Mukhtasar Bukhari

Narrated by Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both of them) from Abu Sufyan bin Harb (may Allah be pleased with him) that Heraclius (the king of Rome) sent a man to him (Abu Sufyan), and he (Abu Sufyan) was sitting among some riders from the Quraysh who had gone to Syria as traders. This incident took place at a time when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had made a limited truce with Abu Sufyan and the other disbelievers of Quraysh. So all the Quraysh came to Heraclius, and they were in Ilya (Jerusalem) at that time. Heraclius called them to his court, and the chiefs of Rome were sitting around him. Then he called them (the Quraysh) closer and summoned his interpreter. He said (addressing the Quraysh): "Who among you is the closest in lineage to the man who claims to be a prophet?" Abu Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I said, 'I am the closest in lineage among them.'" (Upon hearing this) Heraclius said: "Bring Abu Sufyan closer to me and keep his companions near him, and make them stand behind Abu Sufyan." Then he said to his interpreter: "Tell these people that I am going to ask Abu Sufyan about this man (who claims to be a prophet). If he lies to me, then you (all) should immediately refute him." (Abu Sufyan) says: "By Allah! If I had not been ashamed that people would accuse me of lying, I would have certainly spoken falsely about the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)." So, the first thing Heraclius asked me was: "How is his lineage among you?" I said: "He is of noble lineage among us." (Then) Heraclius said: "Has anyone among you ever claimed this (i.e., prophethood) before him?" I said: "No." (Then) Heraclius said: "Was there any king among his ancestors?" I said: "No." (Then) Heraclius said: "Have the influential people followed him or the weak?" I said: "(Not the rich, but) the weak have followed him." (Then) Heraclius said: "Are his followers increasing or decreasing?" I said: "(They are not decreasing, rather) they are increasing." (Then) Heraclius asked: "Does anyone among those who have embraced his religion become displeased with it and leave it?" I said: "No." (Then) Heraclius asked: "Does he ever break his promises?" I said: "No. And now we are in a truce with him. We do not know what he will do during this period (whether he will break the promise or fulfill it)." Abu Sufyan says: "Except for this statement, I did not get any opportunity to insert anything (about the Prophet's affairs)." (Then) Heraclius asked: "Have you ever fought him?" I said: "Yes." So (Heraclius) said: "How was your battle with him?" I said: "The battle between us and him is like a bucket (that goes up and down in a well), sometimes he gains from us and sometimes we gain from him (i.e., sometimes we are victorious and sometimes he is)." (Then) Heraclius asked: "What does he command you to do?" I said: "He says: 'Worship Allah alone and do not associate anything with Him, and abandon all the (polytheistic) practices and worships that your forefathers used to do.' He commands us to pray, to speak the truth, to be pious, and to maintain ties of kinship."

After this, Heraclius said to his interpreter: "Tell Abu Sufyan that I asked you about his lineage, and you said that he is of noble lineage among you. Indeed, all the prophets are sent among their people with noble lineage. And I asked you if anyone among you had ever said this (i.e., claimed prophethood) before him, and you said no. I thought to myself, if someone had said this before him, I would have said that he is a man who is imitating what has already been said before. And I asked you if there was any king among his ancestors, and you said no. So I thought to myself, if there had been a king among his ancestors, I would have said that he is a man seeking to regain his ancestral kingdom. And I asked you if you ever accused him of lying before he said what he said (i.e., claimed prophethood), and you said no. So (now) I know for sure that a person who refrains from lying to people cannot lie about Allah. And I asked you whether the influential people or the weak have followed him, and you said the weak have followed him. (In fact) all the followers of the prophets have been like this. And I asked you whether his followers are increasing or decreasing, and you said they are increasing. (Indeed) this is the state of faith until it reaches perfection. And I asked you if anyone, after embracing his religion, becomes displeased with it and leaves it, and you said no! And this is the state of faith when its delight enters the hearts (it does not leave). And I asked you if he ever breaks his promises, and you said no! (The fact is) all the prophets do not break their promises. And I asked you what he commands you to do, and you said that he commands you to worship Allah and not associate anything with Him, and forbids you from worshipping idols, and commands you to pray, to speak the truth, and to be pious. So if what you say is true, then soon he will own the very place beneath these two feet of mine. And indeed, I knew (from the previous scriptures) that he was going to appear, but I did not think that he would be from among you. So if I knew that I could reach him, I would make great effort to meet him, and if I were with him, I would certainly wash his feet."

Then Heraclius had the (sacred) letter of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), which he had sent with Sayyiduna Dihya Kalbi to the governor of Busra, and the governor of Busra had sent it to Heraclius, brought and read. In it was written:

"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

(This letter is) from the servant of Allah and His Messenger, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), to the king of Rome. Peace be upon him who follows guidance. After that (let it be known that) I invite you to Islam. If you accept Islam, you will be safe (from Allah's wrath), and Allah will grant you a double reward. But if you turn away (from my invitation), then upon you will be the sin of all your subjects (for not believing). And 'O People of the Book! Come to a word that is common between us and you: that we worship none but Allah, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides Allah.' (Allah says:) 'But if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are Muslims (submitting to Allah).'" (Aal-e-Imran: 64)

Abu Sufyan says: "When Heraclius had finished saying what he wanted to say and finished reading the letter of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), there was a great commotion in his court. Voices were raised, and we were expelled (from there). So I said to my companions, when we had all been turned out, 'Look! The matter and status of the son of Abu Kabsha (i.e., Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him) has become so great that even the king of the Banu Asfar (Romans) fears him.' So I always remained certain that he would soon prevail, until Allah honored me with Islam."

He said: "And Ibn Natour, who was the governor of Ilya, a companion of Heraclius, and the chief priest of the Christians of Syria, narrates that when Heraclius came to Ilya, one morning he woke up very disturbed. Some of his close associates said to him, 'We do not see you in a good mood today.' Ibn Natour says that Heraclius was a soothsayer, skilled in astrology. So when his associates asked him, he said, 'Last night, when I looked at the stars, I saw that the king of the circumcised has prevailed. So see, who among the people of this era practices circumcision?' The people said, 'No one practices circumcision except the Jews, so do not worry about the Jews. Rather, write to the governors of the major cities of your kingdom to have all the Jews there killed.' So they were busy with this planning when a man was brought to Heraclius, sent by the king of Ghassan, who was reporting about the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). When Heraclius learned this news from him, he said (to his people), 'Go and see whether he is circumcised or not.' The people checked and reported that he was circumcised. And Heraclius asked him about the Arabs, and he said that they practice circumcision. Then Heraclius said, 'This (Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him) is the king of the people of this era who has appeared.' Then Heraclius wrote to his friend in Rome, who was his equal in knowledge (of astrology), and (after writing) Heraclius set out for Hims (Emesa). He had not yet left Hims when a letter from his friend arrived in reply, agreeing with Heraclius's opinion about the appearance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he wrote that he is indeed a prophet.

After this, Heraclius called the chiefs of Rome to his palace in Hims and ordered that the doors of the palace be closed, so they were closed. Then Heraclius appeared (from his upper chamber) and said: 'O people of Rome! Is there any share for you in guidance and success? And do you wish that your kingdom should remain (if so), then pledge allegiance to this Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).' (Upon hearing this) they rushed towards the doors like wild donkeys, but found the doors closed. Finally, when Heraclius saw their intense aversion and despaired of their accepting faith, he said: 'Bring them back to me.' When they returned, he said to them: 'What I just said was only to test the strength of your adherence to your religion, and that has become clear to me.' So the people prostrated to him and were pleased with him, and this remained the final state of Heraclius."