THE POCKET GUIDE · PAGE 135
Heraclius and Muhammad
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| Heraclius | Heraclius made a statement that shocked his generals and the nobles standing in the room: |
“If what you say is true, he will soon conquer the ground beneath my very feet. I knew (from the Scriptures) that he was going to emerge, but I did not think he would be from among you. If I knew I could reach him, I would have endured any hardship to meet him; and if I were with him, I would surely
wash his feet”. Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim
Heraclius Judging Muhammad
Heraclius did not judge the Prophet by miracles; he could present, but he judged him by character. He used his Roman logic to realize that a man who never lied to any one, would not lie about The Creator of the Universe and all beings. In that moment, the Emperor saw the future; he realized his empire’s walls could stop armies, but they could not stop the “sweetness of faith”.
It is a stunning historical coincidence that Muhammad received the first divine revelation in the very same year that Heraclius was crowned Emperor in Constantinople (610 CE).
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