Letter of the Holy Prophet (sa) to the Chief of Yamamah — Seal of the Prophets Vol. 3
Introduction
In this discourse from The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 3), Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra) details the historical events and scholarly insights surrounding Letter of the Holy Prophet (sa) to the Chief of Yamamah.
Book Series: The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 3)
Author: Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra)
Section: VI – All Races Invited to Islam
Pages: Book pp. 220–222 (PDF pp. 238–240)
Navigation: Book Table of Contents | « Previous: [Letter of the Holy Prophet (sa) Addressed to the King of Ghassan] | Next: [Various Miscellaneous Incidents and the Prohibition of Gambling and Chess] »
Historical Account
It is related in various narrations that upon sending Ṣalīṭ bin ‘Amr towards Yamāmah, the Holy Prophetsa committed two letters of invitation to him: one addressed to Haudhah and the other to Thumāmah bin Uthāl. However, this is not correct, because as already mentioned earlier in this book, Thumāmah had already been taken captive in a Sariyyah, and then subsequently accepted Islām of his own accord. Hence, at this occasion, if the Holy Prophetsa did in fact write a letter to Thumāmah, it was definitely not an invitation to Islām, rather, it would have been an instruction to deliver the letter of the Holy Prophetsa to Haudhah and assist Ṣalīṭ bin ‘Amr in preaching to him. This is how ‘Allāmah Zarqānī has settled this difference of opinion.
[Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al- Qusṭalānī, Volume 5, p. 65, Rusuluhūsa, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)]
The six letters of invitation to Islām described above were dispatched by the Holy Prophetsa immediately after the Treaty of Ḥudaibiyyah. According to certain narrations, all of these letters were sent out on the same day, and according to some narrations, they were written one after the other, and then dispatched. The letters written after this were sent with intervals, and Godwilling, we shall mention them at their appropriate place.
[Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 1, p. 124-126, Dhikru Bi‘thati Rasūlillāhisa Ar-Rusula Bi-Kutubihī Ilal-Mulūki Yad‘ūhum Ilal-Islām, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * Tārīkhur-Rusuli Wal-Mulūk (Tārīkhuṭ-Ṭabarī), By Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad bin Jarīr Aṭ-Ṭabarī, Volume 3, p. 137, Dhikrul-Aḥdāthillati Kānat Fī Sanati Sittim-Minal-Hijrah/Dhikru Khurūji Rusuli Rasūlillāhisa Ilal-Mulūk, Dārul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Second Edition (2002) * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 5, p. 3, Wa Ammā Mukātabatuhū ‘Alaihiṣ-Ṣalātu Was-Salāmu Ilal-Mulūki Wa Ghairihim, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 5, p. 3, Wa Ammā Mukātabatuhū ‘Alaihiṣ-Ṣalātu Was-Salāmu Ilal-Mulūki Wa Ghairihim, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)]
The six letters of invitation to Islām mentioned above gives a person the opportunity to understand the immensely active and tireless nature in which the Holy Prophetsa fulfilled his obligation of preaching as soon as he became free after his treaty with the Quraish. In a single instance, the Holy Prophetsa threw the seeds of Islām in all the four corners of Arabia. This action of the Holy Prophetsa sheds great light on a statement he made upon returning from an expedition of war:
ِرَجَعْنَا مِنْ الْجَھَادِ الْاَصْ غَرِ اِلَی الْجَھَادِ الْاَکْبَر
“Now we are returning from the lesser Jihād of the sword, to the greater Jihad of preaching and worship.”
[Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 10, p. 188, Al-Maqsadut-Tāsi‘u Fī Latīfatim-Min Latā’ifi ‘Ibādātihī, Dārul-Kutubil- ‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * Az-Zuhdul-Kabīr, By Aḥmad bin Ḥusain bin ‘Alī bin Mūsā, Volume 1, p. 165, Faṣlun Fī Tarkid- Dunyā Wa Mukhālafatin-Nafsi Wal-Hawā, Ḥadīth No. 373, Mu’assisatul-Kutubith-Thaqāfiyyah, Beirut * Tafsīrul-Baghawiyyi Al-Musamma Mu‘ālamat-Tanzīl, By Abū Muḥammad Al-Ḥusain bin Mas‘ūd Al-Baghawiyy, Sūratul-Ḥajj, Under verse 78, Volume 4, p. 195, Idārah Ta’lifāt-e-Ashrafiyyah, Multan, Pakistan [Publishers] * Al-Furqān (25:53)]
The truth is that every moment of the life of the Holy Prophetsa was spent in the service of religion and service of humanity. According to the prevailing circumstances, the soul of the Holy Prophetsa would dash towards whatever task was needed, in the same manner that a mother, who is full of emotions of love runs towards a lost child who is found again. The world was no more to him than the temporary stop in a journey; and service to his Heavenly Master, worship, and love for His creation was everything.
2ْاَللّٰھُمَّ صَ لِّ عَلٰی مُحَمَّدٍ وَبَارِكْ وَسَ لِّم
Various Miscellaneous Incidents and the Prohibition of
Gambling and Chess There is somewhat of a disagreement with regards to the dates of the letters of invitation, which were written by the Holy Prophetsa to the various Kings. In various narrations the date has been recorded as Dhul-Ḥijjah 6 A.H., while others have stated Muḥarram 7 A.H. In any case, however, there is no disagreement in the fact that these six letters of invitation, which have been recorded above, were written immediately after the Treaty of Ḥudaibiyyah. This is why I have included them in the accounts of 6 A.H. However, it is obvious that for emissaries to travel such long distances and then return with a response, definitely required a significant amount of time. Hence, whether
Book Series: The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 3)
Section: VI – All Races Invited to Islam | Navigation: « Previous: [Letter of the Holy Prophet (sa) Addressed to the King of Ghassan] | Next: [Various Miscellaneous Incidents and the Prohibition of Gambling and Chess] »