هرقل
Hirakl
Person
The Byzantine emperor (610–641), who according to Muslim sources received a letter from the Prophet inviting him to Islam.
What it means
Sahih al-Bukhari (the seventh hadith) relates that Heraclius, receiving the letter, sent for Arab traders in his territory. He asked Abu Sufyan, then still an enemy of the Prophet, about his family, his followers, his honesty and his teaching. Heraclius said that if what Abu Sufyan said was true, “he will rule the ground beneath my feet”. He did not accept Islam. The Byzantine and Armenian sources have little on this meeting.