of Persia inviting them to Islam. (In that letter was written:) "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. This is from Khalid bin al-Walid to Rusaym, Mihran and the nobles of Persia. Peace be upon whoever follows guidance. To proceed: We invite you to Islam. If you do not accept, then pay the jizyah in a state of humility and submission; and if you do not accept this either, then with me are people who love being killed in the path of Allah just as the people of Persia love wine. Peace be upon whoever follows guidance."
Tabarani recorded it, and its chain is hasan (good) or sahih (authentic).