Letter of the Holy Prophet (sa) Addressed to the Chosroes — 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) Addressed to the Chosroes.
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. 200–206 (PDF pp. 218–224)
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Historical Account
Heraclius in particular had opened the door to persecution against them. In these circumstances, considering the environment of Arabia, it was only the Kingdom of Persia with which the Jews could uphold ties. These ties were developed in the era of Yezdegerd I who had a Jewish wife and reached their pinnacle in the era of Khosrow Parvez when deep relations had developed between the Jews and Persian Kingdom. In the era of the Holy Prophetsa, the Jews of Arabia would persistently go to the royal court of Chosroes. They would incite Khosrow Parvez against the Holy Prophetsa as much as possible. Sir William Muir has indirectly accepted this fact as well.
[The Historians’ History of the World, By Henry Smith Williams LL.D., Volume VII, The History of the Eastern Empire: Heraclius and His Successors, p. 175 * The Encyclopaedia Britannica Co. Ltd., Hutchinson’s Story of the Nations, Volume 2, p. 806, Under “The Jews”, Hutchinson & Co. (London)]
[The Jewish Encyclopaedia, Volume IX, p. 646/648, Under “Persia”, KATV Publishing House Inc., Printed in the USA]
[The Life of Mahomet, By Sir William Muir, Chapter XX, Embassies to Various Sovereigns and Princes, pp. 384-385, Published by Smith, Elder & Co. London (1878)]
This was the era in which the Holy Prophetsa sent a letter to Chosroes inviting him to Islām. The Holy Prophetsa sent this letter with an old and sincere companion, ‘Abdullāh bin Ḥudhāfah Sahamira. The Holy Prophetsa advised him to take his letter to the Governor of Baḥrain first and take it to Chosroes through him. Mundhar bin Sāwī was the name of this Governor of Baḥrain, who was a vassal ruler of Chosroes in this region. Just as the letter to Caesar, this letter was also sent with a proper seal and its wording was as follows:
[Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 5, p. 16, Wa Ammā Mukātabatuhū ‘Alaihiṣ-Ṣalātu Was-Salāmu Ilal-Mulūki Wa Ghairihim, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * Tārīkhul-Khamīs Fī Aḥwāli Anfasi Nafīs, By Ḥusain bin Muḥammad bin Ḥasan, Volume 2, p. 34, Kitābun-Nabiyyisa Ilā Kisrā, Mu’assasatu Sha‘bān, Beirut]
[Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābul-‘Ilm, Bābu Mā Yudhkaru Fil-Munāwalati Wa Kitābu Ahlil-‘Ilmi Bil-‘Ilmi Ilal-Buldān, Ḥadīth No. 64 * Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābul-Jihādi Was-Siyar, Bābu Da‘watil-Yahūdiyyi Wan-Naṣraniyyi Wa ‘Alā Mā Yuqātalūna ‘Alaihi…, Ḥadīth No. 2939 * Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābul-Maghāzī, Bābu Kitābin-Nabiyyisa Ilā Kisrā Wa Qaiṣar, Ḥadīth No. 4424 [Publishers]]
[Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 5, p. 16, Wa Ammā Mukātabatuhū ‘Alaihiṣ-Ṣalātu Was-Salāmu Ilal-Mulūki Wa Ghairihim, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)]
َّمَنِ اتَّبَعَ الْھُدٰی وَاٰمَنَ بِاللّٰهِ وَرَسُوْلِهٖ وَشَھِدَ اَنْ لَا اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَحْدَهٗ لَا شَرِیْكَ لَهٗ وَاَن
ْمُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهٗ وَرَسُوْلُهٗ۔ اَدْعُوْكَ بِدِعَایَةِ اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَاِنِّیْ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ اِلَی النَّاسِ كُلِّھِم
ُنْذِرَ مَنْ كَانَ حَیًّا وَیَحِقَّ الْقَوْلُ عَلَی الْكَافِرِیْنَ۔ اَسْ لِمْ تَسْ لَمْ۔ فَاِنْ تَوَلَّیْتَ فَعَلَیْكَ اِثْم ُلِا
ِالْمَجُوْس
“I write this letter in the name of Allāh, the Gracious, who grants the best reward of our deeds. This letter is from Muḥammad, the Messenger of Allāh addressed to the Ruler of Persia. Peace be on him who accepts the guidance and believes in Allāh and His Messenger and bears witness that there is none worthy of worship except God, He has no partner; And also bears witness that Muḥammadsa is His Servant and Messenger. O Ruler of Persia! I invite you to the call of Allāh, as I am the messenger of Allāh to the whole of mankind; so that I may warn every living person and so that the judgement of God may overtake the disbelievers. O Ruler of Persia! Accept Islām, for this is the only way to your salvation. However, if you turn away, then remember that (in addition to your own sin) the sin of your Zoroastrian people shall also be on your shoulders.”
[Tārīkhul-Khamīs Fī Aḥwāli Anfasi Nafīs, By Ḥusain bin Muḥammad bin Ḥasan, Volume 2, p. 34, Kitābun-Nabiyyisa Ilā Kisrā, Mu’assasatu Sha‘bān, Beirut * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 5, pp. 14-15, Wa Ammā Mukātabatuhū ‘Alaihiṣ-Ṣalātu Was-Salāmu Ilal-Mulūki Wa Ghairihim, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)]
‘Abdullāh bin Ḥudhāfah says that when I reached the royal court of Chosroes with this letter, and after seeking permission, presented it before Chosroes, he handed it over to his translator so that he may read it out. When the translator read the letter, Chosroes became enraged at its contents. He snatched the letter from the hands of his translator and tore it to pieces saying,
“He is my servant and he addresses me this way!” It is narrated that when the Holy Prophetsa received news of this act of Chosroes, in the fervour of his religious indignation, the Holy Prophetsa said, “May Allāh put them to pieces.” In another narration it is recorded that on this occasion, the Holy Prophetsa said the following words:
[Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābul-‘Ilm, Bābu Mā Yudhkaru Fil-Munāwalati Wa Kitābu Ahlil-‘Ilmi Bil-‘Ilmi Ilal-Buldān, Ḥadīth No. 64 * Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābul-Jihādi Was-Siyar, Bābu Da‘watil-Yahūdiyyi Wan-Naṣraniyyi Wa ‘Alā Mā Yuqātalūna ‘Alaihi…, Ḥadīth No. 2939]
َاَمَّا ھٰؤُلَاءِ فَیُمَزَّقُوْن
“Now these people shall themselves be shattered into pieces.”
[Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 5, p. 17, Wa Ammā Mukātabatuhū ‘Alaihiṣ-Ṣalātu Was-Salāmu Ilal-Mulūki Wa Ghairihim, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)]
Chosroes did not only rest at tearing apart the letter of the Holy Prophetsa, rather, under the heavy influence of Jewish propaganda, he instructed his Governor in Yemen whose name was Bādhān to immediately dispatch two strong men so that they should arrest this claimant of prophethood in Ḥijāz, and present him before the Chosroes. In another narration it is related that two men should be sent to him so that they should make him repent; if he refuses, then he should be killed. Therefore, for this purpose, Bādhān selected a secretary by the name of Babawaih and appointed a strong rider to accompany him to Madīnah along with a letter addressed to the Holy Prophetsa, which stated that the Holy Prophetsa should accompany these emissaries and immediately present himself before the Chosroes. Upon reaching Madīnah, these people presented Bādhān’s letter to the Holy Prophetsa and counselled him to accompany them as directed in the letter, otherwise the Chosroes would destroy his country and nation. Upon hearing this, the Holy Prophetsa smiled and then invited them to Islām. After this, the Holy Prophetsa
said, “Stay the night, and God-willing, I shall give a response tomorrow.” When these people came to the Holy Prophetsa the following day, he addressed them in the following words:
ِاَبْلِغَا صَ احِبَكُمَا اَنَّ رَبِّیْ قَتَلَ رَبَّهٗ فِیْ ھٰذِهِ اللَّیْلَة
“Tell your master (the Governor of Yemen) that my Lord, the God of power, has killed his master (the Chosroes) last night.”
Therefore, Babawaih returned to Bādhān with his Companion and conveyed to him the message of the Holy Prophetsa. Bādhān responded, “If what this man has foretold actually occurs, then he is indeed a Prophet of God.” Hence, much time had not passed when Bādhān received a letter from Shairwaih, the son of Khusrau Parveiz, which stated:
“In the interest of the country, I have killed my father Khosrow Parvez, who was guilty of cruel conduct and would kill the noble people of the country without hesitation. When you receive my letter, seek an oath of obedience in my name from the people of your region. I have also come to know that my father sent an order with regards to a person of Arabia. Consider it revoked and wait for further instruction.”
When Bādhān received this order from the new Chosroes, Sharawaih bin Khosrow, he spontaneously said, “Then the propehcy of Muḥammadsa has proven to be true, and it seems as if he is truly a Messenger of God. I accept him.” Thus, he immediately sent a letter of Bai‘at to the Holy Prophetsa and along with him, many other people from Yemen became Muslim as well. It is narrated that Khosrow Parvez was killed on the same night that the Holy Prophetsa received news of his death.
It is remarkable to note that Allāh the Exalted treated both the Caesar and Chosroes according to the manner in which they treated these letters
of the Holy Prophetsa. Since the Chosroes tore apart the letter of the Holy Prophetsa his large empire crumbled in only a few years. On the other hand, since the Caesar treated the letter of the Holy Prophetsa with honour, God the Exalted granted long respite to his progeny and his family continued to rule for hundreds of years. It is narrated that when an emissary of Caesar met with the Holy Prophetsa, he addressed the emissary in the following words:
“I wrote a letter to the Chosroes, but he tore it apart. Due to this, I am certain that God shall also tear him to pieces and his empire shall soon be destroyed. However, along with this, I also wrote a letter to your master, the Caesar, who acted very respectfully, and placed it in safekeeping. I believe that until the essence of goodness remains in him, God shall, to some extent, continue to maintain the power of his family.”
[Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 5, p. 17, Wa Ammā Mukātabatuhū ‘Alaihiṣ-Ṣalātu Was-Salāmu Ilal-Mulūki Wa Ghairihim, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)]
The pages of history clearly reveal that this was exactly how God treated both of these empires. As a matter of fact, as we shall see ahead, in addition to these two letters, the Holy Prophetsa sent other letters inviting rulers to Islām as well. The God of Wisdom and Power treated all of these addressees in exact accordance with the attitude they demonstrated upon the receipt of these letters. If one contemplates, this is a very weighty argument in favour of the truthfulness of the Holy Prophetsa.
With regards to the letter sent to the Chosroes, another point which should be remembered is that on the one hand, ancient historians have written explicitly that the order sent by Khosrow Parvez to the Governor of Yemen was due to the letter sent to him by the Holy Prophetsa. On the other hand, various contemporary research scholars have attempted to prove that the letter of the Holy Prophetsa was sent afterwards, and the order of Khosrow Parvez had already been issued due to Jewish propaganda. Another point of disagreement is whether this letter of invitation sent by the Holy Prophetsa was addressed to Khosrow Parvez or his son, Shairawaih. At this instance, I have followed the more renowned version of the account, i.e., that the letter of the Holy Prophetsa was addressed to Khosrow Parvez, after which he issued an order against the Holy Prophetsa. And Allāh knows the truth best. In actuality, at present, I do not have access to all the books here in Lahore, which must be studied in order to fully research the answer to such a question. Hence, for now, the more
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widely accepted view has been written here, and either way, this difference of opinion does not possess great significance. If God wills, this view may be rectified later on if needed.
Letter of the Holy Prophetsa Addressed to Maqauqis of Egypt The third letter of the Holy Prophetsa was addressed to Maqauqis, the Governor of Egypt, who was the ruler of Egypt and Alexandria in subordination to the Caesar. In other words, he was a hereditary ruler, and like the Caesar, was a follower of the Christian religion. His personal name was Juraij bin Mīnā and he, along with his people, belonged to the Coptic nation. The Holy Prophetsa dispatched this letter in the hand of a Companion who took part in Badr named Ḥāṭib bin Abī Balta‘ah. The letter read as follows:
َسَ لَامٌ عَلیٰ مَنِ اتَّبَعَ الْھُدٰی۔ اَمَّا بَعْدُ فَاِنِّیْ اَدْعُوْكَ بِدِعَایَةِ الْاِسْ لَامِ اَسْ لِمْ تَسْ لَمْ یُؤْتِك
ٍاللّٰهُ اَجْرَكَ مَرَّتَیْنِ۔ فَاِنْ تَوَلَّیْتَ فَعَلَیْكَ اِثْمُ الْقِبْطِ ۔ یَا اَھْلَ الْكِتَابِ تَعَالَوْا اِلیٰ كَلِمَة
سَوَاءٍ بَیْنَنَا وَبَیْنَكُمْ اَنْ لَا نَعْبُدَ اِلَّا اللّٰهَ وَلَا نُشْ رِكَ بِهٖ شَیْئًا وَلَا یَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُ نَا بَعْضً ا اَرْبَابًا
َمِنْ دُوْنِ اللّٰهِ فَاِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَقُوْلُوْا اشْ ھَدُوْا بِاَنَّا مُسْ لِمُوْن
“I write this letter in the name of Allāh, Who is the Gracious, and who grants the best reward of one’s deeds. This letter is from Muḥammad, the servant of Allāh and His Messenger, to Maqauqis, Chief of the Copts. Peace be on him who follows the guidance. After this, O Ruler of Egypt! I invite you to the guidance of Islām. Embrace Islām and accept the peace of God, for this is the only way to salvation. Allāh the Exalted shall grant you a double reward. But if you reject this invitation, (in addition to yourself), the sin of the Copts shall be on your shoulders as well. O People of the Book! come to a word equal between us and you – that we worship none but Allāh; and that we associate no partner with Him in any case, and that some of us take not others as our Master and Lord. But if they turn away, then say, ‘Bear witness that we are followers of the One
Book Series: The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 3)
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