and dispatched it to one of his slave girls. He then summoned his secretary who could write in Arabic, and he wrote:

“In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

To Muhammad son of ʿAbd Allah, from al-Muqawqis, ruler of the Copts. Peace be upon you. To proceed: I have read your letter, understood what you mentioned therein, and comprehended the call you are making. I know that one prophet was yet to come, and I had thought he would appear in Syria. I have honored your envoy and have sent you two maidservants who hold high standing among the Copts, together with a set of clothes, and I have gifted you a mule for you to ride. Peace be upon you.” (He added nothing further.) (1)

The two maidservants were Maria and Sirin, and the mule was Duldul; it remained until the caliphate of Muʿāwiyah.

Ḥāṭib said, “I reported his statement to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he remarked, ‘The wretch has clung jealously to his kingdom, yet his kingdom will not endure.’” (2)

Section

Likewise, the two sons of al-Julandā—rulers of ʿUmān and its surroundings and counted among the Christian kings—accepted Islam willingly and by their own choice. We shall now relate their story and the letter the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent to them; its wording was as follows:

“In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

From Muhammad son of ʿAbd Allah to Jayfar and ʿAbd, the sons of al-Julandā. Peace be upon whoever follows the guidance. To proceed: I summon you with the call of Islam; embrace Islam and you will be safe. For I am the Messenger of Allah to all people, so that I may warn whoever is alive…"