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﴿ فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴾

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Continuation of the Explanation of the Hadith: (So he said to the interpreter, "Tell him: I asked you about his lineage, and you mentioned that he is of noble lineage among you. Likewise, messengers are sent from among the lineage of their people. And I asked you, did any of you say this statement before him? You mentioned that no. I said, if anyone had said this statement before him, I would have said, 'A man imitating a statement said before him.' And I asked you, was any of his fathers a king? You mentioned that no. I said, if any of his fathers had been a king, I would have said, 'A man seeking the kingdom of his father.' And I asked you, did you suspect him of lying before he said what he said? You mentioned that no. So I know that he would not have left lying to people and lying to Allah. And I asked you, did the nobles of the people follow him or the weak ones? You mentioned that the weak ones followed him, and they are the followers of the messengers. And I asked you, do they increase or decrease? You mentioned that they increase, and so is the matter of faith until it is complete. And I asked you, does anyone apostatize in anger at his religion after entering it? You mentioned that no, and so is faith when its delight mixes with the hearts. And I asked you, does he betray? You mentioned that no, and likewise the messengers do not betray. And I asked you, what does he command you? You mentioned that he commands you to worship Allah and not associate anything with Him, and forbids you from worshipping idols, and commands you with prayer, truthfulness, and chastity. If what you say is true, he will rule over the place where my two feet are. And I knew that he would emerge, but I did not think he was from among you. If I had known that I could reach him, I would have made the effort to meet him, and if I had been with him, I would have washed his feet. Then he called for the letter of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he had sent with Duhayhah to the ruler of Busra, and he handed it to Heraclius, who read it. And in it was: "In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy. From Muhammad, the servant of Allah and His Messenger, to Heraclius, the ruler of the Romans. Peace be upon him who follows guidance. As for what follows: I invite you to Islam. If you submit, you will be safe, and Allah will give you your reward twice. If you turn away, then upon you is the sin of the farmers. And O People of the Book, come to a word of equality between us and you: that we worship none but Allah, and we associate nothing with Him, and we do not take one another as lords besides Allah. If they turn away, then say: 'Bear witness that we are Muslims.'" Abu Sufyan said: When he said what he said and finished reading the letter, the noise increased among them and the voices were raised, and they took us out. I said to my companions when they took us out: "The matter of the son of Abi Kabshah has become serious; the king of the yellow-haired people fears him." I remained certain that he would prevail until Allah brought Islam to me. And Ibn al-Nadhir, the companion of Ilyah, and Heraclius was a roof over the Christians of the Levant, narrated that when Heraclius arrived in Ilyah, he woke up one day in a bad mood. Some of his commanders said, "We have noticed a change in your demeanor." Ibn al-Nadhir said: Heraclius was an astrologer who looked at the stars. When they asked him, he said, "I saw tonight when I looked at the stars that the king of circumcision has appeared. Who among this nation circumcises?" They said, "Only the Jews circumcise, so do not be concerned about their affairs. And write to your governors to kill the Jews among them." While they were in this state, a man was brought to Heraclius sent by the king of Ghassan to inform him about the news of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). When Heraclius inquired of him, he said, "Go and see if he is circumcised or not." They looked at him and told him that he was circumcised. He asked about the Arabs, and they said, "They circumcise." Heraclius said, "This is the king of this nation who has appeared." Then Heraclius wrote to a companion of his in Rome, who was his equal in knowledge, and Heraclius traveled to Homs. He did not reach Homs until a letter came to him from his companion agreeing with Heraclius's opinion regarding the emergence of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and that he is a prophet. So Heraclius allowed the great men of the Romans to enter his tent in Homs, then he ordered the doors to be locked. Then he looked out and said, "O people of Rome, do you not desire success and guidance, and that your kingdom be established? So pledge allegiance to this Prophet." They rushed to the doors like wild donkeys, and they found them locked. When Heraclius saw their agitation and despaired of their faith, he said, "Bring them back to me." And he said, "I said my statement just now to test your firmness in your religion, and I have seen it." So they prostrated to him and were pleased with him, and that was the end of Heraclius's affair. Narrated by Salih ibn Kaysan, Yunus, and Ma'mar from al-Zuhri.)

Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The reader: al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) said in the continuation of the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas: Heraclius said:
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 فقال للترجمان: قل له: سألتك عن نسبه فذكرت أنه فيكم ذو نسب، فكذلك الرسل تبعث في نسب قومها. وسألتك هل قال أحد منكم هذا القول، فذكرت أن لا، فقلت: لو كان أحد قال هذا القول قبله، لقلت رجل يأتسي بقول قيل قبله. وسألتك هل كان من آبائه من ملك، فذكرت أن لا، قلت فلو كان من آبائه من ملك، قلت رجل يطلب ملك أبيه، وسألتك هل كنتم تتهمونه بالكذب قبل أن يقول ما قال، فذكرت أن لا، فقد أعرف أنه لم يكن ليذر الكذب على الناس ويكذب على الله. وسألتك أشراف الناس اتبعوه أم ضعفاؤهم، فذكرت أن ضعفاءهم اتبعوه، وهم أتباع الرسل. وسألتك أيزيدون أم ينقصون، فذكرت أنهم يزيدون، وكذلك أمر الإيمان حتى يتم. وسألتك أيرتد أحد سخطة لدينه بعد أن يدخل فيه، فذكرت أن لا، وكذلك الإيمان حين تخالط بشاشته القلوب. وسألتك هل يغدر ؟، فذكرت أن لا، وكذلك الرسل لا تغدر. وسألتك بما يأمركم
Sahih al-Bukhari 7
.
O Shaykh, in my copy: "What does he command you." The alif, O Shaykh, is present; the alif is present.

The Shaykh : This is an error from the perspective of the spelling rule, for the spelling rule is that the interrogative "ma" when a preposition enters it, its alif is deleted. Allah the Exalted said:
About what are they asking one another? عم يتساءلون
About what are they asking one another? عم يتساءلون
, and you say: "Why did you stand?" and you do not say: "From what," and you do not say: "Why did you stand," yes.
The reader:
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. وسألتك بما يأمركم، فذكرت أنه يأمركم أن تعبدوا الله ولا تشركوا به شيئا، وينهاكم عن عبادة الأوثان، ويأمركم بالصلاة والصدق والعفاف، فإن كان ما تقول حقا فسيملك موضع قدمي هاتين، وقد كنت أعلم أنه خارج، لم أكن أظن أنه منكم، فلو أني أعلم أني أخلص إليه لتجشمت لقاءه، ولو كنت عنده لغسلت عن قدمه.
Sahih al-Bukhari 7
.

The Shaykh : Allahu Akbar.
The reader:
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 of Arisiyin (tillers, farmers i.e. your people). ثم دعا بكتاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم الذي بعث به دحية إلى عظيم بصرى فدفعه إلى هرقل فقرأه فإذا فيه : بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم ، من محمد عبد الله ورسوله إلى هرقل عظيم الروم ، سلام على من اتبع الهدى أما بعد : فإني أدعوك بدعاية الإسلام أسلم تسلم يؤتك الله أجرك مرتين فإن توليت فإن عليك إثم الأريسيين
Sahih al-Bukhari 7
.

The questioner : If you submit, Allah will give you.

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : If you submit, you will be safe, then he said: If you submit, Allah will give you.

The Shaykh : No, the "thumma" is extra, it appears so.
The reciter: ... ويا أهل الكتاب تعالوا إلى كلمة سواء بيننا وبينكم أن لا نعبد إلا الله ولا نشرك به شيئًا ولا يتخذ بعضنا بعضًا أربابًا من دون الله فإن تولوا فقولوا اشهدوا بأنا مسلمون قال أبو سفيان : فلما قال ما قال وفرغ من قراءة الكتاب كثر عنده الصخب وارتفعت الأصوات ، وأخرجنا فقلت لأصحابي حين أخرجنا : لقد أمر أمر ابن أبي كبشة ، إنه يخافه ملك بني الأصفر ، فما زلت موقنًا أنه سيظهر حتى أدخل الله علي الإسلام .
وكان ابن الناظور، صاحب إيلياء وهرقل، سقفا على نصارى الشام يحدث أن هرقل حين قدم إيلياء، أصبح يوما خبيث النفس، فقال بعض بطارقته : قد استنكرنا هيئتك، قال ابن الناظور : وكان هرقل حزاء ينظر في النجوم، فقال لهم حين سألوه : إني رأيت الليلة حين نظرت في النجوم ملك الختان قد ظهر، فمن يختتن من هذه الأمة؟ قالوا : ليس يختتن إلا اليهود، فلا يهمنك شأنهم، واكتب إلى مداين ملكك، فيقتلوا من فيهم من اليهود. فبينما هم على أمرهم، أتي هرقل برجل أرسل به ملك غسان يخبر عن خبر رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، فلما استخبره هرقل قال : اذهبوا فانظروا أمختتن هو أم لا ؟، فنظروا إليه، فحدثوه أنه مختتن، وسأله عن العرب، فقال: هم يختتنون، فقال هرقل: هذا ملك هذه الأمة قد ظهر ... And O People of the Book, come to a word of equality between us and you: that we worship none but Allah and associate nothing with Him, and that we take not one another as lords besides Allah. If they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are Muslims. Abu Sufyan said: When he said what he said and finished reading the letter, the noise increased in his presence and the voices were raised, and we were taken out. When we were taken out, I said to my companions: The matter of the son of Abi Kabshah has become serious; indeed, the king of the yellow-haired people fears him. I remained certain that he would prevail until Allah brought Islam to me. And Ibn al-Nadhir, the companion of Aelia and Heraclius, was a roof over the Christians of Sham. He used to narrate that when Heraclius arrived in Aelia, he woke up one day in a bad mood. Some of his commanders said: We have found your demeanor strange. Ibn al-Nadhir said: And Heraclius was an astrologer who looked at the stars. So when they asked him, he said: I saw tonight when I looked at the stars that the king of circumcision has appeared. Who among this nation circumcises? They said: Only the Jews circumcise, so do not be concerned with their affairs. And write to the cities of your kingdom to kill the Jews among them. While they were in this state, a man was brought to Heraclius sent by the king of Ghassan to inform him about the news of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). When Heraclius inquired of him, he said: Go and see if he is circumcised or not? So they looked at him and informed him that he was circumcised. He asked about the Arabs, and they said: They circumcise. So Heraclius said: This is the king of this nation who has appeared.
.

The Shaykh : "Malak," in our copy it is "malik."
The reader: In my copy it is with a damma.

The Shaykh : Perhaps your copy is: "mulk," yes, "mulk" or "malak"?
The student: "Mulk," O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : Yes, there is no second copy.
The student: ...

The Shaykh : "Malak," and in it "mulk"?
The student: It is not in it.

The Shaykh : Fine.
The student: "Saqqaf" has an alif in it, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : Ah?
The student: "Asaqqaf" has an alif in it...

The Shaykh : What we have is "saqqaf."
The student: It has an alif in it.

The Shaykh : "Asaqqaf" meaning
The student: "Asaqqaf."

The Shaykh : It may be a copy.
The student: It may be a second copy.

The Shaykh : Yes. Yes, yes, yes.

The questioner : ...

The Shaykh : Okay, and "malak," "malik" or "mulk"?

The questioner : It says: "This is the king of this nation who has appeared, thus most of the narrators have it with a damma then a sukun... and for al-Qabisi with a fatha then a kasr, and for Abu Dharr from al-Kashmihani alone, "yamlik" a present tense verb".

The Shaykh : Yes, meaning either "malak" or "mulk."
The student: ...

The Shaykh : Yes.
The reader:
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 (ﷺ) 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). ثم كتب هرقل إلى صاحب له برومية ، وكان نظيره في العلم، وسار هرقل إلى حمص ، فلم يرم حمص حتى أتاه كتاب من صاحبه يوافق رأي هرقل على خروج النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ، وأنه نبي ، فأذن هرقل لعظماء الروم في دسكرة له بحمص ، ثم أمر بأبوابها فغلقت ، ثم اطلع فقال : يا معشر الروم ، هل لكم في الفلاح والرشد ، وأن يثبت ملككم ، فتبايعوا هذا النبي ؟ فحاصوا حيصة حمر الوحش إلى الأبواب ، فوجدوها قد غلقت ، فلما رأى هرقل نفرتهم ، وأيس من الإيمان ، قال : ردوهم علي ، وقال : إني قلت مقالتي آنفا أختبر بها شدتكم على دينكم ، فقد رأيت ، فسجدوا له ورضوا عنه ، فكان ذلك آخر شأن هرقل
Sahih al-Bukhari 7
Narrated by Salih ibn Kaysan, Yunus, and Ma'mar, from al-Zuhri.

The Shaykh : This is also one of the great hadiths that should be written down because it contains the description of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the description of his Companions, and the acknowledgment of this intelligent king, intelligent, but an intelligence that did not guide him, rather he was clever, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was truly a prophet.
And in it is also the truth of his prediction where he said:
If what you say is true, he will rule the place where these two feet of mine are إن كان ما تقوله حقا فسيملك موضع قدمي هاتين
So this prediction of his came to pass, for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) ruled over what was under his feet, but he did not rule it personally, rather by law, meaning that his law reached this place and that his successors ruled over this place. As for the benefits contained in it, they are many, and among the most important of them:
That among the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is writing to kings, and that a person should not belittle himself; he writes to the king with what he sees to be the truth, whether it is from the kings of his land or from other kings, he writes with what he sees to be the truth and does not belittle anything, for perhaps a word falls into the heart of its listener or reader and Allah benefits through it. And here is Moses (peace be upon him), the people and the magicians gathered against him, and they gathered for him on the Day of Adornment, a day of festival. When they gathered, he said one word:
Woe to you! Do not invent a lie against Allah or He will exterminate you with a punishment; and he has failed who invents [such falsehood]." ويلكم لا تفتروا على الله كذبا فيسحتكم بعذاب وقد خاب من افترى
[Taha 20:61]
This word became like a bomb
So they disputed over their affair among themselves فتنازعوا أمرهم بينهم
[Taha 20:62]
and when the nation disputes, failure befalls it
and do not dispute and [thus] lose courage and [then] your strength would depart; and be patient. Indeed, Allah is with the patient. ولا تنازعوا فتفشلوا وتذهب ريحكم واصبروا إن الله مع الصابرين
[Al-Anfal 8:46]
and for this reason the magicians believed, they believed in Moses, so they were at the beginning of the day disbelieving magicians and became at the end of the day believing righteous people, and that is the favor of Allah which He grants to whom He wills.
The important thing is that these nineteen questions are great questions from this king, and the answer from Abu Sufyan is an answer of truth, except for this hint that he hinted at him, and it is?

The questioner : We do not know...

The Shaykh :
There is a period between us and him أن بيننا وبينه مدة
meaning a covenant,
we do not know what he is going to do about it ولا ندري ما هو صانع فيها
Sahih Muslim 1773a
.
Okay, let Brother Muhammad al-Sharafi write the hadith and extract the benefits from it, and we want from him no less than eighty benefits.
The student: If Allah wills.

The Shaykh : If Allah wills, okay, and if you seek help from someone, there is no harm.
The student: By Allah.

The Shaykh : By Allah, Mighty and Majestic, yes.
Source alathar.net

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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