Khosrow II (Chosroes of Persia)

Khosrow II (Chosroes, known in Arabic as Kisra) was the King of the Sasanid Persian Empire who received the Prophet Muhammad's letter inviting him to Islam in 7 AH / 628 CE. The letter was carried by the companion Abdullah ibn Hudhafah al-Sahmi. According to the most widely narrated account, Khosrow tore up the letter in contempt and arrogance, throwing it aside. When the Prophet ﷺ was informed of this, he said: 'May Allah tear his kingdom apart, just as he tore my letter.' The prophecy was fulfilled with remarkable speed. Khosrow II was one of the most powerful kings in the world at that time, his empire stretching from Iraq to Central Asia. Yet within months of receiving the Prophet's letter, his own son Sheroe (Kavadh II) had him arrested and executed in 628 CE — the very same year. His kingdom subsequently fractured: within twenty years, the entire Sasanid Empire had fallen to the Muslim armies. The contrast between Heraclius and Khosrow in the Seerah literature is deliberate: both received the same letter, but Heraclius privately acknowledged the truth while Khosrow responded with physical arrogance. The Prophet ﷺ had predicted that the Persian kingdom would end while the Roman (Byzantine) kingdom would endure longer — a prediction that was fulfilled. The fall of the Persian empire and its transformation into an Islamic civilization is one of the greatest historical changes of the 7th century.