Once the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) had found his mind at ease about the status of the Message within the whole of Hijaz, he (pbuh) initiated his Da’wah of relentlessly spreading Islam beyond Hijaz, for Islam is a universal Deen and he (pbuh) was sent to the whole of mankind. Allah (swt) says in Surah al-Anbiya’,
“And We have not sent you but as a Mercy for the ‘Alamin.” [Al-Anbiya, 21:107]
Allah (swt) also says in Surah Saba’,
“And We have not sent you except as a giver of glad tidings and a warner to all mankind.” [Saba’, 34:28]
Allah (swt) says in Surah al-Taubah,
“It is He Who has sent His Messenger with Guidance and the Deen of Truth (Islam),to make it superior over all deens even though the Mushrikun hate it.” [At-Tauba, 9:33]
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) initiated contact abroad once he had secured 94 The Islamic State and strengthened the State and the Islamic Da’wah at home. He (pbuh) began by sending envoys abroad. He (pbuh) considered the scope of foreign policy to cover any part of the Peninsula which was not under his rule. Once the whole of Hijaz had fallen under his r’s rule, foreign policy came to be defined as the dealings with any land outside the Hijaz, such as the Persian and Roman empires. Now that he (pbuh) had signed the treaty of Hudaybiyah and the authority of Khaybar had been eliminated, the entire Hijaz came under his rule, for the Quraysh no longer had the force to stand in his way. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) therefore sent his envoys abroad. However, he (pbuh) did not do so until he (pbuh) had ensured that his authority at home was strong enough to support his foreign policy.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) told his Sahabah one day after returning from Khaybar, “O people! Verily Allah has sent me as a mercy to all mankind, so do not differ about me like the Hawaryyun differed about ‘Isa, son of Maryam.” The Sahabah asked, “And how did the Hawaryyun differ O Messenger of Allah?” He (pbuh) said, “He invited them to what I invited you, as for the one who was sent to a near place he accepted, while the one who was sent to a far place he disliked and slowed down.” And he (pbuh) mentioned to them that he would send envoys to Heraclius (the Emperor of Rome), Chosroes (the Emperor of Persia), al-Muqawqis (the King of Egypt), al-Harith al-Ghassani (the King of al-Hirah), al-Harith al-Himyari (the King of Yemen) and to al-Najashi (the King of Abyssinia), inviting them to Islam. The Sahabah of Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) responded positively and they made a silver seal for him with the words “Muhammad the Messenger of Allah” engraved on it. He (pbuh) then sent his envoys with the messages he had written, inviting these rulers to Islam. His message to Heraclius was assigned to Dahiah ibn Khaleefah al-Kalbi; the one to Chosroes was assigned to ‘Abdullah ibn Hudhayfah al-Sahmi; that of al-Najashi to ‘Umar ibn Umayyah al- Damri; that of al-Muqawqis to Hatib ibn Abi Balta’a; that of the King of ‘Uman to ‘Amr Ibn al-’As al-Sahmi; that of the King of al-Yamamah to Sulait ibn ‘Amr; that of the King of Bahrain to al-’Ala’ ibn al-Hadhrami; that of al-Harith al- Ghassani, King of Tukhum al-Sham to Shuja’ ibn Wahab al-Asadi; and the message to al-Harith al-Himyari was assigned to al-Muhajir ibn Umayyah al- Makhzumy.
The envoys simultaneously set off, each one to where Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) had sent them. They delivered their messages and most of those leaders whom Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) had addressed replied somewhat favorably, while some replied in the negative and very rudely. As for the Arab rulers, the Kings of Yemen and ‘Uman replied rudely; the King of Bahrain responded positively and embraced Islam; the King of Yamamah replied that he was ready to embrace Islam if he were to be appointed ruler, so Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) condemned him. As for the non-Arab rulers, Chosroes, the Persian monarch, was enraged and tore up the message when it was read to him. He wrote to Badhan, his governor in Yemen, asking him for the head of that man in Hijaz.
When Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) heard this he said, “May Allah tear up his kingdom.” However, when the message of Chosroes reached his governor Badhan in Yemen, he inquired about Islam and soon declared his acceptance of it. He remained Muhammad’s governor over Yemen, although he was not actually al-Harith al-Himyari, King of Yemen. As for al-Muqawqis, the Leader of the Copts, he answered favorably and sent a present to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). Al-Najashi also answered favorably, and it was said that he embraced Islam. As for Heraclius, he did not actually pay any attention to the message, neither did he contemplate sending an army nor did he say anything. When al- Harith al-Ghassani sought permission to head an army to punish this preacher (Muhammad (pbuh), he did not reply to him, but summoned him to al-Quds (Jerusalem).
As a result of these messages, the Arabs began entering the Deen of Allah in multitudes, their congregations hurried to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) proclaiming their Islam. For the non-Arabs, Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) prepared a task force and declared Jihad against them.