Explanation of the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding the story of Heraclius with Abu Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him).

The Shaykh : He affirmed this, but the man was intelligent, I mean Heraclius, and he knew that what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was calling people to, if it were true, would open hearts before it opened lands. He said: "If what you say is true, he will rule what is under my feet". So Abu Sufyan went out and said to his people: "The matter of the son of Abi Kabshah has become great; indeed, the King of the Banu al-Asfar fears him". "Amira" means it became great, and from this is the saying of Allah the Exalted: meaning "great." Who is the son of Abi Kabshah? The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). The disbelievers used this kunyah (nickname) for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) to belittle him and diminish his status. He attributed the greatness of the Messenger's affair to the fact that the King of the Banu al-Asfar feared him. Did what Heraclius predicted come to pass, that the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) rule would extend to what was under his feet? Yes. But if I say yes, it becomes difficult for us because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) died before Syria was conquered. The answer to this difficulty is to say that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) ruled Syria through his successors and his religion. For Syria was conquered during the time of whom? 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), and 'Umar is the second caliph after the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). So it was conquered through his religion and his successors, and thus the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ruled, through his religion and his successors, what was under Heraclius's feet.