This was a hadith in Bukhari
telling about the conversation of Abu Sufyan (who was pagan who kept on
fighting Islam at that time, then he converted after), when he went to Syria
for trade and there he met Heraclius. Here is the hadith from Al Bukhari.
Volume 1, Book 1, Number 6:
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).”
