—from the fate of others; do not let others have to learn the lesson from you.”

He said, “Bring it here.”

I replied, “You have a religion that you would never leave except for something better, and that better thing is Islam, which renders every other way unnecessary. This Prophet has summoned people to Allah: the most hostile toward him have been Quraysh, his fiercest enemies the Jews, while the Christians are the closest to him. By my life, the glad tidings Moses gave of Jesus are just like the glad tidings Jesus gave of Muhammad. Our invitation to you to accept the Quran is no different from your invitation to the people of the Torah to accept the Gospel. Whoever lives in a prophet’s time belongs to that prophet’s community, so it is incumbent upon them to obey him. You are one of those living in this Prophet’s time. We are not forbidding you from the religion of the Messiah; rather, we are commanding you to adhere to it.”

Then I handed him the letter of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. After reading it, he said, “Good. I have considered this matter and found that it neither commands anything disdained nor forbids anything desirable. I have not found him to be a misguided sorcerer or a lying soothsayer; indeed, I see with him the marks of prophethood.” He placed the letter in an ivory casket, sealed it, and entrusted it to his steward.

He wrote his reply to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: “I know that a prophet is yet to remain, and I have honored your envoy.” He sent the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, two bond-maids and a mule named al-Duldul. The Prophet accepted the gift, chose one of the two women—Maria the Copt—for himself, and she bore him Ibrahim. The other he gave to Hassān ibn Thābit, and she bore him ʿAbd al-Raḥmān. The mule lived on into the era of Muʿāwiyah. Then the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: