Heraclius on Prophet Muhammad saw

[Simple_Nomad]

http://www.islamweb.net/ver2/archive/article.php?lang=E&id=36157

 

Heraclius, the Roman king, upon receiving a letter from Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam/ SAWS - peace be upon him) calling him to embrace Islam, issued orders to present before him anyone coming from Makkah to Syria, so as to collect information about the Prophet (SAWS). Abu Sufyân was found and was presented to the ruler along with some other men. Abu Sufyân had several skirmishes with the Prophet (SAWS) and he was a harsh critic against Islam.

 

Abu Sufyân says that he was brought to the town of Elia. The court was full of important royal officers and Hirqil (Heraclius) was sitting wearing his crown. He asked his interpreter to ask who was close in kinship to the man who claimed he was a Prophet (SAWS).

 

Abu Sufyân: I am his kin.

 

Hirqil: What is the nature of your kinship?

 

Abu Sufyân: He is my cousin. And I say so because none in the caravan except me is the descendant of Abd Manâf.

 

Hirqil: Call him to come in front and have his colleagues stand beside him. I shall ask him some questions. Direct his colleagues to point out when Abu Sufyân has told a lie.

 

Abu Sufyân said that he would have said many things but he did not as he was afraid of being contradicted by his colleagues.

 

Hirqil: What is his lineage?

 

Abu Sufyân: He comes of a good family.

 

Hirqil: Did anyone make a claim like this before?

 

AbuSufyân: No.

 

Hirqil: Did anyone accuse him of being a liar?

 

Abu Sufyân: No.

 

Hirqil: Was anyone of his forefathers a king?

 

Abu Sufyân: No.

 

Hirqil: Who is accepting his religion, the rich or the poor?

 

Abu Sufyân: The poor.

 

Hirqil: Are his followers increasing or decreasing?

 

Abu Sufyân: They are increasing.

 

Hirqil: Do his followers abandon his religion in disgust?

 

Abu Sufyan: No.

 

Hirqil: Does he break pledges?

 

Abu Sufyân: No, but an agreement has been recently reached between us, and I hope he will deviate from the agreed terms.

 

Abu Sufyân said that he could not say anything beyond this against the Prophet (SAWS) lest his companions might contradict him.

 

Hirqil: Did you have skirmishes with him?

 

Abu Sufyân: Yes.

 

Hirqil: What was the result?

 

Abu Sufyân: Sometimes he won and sometimes we did.

 

Hirqil: What is his message?

 

Abu Sufyân: He asks us to worship only one God and attribute no partners to Him. He also says not to worship idols or deities of the ancestors. He directs us to offer prayers and give alms. He also exhorts us to be pious and God-fearing, observant of promises and trustworthy.

 

The king then asked his interpreter to explain to him (Abu Sufyân):

 

"You say that he is of a good lineage. Prophets are always of good lineage.

 

You also admit that none had made such claims earlier. Had this been the case, I would have concluded that he was also following them.

 

You admit that none had made any accusation against him of telling a lie before his declaration of being a Prophet. So it is not possible that he is telling a lie about God when he has not behaved as such in human dealings. You also admit that none among his ancestors was a ruler. Had it been so, there could have been a case for him to try to acquire a kingdom.

 

You again admit that the poor and destitute are entering his religious following. And history speaks that only such people are first attracted to Prophets.

 

You also agree that the Muslims are increasing in number. This indicates the impact of Faith which goes on progressing till it is perfected.

 

You also admit that none reverts from his Faith. This is the proof of the strength of Faith which once grounded in the heart, does not recoil. You agree that he never breaks his promises. Undoubtedly Prophets are made of such stuff.

 

You say that there had been battles between you and him, and sometimes you won and sometimes he won. Prophets are also put to such tests, but ultimately victory is theirs.

 

You told that he asks people to worship none but only one God. He also forbids idol worship or paying respect to other deities. He asks to offer prayers and be truthful, pious and trustworthy. These are without doubt the ways of the Prophets."

 

The king further added that he knew that a Prophet was about to appear but he never thought he would emerge from Arabia. He (Hirqil) further said:

 

"If your statements are true, he would conquer this country as well where I am reigning today. I long to be with him and wash his feet."

 

Then he advised his courtiers to accept the faith of Islam, but they did not agree to his proposal and were ready to revolt. So the ruler did not accept the Faith in fear that he would lose his throne.

[winnie]

i dont completely believe this story. i dont see what the point of the story is either. i'm wary of the islamic propaganda ive been hearing lately, shouldnt it be enough that you yourself have accepted islam as the truth? do we have to look for famous people of the past and present to validate our faith? i dont think we need propaganda to prove islams validity.

[Simple_Nomad]

Originally posted by illegal some-alien:

i dont completely believe this story. i dont see what the point of the story is either. i'm wary of the islamic propaganda ive been hearing lately, shouldnt it be enough that you yourself have accepted islam as the truth? do we have to look for famous people of the past and present to validate our faith? i dont think we need propaganda to prove islams validity.

of course i dont know the validty of the story or its accuracy. But i wasn't focusing on the famous peoples. My interest in the story, if indeed it is true. Was from the way he may have been convinced he was the prophet but then declined due to supposed pressure. I was reading something from an afro carribean, who was basically saying that two jewish preists admitted to him that the prophet in their books who was to come was probably Muhammad saw. Even you see in some of the bible translations they exchange the word arab for "nomad".Or the fact the ishmael was prophecized to give birth to a great nation and then suddenly we don't read nothing about what happened to the supposed great nation. Anwyay i agree with you we dont need propoganda, but i found the method of questioning and conclusion to the story(if it is indeed true) interesting.Which made me wonder how many people knew islam as the truth but didn't except it due to whatever circumstances their may have been?