History Student Reacts to Early Muslim Expansion Part 1/4 by Kings and Generals 

i have to say i love the commentary and explanation can't wait for the rest Parts

This is in Sahih al Bukhari which is considered to be completely authentic. Narrated from Abdullah ibn Abbas Abu Sufyan bin Harb informed me that Heraclius had sent a messenger to him while he had been accompanying a caravan from Quraish. They were merchants doing business in Sham (Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan), at the time when Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) had truce with Abu Sufyan and Quraish infidels. So Abu Sufyan and his companions went to Heraclius at Ilya (Jerusalem). Heraclius called them in the court and he had all the senior Roman dignitaries around him. He called for his translator who, translating Heraclius's question said to them, "Who amongst you is closely related to that man who claims to be a Prophet?" Abu Sufyan replied, "I am the nearest relative to him (amongst the group)." Heraclius said, "Bring him (Abu Sufyan) close to me and make his companions stand behind him." Abu Sufyan added, Heraclius told his translator to tell my companions that he wanted to put some questions to me regarding that man (The Prophet) and that if I told a lie they (my companions) should contradict me." Abu Sufyan added, "By Allah! Had I not been afraid of my companions labeling me a liar, I would not have spoken the truth about the Prophet. The first question he asked me about him was: 'What is his family status amongst you?' I replied, 'He belongs to a good (noble) family amongst us.' Heraclius further asked, 'Has anybody amongst you ever claimed the same (i.e. to be a Prophet) before him?' I replied, 'No.' He said, 'Was anybody amongst his ancestors a king?' I replied, 'No.' Heraclius asked, 'Do the nobles or the poor follow him?' I replied, 'It is the poor who follow him.' He said, 'Are his followers increasing decreasing (day by day)?' I replied, 'They are increasing.' He then asked, 'Does anybody amongst those who embrace his religion become displeased and renounce the religion afterwards?' I replied, 'No.' Heraclius said, 'Have you ever accused him of telling lies before his claim (to be a Prophet)?' I replied, 'No. ' Heraclius said, 'Does he break his promises?' I replied, 'No. We are at truce with him but we do not know what he will do in it.' I could not find opportunity to say anything against him except that. Heraclius asked, 'Have you ever had a war with him?' I replied, 'Yes.' Then he said, 'What was the outcome of the battles?' I replied, 'Sometimes he was victorious and sometimes we.' Heraclius said, 'What does he order you to do?' I said, 'He tells us to worship Allah and Allah alone and not to worship anything along with Him, and to renounce all that our ancestors had said. He orders us to pray, to speak the truth, to be chaste and to keep good relations with our Kith and kin.' Heraclius asked the translator to convey to me the following, I asked you about his family and your reply was that he belonged to a very noble family. In fact all the Apostles come from noble families amongst their respective peoples. I questioned you whether anybody else amongst you claimed such a thing, your reply was in the negative. If the answer had been in the affirmative, I would have thought that this man was following the previous man's statement. Then I asked you whether anyone of his ancestors was a king. Your reply was in the negative, and if it had been in the affirmative, I would have thought that this man wanted to take back his ancestral kingdom. I further asked whether he was ever accused of telling lies before he said what he said, and your reply was in the negative. So I wondered how a person who does not tell a lie about others could ever tell a lie about Allah. I, then asked you whether the rich people followed him or the poor. You replied that it was the poor who followed him. And in fact all the Apostle have been followed by this very class of people. Then I asked you whether his followers were increasing or decreasing. You replied that they were increasing, and in fact this is the way of true faith, till it is complete in all respects. I further asked you whether there was anybody, who, after embracing his religion, became displeased and discarded his religion. Your reply was in the negative, and in fact this is (the sign of) true faith, when its delight enters the hearts and mixes with them completely. I asked you whether he had ever betrayed. You replied in the negative and likewise the Apostles never betray. Then I asked you what he ordered you to do. You replied that he ordered you to worship Allah and Allah alone and not to worship any thing along with Him and forbade you to worship idols and ordered you to pray, to speak the truth and to be chaste. If what you have said is true, he will very soon occupy this place underneath my feet and I knew it (from the scriptures) that he was going to appear but I did not know that he would be from you, and if I could reach him definitely, I would go immediately to meet him and if I were with him, I would certainly wash his feet.' Heraclius then asked for the letter addressed by Allah's Apostle which was delivered by Dihya to the Governor of Busra, who forwarded it to Heraclius to read. The contents of the letter were as follows: "In the name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful (This letter is) from Muhammad the slave of Allah and His Apostle to Heraclius the ruler of Byzantine. Peace be upon him, who follows the right path. Furthermore I invite you to Islam, and if you become a Muslim you will be safe, and Allah will double your reward, and if you reject this invitation of Islam you will be committing a sin of Arisiyin (tillers, farmers i.e. your people). And (Allah's Statement:) 'O people of the scripture! Come to a word common to you and us that we worship none but Allah and that we associate nothing in worship with Him, and that none of us shall take others as Lords beside Allah. Then, if they turn away, say: Bear witness that we are Muslims (those who have surrendered to Allah).' (3:64). Abu Sufyan then added, "When Heraclius had finished his speech and had read the letter, there was a great hue and cry in the Royal Court. So we were turned out of the court. I told my companions that the question of Ibn-Abi-Kabsha) (the Prophet (ﷺ) Muhammad) has become so prominent that even the King of Bani Al-Asfar (Byzantine) is afraid of him. Then I started to become sure that he (the Prophet) would be the conqueror in the near future till I embraced Islam (i.e. Allah guided me to it)." The sub narrator adds, "Ibn An-Natur was the Governor of llya' (Jerusalem) and Heraclius was the head of the Christians of Sham. Ibn An-Natur narrates that once while Heraclius was visiting ilya' (Jerusalem), he got up in the morning with a sad mood. Some of his priests asked him why he was in that mood? Heraclius was a foreteller and an astrologer. He replied, 'At night when I looked at the stars, I saw that the leader of those who practice circumcision had appeared (become the conqueror). Who are they who practice circumcision?' The people replied, 'Except the Jews nobody practices circumcision, so you should not be afraid of them (Jews). 'Just Issue orders to kill every Jew present in the country.' While they were discussing it, a messenger sent by the king of Ghassan to convey the news of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) to Heraclius was brought in. Having heard the news, he (Heraclius) ordered the people to go and see whether the messenger of Ghassan was circumcised. The people, after seeing him, told Heraclius that he was circumcised. Heraclius then asked him about the Arabs. The messenger replied, 'Arabs also practice circumcision.' (After hearing that) Heraclius remarked that sovereignty of the 'Arabs had appeared. Heraclius then wrote a letter to his friend in Rome who was as good as Heraclius in knowledge. Heraclius then left for Homs. (a town in Syrian and stayed there till he received the reply of his letter from his friend who agreed with him in his opinion about the emergence of the Prophet (ﷺ) and the fact that he was a Prophet. On that Heraclius invited all the heads of the Byzantines to assemble in his palace at Homs. When they assembled, he ordered that all the doors of his palace be closed. Then he came out and said, 'O Byzantines! If success is your desire and if you seek right guidance and want your empire to remain then give a pledge of allegiance to this Prophet (i.e. embrace Islam).' (On hearing the views of Heraclius) the people ran towards the gates of the palace like onagers but found the doors closed. Heraclius realized their hatred towards Islam and when he lost the hope of their embracing Islam, he ordered that they should be brought back in audience. (When they returned) he said, 'What already said was just to test the strength of your conviction and I have seen it.' The people prostrated before him and became pleased with him, and this was the end of Heraclius's story (in connection with his faith).

You ask how the Arabs have talented and great generals you will see in next season why .. because in the first part of the next season video kings and generals will talk about the Arabs and how they fight and what gave them this experience in fighting.. I don't want to spoil it 🌚

When persian empror tore the prophet letter the prophet said to him " Your kingdom will tear up like you tore my letter" after the prophet said this take 10 years the persian empire had been wipe out on the map in the world like they never exist before during the time of second caliph Omar

17:00 its true story....

Arabs looked good in these stories because the conquest overall was incredibly one-sided. Between Abu Bakr and Omar, you have roughly 10 or so years where both the Sassanids and the Bezantines were obliterated. Individual skill of Muslim warriors had to be super high to enable it. They also came out of a civil war and a lifestyle of raiding and tons and tons of single combat. So yes, it's very likely that the duels were super one-sided.

the Sassanian commander not having luck with the duel because of their armor, its too heavy, the Arabs only wear lamelar and leather armor so they move faster, so the Sassanian commander who usually wore more heavy armor then normal soldier would be very slow and heavy and tired especially in the heat of the desert , but the Arabs were used to it and only wear light clothing. So the advantage that the Muslim commander have is their disadvantage. Same story with the battle of hasting with the French who cannot move fast enough and stuck in mud compared to their English enemies. xD

A really great cover-up, Although it has its inaccuracies but overall for someone who isn't an Arab or a Muslim, This is a good series. For the inaccuracies for Example in this video about the letters sent to the rulers, It's not the one sent to Heraclius that was killed, It was the one sent to the ruler of Gassan. A separate letter was sent to Heraclius and another to Gassan and It's the one sent to Gassan that was killed.

Khalid was arguably one of the greatest military commanders from 500 to 640 CE

The other videos are part of season 2 so just watch the long season 2 video next

Yes, u are right. One roman empire actually was considering to accepting islam, and what ever you said, is true.

Can’t wait till next episode

Awesome video !

14:07 please don't disrespect, it was migration to avoid the atrocities of meccan pagans,

The story you are referring to is told by Muslims because it involved one of Muhammad's companions. The story is that Heracles received the message from Muhammad. He was in Syria at the time where the Quraysh would often trade with the Byzantines. Heracles summoned one of the Quraysh who often went to Syria for trade - Abu Sufyan, who was one of the leaders of the Quraysh and a major opponent of Muhammad at the time. Heracles questioned Abu Sufyan about the character of Muhammad. He asked several questions which included if Muhammad had a history of lying. Abu Sufyan, though he wanted to lie but couldn't because he feared the other Arabs in his retinue would call him out on it, told the truth stating Muhammad had a reputation for his honesty before his prophethood. Heracles then asked who follows Muhammad and Abu Sufyan said mainly the poor and slaves. Heracles replied this sounds true as the prophets from the past were also followed by the poor and slaves. However, Heracles never accepted Islam as it would mean losing his emperorship and would cause massive problems for the Byzantines.

It's not a wrong story, it's a true story of Cesar heraclius that knew that mohamed is a prophet and he didn't convert to Islam

Amazing work

A really great series

Okay, having seen your videos, I will add some further commentary. P art 1 gives people the backstory, and essentially covers the rise of the muslim faith juxtaposed with the most recent Roman/Byzantine - Persian/Sassanid wars from the early 600s until circa 636-7, concluding with the battles of Yarmouk and Al-Qadisiah. It includes the Herija (flight from Mecca to Medina), and is essentially the rule of the Prophet and the first Caliph Abu Bakr, and the start of the Second Caliph Umar. Several notable figures in Islamic history are featured, including (but not limited to) Khalid Ibn Waleed (The Sword of Allah), Saad, Abu Ubaidah and Qaqr bin Amar.

"Never has a man set for himself, voluntarily or involuntarily, a more sublime aim, since this aim was superhuman; to subvert superstitions which had been imposed between man and his Creator, to render God unto man and man unto God; to restore the rational and sacred idea of divinity amidst the chaos of the material and disfigured gods of idolatry, then existing. Never has a man undertaken a work so far beyond human power with so feeble means, for he had in the conception as well as in the execution of such a great design, no other instrument than himself and no other aid except a handful of men living in a corner of the desert. Finally, never has a man accomplished such a huge and lasting revolution in the world, because in less than two centuries after its appearance, Islam, in faith and in arms, reigned over the whole of Arabia, and conquered, in God's name, Persia Khorasan, Transoxania, Western India, Syria, Egypt, Abyssinia, all the known continent of Northern Africa, numerous islands of the Mediterranean Sea, Spain, and part of Gaul. "If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astonishing results are the three criteria of a human genius, who could dare compare any great man in history with Muhammad? The most famous men created arms, laws, and empires only. They founded, if anything at all, no more than material powers which often crumbled away before their eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislations, empires, peoples, dynasties, but millions of men in one-third of the then inhabited world; and more than that, he moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and the souls. "On the basis of a Book, every letter which has become law, he created a spiritual nationality which blend together peoples of every tongue and race. He has left the indelible characteristic of this Muslim nationality the hatred of false gods and the passion for the One and Immaterial God. This avenging patriotism against the profanation of Heaven formed the virtue of the followers of Muhammad; the conquest of one-third the earth to the dogma was his miracle; or rather it was not the miracle of man but that of reason. "The idea of the unity of God, proclaimed amidst the exhaustion of the fabulous theogonies, was in itself such a miracle that upon it's utterance from his lips it destroyed all the ancient temples of idols and set on fire one-third of the world. His life, his meditations, his heroic revelings against the superstitions of his country, and his boldness in defying the furies of idolatry, his firmness in enduring them for fifteen years in Mecca, his acceptance of the role of public scorn and almost of being a victim of his fellow countrymen... This dogma was twofold the unity of God and the immateriality of God: the former telling what God is, the latter telling what God is not; the one overthrowing false gods with the sword, the other starting an idea with words. "Philosopher, Orator, Apostle, Legislator, Conqueror of Ideas, Restorer of Rational beliefs.... The founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he?" Tribute by a French man: Alphonse de LaMartaine in 'Historie de la Turquie,' Paris, 1854 Michael Hart in 'The 100, A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons In History,' New York, 1978. My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world’s most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the secular and religious level. ...It is probable that the relative influence of Muhammad on Islam has been larger than the combined influence of Jesus Christ and St. Paul on Christianity. ...It is this unparalleled combination of secular and religious influence which I feel entitles Muhammad to be considered the most influential single figure in human history.

Still I enjoyed your commentary 👊💯

Do the first session the one you are covering now and after that the the second session the conquest of Egypt and the rest of Persia that also will be another 2 and half hours and after that do the smaller ones that's the best way in my opinion

After you are finished watch the video about pre-Islamic Arabia.

There are lots of baises in how different group narrate history!

Can you please check out more Extra history contents? Like the one on Justinian.

Can you react to the evolution of Indo European from this channel?

There is no nation preserved their history accurately as Muslims, even if you look at it from secular perspective.. There methodology which known as “ ‘lm Alhadeth” is unique.

You should check out Extra history’s series on Khosru.

👍👍👍

Tq for early Islam conquest

the long video is the fist part of the list sow u have to continue to watch all the list 0:48

The Sasanids empire was severely weakened by the civil wars that it was just a shadow of it's former self

This will be an interesting series. It is impossible to make a coherent, detailed history of the early Conquests that doesn’t overly rely on a lot of historiographically suspect Arabic works that were committed to paper centuries later. A lot of the really literarily pleasing anecdotes about the arrogant and corrupt Byzantine and Persian commanders/ armies coming up against the austere and pious Muslim warriors is transmitted uncritically by Kings and Generals.

You talk too much

The whole series is more fantasy than anything. Early islamic historiography is a joke because of political and religious controversies. The channel used used wikipedia as the main source and the wiki pages on early islamic military conflict are controlled by 1 egyptian, its like the scots wikipedia situation. Which resulted in rome and sassanids being able to raise 10x more troops than in their final war shortly before despite being completely exhausted and a plaque.