Abu Sufyan bin Harb reported,

Abu Sufyan reported that Heraclius sent for him while he was traveling with a caravan of Quraysh. They had been trading in Syria during the period when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had a truce with Abu Sufyan and the disbelievers of Quraysh. They came to him while he was in Jerusalem. Heraclius summoned them into his court, with the great men of Rome around him, and called for his interpreter.Heraclius asked, "Which of you is the closest in kinship to this man who claims to be a prophet?"Abu Sufyan said, "I replied, 'I am the closest of them in kinship to him.'"Heraclius said, "Bring him near me, and bring his companions close and place them behind him." Then he said to his interpreter, "Tell them that I am going to ask this man about that man, and if he lies to me, they should contradict him."Abu Sufyan said, "By Allah, were it not for the shame of them later reporting that I had lied, I would have lied about him."The first thing Heraclius asked me was, "How is his lineage among you?"I said, "He is of noble lineage among us."He asked, "Has anyone among you ever made this same claim before him?"I said, "No."He asked, "Was any of his forefathers a king?"I said, "No."He asked, "Do the noble people follow him, or the weak among them?"I said, "Rather the weak among them."He asked, "Are they increasing or decreasing?"I said, "Rather they are increasing."He asked, "Does anyone among them turn away from his religion in displeasure after entering it?"I said, "No."He asked, "Did you ever accuse him of lying before he said what he said?"I said, "No."He asked, "Does he break his covenants?"I said, "No, but we are now in a truce with him, and we do not know what he will do during it." Abu Sufyan said, "I could not insert anything else against him except this statement."He asked, "Have you fought him?"I said, "Yes."He asked, "How were your battles with him?"I said, "The war between us has been give and take. He defeats us at times, and we defeat him at times."He asked, "What does he command you to do?"I said, "He says, 'Worship Allah alone and do not associate anything with Him, and abandon what your forefathers say.' He commands us to pray, to give charity, to be truthful, to be chaste, and to maintain ties of kinship."Heraclius said to the interpreter, "Tell him, I asked you about his lineage, and you mentioned that he is of noble lineage among you. Such are the messengers, they are sent in the noble lineage of their people. I asked you whether anyone among you had made this claim before, and you said no. Had anyone said this before him, I would have said he is a man imitating words spoken before him. I asked whether any of his forefathers was a king, and you said no. Had any of his forefathers been a king, I would have said he is a man seeking his father's kingdom. I asked whether you used to accuse him of lying before he said what he said, and you said no. I therefore know that he would not abandon lying about people only to lie about Allah. I asked whether the noble follow him or the weak, and you mentioned that the weak follow him, and they are the followers of messengers. I asked whether they are increasing or decreasing, and you said they are increasing, and so it is with the matter of faith until it is complete. I asked whether anyone turns away from his religion in displeasure after entering it, and you said no, and so it is with faith when its delight enters the hearts. I asked whether he breaks his covenants, and you said no, and likewise messengers do not break their covenants. I asked what he commands you to do, and you mentioned that he commands you to worship Allah and not to associate anything with Him, forbids you from worshipping idols, and commands you to pray, to be truthful, and to be chaste. If what you say is true, he will come to possess the very ground beneath my feet. I knew that he was about to emerge, but I did not think he would be from among you. If I knew I could reach him, I would strive to meet him, and if I were with him, I would wash his feet."Then Heraclius called for the letter of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ which Dihya had brought to the governor of Bosra, who had passed it on to Heraclius. Heraclius read it, and it said, "In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. From Muhammad, the servant of Allah and His Messenger, to Heraclius, the great ruler of Rome. Peace be upon whoever follows the guidance. Now then, I call you with the call of Islam. Accept Islam and you will be safe, and Allah will give you your reward twice over. But if you turn away, then upon you is the sin of the Arisiyyin (your subjects). And 'People of the Book, come to a word common between us and you, that we worship none but Allah, and associate nothing with Him, and that none of us take others as lords besides Allah. But if they turn away, then say, Bear witness that we are Muslims' [Aal Imran 3:64]."Abu Sufyan said, "When he had said what he said and finished reading the letter, voices were raised around him in commotion, and we were sent out. I said to my companions when we were sent out, 'The matter of Ibn Abu Kabsha has grown great. Even the king of the Banu al-Asfar fears him.' I remained convinced that he would prevail until Allah brought me into Islam."Ibn al-Natur, the governor of Jerusalem and a friend of Heraclius, who was a bishop over the Christians of Syria, used to relate that when Heraclius came to Jerusalem, he woke up one morning in a foul mood. Some of his patriarchs said to him, "We find your appearance troubling."Ibn al-Natur said, Heraclius was a soothsayer who looked into the stars. He told them when they asked him, "Last night, when I looked into the stars, I saw that the king of circumcision had appeared. Who among the nations practices circumcision?"They said, "None practice circumcision except the Jews. Do not let their matter concern you. Write to the cities of your kingdom and have the Jews among them killed."While they were discussing this, a man sent by the king of Ghassan was brought to Heraclius with news about the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. After Heraclius questioned him, he said, "Go and see whether he is circumcised or not." They examined him and reported that he was indeed circumcised. Heraclius then asked him about the Arabs, and he said, "They practice circumcision."Heraclius said, "This is the king of this nation, and he has indeed appeared." Then Heraclius wrote to a friend of his in Rome who was his equal in knowledge, and Heraclius traveled to Homs. He had not left Homs when a letter arrived from his friend agreeing with Heraclius's view about the appearance of the Prophet ﷺ and that he was indeed a prophet.Heraclius then summoned the great men of Rome to a palace of his in Homs, and ordered its doors to be shut. He came up to them and said, "People of Rome, do you wish for success and right guidance, and that your kingdom be firmly established? Then follow this prophet."They bolted like wild donkeys toward the doors, only to find them shut. When Heraclius saw their aversion and lost hope of their faith, he said, "Bring them back to me." He said, "I only said what I said just now to test the firmness of your adherence to your religion, and I have now seen it." So they prostrated to him and were pleased with him. That was the end of Heraclius's story.

عن أبي سفيان بن حرب

أن هرقل أرسل إليه في ركب من قريش، وكانوا تجارا بالشام في المدة التي كان رسول الله ﷺ ماد فيها أبا سفيان وكفار قريش، فأتوه وهم بإيلياء، فدعاهم في مجلسه وحوله عظماء الروم، ثم دعاهم ودعا بترجمانه، فقال: أيكم أقرب نسبا بهذا الرجل الذي يزعم أنه نبي؟ فقال أبو سفيان: فقلت: أنا أقربهم نسبا. فقال: أدنوه مني، وقربوا أصحابه فاجعلوهم عند ظهره. ثم قال لترجمانه: قل لهم: إني سائل هذا عن هذا الرجل، فإن كذبني فكذبوه. فوالله لولا الحياء من أن يأثروا علي كذبا لكذبت عنه. ثم كان أول ما سألني عنه أن قال: كيف نسبه فيكم؟ قلت: هو فينا ذو نسب. قال: فهل قال هذا القول منكم أحد قط قبله؟ قلت: لا. قال: فهل كان من آبائه من ملك؟ قلت: لا. قال: فأشراف الناس يتبعونه أم ضعفاؤهم؟ قلت: بل ضعفاؤهم. قال: أيزيدون أم ينقصون؟ قلت: بل يزيدون. قال: فهل يرتد أحد منهم سخطة لدينه بعد أن يدخل فيه؟ قلت: لا. قال: فهل كنتم تتهمونه بالكذب قبل أن يقول ما قال؟ قلت: لا. قال: فهل يغدر؟ قلت: لا، ونحن منه في مدة لا ندري ما هو فاعل فيها. قال: ولم تمكني كلمة أدخل فيها شيئا غير هذه الكلمة. قال: فهل قاتلتموه؟ قلت: نعم. قال: فكيف كان قتالكم إياه؟ قلت: الحرب بيننا وبينه سجال، ينال منا وننال منه. قال: ماذا يأمركم؟ قلت: يقول: اعبدوا الله وحده، ولا تشركوا به شيئا، واتركوا ما يقول آباؤكم، ويأمرنا بالصلاة والزكاة والصدق والعفاف والصلة. فقال للترجمان: قل له: سألتك عن نسبه، فذكرت أنه فيكم ذو نسب، فكذلك الرسل تبعث في نسب قومها. وسألتك هل قال أحد منكم هذا القول، فذكرت أن لا، فقلت: لو كان أحد قال هذا القول قبله لقلت رجل يأتسي بقول قيل قبله. وسألتك هل كان من آبائه من ملك، فذكرت أن لا، قلت: فلو كان من آبائه من ملك قلت: رجل يطلب ملك أبيه. وسألتك هل كنتم تتهمونه بالكذب قبل أن يقول ما قال، فذكرت أن لا، فقد أعرف أنه لم يكن ليذر الكذب على الناس ويكذب على الله. وسألتك أشراف الناس اتبعوه أم ضعفاؤهم، فذكرت أن ضعفاءهم اتبعوه، وهم أتباع الرسل. وسألتك أيزيدون أم ينقصون، فذكرت أنهم يزيدون، وكذلك أمر الإيمان حتى يتم. وسألتك أيرتد أحد سخطة لدينه بعد أن يدخل فيه، فذكرت أن لا، وكذلك الإيمان حين تخالط بشاشته القلوب. وسألتك هل يغدر، فذكرت أن لا، وكذلك الرسل لا تغدر. وسألتك بما يأمركم، فذكرت أنه يأمركم أن تعبدوا الله، ولا تشركوا به شيئا، وينهاكم عن عبادة الأوثان، ويأمركم بالصلاة والصدق والعفاف، فإن كان ما تقول حقا فسيملك موضع قدمي هاتين، وقد كنت أعلم أنه خارج لم أكن أظن أنه منكم، فلو أني أعلم أني أخلص إليه لاجتهدت لقاءه، ولو كنت عنده لغسلت عن قدميه. ثم دعا بكتاب رسول الله ﷺ الذي بعث به دحية إلى عظيم بصرى، فدفعه إلى هرقل، فقرأه فإذا فيه: بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم، من محمد عبد الله ورسوله إلى هرقل عظيم الروم: سلام على من اتبع الهدى، أما بعد! فإني أدعوك بدعاية الإسلام، أسلم تسلم، يؤتك الله أجرك مرتين، فإن توليت فإن عليك إثم الأريسيين، و{يا أهل الكتاب تعالوا إلى كلمة سواء بيننا وبينكم ألا نعبد إلا الله ولا نشرك به شيئا ولا يتخذ بعضنا بعضا أربابا من دون الله فإن تولوا فقولوا اشهدوا بأنا مسلمون} [آل عمران: ٦٤] قال أبو سفيان: فلما قال ما قال، وفرغ من قراءة الكتاب، كثر عنده الصخب، وارتفعت الأصوات، وأخرجنا. فقلت لأصحابي حين أخرجنا: لقد أمر أمر ابن أبي كبشة، إنه ليخافه ملك بني الأصفر، فما زلت موقنا أنه سيظهر حتى أدخل الله علي الإسلام. وكان ابن الناظور صاحب إيلياء وهرقل أسقفا على نصارى الشام، يحدث أن هرقل حين قدم إيلياء، أصبح يوما خبيث النفس، فقال بعض بطارقته: قد استنكرنا هيئتك. قال ابن الناظور: وكان هرقل حزاء ينظر في النجوم، فقال لهم حين سألوه: إني رأيت الليلة حين نظرت في النجوم ملك الختان قد ظهر، فمن يختتن من هذه الأمة؟ قالوا: ليس يختتن إلا اليهود، فلا يهمنك شأنهم، واكتب إلى مدائن ملكك، فيقتلوا من فيهم من اليهود، فبينما هم على أمرهم أتى هرقل برجل أرسل به ملك غسان يخبر عن خبر رسول الله ﷺ، فلما استخبره هرقل قال: اذهبوا فانظروا أمختتن هو أم لا؟ فنظروا إليه، فحدثوه أنه مختتن، وسأله عن العرب، فقال: هم يختتنون. فقال هرقل: هذا ملك هذه الأمة قد ظهر. ثم كتب هرقل إلى صاحب له برومية، وكان نظيره في العلم، وسار هرقل إلى حمص، فلم يرم حمص حتى أتاه كتاب من صاحبه يوافق رأي هرقل على خروج النبي ﷺ، وأنه نبي، فأذن هرقل لعظماء الروم في دسكرة له بحمص، ثم أمر بأبوابها فغلقت، ثم اطلع فقال: يا معشر الروم، هل لكم في الفلاح والرشد، وأن يثبت ملككم، فتتابعوا هذا النبي؟ فحاصوا حيصة حمر الوحش إلى الأبواب، فوجدوها قد غلقت، فلما رأى هرقل نفرتهم، ويأس من الإيمان، قال: ردوهم علي. وقال: إني قلت مقالتي آنفا أختبر بها شدتكم على دينكم، فقد رأيت، فسجدوا له ورضوا عنه، فكان ذلك آخر شأن هرقل.