Glory be to Allah besides whom there is no God, the Sovereign, the Holy, the Peace, the
Faithful, the Protector. I bear witness that Jesus, the son of Mary, is the Spirit of God, and
His Word that He cast unto Mary, the Virgin, the good, the pure, so that she conceived
Jesus. God created him from His Spirit and His breathing as He created Adam by His hand
and His breathing. I call you to God, the Unique, without any associate, and to His obedience
and to follow me and to believe in that, which came to me, for I am the Messenger of God. I
invite you and your men to the Great Lord. I have accomplished my task and my admoni-
tions, so receive my advice. peace be upon him who follows the Guidance. (Tabaqat Ibn
S'ad, Vol. III, p. 15).
The Letter sent to Muqauqis, the chief of the Copts of Egypt, read:
I begin with the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. From Muhammed, the Mes-
senger of Allah, to Muqauqis, the Chief of the Coptic.
Peace be upon him who follows the guidance.
I call you to Islam that you may find peace, and God will give you a double reward. If you
reject, then on you shall be the sin of your countrymen. O people of the Book, come to that
which is common between you and us; that we will serve none but Allah, nor associate
aught with him, nor take others for lords besides God. But if you turn away, then say: bear
witness that we are Muslims." (Mawahib Landuniyah, Vol. III. Pp. 247-48)
WHO WERE THESE KINGS?
We cannot appreciate the solemnity and significance of the memorable step taken by the
Prophet (r) unless we realize who Heraclius, Chosroes, Negus and Muqauqis were, the
extent of their dominion, prestige, splendor and might in the world during the seventh
century. Anyone who is not well-aware with the political history at the time might have
taken them as local rulers for so many of them are found in every country. But one who is
mindful of the political state of the world in the seventh century and the power and splen-
dor of the ambitious monarchs who had divided the world among themselves, would but
arrive at one conclusion. That only a man sent by God on a mission could dare summon the
imperious autocrats to put their trust in his Prophethood. Such a man should be devoid of
the least doubt in the success of his sacred task, or of a speck of fear in his heart. He had to
possess such a glowing conviction in the glory and majesty of God that the proudest sove-
reign was to him not any more than an illusory puppet going through the motions of regali-
ty. For all these reasons, it would be worthwhile to give a brief sketch of the monarchs to
whom the Prophet (r) had sent his epistle.