Abu Sufyan travelled to Greater Syria with a party from Quraysh and was brought before Heraclius, who at that time ruled the Christians while the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—was still alive. Heraclius had studied the Torah and the Gospel and was well-versed in the earlier scriptures; he was an intelligent monarch. When he learned that Abu Sufyan and his companions from the Ḥijaz had arrived, he summoned them and began to question them about the Prophet ﷺ: his lineage, his Companions, the respect they showed him, and his fidelity. With every answer they gave, Heraclius became more certain that this was the very Prophet foretold in the previous books; yet—Allah’s refuge is sought—he clung to his throne and, by the wisdom Allah had decreed, did not embrace Islam.

He then asked Abu Sufyan what the Prophet ﷺ commanded them to do. Abu Sufyan replied that he tells them to worship Allah alone and not to associate anything with Him: not an angel, not a messenger, not tree or stone, not sun or moon, nor anything else. Worship is due to Allah alone. This very message of pure monotheism is what every messenger before him brought. Allah the Exalted says, “We never sent a messenger before you without revealing to him, ‘There is no deity but I—so worship Me.’” (Al-Anbiya 21:25)

He also says, “We sent into every nation a messenger, [declaring], ‘Worship Allah and shun false gods.’” (Al-Nahl 16:36) That is: worship Allah and avoid polytheism. Such is the universal call of all the messengers, and the Prophet ﷺ came with precisely the same call—to worship Allah alone with no partner.

He further says, “Abandon what your forefathers followed.” Observe his frank proclamation of the truth: everything their forefathers practised of idol-worship, the Prophet ﷺ commanded them to leave. As for the virtuous morals their forefathers possessed, he did not order them to abandon those.