Abdullah ibn Hudhafah (RA)
Chosen as a Messenger to Foreign Rulers:
In the sixth year of Hijrah, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ decided to send some of his companions with letters to rulers outside the Arabian Peninsula, inviting them to Islam.
The Prophet called his companions together and addressed them by saying: I want to send some of you to the rulers of foreign lands but don’t dispute with me as the Israelites disputed with Isa, the son of Maryam.
The companions responded: O Prophet of Allah, we shall carry out whatever you wish. Send us wherever you desire.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ sent six of his companions to carry his letters to the Arab and foreign rulers. One of the companions was Abdullah ibn Hudhafah, who was chosen to take the Prophet’s letter to Kisra, the Persian king.
Addressing The Persian Emperor:
When Abdullah ibn Hudhafah entered the gathering of Kisra, he saw that he was dressed in fancy clothes and was wearing a turban. In comparison to Abdullah ibn Hudhafah, who was wearing the plain clothes of a Bedouin.
As soon as the Kisra saw Abdullah ibn Hudhafah approaching, he signalled to one of his men to take the letter off him.
Abdullah ibn Hudhafah said: No, the Prophet commanded me to hand over this letter to you directly and I shall not go against the command of the Messenger of Allah. The Kisra then said: Let him come near me.
Abdullah went forward and handed over the letter, and the Kisra called an Arab and ordered him to open the letter to read what it had to say.
Letter of the Prophet to the Kisra:
The letter read: In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, the unlettered Prophet, to the Kisra, the ruler of the Persian Empire. Peace be upon those who follow the guidance and believe in Allah and his Messenger and testify that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah without a partner and that Muhammad is his servant and messenger. I call you with the calling of Allah. Surely, I am the Messenger of Allah to all of mankind. To warn those who are alive and establish the truth against the disbelievers. So accept Islam and you will be safe, and if you reject Islam, then the sin of the Majus (religion of the people of Persia) will be upon you.
The Kisra Rips the Prophet’s Letter:
When the Persian king, the Kisra heard what this letter had to say, he was so angered by this that he snatched the letter off the Arab and tore it into pieces, without even finishing it.
The Kisra shouted: Does he dare to write to me like this, he who is my slave!
The main reason for why he was so angry was because the Prophet had not given him precedence in his letter.
Abdullah ibn Hudhafah Expelled from Persia:
The Kisra then commanded Abdullah ibn Hudhafah to be sent away.
Abdullah ibn Hudhafah said: By Allah, I don’t care what happens to me after the letter of the Prophet has been so badly treated.
The Prophet’s Response:
When Abdullah ibn Hudhafah returned to Madinah, he informed the Prophet of how the Kisra had torn his letter to pieces.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ replied: May Allah tear up his kingdom!
The Kisra’s Response:
The Kisra wrote to his deputy in Yemen, Badhan, and instructed him to send two men to Madinah to bring the Prophet to Persia.
The two men were then sent to Madinah and they met the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Badhan’s Letter to the Prophet:
The two representatives from Yemen handed the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ the letter of Badhan and said to him: The king of kings, the Kisra, has written to our ruler Badhan to send his men to get you. We have come to take you with us. If you come willingly, the Kisra has said that it will be good for you and he will spare you any punishment. If you refuse, you will know the power of his punishment. He has the power to destroy you and your people.
Prophecy of the Kisra’s Death:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ smiled and said to them: Go back to your mounts today and return tomorrow.
On the following day, the two representatives came to the Prophet and asked him: Are you prepared to go with us to meet the Kisra?
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ replied: You shall not meet the Kisra after today, Allah has killed him and his son has taken his place. (on such a night and on such a month).
The two men were shocked by this and said: Do you know what you are saying? Shall we write about this to Badhan?
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ replied: Yes, and say to him that my religion has informed me about what has happened to the Kingdom of the Kisra and that if he should become Muslim, I would appoint him ruler over what he now controls.
The Representatives Return to Yemen:
The two men returned to Yemen and told Badhan what had happened.
Badhan said: If what Muhammad has said is true, then he is a Prophet, if not then we shall see what happens to him.
Around fourteen days later, a letter from the Kisra’s son came to Badhan and it said: I killed the Kisra because of his tyranny against our people. He regarded as lawful the killing of leaders, the capturing of their women and the expropriating of their wealth. When this my letter reaches you, take the allegiance of whoever is with you on my behalf.
Badhan and the Persians in Yemen Accept Islam:
When Badhan read this letter, he announced his acceptance of Islam and because of this, the Persians based in Yemen also became Muslims.
Captured by the Byzantines:
In the nineteenth year after the Hijrah, Umar ibn al-Khattab sent out an army to fight against the Byzantines and Abdullah ibn Hudhafah was part of this army.
The Byzantine Emperor ordered his army to bring any Muslim captive to him.
Abdullah ibn Hudhafah was captured by the Byzantines and he was taken to the Emperor.
The Emperor looked at Abdullah and after a while, he said: I shall make a proposal to you. Abdullah asked: What is it?
Refusal to Abandon Islam:
The Emperor replied: I suggest that you become a Christian. If you do this, you will be set free and I shall grant you a safe refuge.
Abdullah ibn Hudhafah responded: Death is preferable to me a thousand times to what you ask me to do!
The Emperor then said: I see that you are a bold man. However, if you respond positively to what I propose to you, I will give you a share in my authority and swear you in as my aide.
Abdullah ibn Hudhafah smiled and replied: By Allah, if you give me all that you possess and all that the Arabs have in exchange for giving up the religion of Muhammad, I shall not do so.
The Emperor then told Abdullah: Then I shall kill you. Abdullah responded: Do what you want.
The Emperor had Abdullah ibn Hudhafah put on a cross and ordered his soldiers to throw spears at him, first near his hands and then near his feet. At the same time, the Emperor kept telling him to accept Christianity or at least give up his religion.
Despite these attempts, Abdullah continuously refused to leave the religion of Islam..
The Emperor then had him taken down from the wooden cross and called for a big pot to be brought, which was filled with oil and then heated under a fire.
The Emperor had two other Muslim prisoners brought to him and one of them was thrown into the fire.
The Emperor turned to Abdullah ibn Hudhafah and invited him to Christianity but once again, he refused.
Abdullah ibn Hudhafah’s Tears:
The Emperor then ordered for Abdullah ibn Hudhafah to be thrown into the pot and as he was being taken away, he began to cry.
When the Emperor saw this, he thought that he had finally broken Abdullah ibn Hudhafah’s resolve.
The Emperor ordered Abdullah ibn Hudhafah to accept Christianity but once again, he refused.
The Emperor was shocked by this and shouted: Damn you! Why did you weep then?
Abdullah ibn Hudhafah replied: I cried because I said to myself: You will now be thrown into this pot and your soul will depart. What I really desired then was to have as many souls as the number of hairs on my body and to have all of them thrown into this pot for the sake of Allah.
The Emperor’s Bargain:
The Emperor then said: Will you kiss my head? I will then set you free. Abdullah ibn Hudhafah replied: And all the Muslim prisoners also?
The Emperor agreed to this and Abdullah said to himself: One of the enemies of Allah! I shall kiss his head and he shall set me and all other Muslim prisoners free. There can be no blame on me for doing this.
Abdullah ibn Hudhafah then went up to the Emperor and kissed his forehead. From this act, all of the Muslim prisoners were released.
Honoured by Umar ibn al-Khattab:
Abdullah ibn Hudhafah eventually informed Umar ibn al-Khattab of what happened with Khosrow.
When Umar heard this, he was very happy and he told the prisoners: Every Muslim has a duty to kiss the head of Abdullah ibn Hudhafah and I shall start.
Umar ibn al-Khattab then got up and kissed the head of Abdullah ibn Hudhafah.