—namely, to dispatch two stalwart men of yours in the Ḥijāz who are to bring him to me.
Badhan therefore sent his steward, a secretary-accountant versed in the Persian script, and with him a Persian named Khurkhara. He entrusted them with a letter to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ordering him to accompany them to Khosrau, and he said to Abadhūyeh, “Go to that man’s land, speak with him, and bring me news of him.”
They set out until they reached al-Ṭāʾif, where they met a man from Quraysh on its outskirts. They asked him about the Prophet and he replied, “He is in Medina.” The people of al-Ṭāʾif—meaning Quraysh—were delighted at the envoys’ arrival and said to one another, “Rejoice! Khosrau, the King of Kings, has laid a snare for him; the man is finished.”
The envoys travelled on until they came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Abadhūyeh addressed him, saying, “The Shāhanshāh, King of Kings [Khosrau], has written to King Badhan commanding him to send men who will bring you to him. He has dispatched me so that you may go with me. If you comply, he will write on your behalf to the King of Kings, who will benefit you and hold his hand back from you. But if you refuse, you know who he is: he will destroy you, destroy your people, and lay waste to your land.”
They had entered upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with their beards shaved and their moustaches left long. He disliked even looking at them and said, “Woe to you! Who ordered you to do this?” They replied, “Our lord did,” meaning Khosrau. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “But my Lord has commanded me to grow my beard and trim my moustache.”
He then said, “Return and come to me tomorrow.”
In the meantime news came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ from heaven that Allah had empowered Khosrau’s son Shīrwiyah over him, and that he had killed him in such-and-such a month, on such-and-such a night. He summoned the two envoys and informed them. They said, “Do you realise what you are saying? We have already reproached you for matters far less than this. Shall we write this about you and tell King Badhan?” He replied, “Yes—convey that from me to him, and say: ‘My religion and my dominion will reach the extent to which Khosrau’s kingdom has reached; it will spread to the furthest bounds trodden by sandal or hoof. If you accept Islam I will leave under your control everything that is now in your hand and appoint you ruler over your own people among the Persians.’ ”
He then gave Khurkhara a belt containing gold and silver that one of the kings had presented to him. The two men departed and returned to Badhan, informing him of everything that had happened. Badhan said, “By Allah, these are not the words of a king. I believe the man is indeed a prophet, just as he claims, and what he has foretold will surely come to pass. If this proves true, then he is a messenger; if not, we shall decide what to do about him.”
Not long afterwards a letter from Shīrwiyah reached Badhan:
“To proceed: I have killed Khosrau, and I did so only out of anger for Persia, because he had deemed it lawful to kill her nobles and to slaughter them on her frontiers. When this letter of mine reaches you, secure the allegiance of those under your authority for me, and go to the man about whom Khosrau wrote; do not molest him until further instructions reach you from me.”
When Shīrwiyah’s letter reached him, Badhan declared, “This man is indeed a messenger.” He embraced Islam, as did the Persian abnāʾ who were in Yemen.
Abadhūyeh later told Badhan, “I have never spoken to anyone who inspired more awe in me than he did.” Badhan asked him, “Did he have any guards with him?” He replied, “No.”
Al-Waqidī (1), may Allah have mercy on him, said: “Khosrau was killed at the hands of his son Shīrwiyah on the night of Tuesday, ten nights having passed of Jumādā al-Awwal in the seventh year after the Hijrah, six hours into the night.”