Sahih Muslim, 4607

It has been narrated on the authority of Ibn Abbas who learnt the tradition personally from Abu Safyan. The latter said:I went out (on a mercantile venture) during the period (of truce) between me and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). While I was in Syria, the letter of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was handed over to Hiraql (Ceasar), the Emperor of Rome (who was on a visit to Jerusalem at that time). The letter was brought by Dihya Kalbi who delivered it to the governor of Busra The governor passed it on to Hiraql, (On receiving the letter), he said: Is there anyone from the people of this man who thinks that he is a prophet. People said: Yes. So, I was called along with a few others from the Quraish. We were admitted to Hiraql and he seated usbefore him. He asked: Which of you has closer kinship with the man who thinks that he is a prophet? Abu Sufyan said: I. So they seated me in front of him and stated my companions behind me. Then, he called his interpreter and said to him: Tell them that I am going to ask this fellow (i. e. Abu Sufyan) about the man who thinks that he is a prophet. It he tells me a lie, then refute him. Abu Sufyan told (the narrator): By God, if there was not the fear that falsehood would be imputed to me I would have lied. (Then) Hiraqi said to his interpreter: Inquire from him about his ancestry, I said: He is of good ancestry among us. He asked: Has there been a king among his ancestors? I said: No. He asked: Did you accuse him of falsehood before he proclaimed his prophethood? I said: No. He asked: Who are his follower people of high status or low status? I said: (They are) of low status. He asked: Are they increasing in number or decreasing? I said. No. they are rather increasing. He asked: Does anyone give up his religion, being dissatisfied with it, after having embraced it? I said: No. He asked: Have you been at war with him? I said: Yes. He asked: How did you fare in that war? I said: The war between us and him has been wavering like a bucket, up at one turn and down at the other (i. e. the victory has been shared between us and him by turns). Sometimes he suffered loss at our hands and sometimes we suffered loss at his (hand). He asked: Has he (ever) violated his covenant? I said: No. but we have recently concluded a peace treaty with him for a petiod and we do not know what he is going to do about it. (Abu Sufyin said on oath that he could not interpolate in this dialogue anything from himself more than these words ) He asked: Did anyone make the proclamation (Of prophethood) before him? I said: No. He (now) said to his interpreter: Tell him, I asked him about his ancestry and he had replied that he had the best ancestry. This is the case with Prophets; they are the descendants of the noblest among their people (Addressing Abu Sufyan), he continued: I asked you if there had been a king among his ancestors. You said that there had been none. If there had been a king among his ancestors, I would have said that he was a man demanding his ancestral kingdom. I asked you about his followers whether they were people of high or low status, and you said that they were of rather low status. Such are the followers of the Prophets. I asked you whether you used to accuse him of falsehood before he proclaimed his prophethood, and you said that you did not. So I have understood that when he did not allow himself to tell a lie about the poeple, he would never go to the length of forging a falsehood about Allah. I asked you whether anyone renounced his religion being dissatisfied with it after he had embraced it, and you replied in the negative. Faith is like this when it enters the depth of the heart (it perpetuates them). I asked you whether his followers were increasing or decreasing. You said they were increasing. Faith is like this until it reaches its consummation. I asked you whether you had been at war with him, and you replied that you had been and that the victory between you and him had been shared by turns, sometimes he suffering loss at your hand and sometimes you suffering lost at his. This is how the Prophets are tried before the final victory its theirs. I asked you whether he (ever) violated his covenant, and you said that he did not. This is how the Prophets behave. They never violate (their covenants). I asked you whether anyone before him had proclaimed the same thing, and you replied in the negative. I said: If anyone had made the same proclamation before, I would have thought that he was a man following what had been proclaimed before. (Then) he asked: What does he enjoin upon you? I said: He exhorts us to offer Salat, to pay Zakat, to show due regard to kinship and to practise chastity. He said: It what you have told about him is true, he is certainly a Prophet. I knew that he was to appear but I did not think that he would be from among you. If I knew that I would be able to reach him. I would love to meet him; and it I had been with him. I would have washed his feet (out of reverence). His dominion would certainly extend to this place which is under my feet. Then he called for the letter of the Messenger of Allah (may pface be upon him) and read it. The letter ran as follows:" In the name of Allah, Most Gracious and Most Merciful. From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, to Hiraql, the Emperor of the Romans. Peace be upon him who follows the guidance. After this, I extend to you the invitation to accept Islam. Embrace Islam and you will be safe. Accept Islam, God will give you double the reward. And if you turn away, upon you will be the sin of your subjects." O People of the Book, come to the word that is common between us that we should worship none other than Allah, should not ascribe any partner to Him and some of us should not take their fellows as Lords other than Allah. If they turn away, you should say that we testify to our being Muslims [iii. 64]." When he hid finished the reading of the letter, noise and confused clamour was raise around him, and he ordered us to leave. Accordingly, we left. (Addressing my companions) while we were coming out (of the place). I said: Ibn Abu Kabsha (referring sarcastically to the Holy Prophet) has come to wield a great power. Lo! (even) the king of the Romans is afraid of him. I continued to believe that the authority of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would triumph until God imbued me with (the spirit of) Islam

Rapporté par Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه, qui a appris ce récit directement d’Abu Sufyan : Ce dernier dit : Je suis parti pour un voyage commercial pendant la période de trêve entre moi et le Messager d’Allah ﷺ. Alors que j’étais en Syrie, la lettre du Messager d’Allah ﷺ fut remise à Hiraql (César), l’empereur de Rome, qui était en visite à Jérusalem à ce moment-là. La lettre avait été apportée par Dihya al-Kalbi, qui l’avait remise au gouverneur de Busra, lequel l’avait transmise à Hiraql. (En recevant la lettre), il demanda : « Y a-t-il quelqu’un du peuple de cet homme qui prétend être prophète ? » On répondit : « Oui. » J’ai donc été appelé avec quelques autres Qurayshites. Nous avons été introduits devant Hiraql, qui nous fit asseoir devant lui. Il demanda : « Lequel d’entre vous a le lien de parenté le plus proche avec l’homme qui prétend être prophète ? » Abu Sufyan dit : « Moi. » On me fit asseoir devant lui et mes compagnons derrière moi. Il appela alors son interprète et lui dit : « Dis-leur que je vais interroger cet homme (Abu Sufyan) au sujet de celui qui prétend être prophète. S’il ment, démentez-le. » Abu Sufyan raconta : « Par Allah, si je n’avais pas eu peur d’être accusé de mensonge, j’aurais menti. » Hiraql demanda alors à son interprète : « Interroge-le sur sa lignée. » Je répondis : « Il a une bonne lignée parmi nous. » Il demanda : « Y a-t-il eu un roi parmi ses ancêtres ? » Je répondis : « Non. » Il demanda : « L’accusiez-vous de mensonge avant sa prophétie ? » Je répondis : « Non. » Il demanda : « Qui sont ses partisans, des gens de haut rang ou de rang modeste ? » Je répondis : « Ce sont plutôt des gens modestes. » Il demanda : « Leur nombre augmente-t-il ou diminue-t-il ? » Je répondis : « Ils augmentent. » Il demanda : « Quelqu’un abandonne-t-il sa religion, mécontent, après l’avoir embrassée ? » Je répondis : « Non. » Il demanda : « Avez-vous été en guerre contre lui ? » Je répondis : « Oui. » Il demanda : « Comment cela s’est-il passé ? » Je répondis : « La guerre entre nous et lui a été tantôt à notre avantage, tantôt au sien. » Il demanda : « A-t-il déjà rompu un pacte ? » Je répondis : « Non, mais nous avons récemment conclu une trêve avec lui et nous ne savons pas ce qu’il en fera. » (Abu Sufyan jure qu’il n’a rien ajouté de plus à ce dialogue.) Il demanda : « Quelqu’un avait-il proclamé la prophétie avant lui ? » Je répondis : « Non. » Hiraql dit alors à son interprète : « Dis-lui, je lui ai demandé sa lignée et il a répondu qu’elle était la meilleure. C’est le cas des prophètes : ils sont issus des plus nobles de leur peuple. Je t’ai demandé s’il y avait eu un roi parmi ses ancêtres : non. Sinon, j’aurais pensé qu’il réclamait un royaume ancestral. Je t’ai demandé qui étaient ses partisans : des gens modestes. Ainsi sont les partisans des prophètes. Je t’ai demandé si tu l’accusais de mensonge avant sa prophétie : non. Donc, s’il ne mentait pas aux gens, il ne mentirait pas sur Allah. Je t’ai demandé si quelqu’un abandonnait sa religion après l’avoir embrassée : non. La foi, quand elle pénètre le cœur, y reste. Je t’ai demandé si ses partisans augmentaient : oui. Ainsi va la foi jusqu’à son accomplissement. Je t’ai demandé si vous aviez été en guerre : oui, et la victoire a été partagée. Ainsi les prophètes sont éprouvés avant la victoire finale. Je t’ai demandé s’il avait rompu un pacte : non. Les prophètes ne rompent jamais leurs engagements. Je t’ai demandé si quelqu’un avant lui avait proclamé la même chose : non. Sinon, j’aurais pensé qu’il suivait une tradition antérieure. » Il demanda : « Que vous ordonne-t-il ? » Je répondis : « Il nous ordonne la prière, la zakat, le respect des liens familiaux et la chasteté. » Il dit : « Si ce que tu dis est vrai, il est vraiment un prophète. Je savais qu’il devait apparaître, mais je ne pensais pas qu’il viendrait de chez vous. Si je savais que je pourrais le rejoindre, j’aimerais le rencontrer ; et si j’étais avec lui, je lui laverais les pieds par respect. Sa domination s’étendra sûrement jusqu’ici. » Il fit alors apporter la lettre du Messager d’Allah ﷺ et la lut : « Au nom d’Allah, le Tout Miséricordieux, le Très Miséricordieux. De Muhammad, le Messager d’Allah, à Hiraql, l’empereur des Romains. Paix à celui qui suit la guidée. Après cela, je t’invite à embrasser l’islam. Accepte l’islam et tu seras en sécurité. Accepte l’islam, Allah te donnera une double récompense. Mais si tu refuses, tu porteras le péché de tes sujets. Ô gens du Livre, venez à une parole commune entre nous : que nous n’adorions qu’Allah, sans rien Lui associer, et que nous ne prenions pas certains d’entre nous comme seigneurs en dehors d’Allah. S’ils se détournent, dites : “Nous témoignons que nous sommes musulmans.” » [III, 64] Quand il eut fini la lecture, il y eut du tumulte autour de lui et il nous ordonna de sortir. En sortant, je dis à mes compagnons : « Ibn Abu Kabsha (nom ironique pour le Prophète ﷺ) a acquis un grand pouvoir : même le roi des Romains le craint. » J’ai continué à croire que l’autorité du Messager d’Allah ﷺ triompherait, jusqu’à ce qu’Allah m’accorde la foi