Part of Treasures of the Prophetic Biography (series completed)
· Lesson 31 of 58
Treasures of biography | Sheikh Othman Al-Khamis | Episode (31) | The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, wrote to kings
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Transcript
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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Treasures of the Prophetic biography (Seerah).
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The Prophet’s (peace be upon him) correspondence with kings.
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Following the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah.
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The Prophet (peace be upon him) sent letters to kings and rulers,
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Inviting them to Allah, the Blessed and Exalted.
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He (peace be upon him) dispatched many such letters,
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Of which we shall mention two.
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The first is his letter to Khosrow.
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It stated:
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah,
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To Khosrow, the Chosroes of Persia.
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“So go ye unto him and say: Lo! we are two messengers of thy Lord. So let the children of Israel go with us, and torment them not. We bring thee a token from thy Lord. And peace will be for him who followeth right guidance.” (20:47)
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Believe in Allah and His Messenger,
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And bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, with no partner,
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And that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.
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I invite you with the call of Allah,
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For I am the Messenger of Allah to all mankind.
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“To warn whosoever liveth, and that the word may be fulfilled against the disbelievers.” (36:70)
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“To warn whosoever liveth, and that the word may be fulfilled against the disbelievers.” (36:70)
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Embrace Islam and you will be safe.
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But if you refuse,
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Then the sin of the Magians shall be upon you.
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The Prophet (peace be upon him) chose to carry this letter,
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Abdullah Ibn Hudhafah al-Sahmi (may Allah be pleased with him).
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Al-Sahmi delivered it to the governor of Bahrain.
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When the letter reached Khosrow,
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He tore it up and said in his arrogance,
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Regarding the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
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"A lowly slave from among my subjects
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Writes his name before mine?"
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When this reached the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
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He said:
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"May Allah tear his kingdom apart."
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And it happened just as he said.
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Khosrow had written to Badhan, his governor in Yemen,
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"Send to this man
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Who is in the Hijaz two of your strongest men,
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So that they may bring him to me."
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Badhan chose two men from his side,
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And sent them with a letter to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
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Ordering him to depart with them to Khosrow.
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This was a strange command from this man,
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That is, Khosrow.
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He underestimated the Arabs,
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So he did not send an army,
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Nor even a small detachment to fetch the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
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But rather sent only two men
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To bring the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to him.
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Such was the view of Persia and Rome toward the Arabs;
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They despised them and considered them of no account.
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But Allah, the Majestic and Exalted, honored them through Islam.
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It was only a few years,
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Before Islam emerged,
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And Allah, the Majestic and Exalted, ended the entire Persian empire.
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This is the grace of Allah, the Glorified and Exalted.
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It has been mentioned in the hadith
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That these two men came to the Prophet (peace be upon him),
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Having shaved their beards and let their mustaches grow long.
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When the Prophet (peace be upon him) saw them,
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He turned away from them and disliked looking at them.
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Then he said, "Who commanded you to do this?"
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Referring to letting the mustache grow and shaving the beard.
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They said, "Our lord."
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The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied,
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"As for my Lord, He has commanded me to let my beard grow and to trim my mustache."
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This is the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him),
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And this is his guidance.
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The second is his letter to Heraclius.
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Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) recorded
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On the authority of Abdullah Ibn Abbas,
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That Abu Sufyan Ibn Harb informed him,
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Abu Sufyan said:
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"We were merchants in the Levant,
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And Heraclius sent for me and those who were with me,
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During the period when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
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Had a truce with Abu Sufyan and the disbelievers of Quraysh.
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We came to him while he was in Iliya (Jerusalem).
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He summoned us to his court, with the Roman dignitaries around him,
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And he called for his translator and said,
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'Which of you is closest in lineage to this man who claims to be a prophet?'"
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Abu Sufyan said,
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"I am the closest of them in lineage."
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For Abu Sufyan
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Is Sakhr Ibn Harb Ibn Umayyah,
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Ibn Abd Shams Ibn Abd Manaf.
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And the Prophet (peace be upon him)
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Is Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abd al-Muttalib,
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Ibn Hashim Ibn Abd Manaf.
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So the fourth ancestor of Abu Sufyan is Abd Shams,
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And the fourth ancestor of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is Hashim.
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Hashim and Abd Shams
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Were twin brothers,
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Their father being Abd Manaf.
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He said, "Bring him close to me."
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He said, "And place his companions behind his back."
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Then he said to his translator,
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"Tell them:
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I am going to ask him about this man,
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So if he lies to me, you must call him a liar."
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Abu Sufyan said,
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"By Allah, were it not for the shame of them reporting a lie against me, I would have lied."
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Then the first thing he asked me about was:
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"How is his lineage among you?"
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I said,
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"He is of noble lineage among us."
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In one narration, he said,
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"He is of the most middle (best) of us in lineage."
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Meaning, of the best of us in lineage.
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The middle of a thing is its best part,
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Like the jewel in a necklace,
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The centerpiece of the necklace.
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Likewise, it is said regarding the afternoon prayer,
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The 'middle prayer' (al-salat al-wusta),
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As Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, said:
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“Be guardians of your prayers, and of the midmost prayer, and stand up with devotion to Allah.” (2:238)
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Meaning, the most excellent.
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Heraclius said,
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"Has anyone among you ever said this before him?"
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I said, "No."
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He said, "Was there any king among his forefathers?"
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I said, "No."
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He said, "Do the noble people follow him, or the weak ones?"
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I said, "Rather, the weak ones."
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He said, "Are they increasing or decreasing?"
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I said, "Rather, they are increasing."
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He said, "Does anyone among them apostatize out of dissatisfaction with his religion after entering it?"
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I said, "No."
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He said, "Did you accuse him of lying before he said what he said?"
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I said, "No."
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He said, "Does he betray?"
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I said, "No,
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And we are in a truce with him, not knowing what he will do during it."
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Abu Sufyan said,
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"I could not insert any disparaging word other than this."
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He said, "Have you fought him?"
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I said, "Yes."
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"And how was your fighting against him?"
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I said, "The war between us and him is alternating; he gains against us, and we gain against him."
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He said, "What does he command you?"
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I said, "He says: Worship Allah alone and do not associate anything with Him,
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And abandon what your forefathers say."
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"He also commands us to pray, to be truthful, to be chaste, and to maintain kinship ties."
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Heraclius said to the translator,
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"Tell him: I asked you about his lineage,
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And you mentioned that he is of noble lineage among you;
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Thus are messengers sent within the lineage of their people.
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I asked you if anyone among you had said this before him,
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And you said no;
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I said if someone had said this before him,
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I would have said he is a man imitating a statement said before him.
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I asked you if there was any king among his forefathers,
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And you said no;
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I said if there had been a king among his forefathers,
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I would have said he is a man seeking the kingdom of his forefathers.
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I asked you if you accused him of lying before he said what he said,
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And you said no;
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I know that he would not refrain from lying to people only to lie about Allah.
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I asked you:
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Do the noble people follow him or the weak ones?
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You said the weak ones follow him, and they are the followers of the messengers.
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I asked you if they are increasing or decreasing,
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And you said they are increasing;
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Such is the affair of faith until it is perfected.
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In another narration:
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'Such is faith when its sweetness permeates the hearts.'
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I asked you:
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Does anyone apostatize out of dissatisfaction with his religion after entering it?
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You said no;
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Such is faith when its sweetness permeates the hearts.
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I asked you if he betrays,
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And you mentioned that he does not;
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Likewise, messengers do not betray.
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I asked you what he commands you,
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And you mentioned that he commands you to worship Allah alone and not associate anything with Him,
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And forbids you from worshipping idols,
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And commands you to pray, to be truthful, to be chaste, and to maintain kinship ties."
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Then he said,
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"If what you say is true,
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He will surely possess the ground beneath these two feet of mine.
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I already knew that he was to emerge,
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But I did not think he would be from among you."
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Heraclius said,
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"If I knew that I could reach him,
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I would have endured the hardship to meet him,
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And if I were with him,
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I would have washed his feet."
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Then he called for the letter of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
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Which he had sent with Dihyah to the governor of Busra,
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Who then delivered it to Heraclius.
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He read it, and it stated:
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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From Muhammad, the servant of Allah and His Messenger,
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To Heraclius, the Chosroes of Rome.
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“So go ye unto him and say: Lo! we are two messengers of thy Lord. So let the children of Israel go with us, and torment them not. We bring thee a token from thy Lord. And peace will be for him who followeth right guidance.” (20:47)
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To proceed:
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I invite you with the call of Islam.
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Embrace Islam and you will be safe;
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Allah will give you your reward twice over.
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But if you turn away,
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Then the sin of the peasants shall be upon you.
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Then he said:
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“Say: O People of the Scripture! Come to an agreement between us and you: that we shall worship none but Allah, and that we shall ascribe no partner unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords beside Allah. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are they who have surrendered (unto Him).” (3:64)
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between us and you.
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“Say: O People of the Scripture! Come to an agreement between us and you: that we shall worship none but Allah, and that we shall ascribe no partner unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords beside Allah. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are they who have surrendered (unto Him).” (3:64)
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“Say: O People of the Scripture! Come to an agreement between us and you: that we shall worship none but Allah, and that we shall ascribe no partner unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords beside Allah. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are they who have surrendered (unto Him).” (3:64)
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“Say: O People of the Scripture! Come to an agreement between us and you: that we shall worship none but Allah, and that we shall ascribe no partner unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords beside Allah. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are they who have surrendered (unto Him).” (3:64)
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or a gate other than Allah.
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If they turn away, then say:
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"Bear witness that we are Muslims."
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Abu Sufyan said:
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Once he had said what he said,
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and finished reading the letter,
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the clamor grew loud around him and voices were raised.
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And we were turned out.
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I said to my companions when we were turned out,
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"The affair of Ibn Abi Kabshah has become a serious matter;
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even the King of the Byzantines fears him."
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He says,
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"I remained certain that he would prevail,
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until Allah brought Islam into my heart."
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Ibn al-Natur was
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the governor of Iliya (Jerusalem),
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and a leader over the Christians of the Levant,
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and a friend of Heraclius.
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They both used to study the stars.
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He narrates that Heraclius, when he came to Iliya,
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woke up one day in a foul mood.
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Some of his patriarchs asked him,
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"We find your demeanor troubling."
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Ibn al-Natur said,
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"Heraclius was a soothsayer
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who looked to the stars."
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He said to them when they asked him,
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"I saw tonight,
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when I looked at the stars,
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that the king of those who are circumcised has appeared.
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Who is it that gets circumcised among this Ummah?"
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They said, "No one gets circumcised except the Jews,
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so do not let their affair concern you.
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Write to the cities of your kingdom
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to have the Jews within them killed."
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He says: While they were occupied with this,
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a man was brought to Heraclius whom the King of Ghassan had sent
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to report news of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
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When Heraclius questioned him, he said,
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"Go and see
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whether he is circumcised or not."
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They reported to him that he was indeed circumcised.
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"And ask him about the Arabs."
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He said, "They practice circumcision."
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Heraclius then said,
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"This is the king of this Ummah who has appeared."
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Then Heraclius wrote to a friend of his in Rome,
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who was his peer in knowledge.
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Heraclius then traveled to Homs,
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and he had not yet left Homs before a letter arrived from his friend that agreed with his own view.
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He says: Heraclius then summoned the notables of Rome to a palace of his in Homs.
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A palace is a structure like a castle,
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containing many rooms for servants and attendants.
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He then ordered the doors of the palace to be locked.
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Then he appeared and said,
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"O assembly of the Romans,
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do you desire success and guidance,
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and for your kingdom to remain firm?
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Then pledge allegiance to this Prophet."
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They rushed toward the doors like wild donkeys,
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but found them locked.
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When Heraclius saw their aversion and despaired of their faith,
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he said, "Bring them back to me."
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Then he said,
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"I only said what I said earlier to test the strength of your commitment to your religion.
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Now I have seen it."
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So they prostrated to him.
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That was the end of the affair of Heraclius.
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This man valued the world too highly;
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he was stingy regarding his kingdom and feared for it,
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and he forgot the Hereafter.
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And such is man:
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he may lose the greatest good,
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and lose the Hereafter, which is the eternal abode,
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for a trivial worldly life in which one may or may not find comfort.
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And whoever finds comfort in it,
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will be dipped once into the Fire of Hell,
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then it will be said to him:
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"Has any good ever passed you by?
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Has any comfort ever passed you by?
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Have you ever seen any bliss?"
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And he will say, "No,
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I have never seen any bliss."
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Here, a questioner might ask:
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Did Heraclius accept Islam?
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The outward appearance here is that he wanted to accept Islam,
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and that he believed in the Prophet, peace be upon him.
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But mere belief is not enough;
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one must also make the declaration.
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For faith is not merely belief.
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Iblis believes that Allah is his Creator,
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and that Allah is his Originator,
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and that Allah is his Fashioner,
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and that to Allah belongs the command,
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and to Him belongs the prohibition, glory be to Him and Exalted is He.
15:23
Yet, despite this, he did not respond.
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And it has come down that he wrote from Tabuk,
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Heraclius,
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to the Prophet, peace be upon him, saying:
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"I am a Muslim."
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But the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
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"He lies;
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he remains upon his Christianity."
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Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar said,
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in the book *Al-Amwal* by Abu 'Ubayd with a sound chain of narration,
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from the *mursal* report of Bakr Ibn 'Abdullah al-Muzani,
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that he said:
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When the Prophet, peace be upon him, was told about Heraclius,
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he said, "The enemy of Allah lies;
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he is not a Muslim."
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Treasures of the Seerah.
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The Justice of Islam.
16:11
Al-Bukhari and Muslim recorded
16:14
from Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said:
16:18
A group of eight men from 'Ukl
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came to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
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and pledged allegiance to him upon Islam.
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But the climate of the land did not suit them, and their bodies became ill.
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They mentioned that to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
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The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
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"Why don't you go out with our shepherd to his camels,
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and drink from their milk and urine?"
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They said, "Yes."
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So they drank from their milk and urine and recovered.
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But what was the reward for this kindness?
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They killed the shepherd and drove off the camels.
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This reached the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
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so he sent men in their pursuit.
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They were caught and brought back.
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He, peace be upon him, ordered that
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their hands and feet be cut off,
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and their eyes be branded with hot irons,
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and they were left in the sun until they died.
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This is the punishment for those who spread corruption in the land.
17:22
And Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said:
17:25
"And We ordained for them therein:
17:28
A life for a life, an eye for an eye..."
17:31
“And We prescribed for them therein: The life for the life, and the eye for the eye, and the nose for the nose, and the ear for the ear, and the tooth for the tooth, and for wounds retaliation. But whoso forgoeth it (in the way of charity) it shall be expiation for him. Whoso judgeth not by that which Allah hath revealed: such are wrong-doers.” (5:45)
17:35
“And We prescribed for them therein: The life for the life, and the eye for the eye, and the nose for the nose, and the ear for the ear, and the tooth for the tooth, and for wounds retaliation. But whoso forgoeth it (in the way of charity) it shall be expiation for him. Whoso judgeth not by that which Allah hath revealed: such are wrong-doers.” (5:45)
17:38
"...and wounds are subject to legal retribution."
17:41
Anas said:
17:44
He only branded their eyes
17:46
because they had branded the eyes of the shepherd.
17:49
They were the ones who started it.
17:51
So the Prophet, peace be upon him, treated them
17:54
with the same action they had committed.
17:56
This is because they committed aggression,
17:58
so he committed aggression against them in the same manner they had committed it.
18:01
Even if the second act of aggression
18:03
is not aggression in its true sense,
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rather, it is legal retribution.