Who are the Arians mentioned by the Prophet, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, in his letter to Heraclius? Are they followers of Arius the Christian? And what is meant by his saying: “then upon you is the sin of the Arians”?

Scholars have differed on the meaning of "al-Arisiyyin" mentioned in the Prophet's (peace be upon him) letter to Heraclius. The majority of them held that they were the farmers, while others maintained that they were a sect of Christians attributed to Aris, or that they were followers of Abdullah ibn Aris who innovated in their religion. Some interpreted "al-Arisiyyin" as slaves and servants, or a people from the Majus (Zoroastrians). Scholars agreed that the intended meaning is that Heraclius would bear the sin of his subjects who follow and obey him if they do not embrace Islam.