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Muhammad-Letter-To-Heraclius

Purported letter sent by Muhammad to Heraclius, emperor of Byzantium

Aslim Taslam (Arabic: أسلم تسلم‎) is a phrase meaning "accept Islam and you will be saved".[1] that is taken from the letters sent by the Islamic prophet Muhammad to various kings and rulers in which he urged them to convert to Islam.[2][3]

Letters of Muhammad[]

Muhammad, according to the usually told Islamic historiography, sent ambassadors with such letters to Heraclius the emperor of Byzantium, Chosroes II the emperor of Persia, the Negus of Ethiopia,[4] Muqawqis the ruler of Egypt, Harith Gassani the governor of Syria and Munzir ibn Sawa the ruler of Bahrain. The account as transmitted by Muslim historians reads as follows[5]

Western Translation[]

In the name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful:

(This letter is) from Muhammad the slave of Allah and His Apostle to Heraclius the ruler of Byzantine. Peace be upon him, who follows the right path. Furthermore 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:)

Say (O Muhammad): 'O people of the scripture! Come to a word common to you and us that we worship none but Allah and that we associate nothing in worship with Him, and that none of us shall take others as Lords beside Allah.' Then, if they turn away, say: 'Bear witness that we are Muslims' (those who have surrendered to Allah)."

[5][6][7]

Arabic Translation[]

من محمد بن عبد الله إلى هرقل عظيم الروم: سلام على من اتبع الهدى، أما بعد فإنى أدعوك بدعوة الإسلام . أسلم تسلم ويؤتك الله أجرك مرتين ، فإن توليت فإن عليك إثم الأريسيِّين. {قل يا أهل الكتاب تعالوا إلى كلمة سواء بيننا وبينكم ألا نعبد إلا الله ،ولا نشرك به شيئا،ولا يتخذ بعضنا بعضا آربابا من دون الله فإن تولوا فقولوا اشهدوا بأنا مسلمون

In the name of God the Beneficent, the Merciful: (This letter is) from Muhammad son of Abdullah to Heraclius the Great (ruler) of the Romans (Byzantines). Peace be upon him, he who follows the right path. Furthermore, I invite thee to Islam; become a Muslim and thou shalt be safe (from Hell or God's punishment), and God will double thy reward (as your people will follow along and be saved because of you), and if thou rejectest, thou shalt bear the sins of the Arisiyins (the peasants, your people).

(And I recite to you God's Statement:) Say (O Muhammad): 'O people of the scripture! Come to a word common to you and us that we worship none but God and that we associate nothing in worship with Him, and that none of us shall take others as Lords beside God. Then, if they turn away, say: 'Bear witness that we are Muslims' (those who have surrendered to God).

[8]

The letter to Chosroes II is similar except that it refers to Magians instead of the Arisiyin.[7]

Similar Letters of Leaders from Muslim countries[]

On September 17, 2006, in response to the Pope Benedict XVI Islam controversy, characterized by Gazan clerics as "the result of his hatred for Islam and not the result of ignorance." one of them, Sheikh Imad Hamato, called on the pope to "repent and ask for forgiveness" and said: "We want to use the words of the Prophet Muhammad and tell the pope: aslim taslam." [3]

In May 2006, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, sent a similar letter to US President George W. Bush saying aslim taslam. [9]

Osama bin Laden sent a handful of such letters both to America and to Europe saying aslim taslam [9][10]

American-born Al Qaeda Muslim convert Adam Gadahn sent a video to the American people and said aslim taslam.[11]

Egyptian Cleric Hassan Abu Al-Ashbal issued a similar statement aslim taslam to President Barack Obama. [12][13]

Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia spokesperson, Ismail Yusanto said to Nikolas van Dam, the Dutch ambassador for Indonesia that the Dutch government is responsible for the Fitna (film) of Geert Wilders and said aslim taslam. [14]

Critical responses[]

In response to the aslim taslam invitation to submit to Islam, the Italian author and journalist Oriana Fallaci asserted the rejoinder "lan astaslem" (Arabic: لن استسلم‎) meaning "I will never surrender/I will never submit/I will never be a Muslim".[15] [16] Michelle Malkin has taken up this slogan as a response to the WTC terrorist attacks[17] [18] [19]

See also[]

References[]

  1. Abidullah Ghazi & Tasneema K Ghazi, Teachings of Our Prophet: A selection of Hadith for Children, IQRA International Education, p. 3.
  2. Sahih Bukhari Volume 4, Book 52, Number 196
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Gazans warn pope to accept Islam". Jerusalem Post. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1157913651799&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull. Retrieved March 3, 2009. by Khaled Abu Toameh September 18, 2006
  4. "Lettre de Mohammad, au Négus Al Asham, Roi d’Abyssinie.". aslim-taslam. http://www.aslim-taslam.net/article.php3?id_article=742. Retrieved March 3, 2009. by Sajida M
  5. 5.0 5.1 Nadia Maria El-Cheikh, "Muhammad and Heraclius: A Study in Legitimacy", Studia Islamica, No. 89. (1999), p. 5-21. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Nadia" defined multiple times with different content
  6. Sahih Bukhari 1.1.6
  7. 7.0 7.1 Gerrit Jan Reinink, Rijksuniversiteit Te Groningen, "The Reign of Heraclius (610-641): crisis and confrontation", Peeters Publishers (2002), ISBN 9042912286, p. 125-128.
  8. At-Tabari, Tarikh al-umam wal-muluk
  9. 9.0 9.1 Henryk M. Broder, Hurra, wir kapitulieren! Von der Lust am Einknicken (“Hurray, we are capitulating! About the lust to bend over backwards”,) Berlin 2006, pp. 71-90
  10. Bruce Lawrence, Messages to the World: The Statements of Osama Bin Laden, London/New York 2005
  11. "Video: Al Qaeda tells U.S. to convert or die". HotAir. http://hotair.com/archives/2006/09/02/video-al-qaeda-tells-us-to-convert-or-die/. Retrieved March 3, 2009. September 2, 2006
  12. "Egyptian Cleric Hassan Abu Al-Ashbal Calls on President-Elect Obama to Convert to Islam". MEMRI. http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1934.htm?auth=bf0e5553b5735d7d15d1e8b907d0aa6e. Retrieved March 3, 2009. November 27, 2009
  13. "Egyptian Cleric Hassan Abu Al-Ashbal Calls on President-Elect Obama to Convert to Islam". MEMRI. http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/1934.htm. Retrieved March 3, 2009. November 27, 2008
  14. "Dutch Government must be held accountable over publisher = Hisbut Tahrir". http://hizbut-tahrir.or.id/2008/04/04/dutch-government-must-be-held-accountable-over-fitna/. Retrieved March 4, 2009. April 4, 2008
  15. Oriana Fallaci, The Rage and The Pride (La Rabbia e l'Orgoglio), 2001.
  16. "Oriana Fallaci, R.I.P., and the Religion of Perpetual Outrage". Townhall.com. http://michellemalkin.com/archives/005934.htm. Retrieved October 14, 2006.  by Michelle Malkin September 15, 2006
  17. "9/11 pledge: "I will not submit". Townhall.com. http://michellemalkin.com/archives/005894.htm. Retrieved October 14, 2006.  by Michelle Malkin September 11, 2006
  18. "9/11 pledge: "I will not submit"". Michelle Malkin. http://michellemalkin.com/2006/09/11/911-pledge-i-will-not-submit/. Retrieved March 3, 2009.  by Michelle Malkin September 11, 2006
  19. "Seven years later: Remembrance and resolve". Michelle Malkin. http://michellemalkin.com/2008/09/11/seven-years-later-remembrance-and-resolve/. Retrieved March 3, 2009.  by Michelle Malkin September 11, 2008
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