Q.  I have heard that there is an incident mentioned in our books regarding the collapsing of walls at the sound of Dhikr made by the Sahabah.  Is this true? Also, this same person told us that the King of Byzantium named Heraclius had accurate paintings of the major Prophets from the treasures of Sayydina Adam (AS) and also an actual painting of the Holy Prophet Muhammad from Jannah, which was verified by the Sahabah themselves.  Is this true? Please clarify. 
 

A.  There actually is mention of this in a book titled Hayat us Sahabah by the Indian scholar Mawlana Muhammad Yusuf Kandhlawi.  The reference to this incident and the pictures made in his book should suffice as an answer to your inquiry, Inshallah.  Here is the passage from the book, it is in three volumes and on page 624-627: 
 

The Collapsing Of The Enemies’ Upper Storey’s By Takbir And Tahlil 
 

      Hisham bin ‘Aas Amavi said: ‘I and another gentleman were sent towards Heraclius (Arabic: Harqul), the King of Byzantium, so that we might give him the call (to accept) Islam. Journeying, we reached a place (called) Ghutah in Damascus and stayed with Jabalah bin Aiham Ghassani. When we approached him (Jabalah), he was on his throne. He sent his envoy to us that we should talk with him. We said: ‘By Allah! We will not talk with the envoy. We have been sent to the king. If he permits us, we shall talk to him; otherwise we will not talk with the envoy.’ The envoy returned to him and apprised him of this thing. Jabalah told him to give us permission. So we went and he said: ‘Say what you have to say.’ Hisham bin ‘Aas invited him to embrace Islam (and Jabalah was in black attire). Hisham asked him: ‘Why have you put on these black clothes’? He said: ‘I have put them on and have taken an oath that I will not put them off until I evict you people from the country Syria.” We said: ‘this your assembly, by Allah! We will take from you and, Allah willing; will take the country of your great king. We have been informed of this thing by our Holy Prophet (sallallaho alaihe wa sallam!)!’ Jabalah said: ‘You are not those people. They are good people who fast during day and engage in devotions at night. So tell me how your fasting is.’ We showed him. Hearing this face darkened and he said: ‘You start’. And we sent out and approached his city, the envoy that was with us said: ‘these conveyances (camels) cannot enter the king’s city. If you wish, we can mount on Turkish horses and mules.’ We said: ‘By Allah! We will come riding our won conveyance. The king ordered that we could go on our own dromedaries. So we entered his city, with out swords hanging, until we reached his storeyed building. We seated our camels below it and he was looking at us. We spoke (recited takbir and tahlil). So Allah knows that a part of his upper storey fell down, as if it was a thick branch of a tree which the wind oscillated this way and that.’  
 

      The narrator says: He sent out a word that it was not proper for us that we should express our religion so openly, and he also sent us a word to enter. So we went in to him. He was (sitting) on his masnad (throne or cushioned seat), and the divines of Byzantium were around him. Everything in his majlis (assembly) was red. There was redness on all his sides and his clothes too were red. We sat down near him. So he laughed and said: ‘There was no harm in it for you if you had saluted me with that salute which you do among yourselves.’ He had with him a man who knew eloquent Arabic and was very loquacious. We said: ‘Our mutual salutation is not lawful (halal) for you and that salutation with which you are Saluted is not lawful for us that we may salute you with it.’ He asked: ‘How is your mutual salutation?’ We said: ‘As-salamo ‘alaik.’ He asked ‘How do you salute your king?’ We said: ‘With the same salutation’. He asked: “How is your salutation answered to you?’ We said: ‘With the same salutation.’ He asked: ‘Which is your greatest speech (kalam)?’ We said …When we spoke this kalimah, Allah knows well that a part of his upper storey again fell downs, so that he raised his head towards it and said: ‘This kalimah that you uttered by which a part of the upper storey fell down---is it that effective that when-ever you utter it in your own houses, their upper story’s, too crash on you?’ We said: ‘No. We never saw that it might have happened like this but with you.’ He said: ‘I like it that whenever you utter this kalimah, every thing may fall down upon you and I will pay half of my country as tribute.’ We asked: ‘Why this?’ He said: ‘There is ease in this for the country and also apt to it that this may not be the work of Prophethood and it is very probable that it may be the people’s stratagem.’  
 

      Then he asked us whatever his intention was and we replied to him. Thereafter he asked us: ‘How is your prayer and how is your fast?’ So we showed him. He said: ‘Wait.’ And for our staying he gave a good house and feasted us lavishly. So we stayed three days. Then he sent us a messenger at night. We went to him. He again made us repeat our things which we stayed again. Then he sent for a thing which was square in shape and very big and with golden work on it. There were small compartments in it, all of which were covered with lids. He opened one compartment and its lock and took out from it a black silk cloth. We spread it. There was a painting of a figure in red colour on it, with very large eyes and very thick buttocks and we had never seen such a long neck. There was no beard on it and on its head were to plaits of hair----very beautiful, which Allah had created in the best form. He said: ‘Do you recognized him?’ We said no. He said: ‘He is Adam (alaihis-salam!), who had very luxuriant hair.’ Then he opened the second compartment and took out from it a black silk cloth. There was a white image on it. Its hair were curly, both is eyes red with a large head and a good beard. Then Heraclius asked: ‘Do you recognise him?’ We said no. He said: ‘He is Noah (Nuh ‘alaihis-salam!)”. Then he opened another compartment and took out a black silk cloth on it was the picture of a man who was very white (in complexion). The eyes were very beautiful, forehead wide, cheeks long and beard was white; and it looked as if he was smiling. Heraclius asked: ‘Do you know who he is?’ We said no. He said ‘He is Abraham (Ibrahim ‘alaihis-salam!). Then he opened another compartment. In it was a white image, and, by Allah, suddenly it was the image of his Holiness He said: ‘Do you recognise him? We said: ‘Yes, He is Hazrat Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (sallallaho alaihe was sallam!). The narrator says: ‘We also wept.’ And the narrator says: ‘Allah knows that Heraclius stood up for a while and then sat down, and said: ‘By Allah! Is he the same?’ We said: ‘Yes, no doubt it is he, as if you are looking at his holiness himself.’ Then he kept looking at this figure for a long time and then said: ‘Listen! I should have opened this compartment in the last, but I hastened to it for you so that I may best what you have with you.’ Then he opened another compartment and too out from it a black silk. On it was a darkish red painting. Its hair of the head were very curly, with sunken eyes; he was sharp-sighted, with an awesome face, well-set teeth and a curled–up upper lip as of an angry man. Heraclius asked: ‘Do you recognise him?’ We said no. He said “He is Moses (Hazrat Musa ‘alaihis-salam!). Side by side with this figure was another figure resembling it but the hair of its head were such as if oil had been applied to them; the forehead was wide and the blackness of the eyes slightly inclined towards the nose. Heraclius asked: ‘Do you know him?’ We said no. He said: ‘He is Aaron son of ‘Imran (Harun bin ‘Imran ‘alaihis-salam!).’ Then he opened another compartment. From it came out a white slik cloth. On it was an image whose whiteness was touched with red; his nose was long, cheeks light and a handsome face. Heraclius asked: ‘Do you know him?’ We said no. He said: ‘He is Issac (Ishaw ‘alaihis-salam!).’ Then he opened another compartment and took out a white silk cloth from it. On this was a figure that resembled Prophet Issac but there was a mole on its lip. Heraclius asked: ‘Do you recognise him?’ We said no. He said: “He is Jacob (Y’aqub ‘alaihis-salam!).’ Then he opened another compartment and took from it a black-coloured silk cloth. On it was a the image of a man who was white in complexion had a handsome face, a thin and long nose, a good stature and there was luster rising on his face and fearfulness (Khush’u) evident on it. He was rather reddish. He (Heraclius) asked: ‘Do you know him?” We said no. He said: “He is Ishma’el (Isma’il ‘alaihis-salam!), your prophet’s (sallallaho alaihe was sallam!) grandfather.’ Then he opened another compartment. From it he took out a white silk. On this cloth was a picture like Hazrat Adam’s and, as if, his face was a sun. He asked us: ‘Do you know him?’ We said no. He said: ‘He is Joseph (Yusuf ‘alaihis-salam!).’ Then he opened another compartment. From it he took out a white pieve of silk on which was the picture of a man who was red in complexion. His calves were thin, both eyes purbling and stomach fat. He was of a medium height, and was hanging a sword. He asked: ‘Do you recognise him?’ We said no. He said: “He is David (Da’ud ‘alaihis-salam!). Then he opened another compartment and took out from it a black silk on which was a white picture. By chance he was a young man---beard very black, luxuriant hair, good eyes, and handsome face. He asked: ‘Do you know him?’ We said no. He said: ‘He is Jesus son of Mary (Hazrat ‘Isa bin Maryam ‘alaihis-salam!). We asked him: ‘Where did you get these pictures from?’ For we know that these pictures are identical with those figures which must have been those of the prophets (‘alaihis-salam’!), because we saw the picture of our Holy Prophet (sallallaho alaihe was sallam!) in his likeness.’ He said: Hazrat Adam (‘alaihis-salam’ ) had begged of his Lord to show him all the prophets who would be in the progeny. So Allah Most Holy sent the pictures of all to him. All these pictures were lying in Hazrat Adam’s treasure. Dhul-Qarnain brought them out from the place where the sun sets and handed them over to Daniel.’ Then Heraclius said: ‘Listen! By God! I am very much eager in my Heart to go out of my country and of this that I should have been slave till the last breath of the most ill-mannered man amongst you!’  
 

      Then he gave us gifts and gave very good and bade us adieu. So when we came to Hazrat Abu Bakr, we related to him all the things that he had shown us and said, and had had gifted us. (Hearing this) Hazrat Abu Bakr wept and said: ‘He is meek. If Allah Most Holy wills good to him, He will accomplish it.’ Then Hazrat Abu Bakr said: ‘The messenger of Allah has informed us that these Christians and Jews find Hazrat Muhammad’s (sallallaho alaihe wa sallam!) portrayal (i.e, distinctive marks, qualities, morals etc) with them (in their scriptural books). 
 

      …The Shaikhs of Ghassan and Balqan state that in the battle of Hims Allah Most Holy, in return for the Muslims’observing patience, showed this favour that an earthquake took place among the people of Hims. It happened like this that the Muslims stood up against them and shouted takbir so loudly that an earthquake occurred in all the cities of the Byzantines owing to this takbir. Ramparts burst open. Flummoxed, the Byzantines approached their chiefs and counselors whom they used to call at the time of peace-talks. They didn’t’ give any reply to the Byzantines and called them disgraceful at this disconcertion. The Muslims shouted the slogan of takbir a second time by which many houses and walls crashed. Again the Byzantines rushed to their chiefs and counselors and said: “Don’t you observe Allah’s torture?” They replied….The remaining is as mentioned in the Tarikh –e Ibn Jarir. 
 

Source: Excerpted from Hayatus Sahabah: The Lives of the Sahabah. Vol II. Kandhalawi, Mawlana Muhammad Yusuf. P. 624-627.  Idara Ishaat e Diniyaat, New Delhi, India.