The Book of Jihad, Military Expeditions, and Authority-05a
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The Reciter: Isma'il ibn Ibrahim al-Hanbali, and Ibn Abi 'Umar, and Muhammad ibn Rafi', and 'Abd ibn Humayd narrated to us, and the wording is that of Ibn Rafi'. Ibn Rafi' said: And Ibn Abi 'Umar, he narrated to us, and the other two said: He informed us. 'Abd al-Razzaq informed us, Ma'mar informed us, from al-Zuhri, from 'Ubayd Allah ibn 'Abd Allah ibn 'Utbah, from Ibn 'Abbas, that Abu Sufyan informed him, from his own mouth to his own mouth. He said: Mishkat al-Masabih 5861.
The Shaykh : We will explain it so that we do not repeat it a second time. The period between them and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) means by that the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, because this period became a truce; the polytheists do not fight, and the polytheists do not fight the Muslims, until they committed treachery.
The reader:Sahih Muslim 1773a.
The Shaykh : It was said that Heraclius is a name for every ruler of the Romans, just as Kisra is a name for every ruler of the Persians. And it was said that this is a proper name, a name by which he is known.
The reader:Sahih Muslim 1773a.
The Shaykh : Meaning the ruler of the Romans. It is correct, but do not say "the Great" for example, as Ibrahim said:[Al-Anbya 21:63], and do not say for example "the Master" for the master of a group of disbelievers, but say "the Master of the family of so-and-so."
The reciter:Sahih Muslim 1773a.
The Shaykh : Look at this caution, "from this man," which indicates his intelligence and reason.
First: He asked the one closest to them in lineage, because the one closest to you is the one who knows you best. This is the principle.
Second: They seated them before him so that it would be more awe-inspiring, than if they were to his right or left, because he would address them face to face, so it is more eloquent.
Third: He said to the interpreter: "Tell these people," meaning the companions of Abu Sufyan: "If he lies, lie to him."
And in his saying:Sahih Muslim 1773a is evidence that lying, even in the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, was detested, and that its doer is blamed for it. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made it one of the signs of hypocrisy, and he warned against it with a severe warning, until he said: .
The Reciter:Sahih Muslim 1773a.
The Shaykh : Allah is the Greatest, and He knows what He is doing. Abu Sufyan knows what the Messenger is doing, and that he will fulfill the promise and the covenant, but he made this a kind of disparagement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); he did not find anything else.
The Reciter:Sahih Muslim 1773a.
The Shaykh : Allah is the Greatest, Glory be to Allah.
The Reciter:Sahih Muslim 1773a.
The Shaykh : Now it is established with Heraclius that he is a Messenger, so now he is looking at what he orders. Allah is the Greatest, look at the intellect. May Allah be our helper.
The Reciter:Sahih Muslim 1773a.
The Shaykh : Allahu Akbar.
The Reciter:Sahih Muslim 1773a.
The Shaykh : "Amr" means it became great, and from that is His saying:[Al-Kahf 18:71], meaning great.
And Ibn Abi Kabshah is the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him); they used to mock him with it. And he explained this, meaning that his affair became great, that the king of the Sons of the Yellow One, who are the Romans, feared him. And the wonder is that Heraclius said that he will surely rule what is under these two feet of mine, which indicates that he knew that this Prophet's message would expand in scope until it reaches the Romans, and that the Romans themselves would be stripped of their kingdom, until the kingdom would be for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). And this did not occur in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), but it occurred in the time of the Caliphs, so the land under the feet of this one was conquered, by the call of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), at the hands of his Rightly Guided Caliphs.
During the period of peace between God's messenger and me I went off
انْطَلَقْتُ فِي الْمُدَّةِ الَّتِي كَانَتْ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَThe Shaykh : We will explain it so that we do not repeat it a second time. The period between them and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) means by that the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, because this period became a truce; the polytheists do not fight, and the polytheists do not fight the Muslims, until they committed treachery.
The reader:
While I was in Syria, the letter of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was handed over to Hiraql (Ceasar), the Emperor of Rome
قَالَ : فَبَيْنَا أَنَا بِالشَّامِ إِذْ جِيءَ بِكِتَابٍ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلَى هِرَقْلَ يَعْنِي عَظِيمَ الرُّومِThe Shaykh : It was said that Heraclius is a name for every ruler of the Romans, just as Kisra is a name for every ruler of the Persians. And it was said that this is a proper name, a name by which he is known.
The reader:
The letter was brought by Dihya Kalbi who delivered it to the governor of Busra
قَالَ : وَكَانَ دَحْيَةُ الْكَلْبِيُّ جَاءَ بِهِ، فَدَفَعَهُ إِلَى عَظِيمِ بُصْرَىThe Shaykh : Meaning the ruler of the Romans. It is correct, but do not say "the Great" for example, as Ibrahim said:
He said, "Rather, this - the largest of them - did it
قال بل فعله كبيرهم هذاThe reciter:
The governor passed it on to Hiraql, (On receiving the letter), he said: Is there anyone from the people of this man who thinks that he is a prophet. People said: Yes. So, I was called along with a few others from the Quraish. We were admitted to Hiraql and he seated usbefore him. He asked: Which of you has closer kinship with the man who thinks that he is a prophet? Abu Sufyan said: I. So they seated me in front of him and stated my companions behind me. Then, he called his interpreter and said to him: Tell them that I am going to ask this fellow (i. e. Abu Sufyan) about the man who thinks that he is a prophet. It he tells me a lie, then refute him. Abu Sufyan told (the narrator): By God, if there was not the fear that falsehood would be imputed to me I would have lied.
فَدَفَعَهُ عَظِيمُ بُصْرَى إِلَى هِرَقْلَ، فَقَالَ هِرَقْلُ : هَلْ هَاهُنَا أَحَدٌ مِنْ قَوْمِ هَذَا الرَّجُلِ الَّذِي يَزْعُمُ أَنَّهُ نَبِيٌّ ؟ قَالُوا : نَعَمْ، قَالَ : فَدُعِيتُ فِي نَفَرٍ مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ، فَدَخَلْنَا عَلَى هِرَقْلَ، فَأَجْلَسَنَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ، فَقَالَ : أَيُّكُمْ أَقْرَبُ نَسَبًا مِنْ هَذَا الرَّجُلِ الَّذِي يَزْعُمُ أَنَّهُ نَبِيٌّ ؟ فَقَالَ أَبُو سُفْيَانَ : فَقُلْتُ : أَنَا، فَأَجْلَسُونِي بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ، وَأَجْلَسُوا أَصْحَابِي خَلْفِي، ثُمَّ دَعَا بِتَرْجُمَانِهِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ : قُلْ لَهُمْ إِنِّي سَائِلٌ هَذَا عَنِ الرَّجُلِ الَّذِي يَزْعُمُ أَنَّهُ نَبِيٌّ، فَإِنْ كَذَبَنِي فَكَذِّبُوهُ، قَالَ : فَقَالَ أَبُو سُفْيَانَ : وَايْمُ اللهِ، لَوْلَا مَخَافَةُ أَنْ يُؤْثَرَ عَلَيَّ الْكَذِبُ لَكَذَبْتُThe Shaykh : Look at this caution, "from this man," which indicates his intelligence and reason.
First: He asked the one closest to them in lineage, because the one closest to you is the one who knows you best. This is the principle.
Second: They seated them before him so that it would be more awe-inspiring, than if they were to his right or left, because he would address them face to face, so it is more eloquent.
Third: He said to the interpreter: "Tell these people," meaning the companions of Abu Sufyan: "If he lies, lie to him."
And in his saying:
By God, if there was not the fear that falsehood would be imputed to me I would have lied
لَوْلَا مَخَافَةُ أَنْ يُؤْثَرَ عَلَيَّ الْكَذِبُ لَكَذَبْتُBeware of lying, for lying leads to wickedness, and wickedness leads to the Fire, and a man will not cease to lie and strive to lie until he is recorded by Allah as a liar.
إياكم والكذب، فإن الكذب يهدي إلى الفجور، وإن الفجور يهدي إلى النار ، ولا يزال الرجل يكذب ويتحرى الكذب حتى يُكتَب عند الله كذّاباًThe Reciter:
(Then) Hiraqi said to his interpreter: Inquire from him about his ancestry, I said: He is of good ancestry among us. He asked: Has there been a king among his ancestors? I said: No. He asked: Did you accuse him of falsehood before he proclaimed his prophethood? I said: No. He asked: Who are his follower people of high status or low status? I said: (They are) of low status. He asked: Are they increasing in number or decreasing? I said. No. they are rather increasing. He asked: Does anyone give up his religion, being dissatisfied with it, after having embraced it? I said: No. He asked: Have you been at war with him? I said: Yes. He asked: How did you fare in that war? I said: The war between us and him has been wavering like a bucket, up at one turn and down at the other (i. e. the victory has been shared between us and him by turns). Sometimes he suffered loss at our hands and sometimes we suffered loss at his (hand). He asked: Has he (ever) violated his covenant? I said: No. but we have recently concluded a peace treaty with him for a petiod and we do not know what he is going to do about it. (Abu Sufyin said on oath that he could not interpolate in this dialogue anything from himself more than these words )
ثُمَّ قَالَ لِتَرْجُمَانِه ِ: سَلْهُ كَيْفَ حَسَبُهُ فِيكُمْ، قَالَ : قُلْتُ : هُوَ فِينَا ذُو حَسَبٍ، قَالَ : فَهَلْ كَانَ مِنْ آبَائِهِ مَلِكٌ ؟ قُلْتُ : لَا، قَالَ: فَهَلْ كُنْتُمْ تَتَّهِمُونَهُ بِالْكَذِبِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَقُولَ مَا قَالَ ؟ قُلْتُ : لَا، قَالَ : وَمَنْ يَتَّبِعُهُ ؟ أَشْرَافُ النَّاسِ أَمْ ضُعَفَاؤُهُمْ ؟ قَالَ : قُلْتُ : بَلْ ضُعَفَاؤُهُمْ، قَالَ : أَيَزِيدُونَ أَمْ يَنْقُصُونَ ؟ قَالَ : قُلْتُ : لَا، بَلْ يَزِيدُونَ، قَالَ : هَلْ يَرْتَدُّ أَحَدٌ مِنْهُمْ عَنْ دِينِهِ بَعْدَ أَنْ يَدْخُلَ فِيهِ سَخْطَةً لَهُ ؟ قَالَ : قُلْتُ : لَا، قَالَ : فَهَلْ قَاتَلْتُمُوهُ ؟ قُلْتُ : نَعَمْ، قَالَ : فَكَيْفَ كَانَ قِتَالُكُمْ إِيَّاهُ ؟ قَالَ : قُلْتُ : تَكُونُ الْحَرْبُ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَهُ سِجَالًا يُصِيبُ مِنَّا وَنُصِيبُ مِنْهُ، قَالَ : فَهَلْ يَغْدِرُ ؟ قُلْتُ : لَا، وَنَحْنُ مِنْهُ فِي مُدَّةٍ لَا نَدْرِي مَا هُوَ صَانِعٌ فِيهَا ، قَالَ : فَوَاللهِ مَا أَمْكَنَنِي مِنْ كَلِمَةٍ أُدْخِلُ فِيهَا شَيْئًا غَيْرَ هَذِهِThe Shaykh : Allah is the Greatest, and He knows what He is doing. Abu Sufyan knows what the Messenger is doing, and that he will fulfill the promise and the covenant, but he made this a kind of disparagement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); he did not find anything else.
The Reciter:
He asked: Did anyone make the proclamation (Of prophethood) before him? I said: No. He (now) said to his interpreter: Tell him, I asked him about his ancestry and he had replied that he had the best ancestry. This is the case with Prophets; they are the descendants of the noblest among their people (Addressing Abu Sufyan), he continued: I asked you if there had been a king among his ancestors. You said that there had been none. If there had been a king among his ancestors, I would have said that he was a man demanding his ancestral kingdom. I asked you about his followers whether they were people of high or low status, and you said that they were of rather low status. Such are the followers of the Prophets. I asked you whether you used to accuse him of falsehood before he proclaimed his prophethood, and you said that you did not. So I have understood that when he did not allow himself to tell a lie about the poeple, he would never go to the length of forging a falsehood about Allah.
قَالَ : فَهَلْ قَالَ هَذَا الْقَوْلَ أَحَدٌ قَبْلَهُ ؟ قَالَ : قُلْتُ : لَا، قَالَ لِتَرْجُمَانِهِ : قُلْ لَهُ إِنِّي سَأَلْتُكَ عَنْ حَسَبِهِ، فَزَعَمْتَ أَنَّهُ فِيكُمْ ذُو حَسَبٍ، وَكَذَلِكَ الرُّسُلُ تُبْعَثُ فِي أَحْسَابِ قَوْمِهَا، وَسَأَلْتُكَ : هَلْ كَانَ فِي آبَائِهِ مَلِكٌ، فَزَعَمْتَ أَنْ لَا، فَقُلْتُ : لَوْ كَانَ مِنْ آبَائِهِ مَلِكٌ قُلْتُ رَجُلٌ يَطْلُبُ مُلْكَ آبَائِهِ، وَسَأَلْتُكَ عَنْ أَتْبَاعِهِ أَضُعَفَاؤُهُمْ أَمْ أَشْرَافُهُمْ، فَقُلْتَ : بَلْ ضُعَفَاؤُهُمْ وَهُمْ أَتْبَاعُ الرُّسُلِ، وَسَأَلْتُكَ : هَلْ كُنْتُمْ تَتَّهِمُونَهُ بِالْكَذِبِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَقُولَ مَا قَالَ ؟ فَزَعَمْتَ أَنْ لَا، فَقَدْ عَرَفْتُ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيَدَعَ الْكَذِبَ عَلَى النَّاسِ، ثُمَّ يَذْهَبَ فَيَكْذِبَ عَلَى اللهِThe Shaykh : Allah is the Greatest, Glory be to Allah.
The Reciter:
I asked you whether anyone renounced his religion being dissatisfied with it after he had embraced it, and you replied in the negative. Faith is like this when it enters the depth of the heart (it perpetuates them). I asked you whether his followers were increasing or decreasing. You said they were increasing. Faith is like this until it reaches its consummation. I asked you whether you had been at war with him, and you replied that you had been and that the victory between you and him had been shared by turns, sometimes he suffering loss at your hand and sometimes you suffering lost at his. This is how the Prophets are tried before the final victory its theirs. I asked you whether he (ever) violated his covenant, and you said that he did not. This is how the Prophets behave. They never violate (their covenants). I asked you whether anyone before him had proclaimed the same thing, and you replied in the negative. I said: If anyone had made the same proclamation before, I would have thought that he was a man following what had been proclaimed before. (Then) he asked: What does he enjoin upon you?
وَسَأَلْتُكَ : هَلْ يَرْتَدُّ أَحَدٌ مِنْهُمْ عَنْ دِينِهِ بَعْدَ أَنْ يَدْخُلَهُ سَخْطَةً لَهُ ؟ فَزَعَمْتَ أَنْ لَا، وَكَذَلِكَ الْإِيمَانُ إِذَا خَالَطَ بَشَاشَةَ الْقُلُوبِ، وَسَأَلْتُكَ : هَلْ يَزِيدُونَ أَوْ يَنْقُصُونَ ؟ فَزَعَمْتَ أَنَّهُمْ يَزِيدُونَ، وَكَذَلِكَ الْإِيمَانُ حَتَّى يَتِمَّ، وَسَأَلْتُكَ : هَلْ قَاتَلْتُمُوهُ ؟ فَزَعَمْتَ أَنَّكُمْ قَدْ قَاتَلْتُمُوهُ فَتَكُونُ الْحَرْبُ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُ سِجَالًا يَنَالُ مِنْكُمْ وَتَنَالُونَ مِنْهُ، وَكَذَلِكَ الرُّسُلُ تُبْتَلَى ثُمَّ تَكُونُ لَهُمُ الْعَاقِبَةُ، وَسَأَلْتُكَ : هَلْ يَغْدِرُ ؟ فَزَعَمْتَ أَنَّهُ لَا يَغْدِرُ، وَكَذَلِكَ الرُّسُلُ لَا تَغْدِرُ، وَسَأَلْتُكَ : هَلْ قَالَ هَذَا الْقَوْلَ أَحَدٌ قَبْلَهُ ؟ فَزَعَمْتَ أَنْ لَا ، فَقُلْتُ : لَو قَالَ هَذَا الْقَوْلَ أَحَدٌ قَبْلَهُ قُلْتُ رَجُلٌ ائْتَمَّ بِقَوْلٍ قِيلَ قَبْلَهُ، قَالَ : ثُمَّ قَالَ : بِمَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ ؟The Shaykh : Now it is established with Heraclius that he is a Messenger, so now he is looking at what he orders. Allah is the Greatest, look at the intellect. May Allah be our helper.
The Reciter:
I said: He exhorts us to offer Salat, to pay Zakat, to show due regard to kinship and to practise chastity. He said: It what you have told about him is true, he is certainly a Prophet. I knew that he was to appear but I did not think that he would be from among you. If I knew that I would be able to reach him. I would love to meet him; and it I had been with him. I would have washed his feet (out of reverence). His dominion would certainly extend to this place which is under my feet.
قُلْتُ : يَأْمُرُنَا بِالصَّلَاةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ وَالصِّلَةِ وَالْعَفَافِ ، قَالَ : إِنْ يَكُنْ مَا تَقُولُ فِيهِ حَقًّا فَإِنَّهُ نَبِيٌّ، وَقَدْ كُنْتُ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ خَارِجٌ، وَلَمْ أَكُنْ أَظُنُّهُ مِنْكُمْ، وَلَوْ أَنِّي أَعْلَمُ أَنِّي أَخْلُصُ إِلَيْهِ لَأَحْبَبْتُ لِقَاءَهُ، وَلَوْ كُنْتُ عِنْدَهُ لَغَسَلْتُ عَنْ قَدَمَيْهِ، وَلَيَبْلُغَنَّ مُلْكُهُ مَا تَحْتَ قَدَمَيَّThe Shaykh : Allahu Akbar.
The Reciter:
Then he called for the letter of the Messenger of Allah (may pface be upon him) and read it. The letter ran as follows:" In the name of Allah, Most Gracious and Most Merciful. From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, to Hiraql, the Emperor of the Romans. Peace be upon him who follows the guidance. After this, I extend to you the invitation to accept Islam. Embrace Islam and you will be safe. Accept Islam, God will give you double the reward. And if you turn away, upon you will be the sin of your subjects." O People of the Book, come to the word that is common between us that we should worship none other than Allah, should not ascribe any partner to Him and some of us should not take their fellows as Lords other than Allah. If they turn away, you should say that we testify to our being Muslims [iii. 64]." When he hid finished the reading of the letter, noise and confused clamour was raise around him, and he ordered us to leave. Accordingly, we left. (Addressing my companions) while we were coming out (of the place). I said: Ibn Abu Kabsha (referring sarcastically to the Holy Prophet) has come to wield a great power. Lo! (even) the king of the Romans is afraid of him.
قَالَ : ثُمَّ دَعَا بِكِتَابِ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَقَرَأَهُ فَإِذَا فِيهِ : بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ، مِنْ مُحَمَّدٍ رَسُولِ اللهِ إِلَى هِرَقْلَ عَظِيمِ الرُّومِ، سَلَامٌ عَلَى مَنِ اتَّبَعَ الْهُدَى، أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنِّي أَدْعُوكَ بِدِعَايَةِ الْإِسْلَامِ أَسْلِمْ تَسْلَمْ، وَأَسْلِمْ يُؤْتِكَ اللهُ أَجْرَكَ مَرَّتَيْنِ، وَإِنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ فَإِنَّ عَلَيْكَ إِثْمَ الْأَرِيسِيِّينَ، وَ : يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ تَعَالَوْا إِلَى كَلِمَةٍ سَوَاءٍ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمْ أَنْ لَا نَعْبُدَ إِلَّا اللهَ وَلَا نُشْرِكَ بِهِ شَيْئًا وَلَا يَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُنَا بَعْضًا أَرْبَابا مِنْ دُونِ اللهِ فَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَقُولُوا اشْهَدُوا بِأَنَّا مُسْلِمُونَ . فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ مِنْ قِرَاءَةِ الْكِتَابِ ارْتَفَعَتِ الْأَصْوَاتُ عِنْدَهُ وَكَثُرَ اللَّغْطُ، وَأَمَرَ بِنَا فَأُخْرِجْنَا، قَالَ، فَقُلْتُ لِأَصْحَابِي حِينَ خَرَجْنَا : لَقَدْ أَمِرَ أَمْرُ ابْنِ أَبِي كَبْشَةَ، إِنَّهُ لَيَخَافُهُ مَلِكُ بَنِي الْأَصْفَرِThe Shaykh : "Amr" means it became great, and from that is His saying:
You have certainly done a grave thing."
لقد جئت شيئاً إمراًAnd Ibn Abi Kabshah is the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him); they used to mock him with it. And he explained this, meaning that his affair became great, that the king of the Sons of the Yellow One, who are the Romans, feared him. And the wonder is that Heraclius said that he will surely rule what is under these two feet of mine, which indicates that he knew that this Prophet's message would expand in scope until it reaches the Romans, and that the Romans themselves would be stripped of their kingdom, until the kingdom would be for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). And this did not occur in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), but it occurred in the time of the Caliphs, so the land under the feet of this one was conquered, by the call of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), at the hands of his Rightly Guided Caliphs.