He said, “Present it.” Ḥāṭib replied, “We have a religion that we will never abandon except for something better than it—and that is Islam, by which Allah has made us independent of everything else. This Prophet has called people to the truth: the harshest of them toward him were Quraysh, the most hostile to him the Jews, while the Christians are the nearest to him. By my life, Moses’s glad tidings about Jesus are just like Jesus’s glad tidings about Muhammad—may the finest blessings and peace be upon them both. Our summons to you to accept the Quran is no different from your summons to the people of the Torah to accept the Gospel. Every prophet who reaches a people counts them among his community, so it is incumbent upon them to obey him. You are among those who have encountered this Prophet. We are not forbidding you (1) from the religion of the Messiah; on the contrary, we are enjoining you to follow it.

Al-Muqawqis said, “I have reflected on the affair of this Prophet and found that he commands nothing that is disdained and forbids nothing that is desirable. I do not find him a misguided sorcerer or a lying soothsayer. I have found with him the tokens (2) of prophethood: he brings forth the unseen (3) and informs of secret conversations.” He then described to Ḥāṭib several traits of the Prophet ﷺ.

He added, “The Copts will not go along with me in following him, and I do not wish them to learn of my conversation with you. I am too protective (4) of my kingdom to relinquish it (5). Yet he will gain dominion over my lands (6), and after him his companions will descend upon this courtyard of mine (7). So return to your master.”

He then took the Prophet’s ﷺ letter, placed it in an ivory casket, sealed it, and dispatched it.