Reports Abu Sufyan Sakhr bin Harb (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated

It is narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: Abu Sufyan bin Harb (may Allah be pleased with him) told me, from his mouth to my ear; he said: I set out during the period of truce that was between us and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He said: While I was in Syria, a letter from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was brought to Heraclius. He said: Dihyah al-Kalbi (may Allah be pleased with him) had brought it, and he handed it to the governor of Busra, who handed it to Heraclius. Heraclius said: Is there anyone here from the people of this man who claims that he is a prophet? They said: Yes. He said: So I was summoned along with a group of Quraysh, and we went in to Heraclius. He seated us before him and asked: Which of you is closest in lineage to this man who claims that he is a prophet? Abu Sufyan said: I said: I am. So they seated me before him and seated my companions behind me. Then he called his interpreter and said: Tell them: I am going to ask about this man who claims that he is a prophet; if he lies to me, then declare him a liar. Abu Sufyan said: By Allah! Were it not for fear that my companions would accuse me of lying, I would certainly have lied. Then he said to his interpreter: Ask him: What is his lineage among you? I said: He is of noble lineage among us. He said: Was any of his forefathers a king? I said: No. He said: Did you accuse him of lying before he said what he said? I said: No. He said: Do the noble people follow him, or the weak? I said: Rather the weak. He said: Are they increasing or decreasing? I said: No, rather they are increasing. He said: Does any of them, after entering his religion, turn back from it out of displeasure with it? I said: No. 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; he gains from us and we gain from him. He said: Does he act treacherously? I said: No, and we are now in a truce with him; we do not know what he will do in it. He said: By Allah! I found no chance to insert anything into a word except this. He said: Has anyone before him said this thing? I said: No. He said to his 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 families of their people. I asked you whether any of his forefathers was a king, and you said no; so I thought: had any of his forefathers been a king, I would have said: This is a man seeking the kingdom of his forefathers. I asked you about his followers, whether they are the noble or the weak, and you said: Rather the weak; and they are the followers of the messengers. I asked you whether you accused him of lying before he said what he said, and you said no; so I knew that he is not one who would refrain from lying to people and then go and lie about Allah. I asked you whether any of them, after entering his religion, turns back from it out of displeasure with it, and you said no; and such is faith when it settles deep in hearts. I asked you whether they are increasing or decreasing, and you said they are increasing; and such is the matter of faith until it is complete. I asked you whether you have fought him, and you stated that you have fought him and that the war between you and him goes by turns, you gaining from him and he gaining from you; and so the messengers are tested, and then the final outcome is theirs. I asked you whether he acts treacherously, and you stated that he does not act treacherously; and so the messengers do not act treacherously. I asked you whether anyone before him said this thing, and you said no; so I thought: had anyone before him said this thing, I would have said: This is a man following a saying that was said before him. Then he asked: What does he command you? I said: He commands us to pray, to give zakah, to maintain ties of kinship and to be chaste. He said: If what you say is true, then he is a prophet. 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 love to meet him, and if I were with him, I would wash his feet; and his kingdom will surely reach the place where my two feet are. Then he called for the letter of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and read it, and in it was: "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, 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 peasants (your subjects). And: 'O People of the Book! Come to a word that is equal between us and you' up to 'that we are Muslims.'" When he finished reading the letter, voices were raised around him and the clamour grew, and orders were given concerning us, and we were taken out. When we came out, I said to my companions: The affair of Ibn Abi Kabshah has grown great indeed; even the king of the Romans fears him. And I remained certain about the affair of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), that he would prevail, until Allah granted me Islam. Al-Zuhri (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Then Heraclius summoned the great men of the Romans and gathered them in his palace, and said: O people of Rome! Do you desire success and right guidance, and that your kingdom should remain established forever? He said: They bolted towards the doors like wild donkeys, and found them locked. So he called them back: I only said this to test your firmness in your religion, and I have seen from you what I wished. So they prostrated to him and were pleased with 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.

Abu Sufyan bin Harb (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We were a people of traders, and the war between us and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had hemmed us in until our wealth was ruined. When the truce came between us and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), we did not feel secure about our wealth. So I set out with a group of Quraysh towards Syria, where our trade was. I arrived there at the time when Heraclius had prevailed over the Persians who had opposed him and had driven them back from it, and he had recovered his great cross, which they had seized from him. When this news reached him, and it reached him that his cross had been recovered for him — and Hims was his residence — he set out from it on foot, giving thanks to Allah for restoring to him what He had restored, in order to pray in Bayt al-Maqdis. Carpets were spread for him along the road, and flowers were strewn on them. When he reached Iliya' and performed his prayer there, with his patricians and the bishops of Rome with him, he said: The letter of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) reached him with Dihyah bin Khalifah al-Kalbi (may Allah be pleased with him): "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, to Heraclius, the great one of the Romans. Peace be upon whoever follows guidance. To proceed: accept Islam and you will be safe; accept Islam and Allah will give you your reward twice over. But if you turn away, the sin of the peasants will be upon you." Muhammad bin Ishaq (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Ibn Shihab (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The bishop of the Christians told me — he said: I met him in the time of Abd al-Malik bin Marwan, and he claimed that he had witnessed this concerning the affair of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), the affair of Heraclius, and his intelligence — he said: When the letter of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) reached him with Dihyah (may Allah be pleased with him), he took it and placed it between his thighs and his waist. He said: Then he wrote to a man in Rome who read Hebrew, telling him of his affair and informing him of what he had brought. He said: The man in Rome wrote to him that this is the prophet we have been waiting for, there is no doubt about it, so follow him and believe in him. So Heraclius gave orders concerning the patricians of Rome, and they were gathered for him in his royal palace, and at his command its doors were shut upon them. Then he looked down on them from an upper storey, fearing for himself from them, and said: O people of Rome! I have gathered you for some news. The letter of this man has come to me, inviting me to his religion, and by Allah! He is the man we have been waiting for and whom we find in our scripture. So come, let us follow him and believe in him, so that both our world and our Hereafter may be secure. They snorted like one man, then rushed to the doors of the palace to get out of it, and found them locked against them. He said: Bring them back to me — fearing for himself from them. So they were brought back to him, and he said: O people of Rome! I only said what I said to you to see how firm you are in your religion in the face of this new matter that has arisen, and I have seen from you what pleases me. So they fell down in prostration to him, and he ordered the doors of the palace to be opened for them, and they went away.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: Abu Sufyan bin Harb (may Allah be pleased with him) told me that he was in Syria with some men of Quraysh who had come to trade, and this was during the period (of truce) between the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the disbelievers of Quraysh. Abu Sufyan said: Then Caesar's messenger came, and he took me and my companions until we reached Iliya'. We went in to him and found him sitting in his royal court wearing the crown, with the great men of Rome around him. He said to his interpreter: Ask them: Which of them is closest in lineage to this man who claims that he is a prophet? Abu Sufyan said: I said: I am the closest of them to him in lineage. He said: What is the relationship between you and him? I said: He is my cousin. Abu Sufyan said: And that day there was no one in the caravan from Banu Abd Manaf except me. Caesar said: Bring him close to me. Then he gave orders concerning my companions, and they were placed behind my back, near my shoulders. Then Caesar said to his interpreter: Tell his companions: I am going to ask this man about the man who claims that he is a prophet; if he lies, then declare him a liar. Abu Sufyan said: Had it not been for the shame that day of my companions accusing me of lying, I would certainly have lied about him when he asked me; but I was ashamed that they would accuse me of lying, so I told him the truth. Then Caesar said to his interpreter: Ask him: What is the lineage of this man among you? I said: He is of noble lineage among us. He said: Has anyone among you ever said this thing? I said: No. He said: Did you accuse him of lying before he said what he said? I said: No. He said: Was any of his forefathers a king? I said: No. He said: Did the noble among the 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: Does he act treacherously? I said: We are now in a period (of truce) with him, and we fear that. Abu Sufyan said: I found no word other than this into which I could insert something to belittle him without fearing that it would be reported of me (as a lie). He said: Did you fight him, and did he fight you? He said: Yes. He said: How has his war with you and your war with him gone? I said: It has gone by turns and changed hands; one time he prevails over us, and another time we prevail over him. He said: What does he command you? I said: He commands us to worship Allah alone and not to associate anything with Him, forbids us to worship what our forefathers worshipped, and commands us to pray, give charity, be chaste, keep our covenants and fulfil trusts. He said: When I said this to him, he said to his interpreter: Tell him: I asked you about his lineage among you, and you stated that he is of noble lineage among you; and so the messengers are sent from the nobility of their people. I asked you: Did any of his forefathers say this thing? You said no. So I said: Had anyone among you said this thing, I would have said: This is a man following the saying of someone who spoke before him. I asked you: Was there a king among his forefathers before? And you said no. So I said: Had there been a king among his forefathers, I would have said: This is a man seeking the kingdom of his forefathers. I asked you: Did the noble follow him, or the weak? And you stated that the weak are his followers; and such 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. 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 settles deep in hearts: no one becomes displeased with it. I asked you: Does he act treacherously? And you said no; and so the messengers do not act treacherously. I asked you: Did you fight him, and did he fight you? And you stated that he has done so, and that your war and his war go by turns and change hands, one time he prevails over you and another time you prevail over him; and so it is with the messengers, 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 what your forefathers used to worship, and commands you to pray, give charity, be chaste and fulfil trusts. He is a prophet. I knew that he was going to appear, but I did not think he would be from among you. If what I have said is true, then soon he will possess the place of these two feet of mine. By Allah! If I were certain that I could reach him, I would bear every hardship to meet him, and I would wash his feet. Abu Sufyan said: Then he called for the letter of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and ordered it to be read, 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, the sin of the subjects will be upon you. 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 finished his speech, the voices of the great men of Rome around him rose and their clamour grew, and I did not know what they were saying. He said: Then orders were given concerning us and we were taken out. When I had come out with my companions and got clear, I said: The affair of Ibn Abi Kabshah has grown great; here is the king of the Romans fearing him. Abu Sufyan said: By Allah! I remained humbled and certain that his affair would prevail, until Allah granted me Islam, though I was unwilling.

A similar hadith is also narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him), through Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both).

Abdullah bin Shaddad (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Abu Sufyan bin Harb (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The first day I felt drawn towards Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was the day Caesar said what he said in his kingdom, his authority and his court — meaning his words: If I knew that he is the one, I would walk to him until I kissed his head and washed his feet. Abu Sufyan said: I was present when sweat was dripping from his forehead because of the distress of the letter which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had written to him. Abu Sufyan said: So I remained drawn towards Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) until I accepted Islam. And in his (peace and blessings be upon him) message were these verses: "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." [Surah Al Imran: 64], "It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth, to make it prevail over all religion, even though the polytheists dislike it." [Surah al-Tawbah: 33], "Fight those who do not believe in Allah or in the Last Day, who do not forbid what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden, and who do not adopt the religion of truth, from among those who were given the Scripture, until they pay the jizyah with their own hands while they are humbled." [Surah al-Tawbah: 29]