in his assembly, surrounded by the Roman nobles. Then he invited them and called for his interpreter, and said: "Who among you is closest in kinship to this man who claims to be a prophet?" Abū Sufyān said: "I am the closest in kinship." He said: "Bring him closer to me, and place his companions behind him." Then he said to his interpreter: "Tell them: I will ask this man, and if he lies to me, then refute him. By Allāh, if it were not for the shame of being accused of lying, I would have lied about him." Then the first thing he asked me was: "How is his lineage among you?" I said: "He is of noble lineage among us." He said: "Has anyone among you ever claimed this before him?" I said: "No." He said: "Was there a king among his ancestors?" I said: "No." He said: "Do the noble or the weak among the people follow him?" I said: "Rather, the weak among them." He said: "Are they increasing or decreasing?" I said: "Rather, they are increasing." He said: "Does anyone among them renounce his religion out of displeasure after entering it?" I said: "No." He said: "Did you accuse him of lying before he said what he said?" I said: "No." He said: "Does he betray?" I said: "No, and we are in a truce with him, and we do not know what he will do in it." He said: "I could not insert anything except this word." He said: "Did you fight him?" I said: "Yes." He said: "How was your fighting with him?" I said: "The war between us and him is alternating; he inflicts losses on us and we inflict losses on him." He said: "What does he command you?" I said: "He says: Worship Allāh alone and do not associate anything with Him, and abandon what your forefathers say. He commands us to pray, to be truthful, to be chaste, and to maintain ties." He said to the interpreter: "Tell him: I asked you about his lineage, and you mentioned that he is of noble lineage among you; likewise, the messengers are sent from the noble lineage of their people. I asked you: Has anyone among you claimed this before him? You mentioned that no one has; so I said: If someone had said this before him, I would have said: A man following a statement said before him. I asked you: Was there a king among his ancestors? You mentioned that there was not; so I said: If there had been a king among his ancestors, I would have said: A man seeking the kingdom of his father. I asked you: Did you accuse him of lying before he said what he said? You mentioned that you did not; so I know that he would not abandon lying..
في مجلسه، وحوله عظماء الروم، ثم دعاهم ودعا بترجمانه، فقال: أيكم أقرب نسباً بهذا الرجل الذي يزعم أنه نبي؛ فقال أبو سفيان: فقلت: أنا أقربهم نسباً، فقال: أدنوه مني، وقربوا أصحابه فاجعلوهم عند ظهره، ثم قال لترجمانه: قل لهم: إني سائل هذا الرجل، فإن كذبني فكذبوه، فوالله لولا الحياء من أن يأثروا عليَّ كذباً لكذبت عنه، ثم كان أول ما سألني عنه؛ أن قال: كيف نسبه فيكم؛ قلت: هو فينا ذو نسب، قال: فهل قال هذا القول منكم أحد قط قبله؟ قلت: لا، قال: فهل كان من آبائه من ملك؟ قلت: لا، قال: فأشراف الناس يتبعونه أم ضعفاؤهم؟ فقلت: بل ضعفاؤهم، قال: أيزيدون أم ينقصون؟ قلت: بل يزيدون، قال: فهل يرتد أحد منهم سُخطة لدينه بعد أن يدخل فيه؟ قلت: لا، قال: فهل كنت تتهمونه بالكذب قبل أن يقول ما قال؟ قلت: لا، قال: فهل يغدر؟ قلت: لا، ونحن منه في مدَّة لا ندري ما هو فاعل فيها؟! قال: ولم تمكنِّي كلمة أدخل فيها شيئاً غير هذه الكلمة، قال: فهل قاتلتموه؟ قلت: نعم، قال: فكيف كان قتالكم إياه؟ قلت: الحرب بيننا وبينه سجال، ينال منا وننال منه، قال: ماذا يأمركم؟ قلت: يقول: اعبدوا الله وحده ولا تشركوا به شيئاً، واتركوا ما يقول آباؤكم، ويأمرنا بالصلاة والصدق والعفاف والصِّلة. فقال للترجمان: قل له: سألتك عن نسبه؟ فذكرت أنه فيكم ذو نسب؛ فكذلك الرسل تبعث في نسب قومها، وسألتك: هل قال أحد منكم هذا القول؟ فذكرت أن لا؛ فقلت: لو كان أحد قال هذ القول قبله؛ لقلت: رجل يأتسي بقول قيل قبله، وسألتك: هل كان من آبائه من ملك؛ فذكرت أن لا، قلت: فلو كان من آبائه من ملك؛ قلت: رجل يطلب ملك أبيه، وسألتك: هل كنتم تتهمونه بالكذب قبل أن يقول ما قال؟ فذكرت أن لا، فقد أعرف أنه لم يكن ليذر الكذب