Shuja' ibn Wahb al-Asadi

Envoy to Damascus

The Prophet ﷺ sent Shuja’ ibn Wahb al-Asadi to Mundhir ibn al-Harith ibn Abi Shimar al-Ghassani. 1 Hayatus Sahaba · Vol 1 · pp. — — Kandhlawi — Shuja' sent to the Ghassani king. “Shuja’ ibn Wahb to Harith ibn Shimr al-Ghassani, the king of Damascus, and also to Jabala ibn Aiham.” 2 History of Islam · Vol 1 · pp. 211 — Najeebabadi — Shuja' sent to Harith and Jabala.

The Doorkeeper of Damascus

Shuja’ relates: “I mentioned to the doorkeeper of Harith’s court: ‘I am an emissary of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and I wish to meet the governor.’… The doorkeeper actually hailed from Rome and his name was Murri. He started asking me questions about the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. As I continued describing to him the specifics of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ he went on weeping… ‘I have read the Injil and I have come across his name and attributes in it. I hereby declare my faith in him.’” 3 Seerat-e-Mustafa · Vol 2 · pp. — — Idris Kandhlawi — Murri the doorkeeper embraces Islam at Damascus.

Harith’s Rage and the Prophet’s ﷺ Verdict

“One day Harith made his appearance in the royal court. Wearing the imperial crown on his head, he sat down in attendance. Shuja’ was given permission to enter… On reading the letter, Harith turned livid in anger, and hurling the letter aside he roared in rage: ‘Who is this man who threatens to usurp my country from me? I will pre-empt him and march against him.’ He then commanded that his horses be shod in preparation for battle. He also sent a letter describing the current events to the Roman Emperor. The Emperor replied: ‘Hold your horses and put off your plans.’”

On his return, “I recounted the entire incident before the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who remarked: ‘His country is destroyed.’ I then conveyed the Salam of Murri the doorkeeper… The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied: ‘He has spoken the truth.’” 4 Seerat-e-Mustafa · Vol 2 · pp. — — Idris Kandhlawi — Harith's rage; Caesar restrains him; the Prophet's ﷺ verdict; Murri's salam.

To Kisra Also

In a separate narration (per Bukhari), Shuja’ delivered a letter to Kisra himself: “He refused to surrender the letter and insisted that he wanted to personally hand the letter to Kisra as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had commanded him… ‘By Allah! Now that I have delivered the letter of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, I have no concern about which of the two paths I am on.’” On the Prophet’s ﷺ tongue: “Kisra has torn up his kingdom.” 5 Hayatus Sahaba · Vol 1 · pp. 155–157 — Kandhlawi — Shuja's delivery of the letter to Kisra; cited via Bukhari and others.