the Mighty and Majestic for restoring to him what He had restored, so that he might pray there. When he reached Bayt al-Maqdis and had performed the prayer, the letter of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was presented to him, borne by Dihyah al-Kalbi, inviting him to Islam.

Ibn Ishaq said:

Al-Zuhri related to me, from Ubayd Allah ibn Abd Allah ibn Utbah ibn Masʿud, from Abd Allah ibn Abbas, who said:

Abu Sufyan narrated to me:

“We were a people engaged in trade, yet the war between us and the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, had closed in on us until our wealth was ruined. When the armistice between us and the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him—the one concluded on the day of al-Hudaybiyyah—was established, we felt secure. I therefore set out with a group from Quraysh on a trading journey to al-Shām, for that was the direction of our commerce. We arrived there just after Heraclius had prevailed over the Persians who had opposed him; he expelled them, and his greatest cross, which they had seized from him, was retrieved for him. When word of this reached him—that his cross had been recovered—he was residing in Ḥimṣ, so he left it on foot in gratitude to Allah the Mighty and Majestic for restoring to him what He had restored, intending to pray in Bayt al-Maqdis. The road before him was laid with carpets, and fragrant herbs were scattered upon them. When he reached Ilia and completed his prayer there, accompanied by his patricians and bishops,”

he said,

“the letter of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was brought to him.”