The Messenger (peace be upon him and his family): Ibn Abbas said: When the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was sent [as a messenger], he ordered Ali (peace be upon him) to write a letter to the disbelievers, the Christians and the Jews, which Jibra'il dictated to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). He wrote: "In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), to the Jews of Khaybar. To proceed: the earth belongs to Allah ... and the final outcome belongs to the pious. Peace be upon whoever follows right guidance. لَا حَوْلَ وَ لَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللهِ الْعَلِیِّ الْعَظِیمِ [There is no power and no strength except by Allah, the Most High, the Most Great]." Then he sealed the letter and sent it to the Jews of Khaybar. When the letter reached them, they came to their elder, Ibn Salam, and said, "O Ibn Salam, this is the letter of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) which he has written to you; read it to us." He read it to them and said, "What do you want from this speech? I see in Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) signs which are in the Tawrat. He is the very Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) about whom Musa ibn Imran (peace be upon him) gave us glad tidings." They said, "He abrogates our Book and forbids for us what was previously lawful for us." Ibn Salam said to them, "O people, you have chosen the world over the Hereafter, and punishment over forgiveness!" They said, "If Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) were upon our religion and creed, he would be dearer to us than anyone else." He said, "I shall go to him and ask him questions from the Tawrat, and if he answers me correctly I shall accept his religion and abandon being a Jew." He rose and took the Tawrat, and drew out of it one thousand four hundred and four difficult questions, and took them to Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), who was in his mosque, and said, "O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), peace be upon you and upon your companions." They said, "And the mercy of Allah and His blessings upon whoever follows right guidance. O man, who are you?" He said, "I am Abdullah ibn Salam, one of the leaders of the Children of Isra'il, and among those who have read the Tawrat. I am the representative and envoy of the Jews to you, so that you may explain to us the questions I have, while you are among the doers of good!" The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said, "O Ibn Salam, sit down and ask whatever you wish; and if you wish, I shall tell you what you have come to ask me about." He said, "O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), tell me, so that my certainty in you may increase." He said, "O son of Salam, you have come to ask me one thousand four hundred and four questions, all of which you have copied from the Tawrat!" Abdullah ibn Salam lowered his head, wept, and said, "You have spoken the truth, O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)." Question: "Are you a prophet or a messenger?" Answer: "Indeed, Allah has sent me as both a prophet and a messenger, and I am the seal of the prophets. Have you not read in the Tawrat [that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah]: Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him are firm and severe against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves. You constantly see them bowing and prostrating, always seeking Allah's grace and His pleasure. Their sign is upon their faces from the traces of prostration. This is their description in the Tawrat, and their description in the Injil is like a crop that has sprouted its shoots, then strengthened them until it became firm and stood on its own stalk, growing so much that it delights the sowers — that He may enrage the disbelievers through them. Allah has promised those of them who believe and do righteous deeds forgiveness and a great reward. (Al-Fath/29) And ما کانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبا أَحَدٍ مِنْ رِجالِکُمْ وَ لکِنْ رَسُولَ اللهِ وَ خاتَمَ النَّبِیِّین [Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets] was revealed concerning me." Ibn Salam said, "You have spoken the truth, O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)."