عن هرقل عظيم الروم قال: مثلنا ومثل العرب كرجل كانت له دار فأسكنها قوما فقال: اسكنوا ما أصلحتم، وإياكم أن تفسدوا فأخرجكم منها، فعمروها زمانا، ثم أطلع إليهم وإذا هم قد أفسدوها، فأخرجهم عنها، وجاء بآخرين فأسكنهم إياها واشترط عليهم كما اشترط على الذين من قبلهم، فالدار الشام، وربها الله تعالى أسكنها بني إسرائيل فكانوا أهلها زمانا، ثم غيروا وأفسدوا، فاطلع إليهم فأخرجهم منها وأسكنا بعدهم زمانا، ثم اطلع إلينا فوجدنا قد غيرنا وأفسدنا، فأخرجنا منها وأسكنكم إياها معشر العرب، فإن تصلحوا فأنتم أهلها، وإن تغيروا وتفسدوا أخرجكم عنها كما أخرج من كان قبلكم
On the authority of Heraclius, the Great of the Romans, he said: Our example and the example of the Arabs is like a man who had a house and people settled in it, and he said: “Inhabit what you have put right, and be careful not to cause corruption.” So he took you out of it, so they lived in it for a period of time. Then he looked at them and saw that they had spoiled it, so he took them out of it, and he brought others and settled them in it and stipulated for them just as he stipulated for those before them. Then they changed and corrupted, so he looked at them and took them out of it and settled us there for a period of time. Then he looked at us and found that we had changed and corrupted him, so he took us out of it and settled you in it, Arabs. If you reformed, then you are its owners, and if they changed and became corrupted, he removed you from it just as those who came before you were removed from it.
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