Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and Contemporary Rulers

Cyrus of Alexandria

Cyrus of Alexandria was the Byzantine governor of Egypt, but he was given king-like powers during his rule. Cyrus was a supporter of the Melkites, a group of Christian sects which originated from continents within the Middle East. He was also an archbishop with a Pope-like status for the Melkites. Cyrus became known as “Al-Muqawqis” by the Arabs, and he was a very diplomatic ruler as well. He did not prefer violence and wars, but preferred writing to solve conflicts.

In the sixth year of Hijrah, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ wrote a letter to Cyrus, inviting him to Islam. The letter said;
In the name of Allah the Rahman, the Merciful. From the Apostle of Allah to the Muqawqis, Chief of the Copts. Peace be upon him who follows the guidance. Next, I summon thee with the appeal to establish peace (or submitting your will to Allah): establish peace (submit your will to Allah) and you will have peace. Allah shall give you your reward two-fold. But if you decline, then on you is the guilt of the Copts. O ye people of the Book, come unto an equal arrangement between us and you, that we should serve none save Allah, associating nothing with Him, and not taking one another for Lords besides Allah. And if ye decline, then bear witness that we have submitted our will to Allah.
The letter was sent by the companion, Hateeb ibn Abu Baltah. After reading the letter, Cyrus ordered that it be placed in a royal box (which was made out of ivory). The box was then kept safely in a treasury belonging to the Byzantine government of Egypt, but many years later, the letter was kept in an old Christian monastery and was eventually brought to Istanbul by Sultan Abdulhamid the Second, who placed it in a compartment of his royal palace.

Cyrus replied to the letter with his own letter, saying;
In the name of God, the Gracious One, the Merciful,
To Muhammad son of Abdullah from al-Muqawqis, premier of Egypt:
Peace unto thee!
Thereafter, I have already read thy letter, and comprehended what thou mentioned therein and what thou called me to. I have known that a prophet is still due to come but I thought he would emerge in the region of the Levant.
I have already treated with dignity thy messenger, and I am sending to thee two slave-girls whose position in Egypt is great, and also clothes, and I am sending as gifts to thee a she-mule for thee to ride. Then, I end here.
Peace unto thee!
When the letter was read, the Prophet said, “Miserable man! He could not risk his sovereignty but the sovereignty he loved so much will not remain!”
Cyrus sent down the slave girls Maria and her sister Shirin as gifts for the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ married Maria after she had converted to Islam, while Shirin was married to Hassan ibn Thabit, another companion of the Prophet ﷺ. Other gifts that were sent included a white mule, a donkey, a stash of gold, twenty suits made out of Egyptian fabric in the Roman style and lastly, a jar of honey.

In later years, when Amr ibn al-As led the conquest of Africa, Cyrus was entrusted with the conduct of the war. But his forces were weak, and he also wrote letters to his opposers so that he could maintain peace. He was more of a pacifist. This angered the leader of Byzantine Rome, Heraclius, who scolded him harshly. He retained his position as governor, but he later stepped down from his position. He died a year later in retirement.