Abu Bakhtari narrated: A Muslim army led by Sayyidina Salman Farisi (RA) surrounded one of the Persian forts. The men said to him, “0 Abu Abdullah, shall we not pounce on them?’ He said, ‘Let me invite them (to Islam). I had heard Allah’s Messenger (SAW) invite them (the enemy).” So, Salman went to them and said, “Indeed, I am a man of you, a Persian. You see the Arabs obey me. Thus, if you submit to Islam then for you is the like of what is for us and on you is that which is on us. And if you reject only to stay on your religion then we will leave at that and you will pay us the jizyah with your hands, disgraced.” The narrator said that Salman (RA) spoke in Persian and also said, “You are not praiseworthy. And if you refuse, we warn you of had things.” They said, “We are not among those who pay the jizyah, hut we will fight you.” The (Muslim) men said, “0 Abu Abdullah, shall we not pounce on them?” He said, ‘No” He invited them in this way for three days and after that said, “Pounce on them. The narrator said: We poured ourselves over them and we conquered that fort.
They say that this creates a greater awe among the enemy. Some other ulama say that in these days there is no need to invite them to Isam. Imam Ahmad said: I do not know if anyone needs that today. But, Imam Shafi’i said : War should not commence before giving the enemy an invitation, but if they launch an attack beforehand then there is no harm in not inviting them.
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