We mentioned last week some reports about the letter the Prophet (peace be upon him) sent to Heraclius, the Byzantine emperor and how he received it. We reported on his archbishop’s acceptance of Islam and his murder. There are several reports on what Heraclius did when Dihyah ibn Khalifah arrived carrying the Prophet’s message that ran as follows:

“In the name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent.

From Muhammad, God’s messenger to Heraclius, the Byzantine ruler. Peace be to those who follow right guidance. I call on you to believe in Islam. Adopt Islam and you will be safe, and God will give you a double reward. If you decline, you shall bear responsibility for the Arians.” (The Arians were the followers of Arius, the Egyptian who believed in the Oneness of God and denied that the father and the son were two manifestations of the Lord.)

Heraclius received the Prophet’s envoy well, but he wanted to establish for himself the Prophet’s true nature. He, therefore, ordered his aides to find any person from Arabia who happened to be in the area, so that he could question him about the Prophet. It so happened that Abu Sufyan, the Quraysh leader, was in Gaza. He was brought to Heraclius with a number of his compatriots. Heraclius spoke to them through his interpreter, asking them first: “Who is the closest relative among you to this man who claims to be a prophet?” Abu Sufyan told him that he was. Heraclius asked him to come forward. He also placed the other Arabs just behind Abu Sufyan and told them that he was about to put some questions to him. He wanted them to point out to him any lie Abu Sufyan might tell. Abu Sufyan, however, did not wish to be known for telling a lie in that company. The conversation went as follows:

Heraclius: What sort of family lineage has he among you?

Abu Sufyan: His ancestry is a distinguished one.

Heraclius: Was any of his forefathers a king?

Abu Sufyan: No.

Heraclius: Has anyone among you come out with a similar claim before him?

Abu Sufyan: No.

Heraclius: Do the majority of his followers belong to the aristocracy, or are they poor people?

Abu Sufyan: They are poor.

Heraclius: Do they increase or decrease?

Abu Sufyan: They are on the increase.

Heraclius: Does any of them turn away from his religion after having embraced it?

Abu Sufyan: No.

Heraclius: Have you ever known him to lie before he started to make his claim?

Abu Sufyan: No.

Heraclius: Is he given to treachery?

Abu Sufyan: No. We, however, have an armistice agreement with him for the time being, and we do not know what he will do during this period.

Heraclius: Have you ever fought him?

Abu Sufyan: Yes.

Heraclius: How did your fighting go?

Abu Sufyan: Sometimes he wins and sometimes we win.

Heraclius: What sort of commandments does he give you?

Abu Sufyan: He tells us to worship God alone, without ascribing divinity to anyone else. He tells us not to follow our fathers. He commands us to pray and to be truthful and chaste and kind to our fellow human beings.

Heraclius: You have mentioned that he enjoys distinguished ancestry, and this is the case with all prophets and messengers. Since you say that no one else among you has made similar claims, I cannot say that he is imitating anyone. You also denied that any of his forefathers was a king, which means that he is not a claimant of a kingdom. You also say that he was not known to tell a lie before he came out with his message. Well, I know that he would not start by lying to God. You have stated that the poor are his followers, and this is the case with all messengers from God. The fact that his followers are on the increase again confirms a phenomenon that is always associated with true faith, until it is completed. You have also mentioned that no one turns away from his religion after having embraced it. This is a characteristic of faith when its light shines in people’s hearts. You also denied that he is treacherous, and no messenger of God was a treacherous person. You also said that he calls on you to believe in the Oneness of God and to pray and to be truthful and chaste. If what you have told me is true, then he will have the supremacy right here where I stand. I knew that his time was due, but I did not think that he would belong to your people. Had it been in my power, I would certainly have taken the trouble to meet him and wash his feet.

This is the most authentic report of Heraclius’ reaction when he received the message sent him by the Prophet. Further reports suggest that Heraclius called in a large gathering of bishops and other priests for a closed meeting. He told them of the Prophet’s letter and explained that the Prophet was already at Tabuk with an army. He then said: “Muhammad is giving us one of three options: 1) we should accept his faith and follow him; 2) we pay him a tribute in return for keeping our land and staying where we are; or 3) we opt for war. By God, you know from your scriptures that he will be triumphant and that this spot where I am standing will be taken from you. Let us, then, either follow his religion or give him tribute and keep our land.”

They were up in arms against his suggestion, and their voices were loud in opposition. Many of them said: “You are suggesting to us that we abandon Christianity or become slaves to a Bedouin from Arabia? This will never be.”

Heraclius realized that should he let them out of the building, they would be trying to raise support against him from their fellow clergymen, and this could lead to his loss of power. He, therefore, sought to remedy the situation. He said to them: “I only suggested this to you to test how solid you are in holding on to your faith.” He abandoned his suggestion and assured them that he would not do anything other than what pleased them.

Thus, Heraclius did not adopt Islam, and this was perhaps due to his fear that he would lose his throne as a result. He also chose to send back a diplomatic reply, pretending that he personally accepted Islam but was prevented from publicizing the fact by the opposition of his church. He gave Dihyah, the Prophet’s envoy, a sum of money in gold currency and the Prophet distributed it to the poor in the Muslim community.