Was the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius a Christian or ever a Christian in his life ?

[truthseeker63]

As Salaam Alaikum my question is was the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius a Christian or ever a Christian in his life ? In Islamic History did Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him ever invite any Christian Kings or Heads of States or any other Christians to accept Islam as their religion and way of life if so how many ? Does the Quran verse below prove that the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius was a Christian since it says O People of the Book and the Letter talks about the Oneness of God thank you ?


O people of the Book, come to the word that is common between us, that we should worship none other than Allah, should not ascribe any partner to Him, and that none of us should take their fellows as Lords other than Allah.

Prophet Muhammad's (saw) Letter To Heraclius (emperor Of Byzantium

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious and Most Merciful

From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, to Hiraql, the Emperor of the Romans.

Peace be on him, who follows the right path.

After this, I invite you to the fold of Islam. Therefore, if you desire security, accept Islam. If you accept Islam, Allah shall reward you double and if you refuse to do so, the responsibility for the transgression of the entire nation, shall be yours.

O people of the Book, come to the word that is common between us, that we should worship none other than Allah, should not ascribe any partner to Him, and that none of us should take their fellows as Lords other than Allah.

If you deny this, you must know that we believe in Oneness of Allah, in all circumstances.

Seal: Allah's Prophet Muhammad

http://www.nairaland.com/878807/prophet-muhammads-saw-letter-heraclius

 

[Independent]

was the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius a Christian or ever a Christian in his life

Officially yes and almost certainly privately too. But his actions suggest he was willing to adapt his beliefs around his duties as head of state and the necessities of unity.

Throughout his life he was actively involved in religious affairs and was a pioneer of linking religion with the state to act as a unifying force. His amazing victory over the Persians - one of the greatest military comebacks of all time and unjustly forgotten - was defined in religious terms. However, the very act of trying to unify the state under a single creed caused him to come into conflict both with other religions within the state (eg Judaism) and in particular Monophysite Christians. His attempted compromise (Monothelitism) ultimately failed and led to even more confusion. These schisms contributed to the success of the Muslim military expansion.

There is an account which is widely reported in Muslim circles (Bukhari and others) of a conversation in Jerusalem between Heraclius and Abu Sufyan, a Muslim merchant. According to this Heraclius was persuaded that Muhammad was the true prophet and wanted to convert, but his people wouldn't let him.

However, there is no historical reference to this idea and nothing in Heraclius's known behaviour to indicate that it's true. For instance, just a short time after the alleged meeting he went to great lengths to recover the True Cross from Persian hands and made a great display of it. When war began between the Muslims and the Byzantines he fought to defend his ground energetically with no sign of any Muslim leanings. Based on events, it's difficult to see how it could be true and was probably written later.

However, it has led to many Muslims retaining a favourable attitude to Heraclius.