ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Message Chapter 57: Representatives of Najran in Madina The pleasant territory of Najran comprising seventy-two villages is situated on the border of the Hijaz and Yemen.

In the early days of Islam this was the only region in the Hijaz which was inhabited by the Christians, who had, for some reasons, forsaken idol-worship and embraced Christianity.[^1] Simultaneous with the letters which the Prophet of Islam wrote to the heads of different countries of the world he also wrote a letter to Abu Harith, the Bishop of Najran, and, through that letter, invited the people of that area to embrace Islam.

The text of the said letter runs as under: In the name the Lord of Ibrahim, Ishaq and Ya'qub. This is a letter from Muhammad, the Prophet and Messenger of Allah to the Bishop of Najran. I praise and glorify the Lord of Ibrahim, Ishaq and Ya'qub, and invite you all to worship Allah instead of worshipping His creatures, so that you may come out of the guardianship of the creatures of Allah and take place under the guardianship of Allah Himself.

And in case you do not accept my invitation you must (at least) pay Jizyah (tribute) to the Islamic Government (in lieu of which it will undertake the protection of your lives and property), failing which you are hereby warned of dangerous consequences.[^2] Some of the Shi'ah sources add that the Prophet also wrote down in his letter the verse relating to the people of the Scripture wherein all of them have been invited to worship the One Allah.

Here the 64th verse of Surah Ale Imran has been referred to viz: Muhammad, say to the followers of the Bible, 'We must come to a common term: 'Let us worship no one except Allah' . . . The representatives of the Prophet arrived in Najran and delivered his letter to the Bishop. He read the letter very carefully and then, in order to take a decision, called a meeting of the religious and the secular personalities for consultation.

One of the persons called for consultation was Shurahbil, who was renowned for his knowledge, intelligence and experience. He spoke thus in reply to the Bishop: "My knowledge of religious matters is very meagre, and I have, therefore, no right to express my views about them, but in case you consult me regarding some thing other than this I may be able to suggest a solution of the problem.