Invitations


Peaceful conditions followed the treaty of Hudaybiyyah and the Messenger of Allah wrote letters to foreign sovereigns and to Arab chieftains, inviting them to accept Islam. He took great care to select a suitable messenger for each king and the letters were painstakingly prepared. He was told that foreign kings would not accept any letter without a seal so he had a silver signet ring made on which was inscribed, Muhammad, Messenger of Allah.'

Heraclius

Among the kings he contacted were the Byzantine emperor Heraclius, the Persian emperor, Chosroes Parvez the Negus, King of Abyssinia, and Muqawqis, King of Egypt.

Heraclius, the Negus and Muqawqis received their letters with respect and gave courteous replies. Heraclius wanted to know more about the Prophet and dispatched to find out all they could. Abu Sufyan happened to be in Ghazzah on a business trip and he was presented to the king. Heraclius proved to be an intelligent examiner who knew the history of religion and the qualities and behaviour of the Prophets. He had studied how nations reacted to them and how and when Allah would send them. Abu Sufyan was truthful in his answers in the tradition of the early Arabs who considered it beneath their dignity to tell a lie.

When Heraclius heard Abu Sufyan's answers, he was certain that Muhammad was the Prophet of Allah. He said, 'If what you say is true, he will come to possess the place on which my two feet are standing. I knew that one was due to come forth but I did not think that he would come from you. If I knew that I could reach him, I would set out to meet him. If I was with him, I would wash his feet.'

He summoned the Roman generals to the castle and commanded that the doors be shut. Then he went to them, declaring, 'O Romans! If you want success and right guidance and to establish and strengthen your kingdom, give homage to this Prophet.'

They disliked what he was saying and tried to leave but they found that the doors were locked. When Heraclius saw their reaction, he despaired of their faith. He said, 'Return those people to me,' and to them he repeated, 'What I said before was to test your faith. Now I have seen it.'

They prostrated before him and were pleased with what he had said.

Heraclius had preferred his kingdom to Islam. Wars and battles continued between him and the Muslims during the caliphate of Abu Bakr and Umar when he lost both his kingdom and his power.

The Negus and Muqawqis

The Negus and the Muqawqis were most courteous to the envoys sent by the Messenger of Allah. The Muqawqis sent him gifts, including two slavegirls. One of them was Mariah, the mother of Ibrahim, the son of the Messenger of Allah.

Chosroes

When Chosroes, the emperor of Persia, read the letter, he tore it up indignantly, 'How dare this person who is my slave write to me like this!' he demanded. When the Messenger of Allah heard about Chosroes' reaction, he replied, 'Allah will shatter his kingdom .'

Chosroes commanded Badhan, his governor in Yemen, to bring the Messenger of Allah to him. Badhan delegated the task to Babawayh. When Babawayh came to the Messenger of Allah in Madinah, he said, 'The King of Kings, Chosroes, wrote to King Badhan commanding him to send out men to bring you to him. He has sent me to fetch you.

However, the Messenger of Allah told him that Allah had given Shirawayh power and he would kill his father Chosroes. And indeed that was the truth. Allah shattered the Sassanid kingdom which had existed for four hundred years, and gave the Muslims power over it. He guided the Persian people to Islam.

Reward from Allah

Allah - glory be to Him and may He be exalted! promised those who had made the Pledge at Hudaybiyyah the reward of coming victory as well as booty. The Qur'an says:

Allah was well pleased with the believers when they were pledging allegiance to you under the tree, and He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down Tranquillity upon them, and rewarded them with a near victory and many spoils to take; and Allah is ever Mighty, Wise. (48: 18-19)

The Conquest of Khaybar was to be the first of these victories. Khaybar, seventy miles north-east of Madinah, was a Jewish colony with citadels and was the headquarters of the Jewish garrison. It was the last and most formidable Jewish stronghold in Arabia. The Messenger of Allah wanted to be secure on that front because the Jews spent much of their wealth on stirring up the neighbouring Arab tribes to wage war against the Muslims.

An army of believers

On his return from al-Hudaybiyyah, the Messenger of Allah stayed in Madinah during the month of dhu’l Hijjah and for part of Muharram. At the end of Muharram, he set out for Khaybar. While travelling, one of the Companions, Amr ibn al-Akwa' recited these verses:

By Allah, were it not for Allah, we would not have been guided nor given sadaqah, charity, nor prayed.

If people treat us unjustly or try to attack us we resist.

Send down tranquillity and make us firm against the enemy.

The Messenger of Allah advanced with his army which numbered fourteen hundred men including two hundred cavalry. Those who had lagged behind on the al-Hudaybiyyah expedition were refused permission to take part in the expedition. Twenty women accompanied the party in order to care for the sick and wounded and to prepare food and supply water during the fighting.

On the way, the Messenger of Allah called for food but only some dried up barley was brought. He asked for it to be moistened, then he and all those who accompanied him ate it. When he was approaching Khaybar, the Messenger of Allah prayed for the benefits that would come from conquering the colony and sought refuge from its evil and the evil of its people. When he went on an expedition against a people, he would not attack until morning. When, if he heard the adhan from the locality, he held back, it was a sign that there were believers among the inhabitants. But if he did not hear the adhan, he would attack. The adhan was not heard the next morning so the army advanced. They met the early workers of Khaybar carrying their spades and baskets but when they saw the Messenger of Allah and the army, they cried, 'Muhammad with his army!' and fled. The Messenger of Allah said, 'Allah is great! Khaybar is destroyed! When we arrive in a community, it is a bad morning for those who have been warned.'

A victorious general

The Messenger of Allah and his army overpowered the fortresses of Khaybar one by one. The first fortress to be conquered was that of Na'im. The Jews defended well against the Muslims but Ali ibn Abi Talib eventually crushed them. The Messenger of Allah had said, 'Let the standard be taken by a man who loves Allah and His Messenger and he will conquer this fort.'

All the great Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) vied for this honour, as each of them hoped to be the standard-bearer. The Messenger of Allah called Ali ibn Abi Talib, whose eyes were inflamed, to him and he applied spittle to his eyes while praying for his success. Ali's eyes were soon cured and he received the standard. He said, 'I will fight them until they are like us.'

The Messenger of Allah replied, 'Go ahead and invite them to Islam. Tell them the obligations they owe to Allah. By Allah, if one man is guided to the faith by you it is better for you than having red camels.'

Another victory

When Ali came near the fort, Marhab, the famous Jewish war-lord, appeared reciting verses about his bravery. They fell upon one another immediately. Ali's sword ran through Marhab's helmet, splitting his head in two. A great victory was gained through his death.

Conditions for remaining in Khaybar

The Jews of Khaybar were besieged in their fortresses. Fighting continued for days. At last they asked the Messenger of Allah for terms of peace. He allowed them to stay in Khaybar on condition that they gave to the Muslims in Madinah half of all the crops and fruit they produced on their farms. Each year the Messenger of Allah used to send Abdullah ibn Rawahah to Khaybar where he divided the produce in half and let the Jews choose the half they wanted. 'On this the heavens and earth stand' was the Jews' comment on his sense of justice.

Poisoned meat

During the Khaybar expedition, an attempt was made to poison the Messenger of Allah. A Jewess, Zaynab bint al-Harith, the wife of Sallam ibn Mishkam, presented him with roasted mutton, having enquired what joint he liked best. When she was told, 'shoulder,' she put a quantity of poison in it and took it to him. When he tasted it, he realised immediately that it was poisoned and spat it out.

He summoned the Jews who gathered round and asked them, 'Will you be truthful about something I will ask of you?'

They said, 'Yes.

'Did you put poison in this mutton?'

'Yes.

'What made you do it?'

'If you were false,' they said, 'we would get rid of you. But if you are really a Prophet, the poison would not harm you.

Zaynab was then brought to the Messenger of Allah. She confessed, 'I wanted to kill you.

He answered, 'Allah would not give you power over me.

His Companions asked, 'Shall we kill her?'

'No,' he said, and she was set free.

However, when Bishr ibn al-Bara' ibn Ma'rur, who had also eaten some of the mutton, died a painful death, Zaynab was killed.