Aslim Taslam () is a phrase meaning "submit (to God, i.e., by accepting Islam) and you will get salvation",Abidullah Ghazi & Tasneema K Ghazi, Teachings of Our Prophet: A selection of Hadith for Children, IQRA International Education, p. 3. taken from the letters sent by the Islamic prophet Muhammad to various rulers in which he urged them to convert to Islam.
Letters of Muhammad Muhammad, according to the usually told Islamic historiography, sent ambassadors with such letters to Heraclius the emperor of Eastern Roman Empire, Chosroes II the emperor of Persia, the Negus of Ethiopia,by Sajida M Muqawqis the ruler of Egypt, Harith Gassani the governor of Syria and Munzir ibn Sawa the ruler of Bahrain.
Muhammad's Letter to the King of Oman, Jaifer, and his Brother Abd Al-Jalandi -
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful:
From Muhammad bin ‘Abdullah to Jaifer and ‘Abd Al-Jalandi - Peace be upon him who follows true guidance; thereafter I invite both of you to the Call of Islam. Embrace Islam. Allah has sent me as a Prophet to all His creatures in order that I may instill fear of Allah in the hearts of His disobedient creatures so that there may be left no excuse for those who deny Allah. If you two accept Islam, you will remain in command of your country; but if you refuse my Call, then all your possessions are perishable. My horsemen will appropriate your land, and my Prophethood will assume control over your kingship.The letters of the Prophet Muhammad
The account as transmitted by Muslim historians of the letter to Heraclius reads as followsNadia Maria El-Cheikh, "Muhammad and Heraclius: A Study in Legitimacy", Studia Islamica, No. 89. (1999), p. 5-21.
Western Translation
Arabic original
Similar Letters of Leaders from Muslim countries
On September 17, 2006, in response to the Pope Benedict XVI Islam controversy, characterized by Gazan clerics as "the result of his hatred for Islam and not the result of ignorance." one of them, Sheikh Imad Hamato, called on the pope to "repent and ask for forgiveness" and said: "We want to use the words of the Prophet Muhammad and tell the pope: aslim taslam."
In May 2006, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, sent a similar letter to former US President George W. Bush saying aslim taslam. Henryk M. Broder, Hurra, wir kapitulieren! Von der Lust am Einknicken (“Hurray, we are capitulating! About the lust to bend over backwards”,) Berlin 2006, pp. 71-90
Osama bin Laden sent a handful of such letters both to USA and Europe saying aslim taslam Bruce Lawrence, Messages to the World: The Statements of Osama Bin Laden, London/New York 2005
Adam Gadahn, an American-born Muslim convert from Al Qaeda, sent a video to the American people and said aslim taslam.September 2, 2006
Egyptian Cleric Hassan Abu Al-Ashbal issued a similar statement aslim taslam to President Barack Obama. November 27, 2009November 27, 2008
Hizb ut-Tahrir Indonesia spokesperson, Ismail Yusanto said to Nikolas van Dam, the Dutch ambassador for Indonesia that the Dutch government is responsible for the Fitna (film) of Geert Wilders and said aslim taslam.
Critical responses In response to the aslim taslam invitation to submit to God by Islam, the Italian author and journalist Oriana Fallaci said "lan astaslem" () meaning "I will never surrender/I will never submit/I will never be a Muslim".Oriana Fallaci, The Rage and The Pride (La Rabbia e l'Orgoglio), 2001. by Michelle Malkin September 15, 2006 Michelle Malkin has taken up this slogan as a response to the WTC terrorist attacks by Michelle Malkin September 11, 2006 by Michelle Malkin September 11, 2006 by Michelle Malkin September 11, 2008
See also Dawah WikiBook: Learn Arabic Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic Glossary of Islamic terms in Arabic
References