The Prophet's letter of safe-conduct to Yuhanna ibn Ru'ba and the people of Ayla
كتاب الرسول ليحنة بن رؤبة وأهل أيلة
A letter of safe-conduct the Prophet wrote for Yuhanna ibn Ru'ba and the people of Ayla, their ships and their caravans on land and sea, and whoever was with them of the people of al-Sham, Yemen and the sea; it places them under the protection of God and of Muhammad, stipulates that the property of whoever among them commits a wrong shall not shield him personally, and that they may not be barred from water they come to or a road they wish on land or sea.
At a glance
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Summary
A writ of safe-conduct the Prophet wrote for Yuhanna ibn Ru'ba and the people of Ayla — their ships and their caravans on land and sea, and whoever was with them of the people of Syria, Yemen and the coast — granting them God's covenant and Muhammad's covenant, and stating that whoever of them commits an offence, his wealth does not save himself, and that they may not be barred from water they come to nor a road they seek on land or sea. 1
Note
Ibn Ishaq transmits the writ's text; only its summary is kept here, since the full text exceeds the quotation limit (forty words). 1
Connections
People and things also explored
The treaty with Yuhanna ibn Ru'ba, lord of AylaYuhanna ibn Ru'baThe expedition to TabukMuhammadTabukAyla
Sources
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/169
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The Prophet's letter of safe-conduct to Yuhanna ibn Ru'ba and the people of Ayla”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/work/covenant-of-ayla/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.