Abu Nu'aym's Dala'il — the letter to Chosroes and its tearing

دلائل النبوة لأبي نعيم — كتاب كسرى وتمزيقه

In chapter seventeen Abu Nu'aym reports from Ibn Abbas that the Prophet ﷺ sent his letter to Chosroes and when it was read he tore it up; Ibn Shihab cites Ibn al-Musayyab saying the Prophet prayed against those who would tear every letter. A second chain has Abdullah ibn Hudhafa ibn Qays ibn Udayyib carrying the letter to Chosroes son of Hurmuz, king of Persia: 'From Muhammad, the Messenger of God, the unlettered prophet, to Chosroes, great king of Persia: peace be on whoever follows guidance and believes in God and His Messenger... I call you to God's call; I am God's messenger to all people to warn the living, and woe to the disbelievers. Submit and you will be safe, or the sin of the Magians be upon you.' When it was read he split it saying: does he write to me with such a letter? The author presents it among proofs of the mission's reach to the greatest kings of its age.

Depth

At a glance

«من محمد رسول الله النبي الأمي إلى كسرى عظيم فارس، سلام على من اتبع الهدى وآمن بالله ورسوله وشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، وأن محمداً عبده ورسوله، أدعوك بدعاية الله»

A verbatim excerpt of the text, forty words at most; the full text is in the edition cited under sources

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Part of: Dalail al-Nubuwwa — Abu Nu'aym al-Isbahani
Mentions: Muhammad

People and things also explored

Abu Nu'aym's Dala'il — Quraysh sends Utba ibn Rabi'a· Abu Nu'aym's Dala'il — the moon's splitting on Ibn Mas'ud's authority· Abu Nu'aym's Dala'il — Ja'far's defence before the Negus· Abu Nu'aym's Dala'il — water gushing from between the fingers, travel and stay· al-Amin, the Trustworthy (the Prophet's title before his mission)· Hadith· Wrestling· Shama'il Muhammadiyya

Sources

Dalail al-Nubuwwa — Abu Nu'aym al-Isbahani (Dar al-Nafa'is)

Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Abu Nu'aym's Dala'il — the letter to Chosroes and its tearing”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/passage/dalail-anuaym-kisra-mamzuq/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-11-11.

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Abu Nu'aym's Dala'il — Quraysh sends Utba ibn Rabi'a

In chapter fifteen Abu Nu'aym reports from Jabir ibn Abd Allah that the Quraysh agreed to send to the man who had split their community — their most learned in magic, soothsaying and poetry — and chose Utba ibn Rabi'a. Utba asked 'are you better than Abd Allah?', then Abd al-Muttalib, then Hashim, and the Prophet remained silent each time; then Utba said: if you claim to be better than them, speak so we hear you — we have never seen a fool more ominous for his people, who scattered our community and disgraced us among the Arabs until word spread that Quraysh has a sorcerer and a soothsayer. The author presents it as the chief polemical pressure the Prophet faced, answered in the book by the signs that appeared.