There are instances according to Islamic tradition where Muhammad is thought to have sent letters to other heads of state during the Medinan phase of his life. Amongst others, these included the Negus of Axum, the Byzantine emperor Heraclius (r. 610–641), the Muqawqis of Egypt and the Sasanid emperor Khosrau II (r. 590–628).
There has been controversy amongst academic scholars as to their authenticity.According to Martin Forward, academics have treated some reports with skepticism, although he argues that it is likely that Muhammad had assumed correspondence with leaders
within the Arabian Peninsula.Robert Bertram Serjeant opines that the letters are forgeries and were designed to promote both the ‘notion that Muhammad conceived of Islam as a universal religion and to strengthen the Islamic position against Christian polemic.
He further argues the unlikelihood of Muhammad sending such letters when he had not yet mastered Arabia.Irfan Shahid, professor of the Arabic language and Islamic literature at Georgetown University, contends that dismissing the letters sent by Muhammad as forgeries is “unjustified”, pointing to recent research establishing the historicity of the letter to Heraclius as an example.
