Sirah
The Letter to Heraclius
The invitation reaches the Byzantine emperor, c. 6-7 AH / 628 CE
c. 6-7 AH / 628 CE
Educational historical reconstructionWhere
The court of Heraclius in the Holy Land (Aelia, Jerusalem)
31.7767, 35.2345 · View on OpenStreetMap
Background
After the truce of Hudaybiyyah in the sixth year after the migration (628 CE) freed the community to look beyond Arabia, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent letters to the rulers of the surrounding world inviting them to Islam; the letter to Heraclius, emperor of the Eastern Romans, is the most fully preserved. Sahih al-Bukhari narrates at length (in the seventh hadith of the collection) that the letter reached Heraclius while he was in the Holy Land, at Iliya (Aelia, Jerusalem), where he had come in thanksgiving after his victory over Persia and the recovery of the relic of the Cross. Heraclius summoned a party of Quraysh merchants then in Syria, among them Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, who had not yet accepted Islam, and questioned him closely: the lineage of the man who claimed prophethood, the content of his message, whether the noble or the weak followed him, whether their numbers grew, whether he ever broke a pledge, and what he commanded. From the answers Heraclius concluded that the signs matched those of a true prophet foretold in the scriptures, and he told Abu Sufyan that if what he said was true, this man would one day come to possess the very ground beneath his feet. By the report Heraclius inclined toward the truth of the message but drew back for fear of losing his throne and the opposition of the Roman nobles, and so he kept his kingdom and did not believe, though he received the envoy and the letter with honour. The letter, carried by Dihya al-Kalbi (radiyallahu 'anhu), invited him with the verse, come to a word common between us and you, that we worship none but Allah (Q 3:64). This scene depicts the Byzantine court of Heraclius: a marble and mosaic audience hall with its throne, and the sealed letter from Arabia before it, the hills of the Holy Land beyond. Some accounts place the reception at Hims rather than at Aelia. In keeping with the Sirah tier no Muslim figure is shown and the envoy is kept distant.
What you see
A great Late-Roman audience hall of polished marble and gold mosaic, columns and an apse, an imperial throne at its end; the court of the ruler of the Eastern Roman empire, the most powerful state of the age.
A sealed parchment letter, brought by an envoy from Arabia, rests before the throne; its small three-line seal reads, by the report, Muhammad the Messenger of Allah. It is an invitation, not a tribute.
This is the reception of the letter of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to Heraclius, the Roman emperor, inviting him to Islam, after the truce of Hudaybiyyah freed the community to look beyond Arabia.
Heraclius summoned a party of Quraysh then trading in Syria, among them Abu Sufyan, and questioned him closely about the man and his message; he judged from the answers that the signs of a true prophet were met, and is reported to have said that this man would one day possess the ground beneath his feet, yet he held back for fear of his throne and his nobles.
The hills of the Holy Land lie beyond the palace; Heraclius had lately come to Jerusalem in thanksgiving after recovering the relic of the Cross from the Persians, so the letter reached him there, not in his distant capital.
The letter to Heraclius and the questioning of Abu Sufyan are narrated at length in Sahih al-Bukhari (hadith 7); the letter cites Al Imran (Q 3:64). This is the reception at the Byzantine court, distinct from the dispatch from Madinah. In the Sirah tier no Muslim figure is depicted.
Primary sources
Sahih al-Bukhari (hadith 7, the letter to Heraclius and the questioning of Abu Sufyan): The long Sunni narration of the reception of the letter, the interview with Abu Sufyan, and Heraclius's acknowledgement of the signs. The primary frame.
The Qur'an, Surat Al 'Imran (3:64): The verse with which the letter invited Heraclius, come to a word common between us and you; cited for the message, not as legible writing in the scene.
Ibn Ishaq via Ibn Hisham and Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabaqat: The Sunni Sira and Tabaqat record of the envoy (Dihya al-Kalbi RA), the destinations of the letters, and the responses.
Further reading & cross-references
Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, al-Rahiq al-Makhtum (20th c.): Modern Sunni synthesis for the diplomatic outreach after Hudaybiyyah and the recipients.
The Byzantine court setting (material cross-reference): A Late-Roman marble-and-mosaic audience hall constrains the depiction; Heraclius was then in the Holy Land, the variant of Hims is noted. Used for setting only.
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