1922.] Dihyah al-Kalbi. 281 
stand on, and I would feign be with him and wash his feet. 
Go now your way.” Then I rose up-from beside him, beating 
my hands together (in woe) and saying: “ Ye servants of God, 
the affair of the son of Abu Kabshah (i.e. Muhammad) is grown 
a matter of dire import, for the kings of the Banu’l-’ Asfar (i.e. 
the Byzantines) have come to hold him in awe in their own 
bearing the load of such sin); (Tab. I, 1535: ef. ’Agh., VI, 
95); it is taken to mean that the responsibility for the non- 
conversion to islam of the subjects of Heraclius would be on 
is head. 
their steadfastness in their Christian faith (Tab., I, 1566, 
‘Agh., VI, 96) ; it is also said that he declared to Dihyah his 
belief in Muhammad as the prophet of their expectations, men- 
tioned in their Scriptures, but from fear of his own Byzantine 
people he could not follow him; he referred him however to 
Bishop Daghatir,! whose influence and power were greater 
than his own. When the latter learned oralHy from Dihyah of 
the missive sent to Heraclius and of the faith to which he 
called him, he said: “‘ My oath upon it, your master is a 
prophet sent (of God): we recognise him from his description, 
and find him mentioned by name in our Scriptures.” Then 
declared : “ O assembly of Byzantines, a missive is come from 
Ahmad in which he calls us unto God,—Be he exalted and 
glorious !—and I do witness that there is no deity save God, 
and that Ahmad is his servant and his apostle. ” Whereupon, 
it is recorded, they sprang on him as one man, and beat him 

' Daghatir or Dughatir has not yet been identified. In a collection 
of letters of Muhammad made by Ibn Sa‘d there is one purporting to be 
i im ir hi ini declaration of his 
belief in prophets sent in time past, etc. It is said to have been deli- 
vered to him by Dihyah b. Khalifah al-Kalbi (Caet., I, 733, n. 2). 
