Qur’ānic Sīra in the Diplomatic Letter of Ibn Al-Layth to the Byzantine Emperor

The Byzantine Empire was reported to have stopped paying tribute to the Abbasid Empire, which they had previously paid twice annually. For this reason, according to ‘Abd Al-Jabbār (d.415/1025), the Caliph decided to put pressure on Byzantium by sending them a letter. This letter is however full of Qur’ānic references and biographical information about Muammad (sīra nabawiyya), rather than dealing with the issue of tribute. The present study seeks to explore, Ibn al-Layth’s (d. c.203/819) letter to the Byzantine Emperor that contains biographical information about the Prophet Muhammad. It will also analyse the authors’ hermeneutical responses to and understanding of Qur’ānic references to Muammad’s early life. The study is qualitative in nature, and is one in which the researcher will employ both descriptive and source-critical approaches. The study in its finding argues that being embedded with Qur’ānic biographical information of Muslim’s prophet, the letter was not intended solely for the Byzantine emperor; it also, alluded the message to the emperor’s ecclesiastical authorities and religious advisors, which are likely to have had a considerable influence upon Constantine’s decision. It also avows that, based on the phrasing and terms he uses, the author might possibly be following the style and conventions of the early Muslim court’s writing that bolstered their letter with appropriate verses from the Qur’ ān. The first letter of the Prophet to the Heraclius and the letter of ‘Umar II to Leo III are salient exemplars of this practice.