Heraclius said, “Bring him (Abu Sufyan) close to me and make his companions stand behind him.”  Abu Sufyan added, “Heraclius told his translator to tell my companions that he wanted to put some questions to me regarding that man (the Prophet) and that if I told a lie they (my companions) should contradict me.”  Abu Sufyan added, “By Allah! Had I not been afraid of my companions labelling me a liar, I would not have spoken the truth about the Prophet, peace be upon him.

The first question he asked me about him was:  ‘What is his family status amongst you?’  I replied, ‘He belongs to a noble family amongst us.’  Heraclius further asked, ‘Has anybody else amongst you ever claimed the same (i.e.  to be a Prophet) before his (claim)?’ I replied, ‘No.’  He asked, ‘Was anybody amongst his ancestors a king?’  I replied, ‘No.’

Heraclius asked, ‘Do the nobles or the poor follow him?’  I replied, ‘It is the poor who follow him.’ He said, ‘Are his followers increasing or decreasing (day by day)?’  I replied, ‘They are increasing.’ He then asked, ‘Does anybody amongst those who embrace his religion become displeased and renounce the religion afterwards?’  I replied, ‘No.’ Heraclius said, ‘Have you ever accused him of telling lies before his claim (to be a Prophet)?’ I replied, ‘No.’ Heraclius said, ‘Does he ever betray or prove treacherous to his covenants?’ I replied, ‘No. We are at truce with him but we do not know what he will do in it.’ I could not find opportunity to say anything against him except that word.  Heraclius asked, ‘Have you ever had a fight with him?’ I replied ‘Yes.’ Then he said , ‘What was the outcome of your battles with him?’ I replied, ‘The fighting between us and him was undecided and victory was shared between us and him by turns.’ Heraclius said, ‘What does he order you to do?’ I said, ‘He tells us to worship Allah Alone and not to worship anything along with Him, and to renounce all that our ancestors had said.  He orders us to pray, to speak the truth, to be chaste and to keep good relations with our kith and kin.’

Heraclius asked the translator to convey to me the following, ‘I asked you about his family and your reply was that he belongs to a noble family amongst you. In fact all the Messengers come from noble families amongst their respective peoples. I questioned you whether anybody else amongst you claimed such a thing, your reply was in the negative. If the answer had been in the affirmative, I would have thought that this man was following the previous man’s statement. Then I asked you whether anyone of his ancestors was a king. Your reply was in the negative, and if it had been in the affirmative, I would have thought that this man wanted to take back his ancestral kingdom. I further asked whether he was ever accused of telling lies before he said what he said, and your reply was in the negative.

So I wondered how a person who does not tell a lie about others could ever tell a lie about Allah. I, then asked you whether the rich people followed him or the poor. You replied that it was the poor who followed him. And in fact these (poor always) are the followers of the Messengers. Then I asked you whether his followers were increasing or decreasing. You replied that they were increasing, and in fact this is the way of true faith, till it is complete in all respects. I further asked you whether there was anybody, who, after embracing his religion, became displeased and discarded his religion. Your reply was in the negative and in fact this is (the sign of) true faith, when its delight enters the hearts and mixes with them completely. I asked you whether he had ever betrayed. You replied in the negative and likewise the Messengers never betray. Then I asked you what he ordered you to do. You replied that he ordered you to worship Allah (and Allah Alone) and not to worship anything along with Him and forbade you to worship idols and ordered you to pray, to speak the truth and to be chaste. If what you have said is true, he will very soon occupy this place [which is underneath my feet (now)] and I knew it (from the Scriptures) that he was going to appear but I did not know that he would be from you, and if I am sure to reach him, I would go immediately to meet him and if I were with him, I would certainly wash his feet.’

Heraclius then asked for the letter addressed by Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him,.which was delivered by Diya to the governor of Busra, who forwarded it to Heraclius to read. The contents of the letter were as follows:

In the Name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

(This letter is) from Muhammad, the slave of Allah and His Messenger,peace be upon him, to Heraclius the ruler of Byzantines. Peace be upon him who follows the right path. Then after: I invite you to Islam, and if you become a Muslim you will be safe, and Allah  will double your reward, and if you reject this invitation of Islam you will be committing a sin by misguiding your Arisiyin (peasants). And (I recite to you Allah’s Statement:) ‘0 people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians)! Come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but Allah and that we associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allah. Then, if they turn away, say: Bear witness that we are Muslims.” (Quran 3:64).

Abü Sufyan then added, “When Heraclius had finished his speech and had read the letter, there was a great hue and cry in the royal court. So we were turned out of the court. I told my companions that the question of Ibn Abi Kabsha (Prophet Muhammad) has become so prominent that even the king of Bani Al-Asfar (Byzantines) is afraid of him. Thenceforth I became sure that he (the Prophet) would be the conqueror in the near future till I embraced Islam (i.e. Allah guided me to it) .” (The sub-narrator adds), Ibn An- NatUr was the governor of Ilya’ (Jerusalem),and Heraclius was the head of the Christians of Sham.

Ibn An-NätUr narrates that once while Heraclius was visiting ‘Ilya’ (Jerusalem), he got up in the morning with a sad mood. Some of his priests asked him why he was in that mood? Heraclius was a foreteller and an astrologer. He replied, “At night when I looked at the stars, I saw that the leader of those who practice circumcision had appeared (become the conqueror), (and asked) who are they who practice circumcision?” The people replied, “Except the Jews nobody practices circumcision, so you should not be afraid of them (Jews). Just issue orders to kill every Jew present in the country.”  While they were discussing it, a messenger sent by the king of Ghassãn to convey the news of Allah’s Messenger to Heraclius was brought in.

Having heard the news, he (Heraclius) ordered the people to go and see whether the messenger of Ghassãn was circumcised. The people, after seeing him, told Heraclius that he was circumcised. Heraclius then asked him about the Arabs. The messenger replied, “Arabs also practice circumcision.”

(After hearing that) Heraclius remarked that sovereignty of this nation (Arabs) had appeared. Heraclius then wrote a letter to his friend in Rome who was as good as Heraclius in knowledge. Heraclius then left for Homs (a town in Syria) and stayed there till he received the reply of his letter from his friend who agreed with him in his opinion about the emergence of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and the fact that he is indeed a Prophet. On that, Heraclius invited all the heads of the Byzantines to assemble in his palace at Homs. When they assembled, he ordered that all the doors of his palace be closed. Then he came out and said, “0 Byzantines! If success is your desire and if you seek right guidance and want your empire to remain, then give the Bai’ah (pledge) to this Prophet, peace be upon him, (i.e. embrace Islam).

(On hearing the views of Heraclius) the people ran towards the gates of the palace like onagers but found the doors closed. Heraclius realized their hatred towards Islam and when he lost the hope of their embracing Islam, (he ordered): “Bring them back to me.” (When they returned) he said, “What I already said was just to test the strength of your conviction and I have seen it.” The people prostrated before him and became pleased with him, and this was the end of Heraclius’ story (in connection with his faith).

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Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him, was the most generous person, even more generous than the fair winds [sent (by Allah) with glad tidings (rain), in readiness and haste to do charitable deeds].

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Ibn ‘Abbas moved his lips saying:  “I am moving my lips (in front of you) as Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him, used to move his.”

[Ibn ‘Abbas added],  “So Allah revealed ‘Move not your tongue concerning (the Qur’an, O Muhammad, peace be upon him) to make haste therewith.  It is for us to collect it and to give you (O Muhammad, peace be upon you) the ability to recite it (the Qur’an) (Quran 75:16, 17), [Which means that Allah will make him (the Prophet, peace be upon him) remember the portion of the Qur’an which was revealed at that time by heart and recite it].  The Statement of Allah: ‘And when we have recited it to you [O Muhammad, peace be upon him, through Jibril (Gabriel)] then follow you its (the Qur’an’s) recital’ (Quran 75:18) (means listen to it and be silent’). ‘Then it is for Us (Allah) to make it clear to you’ (Quran 75:19) means then it is (for Allah) to make you recite it (and its  meaning will be clear by itself through your tongue). Afterwards, Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him, used to listen to Jibril (Gabriel) whenever he came and after his departure he used to listen to recite it as Jibril (Gabriel) had recited it.”

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‘O you (Muhammad, peace be upon him) enveloped (in garments)! Arise and warn … (up to) … and keep away from Ar-Rujz (the idols)!’ (V .74 :1-5)

After this, the revelation started coming strongly and frequently in succession one after the other.

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The Prophet, peace be upon him, added, “Then the angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied, ‘I do not know how to read.’ Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read but again I replied, ‘I do not know how to read (or what shall I read?)’. Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me, and then released me and said, ‘Read in the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists). Has created man from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood). Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous.’ (Quran 96:1-3)

Then Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him, returned with the Revelation and with his heart beating severely. Then he went to Khadija bint Khuwailid and said, “Cover me! Cover me!” They covered him till his fear was over and after that he told Khadija everything that had happened (and said), “I fear that something may happen to me.” Khadija replied, “Never! By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your kith and kin, help the poor and the destitute, serve your guests generously and assist the deserving calamity-afflicted ones.”

Khadija then accompanied him, peace be upon him, to her cousin Waraqa bin Naufal bin Asad bin ‘Abdul ‘Uzza, who, during the Period of Ignorance became a Christian and used to write the writing with Hebrew letters. He would write from the Gospel in Hebrew as much as Allah wished him to write. He was an old man and had lost his eyesight . Khadija said to Waraqa, “Listen to (the story of) your nephew, O my cousin!” Waraqa asked, “O my nephew! What have you seen?” Allah’s Messenger described whatever he had seen. Waraqa said, “This is the same one [who keeps the secrets i.e., angel Jibril (Gabriel)] whom Allah had sent to Musa (Moses). I wish I were young and could live up to the time when your people would turn you out.” Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him, asked, “Will they drive me out?” Waraqa replied in the affirmative and said, “Anyone (man) who came with something similar to what you have brought was treated with hostility ; and if I should remain alive till the day (when you will be turned out) then I would support you strongly.” But after a few days Waraqa died and the Divine Revelation was also paused for a while .

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¹This refers to the verse of the Quran:  “Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [ Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [ Allah to grant him] peace.” (33:56)

The blessings of Allah upon the Holy Prophet are too numerous to be counted.  He has been elevated to the highest position amongst the Prophets.  He has been sent as a Mercy for the worlds and has been made as the final dispenser of the Will of Allah.  The angels too bless the Holy Prophet, for he has been able to show by his words and deeds that the human beings, in spite of the freedom of will, can lead a life of perfect submission to the Almighty and this helps in creating an atmosphere of spiritual piety in the world, an atmosphere which is congenial to the angels.  The Muslims have been commanded to bless the Holy Prophet as a token of love and gratitude for that august personality who showed them the right path, the path of God-consciousness virtue, and religious piety.

The word Salat, when it is appended with the prepostion ‘ala’ conveys three meanings:  to incline towards one with love and affection, to magnify one, or to supplicate for one.  When this word is used for Allah, it would be used in the first two meanings and when it is used for angels and human beings it would cover the three shades of meanings.

The reciting of Darud has been made essential in the prayer for various reasons. The two obvious reasons are: The prayer has been called the highest ascent (mi’raj) of a believer and this has been made known to the Muslims by Muhammad, peace be upon him. It has, therefore, been made obligatory for the believers to bless the Holy Prophet in the best state of communion with Allah as an acknowledgement of their gratitude to him. Secondly, it strikes at the very root of shirk.

The Prophet Muhammad is the most eminent personality amongst those noble beings who have been directly deputed by Allah to guide people to the path of righteousness and who received revelations from Him. The exhortation to bless him implies that with all unusual eminence and greatness of Muhammad and his nearness to Allah, he needs blessings of the Master; therefore, he cannot, in spite of his most eminent position amongst the apostles, be attributed with godhood.

²(آل‎ Al). This word has been translated as members of the household but in Arabic, especially in the context of the Quran and Sunnah, it gives a wide range of meanings. It means all the devoted members of the household and all those persons who are related to another person not by ties of blood but by ties of love and companionship. Thus all the sincere followers are included in the al of Muhammad, peace be upon him.

In the present context of darud, آل al implies the pious and noble family of Muhammad, i.e. his wives, his daughters, and other members of his household who believed in him as a prophet and shared the hardships of life along with him, and all of his Companions and followers who sincerely obeyed his command and tried to live by the ideals prescribed by him.

³Different interpretations have been offered as to why the Muslims have been exhorted to supplicate for blessings on Muhammad, peace be upon him, like those with which Hadrat Ibrahim, peace be upon him, was blessed by Allah. The most valid explanation is that Hadrat to Muhammad and the members of his household as Thou didst grant favours to the members of the household of Ibrahim in the world. Thou art indeed Praiseworthy and Glorious; and salutation as you know.

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A person amongst the people said:  It was I who said it, and in this I intended nothing but good.  Abu Musa said:  Don’t you know what you have to recite in your prayers?  Verily the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, addressed us and explained to us all its aspects and taught us how to observe prayer (properly).  He (the Holy Prophet) said:  When you pray make your rows straight and let anyone amongst you act as your Imam.  Recite the takbir when he recites it and when he recites:  Not of those with whom Thou art angry, nor of those who go astray, say:  Ameen.

Allah would respond you.  And when he (the Imam) recites the takbir, you may also recite the takbir, for the Imam bows before you and raises himself before you.  Then the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:  The one is equivalent to the other.  And when he says:  Allah listens to him who praises Him, you should said:  O Allah, our Lord, to Thee be the praise, for Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, has vouchsafed (us) through the tongue of His Apostle, peace be upon him, that Allah listens to him who praises Him.  And when he (the Imam) recites the takbir and prostrates, you should also recite the takbir and prostrate, for the Imam prostrates before you and raises himself before you.  The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:  The one is equivalent to the other.  And when he (the Imam) sits for Qa’da (for tashahhud) the first words of every one amongst you should be:  All services rendered by words, acts of worship and all good things are due to Allah.  Peace be upon you, O Apostle, and Allah’s mercy and blessings.  Peace be upon us and upon the upright servants of Allah.  I testify that there is no god but Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.

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