The king of Yamama, Hawza b. Ali was a Christian.

The Prophet appointed Salit bin Amr to Yamama to invite Hawza b. Ali to Islam in the month of Muharram in the 7th year of the Migration and gave him a letter.[1]

When Salit b. Amr took the letter, he travelled without having a rest and reached the king; he gave the letter to the king. When the king made somebody read the letter, he heard the following:

“Bismillahirrahmanirrahim!

From Muhammad, the Messenger of God, to Hawza b. Ali!

Peace be upon those who are on the right path.

You should know it very well that my religion will soon glitter on the farthest horizons. Therefore, O Hawza, become a Muslim so that you will reach salvation. Then, I will let you rule your country.”[2]

Hawza stated that he would not accept this invitation using a kind language. However, Salit told him that he was doing wrong and asked him to accept the invitation. Nevertheless, Hawza did not become a Muslim. Doubtlessly, his desire to continue his sovereignty played an important role in rejecting the invitation. He himself said to a Christian notable as follows:

“I am the king of my nation. If I obeyed him, I could not rule my nation any longer.”[3]

However, Hawza gave a letter and some presents to Salit to give to the Prophet.

The Curse of the Prophet on Hawza

Salit b. Amr returned to Madinah and went to the presence of the Messenger of God. After telling the Prophet what had happened, he gave the letter of Hawza to the Prophet. Hawza wrote the following in the letter:  

“What you invite me to is very good and nice.

I am the orator and poet of my nation. Arabs are afraid of my nation. Give me some authority of your affair so that I will obey you.”[4]

The Messenger of God said, “I will not give him even a raw date on the ground”, for his inappropriate request. Then, he damned Hawza because he prevented many people who obeyed him from becoming Muslims by saying, “May everything in your hand be destroyed!”[5]

One year after this incident, Gabriel came to the Prophet and said that Hawza had died as an unbeliever.[6]

Thus, the Messenger of God informed all of the rulers of that period about Islam through the envoys and invitation letters he sent to them and made the whole world hear about Islam.

The answer of the rulers of the two big states of that time, Abyssinia and Byzantine states, was quite positive. The Negus of Abyssinia became a Muslim. Heraklius accepted that Hazrat Muhammad was the true Prophet that was expected but he avoided believing due to his worldly sovereignty. Similarly, Muqawqis, the king of Egypt, welcomed the envoy and the letter of the Prophet and gave him a positive answer. Hawza b. Ali, the ruler of Yamama, welcomed the envoy of the Prophet and stated that he did not accept the invitation using a kind language.

The remaining two rulers answered the invitation negatively. Moreover, one of them, the Chosroes of Persia, tore the letter of the Prophet. The other, Harith b. Abi Shimr, the king of Ghassan, threw the letter of the invitation of the Prophet on the ground.

 

[1]Ibn Hisham, Sirah, Vol. 4, p. 254.

[2]Ibn Qayyim, Zadu’l-Maad, Vol. 3, p. 74; Halabi, Insanu’l-Uyun, Vol. 3, p. 303.

[3]Ibn Sayyid, Uyun al-Athar, Vol. 2, p. 270.

[4]Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, Vol. 1, p. 262; Halabi, Insanu’l-Uyun, Vol. 3, p. 303.

[5]Ibn Sa’d, ibid, Vol. 1, p. 262; Ibn Qayyim, Zadu’l-Maad, Vol. 3, p. 74; Halabi, ibid, Vol. 3, p. 303.

[6]Ibn Sa’d, ibid, Vol. 1, p. 262; Ibn Sayyid, ibid, Vol. 2, p. 270.