Tanukh

This is the story of a second letter between the Prophet ﷺ and Heraclius, the Roman emperor. Unlike the first, it is not in al-Bukhari. It is found in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad. It was told by the Tanukhi himself, a Christian Arab of the tribe of Tanukh whose name was never recorded. In his old age, at nearly a hundred, he lived in Hims, and a neighbor of his there, Sa'id ibn Abi Rashid, asked him about the letters. The Tanukhi said that when the Prophet ﷺ came to Tabuk, he sent Dihyah al-Kalbi to Heraclius with a letter. Heraclius had seen how much this man had achieved since the first letter. He locked himself in his palace with his patriarchs and priests, and suggested that they follow the Prophet ﷺ, or at least make peace with him. The priests were outraged and rushed for the door. Heraclius then told them he had only been testing how firm they were. After this, Heraclius asked for an Arabic speaker who could carry a message and remember what was said, and the Tanukhi was brought to him. Heraclius gave him a letter and told him to check three things. Would the Prophet ﷺ mention the letters he had written? Would he say anything about night when he read Heraclius's letter? And was there a mark on his back? The Tanukhi found the Prophet ﷺ sitting with his Companions by the well at Tabuk, and handed him the letter. The Prophet ﷺ put it aside and asked where he was from. Then he invited him to Islam, the hanifiyyah, the religion of his father Ibrahim. The Tanukhi replied that he was an ambassador for a people with their own religion, and would not change it while on their mission. He would go home and think about it. The Prophet ﷺ laughed and recited the verse, "You do not guide those whom you love, rather, Allah guides those whom He pleases" (28:56). Then the Prophet ﷺ said, "O you person of Tanukh, I wrote a letter to Kisra of Persia, and he ripped it apart, so Allah will rip his kingdom apart. And I wrote a letter to the Najashi, and he ripped it apart, so Allah will rip his kingdom apart. And I wrote my letter to your companion, and he kept it safe, so people will continue to see his strength as long as there is some good to life." This Najashi was not the righteous king who had sheltered the Muslims, but his son, who ruled after him. That was the first sign, and the Tanukhi scratched a mark on his parchment with an arrow from his quiver. He asked who could read the letter to the Prophet ﷺ, and Mu'awiyah was called to read it. In it, Heraclius asked where Hell could be, if the Prophet ﷺ was inviting him to a Garden as wide as the heavens and the earth. The Prophet ﷺ answered, "Subhan'Allah, where does the night go when the day comes?" That was the second sign, and the Tanukhi marked it down. The Prophet ﷺ then said that an ambassador had a right to a gift, but that they were traveling and had nothing to give. Uthman stood up and gave the Tanukhi a yellow robe, and an Ansari took him home as his guest for the night. The next day, when the Tanukhi stood up to leave, the third sign was still unchecked. The Prophet ﷺ called him, "Come here, O person of Tanukh." When he stood in front of him, the Prophet ﷺ pulled back his garment and said, "Come and look at what your master has told you to look at." The Tanukhi saw the Seal of Prophethood between his shoulder blades, and said it looked like a large cupping mark. He went back to Heraclius with all three signs confirmed. Some say he later became a Muslim, and others say he remained a Christian.