Mu'jam Kabir Tabarani 7239 — Abu Sufyan bin Harb told him

It is narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that Abu Sufyan bin Harb (may Allah be pleased with him) told him that Heraclius sent his man to a party of Quraysh who had come to Syria to trade, during the period in which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had a truce with Abu Sufyan and the disbelievers of Quraysh. They came to him at Iliya', and he summoned them to a gathering, around him the wise men of Rome. Then he called his interpreter and said: Ask them: Which of them is closest in lineage to this man who claims that he is a prophet? Abu Sufyan said: I am the closest of them in lineage. He said: Come close to me; and they brought his companions close and seated them behind his back. Then he said to his interpreter: Tell them: I am going to ask this man about that man; if he lies to me, then declare him a liar. Abu Sufyan said: By Allah! Were it not for the shame of their accusing me of lying, I would certainly have lied about him. Then he said: The first thing he asked me was: What is his lineage among you? I said: He is of noble lineage among us. He said: Has anyone among you said this thing before him? I said: No. He said: Was any of his forefathers a king? I said: No. He said: Did the noble people follow him, or the weak? I said: Rather the weak. He said: Are they increasing or decreasing? I said: Rather they are increasing. He said: Does any of them, after entering his religion, turn back out of displeasure with it? I said: No. He said: Did you accuse him of lying? I said: No. He said: Does he act treacherously? I said: No, and we are now in a period (of truce) with him; we do not know what he will do in it. He said: And I found no chance to insert anything into a word except this one. He said: Have you fought him? I said: Yes. He said: How has your fighting with him gone? I said: The war between us and him goes by turns and changes hands; he gains from us and we gain from him. He said: What does he command you? I said: He says: Worship Allah alone and do not associate anything with Him, and abandon what your forefathers used to worship; and he commands prayer, zakah, charity, chastity and the maintaining of ties of kinship. Then he said to the interpreter: Tell him: I asked you about his lineage, and you stated that he is of noble lineage among you; and so the messengers are sent among the noble lineage of their people. I asked you: Has anyone among you said this thing before him? And you said no. So I said: Had anyone among you said this thing before him, I would have said: This is a man following a saying that was said before him. I asked you: Was any of his forefathers a king? And you said no. So I said: Had there been a king among his forefathers, I would have said: He is seeking the kingdom of his forefathers. I asked you: Did you accuse him of lying before he said what he said? And you said no; so I knew that he is not one who would give up lying to people and then lie about Allah. I asked you: Did the noble people follow him, or the weak? And you stated that his followers are the weak; and they are the followers of the messengers. I asked you: Are they increasing or decreasing? And you stated that they are increasing; and such is the matter of faith until it is complete. I asked you: Does any of them, after entering his religion, turn back out of displeasure with it? And you said no; and such is faith when it mingles with the cheerfulness of hearts. I asked you: Does he act treacherously? And you said no; and so the messengers do not act treacherously. I asked you: How has your fighting with him gone? And you stated that the war between you goes by turns and changes hands; and so the messengers are tested, and then the final outcome is theirs. I asked you what he commands you, and you stated that he commands you to worship Allah alone and not associate anything with Him, forbids you the worship of idols, and commands you to pray, give charity, be chaste and maintain ties of kinship. If what you say is true, then soon his kingdom will reach the place of these two feet of mine. I knew that he was going to appear, but I did not think he would be from among you. If I were certain that I could reach him, I would strive to meet him, and if I were with him, I would wash his feet. Then he called for the letter of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) which Dihyah al-Kalbi (may Allah be pleased with him) had delivered to the governor of Busra, who handed it to Heraclius. He read it, and in it was: "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. From Muhammad, the servant of Allah and His Messenger, to Heraclius, the great one of the Romans. Peace be upon whoever follows guidance. To proceed: I invite you with the call of Islam. Accept Islam and you will be safe; accept Islam and Allah will give you your reward twice over. But if you turn away, then upon you is the sin of the subjects (the peasants)" — al-Layth (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 'Arisiyyun' means the collectors of tolls — "and: 'O People of the Book! Come to a word that is equal between us and you: that we worship none but Allah, that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides Allah. Then if they turn away, say: Bear witness that we are Muslims.'" Abu Sufyan said: When he had said what he said and finished reading the letter, the clamour grew around him and voices were raised, and we went out. When we came out, I said to my companions: The affair of Ibn Abi Kabshah has grown great; even the king of the Romans fears him. And I remained certain that he would prevail until Allah granted me Islam. Ibn al-Natur, who was the governor of Iliya' and a companion of Heraclius, and the bishop of the Christians of Syria, used to relate: When Heraclius came to Iliya', he woke one morning in great distress. Some of his patricians said to him: We find your state strange. He said: Heraclius was an astrologer who looked into the stars. When they asked him, he said to them: Last night, when I looked into the stars, I saw that the king of the circumcised has appeared. He said: Which nation is it that practises circumcision? They said: The Jews practise circumcision, so do not let their affair worry you; write to the cities of your kingdom to kill the Jews in them. He said: While they were in this state, a man came to Heraclius, sent by the king of Ghassan to inform him of the appearance of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), before the letter of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) reached him. He said: Go and see whether he is circumcised or not. So they looked at him and told him that he was circumcised. Then he asked him about the Arabs, and he told him that they practise circumcision. Heraclius said: This is the kingdom of this nation. Then Heraclius wrote to a companion of his in Rome who was his equal in knowledge, and Heraclius travelled to Hims. He did not leave Hims until the letter of his companion came, agreeing with Heraclius' view concerning the appearance of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and that he is a prophet. So Heraclius summoned the great men of Rome to his palace in Hims, then had the doors locked, then appeared before them and said: O people of Rome! Do you desire success and right guidance, and that your kingdom remain established? Then follow this prophet. He said: They bolted towards the doors like wild donkeys and found them locked. When Heraclius saw this and despaired of their believing, he said: Bring them back to me, and he said: What I said to you just now, I only said to test your firmness in your religion, and I have seen from you what I love. So they prostrated to him and were pleased with him, and that was the last of his affair.