Hum ko Abul Yamaan Hakam bin Nafe’ ne Hadees bayan ki, unhein is Hadees ki Sho’aib ne khabar di. Unhon ne Zohri se yeh Hadees suni. Unhein Ubaidullah bin Abdullah bin Utbah bin Mas’ood ne khabar di ke Abdullah bin Abbas se Abu Sufyan bin Harb ne yeh waqi’ah bayan kiya ke Hiraql (shaah-e-Rome) ne un ke paas Quraish ke qaafile mein ek aadmi bulaane ko bheja aur us waqt yeh log tijaarat ke liye Mulk-e-Shaam gaye huwe the aur yeh woh zamaana tha jab Rasoolullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ne Quraish aur Abu Sufyan se ek waqti ahed kiya huwa tha. Jab Abu Sufyan aur doosre log Hiraql ke paas Elia pahunche jahaan Hiraql ne darbaar talab kiya tha. Us ke gird Rome ke bade bade log (ulama, wuzaraa aur umaraa) baithe huwe the. Hiraql ne un ko aur apne tarjumaan ko bulwaaya. Phir un se poocha ke tum mein se kaun shakhs mudda’ee-e-risaalat ka ziyada qareebi azeez hai? Abu Sufyan kehte hain ke main bol utha ke main us ka sab se ziyada qareebi rishtedaar hun. (Yeh sun kar) Hiraql ne hukm diya ke us ko (Abu Sufyan ko) mere qareeb laa kar bithaao aur us ke saathiyon ko us ki peeth ke peeche bitha do. Phir apne tarjumaan se kaha ke un logon se keh do ke main Abu Sufyan se us shakhs ke (yani Muhammed Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ke) halaat poochta hun. Agar yeh mujh se kisi baat mein jhoot bol de to tum us ka jhoot zahir kar dena, (Abu Sufyan ka qaul hai ke) Allah ki qasam! Agar mujhe yeh ghairat na aati ke yeh log mujh ko jhuthlaayenge to main Aap Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ki nisbat zaroor ghalat gooyi se kaam leta. Khair pehli baat jo Hiraql ne mujh se poochi woh yeh ke us shakhs ka khaandaan tum logon mein kaisa hai? Main ne kaha woh to bade oonche aali nasab waale hain. Kehne laga us se pehle bhi kisi ne tum logon mein aisi baat kahi thi? Main ne kaha nahi kehne laga, achcha us ke badon mein koi baadshaah huwa hai? Main ne kaha nahi. Phir us ne kaha, bade logon ne us ki pairwi ikhtiyaar ki hai ya kamzoron ne? Main ne kaha nahi kamzoron ne. Phir kehne laga, us ke taabe’daar roz badhte jaate hain ya koi saathi phir bhi jaata hai? Main ne kaha nahi. Kehne laga ke kya apne us dawa-e-(nubuwwat) se pehle kabhi (kisi bhi mauqa’ par) us ne jhoot bola hai? Main ne kaha nahi. Aur ab hamaari us se (sulah ki) ek muqarrarah muddat thehri hue hai. Ma’loom nahi woh us mein kya karne waala hai. (Abu Sufyan kehte hain) main is baat ke siwa aur koi (jhoot) us guftgu mein shaamil na kar saka. Hiraql ne kaha kya tumhaari us se kabhi ladaayi bhi hoti hai? Hum ne kaha ke haan. Bola phir tumhaari aur us ki jung ka kya haal hota hai? Main ne kaha, ladaayi dol ki tarah hai, kabhi woh hum se (maidaan-e-jung) jeet lete hain aur kabhi hum un se jeet lete hain. Hiraql ne poocha. Woh tumhein kis baat ka hukm deta hai? Main ne kaha woh kehta hai ke sirf ek Allah hi ki ibadat karo, us ka kisi ko shareek na banaao aur apne baap daada ki (shirk ki) baatein chhod do aur hamein Namaz padhne, sach bolne, parhezgaari aur sila rehmi ka hukm deta hai. (Yeh sab sun kar) phir Hiraql ne apne tarjumaan se kaha ke Abu Sufyan se keh de ke main ne tum se us ka nasab poocha to tum ne kaha ke woh hum mein aali nasab hai aur Paighambar apni qaum mein aali nasab hi bheje jaaya karte hain. Main ne tum se poocha ke (da’wa-e-nubuwwat ki) yeh baat tumhaare andar us se pehle kisi aur ne bhi kahi thi, to tum ne jawaab diya ke nahi, tab main ne (apne dil mein) kaha ke agar yeh baat us se pehle kisi ne kahi hoti to main samajhta ke us shakhs ne bhi usi baat ki taqleed ki hai jo pehle kahi jaa chuki hai. Main ne tum se poocha ke us ke badon mein koi baadshaah bhi guzra hai, tum ne kaha ke nahi. To main ne (dil mein) kaha ke un ke buzurgon mein se koi baadshaah huwa hoga to keh dunga ke woh shakhs (is bahaane) apne aabaa-o-ajdaad ki baadshaahat aur un ka Mulk (dobarah) haasil karna chaahta hai. Aur main ne tum se poocha ke is baat ke kehne (yani paighambari ka da’wa karne) se pehle tum ne kabhi us ko darogh gooyi ka ilzaam lagaaya hai? Tum ne kaha ke nahi. To main ne samajh liya ke jo shakhs aadmiyon ke saath darogh gooyi se bache woh Allah ke baare mein kaise jhooti baat keh sakta hai. Aur main ne tum se poocha ke bade log us ke pairo hote hain ya kamzor aadmi. Tum ne kaha kamzoron ne us ki ittebaa’ ki hai, to (dar asal) yahi log paighambaron ke muttabi’een hote hain. Aur main ne tum se poocha ke us ke saathi badh rahe hain ya kam ho rahe hain. Tum ne kaha ke woh badh rahe hain aur imaan ki kaifiyat yahi hoti hai. Yahan tak ke woh kaamil ho jaata hai aur main ne tum se poocha ke aaya koi shakhs us ke deen se na-khush ho kar murtad bhi ho jaata hai tum ne kaha nahi, to imaan ki khaasiyat bhi yahi hai jin ke dilon mein us ki masarrat rach bas jaaye woh us se lauta nahi karte. Aur main ne tum se poocha ke aaya woh kabhi ahed shikni karte hain. Tum ne kaha nahi, paighambaron ka yahi haal hota hai, woh ahed ki khilaaf warzi nahi karte. Aur main ne tum se kaha ke woh tum se kis cheez ke liye kehte hain. Tum ne kaha ke woh hamein hukm dete hain ke Allah ki ibadat karo, us ke saath kisi ko shareek na thehraao aur tumhein buton ki parastish se rokte hain. Sach bolne aur parhezgaari ka hukm dete hain. Lihaaza agar yeh baatein jo tum keh rahe ho sach hain to an-qareeb woh is jagah ka maalik ho jaayega ke jahaan mere yeh dono paaon hain. Mujhe ma’loom tha ke woh (Paighambar) aane waala hai. Magar mujhe yeh ma’loom nahi tha ke woh tumhaare andar hoga. Agar main jaanta ke us tak pahunch sakunga to us se milne ke liye har takleef bardaasht karta. Agar main us ke paas hota to us ke paaon dhota. Hiraql ne Rasoolullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ka woh khat mangaaya jo Aap ne Dihyah Kalbi Radhiallahu Anhu ke zariye hakim-e-Busra ke paas bheja tha aur us ne woh Hiraql ke paas bhej diya tha. Phir us ko padha to us mein (likha tha):
“Allah ke naam ke saath jo nihayat meharbaan aur rahem waala hai. Allah ke bande aur us ke Paighambar Muhammed Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ki taraf se yeh khat hai Shah-e-Rome ke liye. Us shakhs par salaam ho jo hidaayat ki pairwi kare us ke baad mein aap ke saamne da’wat-e-Islam pesh karta hun. Agar aap Islam le aayeinge to (deen-o-duniya mein) salaamti naseeb hogi. Allah aap ko dohra sawaab dega aur agar aap (meri da’wat se) roogardaani karenge to aap ki ri’aaya ka gunaah bhi aap hi par hoga. Aur aye ahl-e-kitaab! Ek aisi baat par aa jaao jo hamaare aur tumhaare darmiyaan yaksaan hai. Woh yeh ke hum Allah ke siwa kisi ki ibadat na karen aur kisi ko us ka shareek na thehraayen aur na hum mein se koi kisi ko Allah ke siwa apna Rabb banaaye. Phir agar woh ahl-e-kitaab (is baat se) munh pher len to (musalmaano!) tum un se keh do ke (tum maano ya na maano) hum to ek Allah ke ita’at guzaar hain.”
Abu Sufyan kehte hain: Jab Hiraql ne jo kuch kehna tha keh diya aur khat padh kar faarigh huwa to us ke ird-gird bahut shor-o-ghaugha huwa, bahut si aawaazein uthien aur hamein bahar nikaal diya gaya. Tab main ne apne saathiyon se kaha ke Abu Kabshah ke bete (Nabi-e-Kareem Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) ka mu’aamla to bahut badh gaya (dekho to) us se bani Asfar (Rome) ka baadshaah bhi darta hai. Mujhe us waqt se is baat ka yaqeen ho gaya ke Nabi-e-Kareem Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam an-qareeb ghaalib ho kar rahenge. Yahan tak ke Allah ne mujhe musalmaan kar diya. (rawi ka bayan hai ke) Ibn-e-Natoor Elia ka hakim Hiraql ka musahib aur shaam ke nasaara ka laat paadri bayan karta tha ke Hiraql jab Elia aaya, ek din subah ko pareshaan utha to us ke darbaariyon ne daryaaft kiya ke aaj hum aap ki haalat badli hue paate hain. (Kya wajah hai?) Ibn-e-Natoor ka bayan hai ke Hiraql nujoomi tha, ilm-e-nujoom mein woh poori mahaarat rakhta tha. Us ne apne hum nasheeno ko bataaya ke main ne aaj raat sitaaron par nazar daali to dekha ke khatnah karne waalon ka baadshaah hamaare mulk par ghaalib aa gaya hai. (Bhala) is zamaane mein kaun log khatnah karte hain? Unhon ne kaha ke yahood ke siwa koi khatnah nahi karta. So un ki wajah se pareshaan na hon. Saltanat ke tamaam shehron mein yeh hukm likh bhejiye ke wahan jitne yahoodi hon sab qatl kar diye jaayen. Woh log inhi baaton mein mashghool the ke Hiraql ke paas ek aadmi laaya gaya. Jise Shah-e-Ghassaan ne bheja tha. Us ne Rasoolullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ke halaat bayan kiye. Jab Hiraql ne (saare halaat) sun liye to kaha ke jaa kar dekho woh khatnah kiye huwe hai ya nahi? Unhon ne use dekha to batlaaya ke woh khatnah kiya huwa hai. Hiraql ne jab us shakhs se Arab ke baare mein poocha to us ne batlaaya ke woh khatnah karte hain. Tab Hiraql ne kaha ke yeh hi (Muhammed Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) us ummat ke baadshaah hain jo paida ho chuke hain. Phir us ne apne ek dost ko roomiya khat likha aur woh bhi ilm-e-nujoom mein Hiraql ki tarah maahir tha. Phir wahan se Hiraql Hims chala gaya. Abhi Hims se nikla nahi tha ke us ke dost ka khat (us ke jawaab mein) aa gaya. Us ki raaye bhi Nabi-e-Kareem Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ke zuhoor ke baare mein Hiraql ke muwafiq thi ke Muhammed Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam (waqa’ee) Paighambar hain. Us ke baad Hiraql ne Rome ke bade aadmiyon ko apne Hims ke mahal mein talab kiya aur us ke hukm se mahal ke darwaaze band kar liye gaye. Phir woh (apne khaas mahal se) bahar aaya aur kaha “Aye Rome waalo! Kya hidaayat aur kaamyaabi mein kuch hissah tumhaare liye bhi hai? Agar tum apni saltanat ki baqa chaahte ho to phir us Nabi ki Bai’at kar lo aur musalmaan ho jaao.” (Yeh sunna tha ke) phir woh log wahshi gadhon ki tarah darwaazon ki taraf daude (magar) unhein band paaya. Aakhir jab Hiraql ne (us baat se) un ki yeh nafrat dekhi aur un ke imaan laane se mayus ho gaya to kehne laga ke in logon ko mere paas laao. (Jab woh dobarah aaye) to us ne kaha main ne jo baat kahi thi us se tumhaari deeni pukhtagi ki aazmaaish maqsood thi so woh main ne dekh li. Tab (yeh baat sun kar) woh sab ke sab us ke saamne sajde mein gir pade aur us se khush ho gaye. Bil-aakhir Hiraql ki aakhiri haalat yeh hi rahi. Abu Abdullah kehte hain ke is Hadees ko Saleh bin Kaisan, Younus aur Ma’mar ne bhi Zohri se riwayat kiya hai.
Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas: Abu Sufyan bin Harb informed me that Heraclius had sent a messenger to him while he had been accompanying a caravan from Quraish. They were merchants doing business in Sham (Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan), at the time when Allah's Apostle had truce with Abu Sufyan and Quraish infidels. So Abu Sufyan and his companions went to Heraclius at Ilya (Jerusalem). Heraclius called them in the court and he had all 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 put some questions to me 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?' I replied, 'No.' He said, 'Was anybody amongst his ancestors a king?' I replied, 'No.' Heraclius asked, 'Do the nobles or the poor follow him?' I replied, 'It is the poor who follow him.' He said, 'Are his followers increasing 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, 'Have you ever accused him of telling lies before his claim (to be a Prophet)?' I replied, 'No. ' Heraclius said, 'Does he break his promises?' I replied, 'No. We are at truce with him but we do not know what he will do in it.' I could not find opportunity to say anything against him except that. Heraclius asked, 'Have you ever had a 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.' Heraclius said, 'What does he order you to do?' I said, 'He tells us to worship Allah and 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 Apostles come from noble families amongst their respective peoples. I questioned you whether anybody else amongst you claimed such a thing, your reply was in the negative. If the answer had been in the affirmative, I would have thought that this man was following the previous man's statement. Then I asked you whether anyone of his ancestors was 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 said what he said, 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. And in fact all the Apostle 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 in fact this is the way of true faith, till 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 in fact this is (the sign of) true faith, when its delight enters the hearts and mixes with them completely. I asked you whether he had ever betrayed. You replied in the negative and likewise the Apostles never betray. Then I asked you what he ordered you to do. You replied that he ordered you to worship Allah and 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 knew it (from the scriptures) that he was going to appear but I did not know that he would be from you, and if I could reach him definitely, I 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 Allah's Apostle which was delivered by Dihya to the Governor of Busra, who forwarded it to Heraclius to read. The contents of the letter were as follows: "In the name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful (This letter is) from Muhammad the slave of Allah and His Apostle to Heraclius the ruler of Byzantine. Peace be upon him, who follows the right path. Furthermore 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 Arisiyin (peasants). (And I recite to you Allah's Statement:) '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 beside Allah. Then, if they turn away, say: Bear witness that we are Muslims (those who have surrendered to Allah).' (3:64). Abu Sufyan then added, "When Heraclius had finished his speech and had read the letter, there was a great hue and cry in the Royal Court. So we were turned out of the court. I told my companions that the question of Ibn-Abi-Kabsha) (the Prophet Muhammad) has become so prominent that even the King of Bani Al-Asfar (Byzantine) is afraid of him. Then I started to become sure that he (the Prophet) would be the conqueror in the near future till I embraced Islam (i.e. Allah guided me to it)." The sub narrator adds, "Ibn An-Natur was the Governor of llya' (Jerusalem) and Heraclius was the head of the Christians of Sham. Ibn An-Natur narrates that once while Heraclius was visiting ilya' (Jerusalem), he got up in the morning with a sad mood. Some of his priests asked him why he was in that mood? Heraclius 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 (become the conqueror). Who are they who practice circumcision?' The people replied, 'Except the Jews nobody practices circumcision, so you should not be afraid of them (Jews). 'Just Issue orders to kill every Jew present in the country.' While they were discussing it, a messenger sent by the king of Ghassan to convey the news of Allah's Apostle to Heraclius was brought in. Having heard the news, he (Heraclius) 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 sovereignty of the 'Arabs had appeared. Heraclius then wrote a letter to his friend in Rome who was as good as Heraclius in knowledge. Heraclius then left for Homs. (a town in Syrian and stayed there till he received the reply of his letter from his friend who agreed with him in his opinion about the emergence of the Prophet and the fact that he was a Prophet. On that 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 towards the gates of the palace like onagers but found the doors closed. Heraclius realized their hatred towards Islam and when he lost the hope of their embracing Islam, he ordered that they should be brought back in audience. (When they returned) he said, 'What already said was just to test the strength of your conviction and I have seen it.' The people prostrated before him and became pleased with him, and this was the end of Heraclius's story (in connection with his faith).
USC-MSA web (English) Reference: Volume 1, Book 1, Number 6