INVITATION LETTERS TO THE MUQAWQAS, PRIMATE OF THE CHRISTIAN, COPTIC CHURCH IN EGYPT THE TRIBESMEN OF NAJRAN THE TRIBE OF BAKR BIN WAA’IL THE TRIBE OF JUDHAMA CONVERSION OF ZAID SON OF SU’NA THE RABBI Hayatus Sahabah by Muhadith Kandahlawi (Kandhelvi) Rendered into current English by Khadeijah Abdullah Darwish (Anne Stephens) Free give away Acquired from Amazon’s Kindle Not for sale or resale by any third party ©2013 - www.Muhammad.com THE INVITATION TO THE MUQAWQAS, PRIMATE OF THE CHRISTIAN, COPTIC CHURCH IN EGYPT Abdullah, son of Abd Qaari narrates that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, sent Hatib, son of Abi Balta’ah with a letter to the Primate of the Coptic Church in Alexandria, Egypt. Upon his arrival Hatib gave the letter to the Muqawqas who kissed it and hosted Hatib in a most excellent manner and when he sent Hatib back to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, gave him gifts for the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him. The gifts including clothing, a saddled mule (whom the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, named Duldul) and a young Christian Coptic girl by the name of Maria whom the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, renamed Maryam and was the mother of Abraham, the son of the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him. Hatib, son of Abi Balta’ah narrates that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, sent him to the Muqawqas, in Alexandria. When he delivered the letter, the Muqawqas hosted Hatib in his palace, where he stayed for a while. The Muqawqas gathered his high priests and called for Hatib to attend a meeting. Upon presenting himself, he told Hatib, “I wish to ask you several questions, so understand them well. Tell me about your leader, is he really a prophet?” Hatib replied, “Indeed yes, he is the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him. Next he asked, “If he is really the Prophet of Allah, why didn’t he curse his people when they drove him out of his city (Mecca)?” Hatib responded by asking, “When Jesus, the son of Mary was seized by his people to crucify him, why didn’t he pray to Allah to destroy them?” The Muqawqas replied, “You are a wise man who has come from the company of a wise man. Here are some gifts I am sending with you to Muhammad, I am also sending you body guards as a protective escort until you reach your place of safety.” THE LETTER FROM THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH TO THE PEOPLE OF NAJRAN. Before embracing Islam, the grandfather of Abd Yasoo, was a Christian. Abd Yasoo narrates that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, sent a letter to the people of Najran before the Chapter “The Ants” (Naml) was revealed. (Before the revelation of that chapter, his letters did not begin with the words ‘In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Most Merciful’ as it is in that chapter that he learned that Prophet Solomon commenced his letter to Sheba and that he was the first to do so). The letter commenced, “I begin in the Name of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob From Muhammad, the Prophet and Messenger of Allah To the High Priest and people of Najran Peace be upon you. Before you I praise the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob I call you away worshipping the worshipers of Allah, and from the friendship of the worshipers of Allah to the friendship of Allah. Should you refuse (to accept Islam) the payment of the head tax (Jizya) becomes obligatory upon you, but if you refuse this, I will declare war against you. Peace. When the High Priest read the letter he was alarmed and extremely frightened. Immediately, he sent for Shurabel, son of Wada’ah from the Najran tribe of Hamdan. Whenever a problem arose, he was the first to be called upon even in preference to heroes, leaders and the hierarchy. The High Priest handed Shurabel the letter from the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, then asked, “O Abu Maryam! What is your opinion?” Shurabel replied, “You are well aware that Allah promised Abraham, the prophethood from the children of his son Ishmael. I would not be surprised if this person is the one. I can offer no opinion in the matter of prophethood. Had it been a worldly matter, I would have advised you and exerted myself to assist you.” The High Priest asked Shurabel to step aside and be seated, which he did. Thereafter the High Priest sent for Abdullah, son of Shurabel who was also from Najran but belong to the branch tribe of Dhu Asbah from the Himyar tribe. The High Priest read the letter to him and then asked his opinion whereupon he replied with a similar reply. After having heard his reply he asked Abdullah to step aside and be seated, which he did. Following this, he sent for Jabar, son of Faydh who was also from Najran but belonged to the tribe of Banu Harith, the son of Ka’b which was a branch of the tribe of Banul Himas. The High Priest read the letter to him, and yet again his opinion was similar to that of the other two and he was asked to sit down with the others. Now that they had all agreed on the matter the High Priest called for the bells to be rang, fires to be lit and flags to be raised in the churches, which was customary when trouble was anticipated during the daytime. When there was trouble during the night, they would only ring the bells and light fires. The bells were wrung and the flags raised and the people living in the length and breadth of the valley gathered. The valley was very large, so large that it would take a rider, speeding as fast as possible the whole day to travel, and there were seventy-three villages in which there were one hundred and twenty thousand warriors. Once they were all gathered, the High Priest read the letter of the Messenger of Allah to them, and everyone agreed that Shurahbel, son of Wada’ah from the tribe of Hamdan, Abdullah, son of Shurahbel from the tribe of Dhu Asbah, and Jabar, son of Faydh from the tribe of Banu Harith should be sent to gain further information about the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him. Soon after the delegation left for Medina, upon reaching Medina, they changed the clothes they had worn for traveling and dressed themselves in decorative long garments made in Yemen that they had brought with them and wore gold rings. Upon approaching the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, they tried to greet him, but he was no responsive. They spent the entire day seeking an opportunity to speak to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, but he declined to speak to them so long as they wore those (ornate) clothes and gold rings. The three from Najran decided to look for Othman, son of Affan and Abdur Rahman, son of Auf whom they knew and eventually found them sitting with a group of Muhajiren (migrants) and Ansar (helpers). They went up to them and said, “O Othman, O Abdur Rahman. Your Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, wrote a letter to us and we have arrived in response to that letter. However, when we went to greet him, he did not return our greeting and although we tried all day seeking an opportunity to speak to him, we have been unable to do so. What do you advise should we return?” Ali, son of Abi Talib was also sitting in the gathering, so Othman and Abdur Rahman asked him, “What is your opinion?” Ali replied to them saying, “I think they should take of their clothes and rings and put on their traveling clothes then return to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him. This they did and returned to greet the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, thereupon the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, responded to their greeting and said, “I swear by the One who has sent me with the truth that iblis (satan) was with you when you came to me the first time.” The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, then inquired about them and they asked him questions. During the conversation they asked, “What have you to say about Jesus? We are Christians and will be returning to our people. If you are a Prophet, we would be pleased to hear what you have to say about him.” The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, answered saying, “I will tell you more after my Lord has informed me about him.” The following morning the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, received a new revelation: ‘Truly, the likeness of (Prophet) Jesus with Allah, is as the likeness of Adam, He created him from dust then He said to him "Be" and he was. The truth is from your Lord, therefore, do not be among the doubters. (To)Those who dispute with you concerning him after the knowledge has come to you, say, 'Come, let us gather our sons and your sons, our womenfolk and your womenfolk, ourselves and yourselves. Then let us humbly pray, so lay the curse of Allah upon the ones who lie.' Koran Ch.3:59-61 The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, recited these new verses to them but the refused to accept it as well as the challenge of Allah in the last verse that spoke of those who doubted the truth that read, “Then let us humbly pray, and so lay the curse of Allah upon the ones who lie”. The next morning they came again to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, and found him with (his grandsons) Hasan and Husayn wrapped in his cloak with their mother Lady Fatima and his wives standing behind him. Upon seeing that the Shurahbel said to his companions, “You are well aware that people from all parts of our valley are satisfied with my decisions. I swear by Allah, what I see here is an extremely serious and weighty affair. If Allah has sent him as His Messenger, we will be the first Arabs to oppose him. This insult will neither leave his heart, nor those of his Companions until they destroy us. We are Arabs who are nearest (in location) to him (and easy to attack). If he has been sent as the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, then, if both parties take part in a supplication to lay the curse of the ones who lie, then the party in the wrong would be destroyed, even their hair and fingernails.” Two of the party asked Shurabel, “What then is your proposal, O Abu Maryam?” He replied, “I propose that we negotiate (a treaty) with him, because I do not see him as a person who would make conditions that are futile.” The two told Shurabel to do as he thought appropriate. Shurabel addressed the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, saying, “I propose something better than laying a curse.” The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, asked, “What is that?” Shurabel replied, “We are prepared to accept whatever conditions you make.” The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said, “Perhaps there are people you left behind who may criticize you (for this).” Shurabel replied, “You may ask my two companions about that possibility.” The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, asked them, whereupon they replied, “The people the length and breath of our valley are always satisfied with the decisions of Shurabel.” The Messenger of Allah and his family, peace be upon them, returned home without the curse falling upon the people from Najran (on account of their reluctance to swear). The next day they met again with the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, and he wrote the following letter: “I begin in the Name of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob This is the treaty that Muhammad, the Prophet and Messenger of Allah, has written for the people of Najran. He has determined that all their fruit, crops, gold, silver, produce and slaves will remain as their property on condition that they pay two thousand sets of clothing, one thousand sets in every month of Rajab, and one thousand sets in every month of Safar.” The party from Najran received the treaty and returned to Najran. When they reached home, they found their High Priest and his step brother, who was also his cousin called Bashir, son of Mu’awiya better known as Abu Alqama with him, mounted on their camels. The letter was handed to their High Priest and as he was reading the letter, Abu Alqama’s camel stumbled and he fell off. As Alqama fell, he cursed the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, whereupon the High Priest said to him, “By Allah, you have cursed a prophet who has be sent!” Abu Alqama (was affected by these words and) said, “If he is a true prophet, then I swear by Allah that I will not unfasten my satchels until I meet the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him!” Without hesitation he turned his camel in the direction of Medina and the High Priest did likewise saying, “Understand well what I have to say. I have said what I did in fear so that the Arabs may hear from me that we have acknowledge the right of the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, that we have not! accepted his call and submitted to him as the other Arabs have done, even though we are the most noble of the Arabs and have the most homes (greater in population).” Abu Alqama said to him, "No! By Allah! I shall never accept anything coming from your head!" Abu Alqama beat his camel and left the High Priest behind. As he rode, he spurred his camel on as he recited the following couplets: O Messenger of Allah, to you the camels runs with her rope shaking. In her belly lies her unborn calf in a breech position Her (master’s) religion is now other than Christianity. Abu Alqama met the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, and embraced Islam and lived close to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, until he was finally martyred. Later, the three who had just returned from Medina went to see a monk called the son of Abi Shimr who lived at the top of his monastery. They told him that a Prophet had been sent in the district of Tihamah and about their meeting with him. They told the monk about the challenge involving a curse, and how they had declined to take the challenge, and also that Abu Alqama had embraced Islam and left to meet the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him. Upon hearing this, the monk declared, “Take me down from here before I throw myself off this monastery!” They helped him down, and he left to meet the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, taking with him several gifts amongst which was a shawl, a cup and a staff. The monk stayed with the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, for some time and listened to the Revelation. However, he did not declare his witnessing, and left the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, promising that he would return shortly, however, soon after his departure the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, passed away. Before the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, passed away the High Priest, Abdul Harith together with several tribal leaders and members of the hierarchy went to visit the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, and heard the recitation of the Koran. The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon, wrote the following letter addressed to the High Priest, priests and others of Najran: In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Most Merciful From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah To the High Priest, Abul Harith, his priests, soothsayers and monks. Everything you possess, no matter whether the quantities are large or small, shall enjoy the protection of Allah and His Messenger. The position of priests, monks and soothsayers will remain the same, as will the rights due to them together with any authority entrusted to them. This protection of Allah and His Messenger will remain intact so long as you continue to do what is right and are not in opposition (to the Muslims) or oppressors. This letter was written by the hand of Mughiera, son of Shu’ba. THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH’S LETTER TO THE TRIBE OF BAKR, SON OF WA’IL Marthad, son of Dhabiyan narrates that a letter from the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, reached them but they could find no one from their tribe to read it until a man from the tribe of Dabe’ah came and read it to them. From The Messenger of Allah To the Bakr son of Wa'il tribe Accept Islam and live in peace. THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH’S LETTER TO THE TRIBE OF BANU JUDHAMA Ma’bad Judhami narrates that when Rifa’ah, son of Zaid met the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, wrote the following letter to his tribe. In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Most Merciful From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (This letter has been) handed to Rifa’ah the son of Zaid whom I have sent to his people and those amongst them to invite them to Allah and His Messenger. Whosoever accepts belief, will be among those of the party of Allah and His Messenger. As for those who turn their away, they will have two months respite. When the letter was delivered to Rifa’ah they all accepted belief in Allah and His Messenger, praise and peace be upon him. THE CONVERSION OF RABBI ZAID, SON OF SU’NA Abdullah, son of Shalom narrates that when Allah decreed that Zaid, son of Su’na should accept Islam, Zaid said to him, “When I looked at Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, I recognized all except two of the signs of the prophethood, and the two remaining signs I had not tested. Those signs were that his gentleness would overcome his anger and that the more foolish a person acted towards him, the more patient he would become.” Zaid narrates the time when the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, had just come out from his room with Ali, son of Abi Talib when a rider who Zaid presumed to a Bedouin came to him and said, “O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, some people from a certain tribe embraced Islam because I told them that they will receive an abundance of sustenance if they accepted Islam. However, no rain has fallen and they are afflicted. O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, I fear that they will leave the fold of Islam out of greed just as they had entered it out of greed. If you are agreeable perhaps you might send them something to assist them.” Zaid narrates, “The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, looked at the person beside him, who I think was Ali and Ali said, “O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, I do not think there is anything left from the wealth.” I (Zaid) approached the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, and said, “O Muhammad, “there is a date grove but its fruit are not yet ripe I will buy them in advance against its harvest, when they are harvested I will ask you for them.” Whereupon the sale and date of collection was agreed upon, and Zaid opened his purse and paid the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, eighty mithqal (approx. 400 grams) of gold. The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, received the gold and gave it to the Bedouin, saying, “Take this to assist them, and deal fairly with it.” Zaid continued and narrates that there were only two or three days left before the repayment of the loan was due, and during that time the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, accompanied by Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman and several other Companions went to perform a funeral. After the funeral they sat near a wall and I went up to him and grabbed hold of the collar of the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, and I stared angrily into his face and demanding, “O Muhammad, when are you going to repay your debt? By Allah, all the children of Abdul Muttalib are poor payers. This I know for certain because I have experienced it before!” Omar’s eyes began to roll with anger as he stared at me in fury and said, "O enemy of Allah, what are you mumbling. I swear by Allah, that if I did not fear, I would have your head severed!" The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, looked up and smiled at Omar and told him, "Omar, this person and I are in need of something else. He should have told me to take care that I fulfill his rights, and should have advised in a better manner when presenting his claim. Go, take him and fulfill his rights, and because he was threatened give him, in compensation, twenty extra measurements of dates as his right. Zaid narrated that Omar took him and paid what was due and added twenty extra measurements of dates. When I (Zaid) asked what the extra dates were for, Omar said that he had been ordered by the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, to do this on account of the threat he (Omar) had made. I then asked, “O Omar do you recognize me?” Omar replied that he did not, whereupon Zaid told him, “I am Zaid, son of Su’na.” “What” exclaimed Omar, “the Rabbi?” I replied that I was and Omar asked, “Why did you behave and speak in the way you did? I replied, “O Omar, when I looked at Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, I recognized all the signs of his prophethood except for two that I had not been able to examine. The first was the gentleness of the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, which overrides his anger. The second was that the more foolishly a person acts towards him the more tolerant he becomes. Now I have examined both, therefore I make you a witness to my acceptance of Islam and give half my wealth to the nation of the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him. Omar said, “Say that it is for part of the nation because you will not be able to give all of them.” Thereupon I told him “then it is for part of the nation.” Omar and I returned to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, and I embraced Islam at the hand of the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him. Thereafter I participated in many encounters with the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him. Later, Zaid, son of Su’na became a martyr during one of the encounters. May Allah be pleased with all the Companions.