Letter attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, addressed to al-Muqawqis, ruler of Egypt

Here is a letter attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) addressed to al-Mukawkis– the ruler of Egypt. It dates back to the 5th year of the Hijrah, to the 7th century, when messages were sent from Madinah to the great rulers of that time.
These letters were an act of diplomacy that changed the course of world history. For the first time, the Islamic State entered into a direct dialogue with the major powers of the region – not through military force, but through the word and conversion to faith.
The text is written in Kufic script, a strict and concise early style of Arabic writing. In the lower part there is a seal with the inscription: "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah." The special feature of the print is its composition: The lines are arranged in such a way that they are read from bottom to top, emphasizing the sacred character of the formula. The content of the letter is a call for monotheism and peace. It contains the thought expressed in ayat 64 of Surah Ali Imran: to come to a "just word between us and you" is to worship one God and not associate Him with others.
This is a papyrus that has been preserved for almost fourteen centuries. Its surviving fibers remind us that history can be transmitted through the finest material, but its significance remains immeasurably strong.