Caesar...

Caesar: Does it so happen that someone of them may hate the religion of Islam and apostatize? Abu Sufyan: No. Caesar: Does Muhammad break promises? Abu Sufyan: We have not seen any such thing from him so far. We have since concluded a covenant with him and do not know how he will act in future (Abu Sufyan meant the 10-year's covenant concluded at Hudaybiya). Caesar: Have you fought any battle against him so far? Abu Sufyan: Yes. Caesar: What was the result of your fighting?

Abu Sufyan: Sometimes we won and sometimes he was victorious. In the Battle of Badr he was successful against us, but I did not participate in that battle. A year later, (i.e. in the Battle of Uhud) we launched an attack on his city and split the bellies and cut off the ears and noses of the people. Caesar: What does he order you to do?

Abu Sufyan: He orders us to worship Allah and not to associate anything with Him in the matter of authority .He forbids us to worship the idols which have been worshipped by our ancestors. He asks us to offer prayers, give alms, speak the truth, observe chastity, honor the promises and covenants and not to commit breach of trust". The Caesar considered the investigation sufficient about the personality of the Holy Prophet.

He, therefore, said to Abu Sufyan: I asked you about his ancestry and you replied that he comes from a noble family. All the Prophets of Allah are of noble birth in their tribes. I asked you whether someone from amongst you claimed to be a prophet earlier and you replied in the negative. Of course, if someone from amongst you had made such a claim it might be said that he was imitating what had been said earlier.

Then I asked you whether he had been telling lies before he claimed to be a prophet and you yourself admitted that there had been no such thing and he had never lied to the people. I then concluded that there was no reason why a person who did not lie to the people should calumniate Allah. I asked you whether there had been any king among his ancestors and you replied in the negative.

Of course, if there had been any king among his ancestors it might be said that he too had risen to regain kingship. Then I asked you whether the aristocrats and powerful persons or the poor had embraced his religion and you replied that they were the poor people. And the followers of the Prophets of God are always these poor people (i.e.