CHAPTER 1: TWO: PROVING THAT PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH) WAS SENT TO ALL MANKIND:
To those who claim that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sent for the pagan Arabs only, we say, “It is well known that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sent to the Jews, the Christians as well as to the pagan Arabs. This has been expressed recurrently through transmitted traditions about the Prophet (peace be upon him), which are clearer, more obvious and greater than those related to Musa (Moses), ‘Isa (Jesus) and all other Prophets (peace be upon them all). It is also asserted in the Qur’an and the Prophetic hadiths and the traditions of the Rightly-guided Caliphs who came after the Prophet (peace be upon him). Furthermore, we stress that he has been sent to all the children of Adam (i.e., all human beings): the Arabs, the Non-Arabs, the Romans, the Persians, Turks, Indians, Barbarians, Abyssinians and to all other nations and races. Indeed, he was sent to both: mankind and Jinn. This conclusion is reached by plain, obvious continuous facts and news transmitted throughout the centuries and throughout history upon which all the Prophet’s Companions have agreed and transmitted from him. This is despite their large numbers and the fact that they were scattered throughout the world. Their number was estimated to be tens of thousands, while their exact number is known by none but Allah.
These transmissions were reported by the followers of the Companions (i.e., the first generation after the Companions) whose number was several times that of the Companions. Then, these traditions were transmitted throughout the centuries and generations until this time of ours in which many Muslims are spread all over this vast world, extending and dwelling from its east to its west and from its north to its south. This is a fact, which the Prophet (peace be upon him) foretold in his hadith, recorded by imam Muslim: Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Allah drew the ends of the world near one another for my sake. And I have seen its eastern and western ends. And the dominion of my nation shall reach those ends which have been drawn near me.” (Recoded by Muslim, Kitabul-Fitan, hadith no. 2889, vol. 19, Abu Dawud, Kitabul-Fitan, hadith no. 4252, At-Tirmidhi, Kitabul-Fitan, hadith no. 2176 and Ahmad in his Musnad, vol. 5, p. 278. They all recorded it from the narration of Thawban)
It is exactly as he said; the reign of his nation has reached the two ultimate edges of the planet, eastward and westward and his message has spread throughout the earth.
It is or intention to prove that Muhammad (peace be upon htm) called the people of the scripture, i.e., the Jews and the Christians, to believe in him, in his message and in that with which he was sent. He also called those who had never received any message from Allah before him, like the Arabs and other nations. He, i.e., Muhammad (peace be upon him), said that anyone who refuses to beiieve in him as a Messenger from Allah, in the Qur’an and in his message as a whole, is nothing but a disbeliever and that such people will be thrown into Hellfire, and this is indeed the worst destination. He also said that he received the Command of Allah that such disbelievers should be fought and struggled against. The Prophet (peace be upon him) carried out the task of informing them by himself as well as through his deputies.
So their claim that he is only sent to the Arabs suggests one of two matters: either that Allah sent him to the Arabs only and not to them (i.e., the Christians), or that he, the Prophet (peace be upon him) claimed that he is sent to the Arabs only and not to them. If the first supposition was true, then their first claim is annulled. As for the second, we say that all sects and creeds know the fact that Muhammad (peace be upon him) called the Jews and the Christians to believe in him and his message, that he told both parties that Allah sent him to them as well as to the others, and that Allah ordered him to fight those who do not respond to his call. After knowing this fact, if someone claims that the Prophet said, “I was sent to the Arabs only,” he, the claimant, would be uttering a manifest lie whether or not he believes it.
1. The Prophet’s Call for the Jews to Embrace Islam:
During the lifetime of the Prophet (peace be upon him), many Jews believed in him and his prophethood. Some of them believed when he was still in Mecca, while others believed after his immigration to Medina. Many of them were from places other than Mecca and Medina. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) came to Medina, he concluded a treaty with those Jews who did not believe in him,but they breached it, upon which he expatriated some of them and with others he fought because of their evil plots and struggles against Allah and His Messenger. He fought with them time after a time; he fought against the tribe of Banu An-Nadir concerning whom the Chapter of Al-Hashr was revealed. He also fought against the tribe of Banu Quraizhah in the year of the Battle of the Al-Ahzab (Clans i.e., the Battle of the Trench), which was mentioned in the Chapter of Al-Ahzab. Before these battles, he fought against the tribe of Banu Qainuqa’. After that, he conquered (the city of) Khaibar with the assistance of his Companions who swore the pledge of allegiance to him called Ar-Ridwan, which was made under the tree (of Al-Hudaibiyah). At that time, they amounted to about one thousand four hundred men. Allah bestowed His Victory upon them and He mentioned that in the Chapter of Al-Fath.
So in the light of all these facts, how can it be said that he was sent to the Arabs only?
2. His Call for the Christians to Embrace Islam:
The people of Najran (Yemen at that time) were Christians. Their delegation (which comprised sixty people) came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) in Medina while he was sitting in his Mosque. The first verses of the chapter of Al-‘lmran were revealed concerning them. They had an argument with the Prophet (peace be upon him), wherein the Prophet’s argument overcame theirs. After that, they became certain that he was in fact the Messenger of Allah. After that, Allah, the Exalted, commanded him to call them to join Him in invoking Allah to curse the liars among them. This was to be in the case that they did not answer his call. He, the Almighty says,
which means, “Then whoever disputes with you concerning him Isa (Jesus) after (all this) knowledge that has come to you, (i.e. ‘Isa (Jesus) being a slave of Allah, and having no share in Divinity) say: (O Muhammad) ‘Come, let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves – then we pray and invoke (sincerely) the Curse of Allah upon those who lie.” (Al-‘lmran: 3: 61)
Upon that, they demanded a respite so that they might consult one another, after which they said between themselves, “Surely, you know that this man is a messenger from Allah and that there had never been a prophet who asked a group of people to invoke the curse of Allah upon the liar amongst the invokers, except that Allah would smite the liars with His torture. So, seek an excuse from carrying out this invocation and ask him to enjoin Jizyah (a tax levied upon non-Muslims living in a Muslim state) upon us and we wiii pay it willingly.”
So we see that they feared that he, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), might invoke the Curse of Allah upon them, for they knew that he is truly the Messenger of Allah. Thus, they were subjected and paid the Jizyah willingly just as all the Dhimmis (Non-Muslims living in and under the protection of a Muslim state) did according to the judgment of Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him).
Those people were the first Christians to pay Jizyah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) appointed ‘Amr bin Hazrm as their ruler. The latter wrote a well-known book for them in which he outlined the laws of Islam. So they joined the Muslims and submitted to the judgment of Allah and His Messenger under the rule of the Messenger’s deputy ‘Amr bin Hazm Al-Ansary.
This is a well known story and is recorded in narrations that are recorded by biographers(See: Ibn Hisham, As-Sirah, vol. 2, pp. 175-204; Ibn Sa’d, At-Tabaqat, vol. 1, p. 357; Al-Baihaqy, An-Nubuwwah, vol. 5, pp. 382-393; Al-Baladhiry, Futuh Al-Buldan, p. 70; and Ibn Kathir, Al-Bidayah wan-Niyhayah, vol. 5, p. 52.) , exegetes (See: Ibn jarir, Tafsfr At-Tabary, vol. 3, p. 107; Ibnul-Jawzy, Zadul-Masir rit-lafAir, vol. 1, p. 399; Al-Qurtuby, Al-jami’ li’ahkam Al-Qur’an 4/4, p. 104; and Ibn Kathir, Tafsir Al-Qur’an Al-‘Azim, vol. 1, p. 394-395 and others) of the Qur’an, compilers of Hadith and scholars of jurisprudence. The original Hadith is well known in the authentic books of hadith and the Sunan (certain books of hadith).
Al-Bukhary recorded that al-Hudhaifah bin Al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated, “AI-‘Aqib and Sayyid, the rulers of Najran, came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) with the intention of doing Li’an (invoking the curse of Allah upon the liar from amongst the invokers). One of them said to the other, ‘Do not do (this Li’an) for, by Allah, if he is truly a Prophet and we do this Li’an, neither we, nor our offspring after us will ever be successful.’ Then both of them said (to the Prophet (peace be upon him)), ‘We will give you what you should ask but you should send a trustworthy man with us, and do not send any person with us but an honest one.’ The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ‘I will send an honest man who is really trustworthy.’ Then, each of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) wished to be that one. The Prophet said, ‘Get up, O Abu ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah.’ When he got up, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, This is the trustworthy man of this (Muslim) nation.'” (Recoded by Al-Bukhary, Kitabul-Maghazy, hadith no. 4380.)
A similar narration is recorded in Al-Bukhary and Muslim on the authority of Hudhaifah bin Al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him) who narrated, “The people of Najran came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, ‘Send an honest man to us.’ The Prophet said, 1 will send to you an honest man who is really trustworthy.” Each of the Muslims hoped to be that one. The Prophet (peace be upon him) then sent Abu ‘Ubaiydah bin Al-Jarrah.” (Recoded by Al-Bukhary, Kitabul-Maghazy, hadith no. 4381 and Muslim, Fada’ilus-Sahabah, hadith (2420/55).)
It is worth mentioning that some of the people of Najran (I mean the city in Yemen and not that of Sham (the area covering Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria)) were Christians, whereas the majority were Muslims. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) sent Abu ‘Ubaiydah bin Al-Jarrah with them and appointed ‘Amr bin Hazm as their ruler, they, ‘Ubaiydah and ‘Amr, were in charge of the Muslims as well as the Christians.
It is also known that the people of Najran raised a problematic inquiry concerning the Qur’an. This is illustrated in a narration recorded by Muslim from Al-Mu’ghirah bin Shu’bah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said, “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent me as a ruler, to the people of Najran. They said to me, ‘Have you not read (in your Qur’an) this verse:
which means, “O sister (i.e. the like) of Harun (Aaron) [not the brother of Musa (Moses), but he was another pious man at the time of Maryam (Mary)]!” (Maryam, 19:28) though you know that there was a long period between Isa (Jesus) and Musa (Moses)?’ In fact, I found no answer to their question, so I returned to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and told him. Upon that he said, ‘Will you tell them that the people who lived before us were named after the names of their Prophets and the pious ones amongst them?'” (Recoded by Muslim, Kitabul-Adab, 2135/9 and by At-Tirmidhy, Kitab Tafsir Al-Qur’an, hadith no. 3155.)
So, it is important to assert the fact that when anyone among the Christians (or any other religion) was looking for knowledge and true religion and was seeking nothing but the truth, showing no sign of prejudice or injustice, whether guidance was his real goal or he was just thinking that he is on the right path, this kind of a person should be argued with mildly and leniently. On the other hand, the unjust person from amongst them whose aim was simply obstinacy, who argues while knowing he is wrong and stubbornly adheres to the deviating path, we are not commanded to argue in the best way with this sort of a person. We may use other ways of argumentation with them, illustrating his obstinacy, wrongdoings and ignorance as an exchange for his misdeeds and bad intention.
3. Negus Believed in the Prophet (peace be upon him):
Before the occurrence of the above-mentioned Najran story, many Jews and Christians, their chiefs and their ordinary people, believed in the Prophet (peace be upon him) after they were certain that he was a truthful Prophet. An example of such people is Negus, the king of Abyssinia. He and his people were Christians. When they became certain that he was a true Messenger from Allah, they believed in him and embraced Islam. This took place during the initial stages of the mission of the Prophet (peace be upon him), when his Companions were very weak and powerless. For this reason they were humiliated, oppressed and harmed by the disbelievers of Mecca who persecuted them for their belief in Allah and His Messenger. Due to this persecution, a group of the Companions immigrated to Abyssinia, among whom were ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan, ‘Abdur-Rajiman bin ‘Awf, Az-Zubair bin AI-‘Awwam, Ja’far bin Abu Talib and many others who went there knowing that Negus was a fair king. Then, the disbelievers sent messengers with gifts to Negus asking him to hand over the immigrant Muslims to those messengers. However, the just Negus refused to hand them over before listening to their side of the story. They told him about the mission of Muhammad (peace be upon him), whereupon he believed in him and refused to hand them over. He also granted them safety.
When Negus heard the Qur’an, he said, “Verily, this (Qur’an) and that (Torah) with which Musa (Moses) came both came out from the same niche (i.e., from the same source).” When Negus asked them what they thought of Isa, they said, “We testify that he is the servant of Allah, His Messenger and His Word that He sent to Maryarri (Mary), the chaste virgin maid of Allah who was untouched by any man.” Upon hearing this, Negus said, ‘”Tsa bin Maryam never preached anything more than what you have said, even to the size of this stick.” At that, his bishops started to complain angrily. He said, “Even if you roared and roared in anger!”
Ja’far bin Abu Talib returned to the Prophet (peace be upon him), along with the Companions who had immigrated there, on the Day of the Battle of Khaibar.
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) announced the death of Negus, king of Abyssinia, on the same day as his (the Negus’) death. He (the Prophet) said, “Ask forgiveness (from Allah) for your brother (in Islam) (i.e. the Negus).” (Recorded by Al-Bukhary, Kitab Manaqibul-Ansar, hadith no. 3880, and by Muslim, Kitabul-jana’iz, hadith no. 951, p. 63.) Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) also narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) adjusted their rows (after praying) and offered the funeral prayer for Negus by saying the Takbir (saying: Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest)) four times.” (Recorded by Al-Bukhary, Kitab Manaqibul-Ansir, hadith no. 3881, and by Muslim, Kitabul-jana’iz, hadith no. 951, p. 63).)
4. Bringing the Matter of Prophethood before Waraqah bin Nawfal:
When the revelation first descended upon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her), the Prophet’s wife, went to one of the greatest Christian scholars at that time, Waraqah bin Nawfal, an Arab who had embraced Christianity. After being informed about the matter, he said, “This is the same one who keeps the secrets (angel Jibril (Gabriel)) whom Allah sent to Moses. I wish I were young and could live up until the time when your people would turn you out.” The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) asked, “Will they drive me out?” Waraqah replied in the affirmative and said, “Anyone (i.e., Prophet) who came with something similar to what you have brought was treated with hostility; and if I should remain alive until the day when you will be turned out then I would support you strongly.'” (A part from a long Hadith recorded by Al-Bukhary, Kitab Bad’ul-Wahy, hadith no. 3 and Muslim, Kitabul-Tman 160/252 from the narration of ‘A’ishah)
5. A Delegation of Christians Believed in Muhammad (peace be upon him) at Mecca:
A group of Christians came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) at Mecca and embraced Islam. They were harmed severely by the polytheists, but they endured this torment patiently. The following verse was revealed concerning these people:
which means, “Those to whom We gave the Scripture (i.e The Tawrah (Torah) and the Injil (Gospel), etc.) before it, they believe in it (the Qur’an). And when it is recited to them, they said, ‘We believe in it. Verily, it is the truth from our Lord. Indeed even before it we have been from those who submit themselves to Allah in Islam as Muslims (like ‘Abdullah bin Salam and Salman Al-Farisy, etc).’ These will be given their reward twice over, because they are patient, and repel evil with good, and spend (in chanty) out of what We have provided them. And when they hear Ai-Laghw (dirty, false, evil vain talk), they withdraw from it and say, To us our deeds, and to you your deeds. Peace be to you. We seek not the ignorant.'” (Al-Qasas, 28: 52- 55)
6. The Letters of the Messenger to the Kings of his Time:
A year after Al-Hudaibiyah and making the truce with the Quraish, the Prophet (peace be upon him) sent his messengers to all sects in every place. He sent to all the Christian groups of that time: the Christians of Sham, those of Egypt and many others.
A. His Letter to Heraclius, the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire:
The story is recorded completely in the narration of Al-Bukhary, and we quote it here: ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated, “Abu Sufyan bin Harb informed me that Heraclius had sent a messenger to him while he had been accompanying a caravan from the Quraish. They were merchants doing business in Sham (the area encompassing Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan), at the time when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had made a truce with Abu Sufyan and the disbelievers of the Quraish. So Abu Sufyan and his companions went to Heraclius at llya’ (Jerusalem). Heraclius called them into his court and he had ail the senior Roman dignitaries around him. He called for his translator who, translating Heraclius’s question said to them, ‘Who amongst you is closely related to that man who claims to be a Prophet?’ Abu Sufyan replied, ‘I am the nearest relative to him (amongst the group).’
Heraclius said, ‘Bring him (Abu Sufyan) close to me and make his companions stand behind him.’ Abu Sufyan added, ‘Heraclius told his translator to tell my companions that he wanted to ask me some questions regarding that man (the Prophet) and that if I told a lie, they (my companions) should contradict me.’ Abu Sufyan added, ‘By Allah! Had I not been afraid of my companions labeling me a liar, I would not have spoken the truth about the Prophet. The first question he asked me about him was:
‘What is his family status amongst you?’ I replied, ‘He belongs to a good (noble) family amongst us.’
Heraclius further asked, ‘Has anybody amongst you ever claimed the same (i.e. to be a Prophet) before him?’ f replied, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Were any of his ancestors a king?’ I replied, ‘No.’ Heraciius asked, ‘Is he followed by the nobles or the poor?’ I replied, ‘It is the poor who follow him.’ He said, ‘Are his followers increasing or decreasing (day by day)?’ I replied, ‘They are increasing.’ He then asked, ‘Does anybody amongst those who embrace his religion become displeased and renounce the religion afterwards?’ I replied, ‘No.’ Heraclius said, ‘Was he ever accused of lying before his claim (to be a Prophet)?’ I replied, ‘No.’ Heraclius said, ‘Does he ever break his promises?’ I replied, ‘No. We hava made a truce with him but we do not know what he will do in it.’ 1 could not find any opportunity to say anything against him except that. Heraclius asked, ‘Have you ever been at war with him?’ I replied, ‘Yes.’ Then he said, ‘What was the outcome of the battles?’ I replied, ‘Sometimes he was victorious and sometimes we were.’ Heraclius said, ‘What does he order you to do?’ I said, ‘He orders us to worship Allah Alone and not to worship anything along with Him, and to renounce all that our ancestors had said. He orders us to pray, to speak the truth, to be chaste and to keep good relations with our kith and kin.’ Heraclius asked the translator to convey to me the following, ‘I asked you about his family and your reply was that he belonged to a very noble family. In fact all the Prophets come from noble families amongst their respective peoples. I questioned you whether anybody else amongst you claimed such a thing, and your reply was in the negative. If the answer had been in the affirmative, 1 would have thought that this man was following the previous man’s statement. Then 1 asked you whether any of his ancestors had been a king. Your reply was in the negative, and if it had been in the affirmative, I would have thought that this man wanted to take back his ancestral kingdom.
I further asked whether he was ever accused of telling lies before he made this claim of prophethood, and your reply was in the negative. So I wondered how a person who does not tell a lie about others could ever tell a lie about Allah. I then asked you whether the rich people followed him or the poor. You replied that it was the poor who followed him. In fact all the Prophets have been followed by this very class of people. Then I asked you whether his followers were increasing or decreasing. You replied that they were increasing, and this is in fact the way of true faith, until it is complete in all respects. I further asked you whether there was anybody, who, after embracing his religion, became displeased and discarded his religion. Your reply was in the negative, and this is in fact the sign of true faith, when its delight enters the hearts and mixes with it completely. I asked you whether he had ever betrayed (anyone). You replied in the negative and likewise the Prophets never betray. Then I asked you what he has ordered you to do. You replied that he ordered you to worship Allah Alone and not to worship any thing along with Him and forbade you to worship idols and ordered you to pray, to speak the truth and to be chaste. If what you have said is true, he will very soon occupy this place underneath my feet and I know it (from the Scriptures) that he is going to appear but I did not know that he would be from among you, and if I could reach him, ! would go immediately to meet him and if I were with him, I would certainly wash his feet.’ Heraclius then asked for the letter addressed by Muhammad which was delivered by Dihyah to the Governor of Busra, who forwarded it to Heraclius to read. The contents of the letter were as follows:
‘In the name of Ailah, the Most-Beneficent, the Most-Merciful. (This letter is) from Muhammad the slave and messenger of Allah to Heraclius the ruler of Byzantium. Peace be upon him who follows the right path. I invite you to Islam, and if you become a Muslim you will be safe, and Allah will double your reward, and if you reject this invitation of Islam you will be committing a sin by misguiding your ArisiyyTn (i.e., peasants). (And I recite to you Allah’s Statement:
which means, ‘O people of the scripture! Come to a word common to you and us that we worship none but Allah and that we associate nothing in worship with Him, and that none of us shall take others as Lords besides Allah. Then, if they turn away, say, ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims (those who have surrendered to Allah).” (Al- ‘Imran, 3:64)
Abu Sufyan then added, “When Heraclius had finished his speech and read the letter, there was a great hue and cry throughout the Royal Court. Consequently we were turned out of the court. I told my companions that the question of Ibn-AbuKabshah (the Prophet Muhammad) has become so prominent that even the King of Banu Al-Asfar (Byzantines) is afraid of him. Then I started to be sure that he (the Prophet) would be the conqueror in the near future until I embraced Islam (i.e. Allah guided me to it).”
The sub-narrator added, “Ibn An-Natur was the Governor of llya’ (Jerusalem) and Heraciius was the head of the Christians of Sham. Ibn An-Natur reported that once while Heraciius was visiting llya’, he got up in the morning in a sad mood. Some of his priests asked him why he was in that mood; Heraciius was a foreteller and an astrologer. He replied, ‘At night when I looked at the stars, I saw that the leader of those who practice circumcision had appeared. Who are they who practice circumcision?’ The people replied, ‘Except the Jews nobody practices circumcision, so you should not be afraid of them (i.e., Jews). Just issue orders to kill every Jew, who is present in the country.’
While they were discussing the matter, a messenger who had been sent by the king of Ghassan (a city in Sham) to convey the news of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to Heraclius, was brought in. Having heard the news, he (Heraciius) ordered the people to go and see whether the messenger of Ghassan was circumcised. The people, after seeing him, told Heraclius that he was circumcised. Heraclius then asked him about the Arabs. The messenger replied, ‘Arabs also practice circumcision.’ (After hearing that) Heraclius remarked that the sovereignty of the Arabs had appeared. Heraclius then wrote a letter to his friend in Rome who was as knowledgeable as Heraclius. Heraclius then left for Homs and stayed there until he received the reply to his letter from his friend who agreed with him in his opinion about the emergence of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the fact that he was indeed a Prophet. Heraclius invited all the heads of the Byzantines to assemble in his palace at Homs. When they assembled, he ordered that all the doors of his palace be closed, then he came out and said, ‘O Byzantines! If success is your desire and if you seek right guidance and want your empire to remain, then give a pledge of allegiance to this Prophet (i.e. embrace Islam).’
(On hearing the views of Heraclius) the people ran toward the gates of the palace frantically but found the doors closed. Heraclius witnessed their hatred towards Islam and when he lost the hope that they would ever embrace Islam, he ordered that they should be brought back to his presence.
When they returned he said, ‘What I said was just to test the strength of your conviction and I have seen it.’ The people prostrated before him and were pleased with him, and this was the end of Heraclius’s story (in connection with his faith).” ( Recorded by Al-Bukhary, Kitab Bad’ui-Wahy, hadith no. 7. )
Heraclius was one of the greatest Christian kings at that time.
B. His Letter to Al-Muqawqis. the King of Egypt:
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent Hatib bin Abu Balta’ah (may Allah be pleased with him) to AlMuqawqis, the king of Egypt, who was in Alexandria (the capital of Egypt at that time). Hatib narrated, “I came with the letter of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to Al-Muqawqis (his name was Jarth bin Mina) and I said to him, There was before you in this nation a man who claimed that he was the Highest Lord (i.e. Pharaoh), and thus, the Almighty Allah seized him with a punishment for his last (i.e., claiming that he was the highest lord) and first (i.e., claiming that there is no god but him) transgression. So Allah used him in His revenge against those whom he wanted to take revenge from and then He revenged against him. Therefore, you better take the others as your example and do not let yourself be an example for others.’ Al-Muqawqis replied, ‘Go ahead, and make your purpose clear.’ Hatib said, ‘You are following a religion that you will never abandon but for a better one, and that better one is Islam, the completeand sufficient religion. This Prophet (i.e., Muhammad (peace be upon him)) called people to Allah: the Quraish (his tribe) was the severest and harshest people against him, and the Jews were the people who bore him the severest enmity, whereas the Christians were the closest and the most lenient people to him. I swear by my life, the glad tidings of ‘Isa (Jesus, peace be upon him) and those given by Musa (Moses) are but the same as that of Muhammad given by ‘Isa (peace be upon them all). And our invitation to you to the Qur’an is but the same as your invitation for the people of the Torah (i.e. Jews) to the Gospel (i.e., Christianity). You know for sure that he who lives during the time of a Prophet is considered one of his people, and, accordingly, it becomes incumbent on him to follow that Messenger. You are one of those who live during the time of this Messenger. Bear in mind that we do not ask you to desert the religion of Isa, on the contrary, we advise you to adhere to it. (i.e., if he did so, you would embrace Islam because Isa had given the glad tidings of Muhammad as the last Messenger. Thus, if he truly believed in the Gospel, he would follow Muhammad).”‘
Then he handed the book of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to A!-Muqawqis. After reading it, he said, ‘Good. I have examined it and found that its commands do not include anything loathed and that its prohibitions do not include anything desired. I have not found him to be a straying magician or a lying soothsayer. On the contrary, I found the seal of prophethood upon it.’ Then he put the letter inside an ivory box, sealed it and handed it to his treasurer.
In his reply to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) he wrote, “I knew that there was one Prophet left. 1 hosted your messenger.” He presented two slave-girls and a mule called Ad-Daldul to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) as a gift. The Prophet (peace be upon him) accepted his gifts and chose one of the slave girls for himself whose name was Marian Ai-Qibitiyyah, who afterwards became his wife and bore him Ibrahim. He gave the other slave girl to Hassan bin Thabit who bore him ‘Abdur-Rahman. The mule lived until the caliphate of Mu’awiyah bin Abu Sufyan.
In conclusion, both kings honored the Prophet and his letter. They both acknowledged his Prophethood, which had been prophesied by the previous Prophets (peace be upon them all).
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) also sent ‘Abdullah bin Hudhafah to Khosrau as well as to Caesar. He also sent AI-‘Ala’ bin Al-Hadramy to Al-Mundhir bin Sary AI-‘Abdy the governor of Hajar which is a village in Bahrain.
7. Invading Christian Lands:
After sending messengers to the kings, the Prophet (peace be upon him) started invading Christian territories. He first sent Zaid bin Harithah, Abdullah bin Ja’far and Abdullah bin Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with them all) leading an army. They fought the Christians in the Battle of Mu’tah in the land of Kark (in Syria). After that, he invaded the land of the Christians himself and ordered all the Muslims to join him in that expedition, excusing none of them from coming without a good reason. He led an army composed of tens of thousands and conquered Tabuk. When he arrived, he camped there for two nights in order to prepare himself to invade the Christian land, whether they were Arabs, Byzantines or any other Christians. He waited there for a while, but upon hearing about him and of his army, the Byzantines surrendered and withdrew their forces for fear of confronting him. Most of the Chapter of At-Tawbah was revealed concerning this event.
Before his death, the Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered his Companions to drive the Jews and the Christians out of the Arabian Peninsula. This was recorded by Muslim from the narration of ‘Umar bin AI-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) who stated that he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saying, “I will expel the Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula and will leave none but Muslims.” ( Recorded by Muslim, Kitibul-Jihad, hadith no. 1767, p. 63, Abu Dawud, Kitabut-Kharaj wal-‘fmarah, hadith no. 3030, At-Tirmidhi, Kitabus-Siyar, hadith no. 1 607 and Ahmad in his Musnad, vol. 1 , p. 29 )
Then, his successors fulfilled his vow stated in the above hadith, after his death. Abu Bakr sent an army to Sham to fight the Christians and there were many battles between the two sides. Abu Bakr died while Damascus was still under the Muslims’ siege. Then, ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab became the Caliph of the Muslims; during the reign of whom most of Sham (region covering Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan), Egypt, Iraq and a part of Khurasan were conquered. ‘Umar went to Sham and the leaders of the Christians gave him the key of Baitul-Maqdis (Jerusalem) when they recognized his features which were described in their Book (i.e. the Gospel).
When Sham was conquered, many Christians embraced Islam, the exact number is only known by Allah, Exalted be He. Most of the common Christian people were peasants and the Muslims had never worked in farming before. In the beginning, the Muslims had but one mosque to pray in due their small number, but, afterwards, most of the people of Sham converted to Islam of their own free will. No one was forced to do that, for forcing non-Muslims to embrace Islam is unlawful in Islam, as Allah the Almighty says,
which means, “There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. And Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower.” (Al Baqarah, 2: 256).
8. Fighting the Persians and the Magi:
‘Umar bin Al-Khattab fought the Persians and the Magi and conquered their lands. Thus, he fulfilled the glad tidings foretold by the Prophet (peace be upon him) when he said, “When Khosrau is ruined, there will be no Khosrau after him; and when Caesar is ruined, there will be no Caesar after him. By Him in Whose Hands my life is, you will spend their treasures for the Cause of Allah, the Exalted and Ever Majestic).” (Recorded by Al-Bukhary, Kitab Fardul-Khumus, hadith no. 3120, and by Muslim, Kitabul-Fitan, hadith no. 2918, pp. 75-76, from the narration of Abu Hurairah. It was also recorded by Al-Bukhary, Kitab Fardub Khumus, hadith no. 3121, and by Muslim, KttabubFitan, hadith no. 2918, p. 77, from the narration of Jabir bin Samurah.)
When ‘Umar and ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them both) conquered Iraq and Khurasan, they levied the Jizyah upon their inhabitants, just as they had done upon Christians, after calling them to embrace Islam.
By: Sheikhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyah
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