The Prophet's Letter to al-Mundhir ibn Sawa of Bahrain

The Prophet sent al-Ala' ibn al-Hadrami to deliver a letter to al-Mundhir ibn Sawa al-Tamimi, the ruler of Bahrain (which at that time encompassed a much larger area than the modern state, including parts of eastern Arabia). Al-Mundhir accepted Islam and wrote back to the Prophet, reporting that some of his subjects, both Arab and Zoroastrian, had accepted Islam while others had not. The Prophet wrote a second letter instructing al-Mundhir on how to manage the non-Muslim subjects: those who wished to remain Zoroastrian or Jewish would pay the jizyah tax and be protected. This exchange established important precedents for the governance of multi-religious territories under Muslim rule. Al-Mundhir's acceptance brought a wealthy and strategically important region into the fold of Islam peacefully.