مسند أحمد
Musnad Ahmad Hadith 16693
Read the original Arabic and English translation of this hadith from Hadith of the messenger of Caesar to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), with its chapter, grading, and reference kept together.
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Original Arabic
حَدِيثُ رَسُولِ قَيْصَرَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، • ١٦٦٩٣ - قَالَ عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ: حَدَّثَنَا سُرَيْجُ بْنُ يُونُسَ، مِنْ كِتَابِهِ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا عَبَّادُ بْنُ عَبَّادٍ يَعْنِي الْمُهَلَّبِيَّ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ خُثَيْمٍ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي رَاشِدٍ مَوْلًى لِآلِ مُعَاوِيَةَ قَالَ: قَدِمْتُ الشَّامَ فَقِيلَ لِي: فِي هَذِهِ الْكَنِيسَةِ رَسُولُ قَيْصَرَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. قَالَ: فَدَخَلْنَا الْكَنِيسَةَ، فَإِذَا أَنَا بِشَيْخٍ كَبِيرٍ، فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: أَنْتَ رَسُولُ قَيْصَرَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ؟ فَقَالَ: نَعَمْ. قَالَ: قُلْتُ: حَدِّثْنِي عَنْ ذَلِكَ. قَالَ: إِنَّهُ لَمَّا غَزَا تَبُوكَ، كَتَبَ إِلَى قَيْصَرَ كِتَابًا، وَبَعَثَ بِهِ مَعَ رَجُلٍ يُقَالُ لَهُ دِحْيَةُ بْنُ خَلِيفَةَ، فَلَمَّا قَرَأَ كِتَابَهُ وَضَعَهُ مَعَهُ عَلَى سَرِيرِهِ، وَبَعَثَ إِلَى بَطَارِقَتِهِ وَرُءُوسِ أَصْحَابِهِ، فَقَالَ: إِنَّ هَذَا الرَّجُلَ قَدْ بَعَثَ إِلَيْكُمْ رَسُولًا، وَكَتَبَ إِلَيْكُمْ كِتَابًا يُخَيِّرُكُمْ إِحْدَى ثَلَاثٍ: إِمَّا أَنْ تَتَّبِعُوهُ عَلَى دِينِهِ، أَوْ تُقِرُّوا لَهُ بِخَرَاجٍ يَجْرِي لَهُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَيُقِرَّكُمْ عَلَى هَيْئَتِكُمْ فِي بِلَادِكُمْ (١) ، أَوْ أَنْ تُلْقُوا إِلَيْهِ بِالْحَرْبِ. قَالَ: فَنَخَرُوا نَخْرَةً حَتَّى خَرَجَ بَعْضُهُمْ مِنْ بَرَانِسِهِمْ، وَقَالُوا: لَا نَتَّبِعُهُ عَلَى دِينِهِ، وَنَدَعُ دِينَنَا وَدِينَ آبَائِنَا، وَلَا نُقِرُّ (٢) لَهُ بِخَرَاجٍ يَجْرِي لَهُ عَلَيْنَا، وَلَكِنْ نُلْقِي إِلَيْهِ الْحَرْبَ. فَقَالَ: قَدْ كَانَ، ، ذَاكَ، وَلَكِنِّي كَرِهْتُ أَنْ أَفْتَاتَ دُونَكُمْ بِأَمْرٍ قَالَ عَبَّادٌ: فَقُلْتُ لِابْنِ خُثَيْمٍ: أَوَلَيْسَ قَدْ كَانَ قَارَبَ وَهَمَّ بِالْإِسْلَامِ فِيمَا بَلَغَنَا ؟ قَالَ: بَلَى لَوْلَا أَنَّهُ رَأَى مِنْهُمْ قَالَ: فَقَالَ: ابْغُونِي رَجُلًا مِنْ الْعَرَبِ أَكْتُبْ مَعَهُ إِلَيْهِ جَوَابَ كِتَابِهِ. قَالَ: فَأَتَيْتُ وَأَنَا شَابٌّ، فَانْطُلِقَ بِي إِلَيْهِ، فَكَتَبَ جَوَابَهُ، وَقَالَ لِي: مَهْمَا نَسِيتَ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَاحْفَظْ عَنِّي ثَلَاثَ خِلَالٍ: انْظُرْ إِذَا هُوَ قَرَأَ كِتَابِي هَلْ يَذْكُرُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ، وَهَلْ يَذْكُرُ كِتَابَهُ إِلَيَّ، وَانْظُرْ هَلْ تَرَى فِي ظَهْرِهِ عَلَمًا، قَالَ: فَأَقْبَلْتُ حَتَّى أَتَيْتُهُ وَهُوَ بِتَبُوكَ فِي حَلْقَةٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ مُنْتَجِينَ. فَسَأَلْتُ، فَأُخْبِرْتُ بِهِ، فَدَفَعْتُ إِلَيْهِ الْكِتَابَ، فَدَعَا مُعَاوِيَةَ فَقَرَأَ عَلَيْهِ الْكِتَابَ، فَلَمَّا أَتَى عَلَى قَوْلِهِ: دَعَوْتَنِي إِلَى جَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمَوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ، فَأَيْنَ النَّارُ؟ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: " إِذَا جَاءَ اللَّيْلُ فَأَيْنَ النَّهَارُ؟ " قَالَ: فَقَالَ: " إِنِّي قَدْ كَتَبْتُ إِلَى النَّجَاشِيِّ (١) فَخَرَّقَهُ، فَخَرَّقَهُ اللهُ مُخَرَّقَ الْمُلْكِ، قَالَ عَبَّادٌ: فَقُلْتُ لِابْنِ خُثَيْمٍ: أَلَيْسَ قَدْ أَسْلَمَ النَّجَاشِيُّ ، وَنَعَاهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِالْمَدِينَةِ إِلَى أَصْحَابِهِ، فَصَلَّى عَلَيْهِ؟ قَالَ: بَلَى، ذَاكَ فُلَانُ بْنُ فُلَانٍ وَهَذَا فُلَانُ بْنُ فُلَانٍ. قَدْ ذَكَرَهُمْ ابْنُ خُثَيْمٍ جَمِيعًا وَنَسِيتُهُمَا - وَكَتَبْتُ إِلَى كِسْرَى كِتَابًا، فَمَزَّقَهُ، فَمَزَّقَهُ اللهُ مُمَزَّقَ الْمُلْكِ (٢) . وَكَتَبْتُ إِلَى قَيْصَرَ كِتَابًا، فَأَجَابَنِي فِيهِ، فَلَمْ يَزَلِ النَّاسُ يَخْشَوْنَ مِنْهُمْ بَأْسًا مَا، ، كَانَ فِي الْعَيْشِ خَيْرٌ " ثُمَّ قَالَ لِي: " ممَّنْ (١) أَنْتَ؟ " قُلْتُ: مِنْ تَنُوخٍ، قَالَ: " يَا أَخَا تَنُوخٍ، هَلْ لَكَ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ؟ " قُلْتُ: لَا، إِنِّي أَقْبَلْتُ مِنْ قِبَلِ قَوْمٍ وَأَنَا فِيهِمْ عَلَى دِينٍ، وَلَسْتُ مُسْتَبْدِلًا بِدِينِهِمْ حَتَّى أَرْجِعَ إِلَيْهِمْ. قَالَ: فَضَحِكَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَوْ تَبَسَّمَ. فَلَمَّا قَضَيْتُ حَاجَتِي، قُمْتُ، فَلَمَّا وَلَّيْتُ دَعَانِي، فَقَالَ: " يَا أَخَا تَنُوخٍ، هَلُمَّ فَامْضِ لِلَّذِي أُمِرْتَ بِهِ " قَالَ: وَكُنْتُ قَدْ نَسِيتُهَا (٢) ، فَاسْتَدَرْتُ مِنْ وَرَاءِ الْحَلْقَةِ، وَألْقَى بُرْدَةً كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِ عَنْ ظَهْرِهِ، فَرَأَيْتُ غُضْرُوفَ كَتِفِهِ مِثْلَ الْمِحْجَمِ الضَّخْمِ (٣)، •
Translation
English translation
Saeed bin Abu Rashid says that once in Homs I met Tanuqi, who had come to the Prophet (peace be upon him) as an envoy from Heraclius. He was my neighbor, had become extremely old, and had reached the age of senility. I said to him, "Why don't you tell me something about the letter of Heraclius to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the letter of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to Heraclius?" He said, "Why not. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was at Tabuk. He sent Dihya Kalbi to Heraclius. When the blessed letter of the Prophet (peace be upon him) reached Heraclius, he gathered the Roman priests and chiefs, closed the door of the room, and said to them, 'This man has come to me, as you have seen. In the letter sent to me, I have been invited to accept one of three options: either I follow his religion, or I pay them tax in the form of wealth for the land and the land remains with us, or I fight them. By Allah! In the light of the books you read, you know that they will even gain the ground beneath my feet. So why don't we follow their religion or pay tax in the form of wealth for our land?' Upon hearing this, a similar sound came from all their throats, so much so that they took off their caps and said, 'Are you inviting us to leave Christianity, or that we become slaves to a Bedouin who has come from Hijaz?' When Heraclius saw that if these people left him in this state, they would cause turmoil against him throughout Rome, he immediately changed his stance and said, 'I only said this to see your firmness and strength upon your religion.' Then he called an Arab man from the tribe of Tayyib, who was appointed as the chief over the Christian Arabs, and said, 'Bring me a man who has a strong memory and knows the Arabic language, so that I may send him with a reply to this man's letter.' He brought me. Heraclius handed me his letter and said, 'Take this letter of mine to that man. If you cannot remember all his words, then at least remember three things: see whether he mentions the letter I sent him or not; see whether, when he reads my letter, he mentions the Torah or not; and look at his back, do you see anything strange?' I took Heraclius's letter and set out, and reached Tabuk. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was sitting among his companions in an area near water, encircling his legs with his hands. I asked the people, 'Where is your companion?' They pointed him out to me. I came and sat before the Prophet (peace be upon him), handed him the letter, which he placed in his lap, and asked me, 'Where are you from?' I said, 'I am a Tanuqi man.' The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked, 'Do you feel any inclination towards the Hanifiyyah, the religion of your father Ibrahim?' I said, 'I am an envoy of a people and upon the religion of a people. Until I return to them, I cannot turn away from this religion.' Upon this, the Prophet (peace be upon him) smiled and began to recite this verse: 'You cannot guide whom you love, but Allah guides whom He wills, and He knows best those who are guided.' O Tanuqi brother! I wrote a letter to Kisra, he tore it up; Allah will tear him and his kingdom apart. I wrote a letter to Najashi, he tore it up; Allah will break him and his kingdom. I wrote a letter to your king, but he preserved it; therefore, as long as there is any good in life, his awe and authority will remain over the people.' I thought in my heart that this was the first of the three things the king had advised me about. So I took an arrow from my quiver and wrote this on the sheath of my sword. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) gave that letter to a man sitting on his left. I asked the people, 'Who is this person reading the letter?' The people said, 'Amir Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him).' Anyway, in our king's letter it was written, 'You invite me to that Paradise whose width is like the heavens and the earth, prepared for the righteous...'
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Where is this hadith found?
This is Hadith 16693 in Musnad Ahmad. It appears in Book 413, Hadith of the messenger of Caesar to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), as in-book entry 1.
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Source and grading notes
مسند احمد / مسند المدنيين رضي الله عنهم اجمعين / 16693
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