ABSTRACT
Soweunderstandhowdifficultitisforanhistorianto reconstructtheearlyspreadofIslaminBaI:irain. 12Al-Waqidiwrote thattheProphetsental-'Ala'al-I:Ia<;tramiwithaletterforal-Mundhir, invitinghimtoacceptIslam.Afterdeclaringhisownacceptance,alMundhirreadthemessagetothepeople,whodidnot,howeveraccordingtothesamesource-accepttheinvitationcompletely. ThereforetheProphetwroteanotherletter,whichispreservedby 'fabariAccordingtoIbnSa'dtheProphetalsowrotetotheleaderof theZoroastriancommunityinHajar,andafterrefusinghewas compelledtopaythejizyah.IboSa'dquotesotherlettersaddressed tothepeopleofHajar,whichdemonstratethedifficultiesofthe earlyspreadingofIslam.Probablythemessageswerewrittentothe leadersofthetribes,orthereligiouscommunities,withtheaimof convertingatleastsomeofthem,possiblythemostimportantones. InIbnSa'dthereisalsoanaccountofthelettersentbytheProphet invitingadelegationoftwentypersonsleadby'AbdAllahibn'Awf, whichwasmetbytheProphetinMedina.AccordingtoCaetanithis necessityforarepeatedcorrespondenceclearlydemonstratesthe oppositionfromatleastpartoftheBaI:iarinah,andprobablythemost importantones.Veryinteresting,andmostlyconfirmingtheprevious accounts,arethedatafoundinYaqiit,whichmentionthelettertoalMundhirandSlbukhtsentbytheProphetwithal-'Ala'ibn'AbdAllah al-I:Ia<;trami.Butalso,accordingtoYaqiit,theconversionwaslimited totheArabs,whiletheZoroastrianandChristiancommunities refused,andagreedtopayataxfixedatonedinar.Eventually'fabari, IbnSa'dandIbnal-AthiragreethatthespreadofIslamwasnot confrontedwithanorganizedresistance.Thosewhodidnotaccept Islameachpaidonedinar.
