In the peace that followed the signing of the Treaty of Hudaybiya, the Holy Prophet (S) had a great opportunity to spread the religion of Islam. In 7 A.H. he wrote letters to several neighbouring states inviting their rulers and people towards Islam.

At the time, there were four powerful states around Arabia. On one side there was Iran, which ran from Central Asia up to Iraq.
The second state was Byzantine, known as Rome amongst the Arabs. The Byzantine Empire included Asia Minor, Syria and Palestine.
The third state was Egypt, which had been a part of the Byzantine Empire, but was now independent.
The fourth state was Abyssinia, which lay to the south of Egypt, and whose influence extended to other populated areas in Africa.

Iran
Ruler - Khusro Parvez, the Emperor of Iran
Missionary sent by Prophet - A brave officer by the name of Abdullah Huzafah
Reaction to the letter from the Holy Prophet – The Emperor flew into rage and tore it up tore the letter to pieces and rudely turned Abdullah out of his court.

When Abdullah returned to Madina and related his experience, the Holy Prophet (S) was displeased and cursed Khusro saying,
"O Lord! Break his kingdom into pieces."

Meanwhile, the arrogant Emperor sent a letter to the ruler of Yemen, who was under him, ordering him to send some men to capture the Holy Prophet (S) and bring him to his court.

Accordingly, two officers from Yemen came to Madina to carry out his orders. When they saw that the Holy Prophet (S) had the powerful support of the Muslims, they realised that they had no chance of capturing him.

However, they informed the Holy Prophet (S) of their orders and warned him of the consequences of displeasing the powerful Emperor of Iran. In reply the Holy Prophet (S) told them that Khusro Parvez had just been killed by his own son, Shirviyah, who was now the new Emperor.

The Holy Prophet (S) then advised them to tell the people of Yemen to come out of Iranian control and come towards Islam. The officers were so impressed with the miraculous knowledge of the Holy Prophet (S) that they accepted Islam on the spot and later many people from Yemen also became Muslims.

Byzantine

Ruler - Hercules, the Kaiser of Rome, the Holy Prophet (S) sent Dihyah bin Kalbi with a letter of invitation to Islam.
Missionary sent by Prophet - Dihyah bin Kalbi
Reaction to the letter from the Holy Prophet - The Kaiser received Dihyah with honour and was impressed with the contents of the letter.

After making enquiries in Arabia and discussions with the Roman priests, he was convinced that the message was from the very same Prophet whose coming had been foretold in the Tawrat and Injeel.
However, he was afraid that if he openly declared himself a Muslim, he would be removed from power by the influential Christians priests. Nevertheless, he wrote a letter to the Holy Prophet (S) expressing his faith and devotion to him and sent to him several presents.

Amongst the gifts were a white mule named Duldul which later remained with Imam Ali (A) and his progeny. The Kaiser also sent two slave girls. One of them, Maria Qabtia, was married by the Holy Prophet (S) while Hasan bin Thabit married the other.

Egypt
Ruler - Maqauqis, the Ruler of Egypt
Missionary sent by Prophet - Haatib bin Abi Balta'ah, a wise and experienced traveller
Reaction to the letter from the Holy Prophet - After the king read the message he thought over the contents of the letter for a long time.

In the discussion that followed, Haatib explained in length the message and mission of the Holy Prophet (S). Although he was convinced by the arguments of Haatib, the Maqauqis was not prepared to give up his position as the head of the Coptic Church. He wrote a letter of regret to the Holy Prophet (S) and sent some presents back with Haatib.

When the Holy Prophet (S) received the letter in Madina he remarked, "He has not accepted Islam on account of fear for his rulership, but his rule and authority will come to an end soon."

Abyssinia
Ruler - Asmaha, the Negus of Abyssinia
Missionary sent by Prophet - Amr bin Umayyah, with two letters, in one letter he invited the Negus to Islam. In the other he requested him to allow and make arrangements for the return of Ja'far bin Abu Talib and the other Muslims who had migrated to Abyssinia in the early difficult days of Islam.

     Reaction to the letter from the Holy Prophet -The king received the messenger of the Holy Prophet (S) with          great respect and kissed the letters as a mark of respect before reading them. On finishing the letter regarding      the invitation to Islam, the Negus immediately recited the Kalima and became a Muslim. He also obeyed the          request of the Holy Prophet (S) regarding the arrangements for the return of the Muslims and sent his own son      Raarhaa with them.

In addition, the Holy Prophet (S) also sent letters to many other tribes and states, notably the prince of Ghassaan and the ruler of Yamamah. Both these men, however, did not give a firm commitment to Islam because it did not suit them politically. However, many other chiefs and rulers became inclined towards Islam and sent their representatives to Madina to learn more about the Holy Prophet (S) and Islam.

By sending his messengers far and wide, the Holy Prophet (S) showed that Islam was a religion not only for the Arabs, but for the whole world.

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