Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 9849

Abd al-Rahman bin Abi Layla narrates: The Quraysh sent Amr bin al-As and Umarah bin al-Walid in the time of the Negus. Umarah was a handsome man. He threw Amr into the sea; he came out swimming. Then he threw him in again, and again he came out swimming. Amr kept in his heart what Umarah had done to him. When the two of them reached the Negus, they said to the Negus: "Ja'far and his companions level accusations against their forefathers and hold views different from their religion. They also hold views different from your religion, and they do not greet you as other people greet you." In this way they spoke against them. The Negus summoned Sayyiduna Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) and his companions and asked: "What is the reason that you do not greet me (that is, do not prostrate to me) as other people do?" They replied: "We have a Lord, and it is not permissible for us to prostrate to anyone other than Him. If we were to prostrate to anyone, we would prostrate to our Prophet." The Negus asked: "Do you have any part of your Book with you?" They replied: "Yes!" Then Sayyiduna Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) recited Surah Maryam. The Negus asked: "What do you people say about Sayyiduna Isa (peace be upon him)?" Sayyiduna Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: "He is the spirit of Allah and His word, which He cast to Sayyidah Maryam (may Allah be pleased with her)." The Negus asked his companions: "What do you say?" They remained silent. The Negus took something from the ground between his two fingers and said: "By Allah! These people have not differed regarding the matter of Sayyiduna Isa bin Maryam (peace be upon him) even by this much. I make you witnesses and say: I believe in what has been revealed to Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)." Then he said: "If you wish, I will provide you with equipment and you may go to your Prophet; and if you wish, stay with me until the situation becomes settled." Amr was with Umarah. By a ruse he obtained some of the perfume of the Negus's wife, then said to the Negus: "Umarah has been going to your wife. The sign of this is that tomorrow, when he comes to you, he will have your wife's perfume on him." When they came the next day, he put the perfume on Umarah and said: "Come! Let us go to the king." When the two of them went and came before the king, the king smelled his wife's perfume on him, and the Negus recognised that perfume. The Negus gave an order concerning Umarah, and something was blown into his private part, until he went off restlessly into the desert and roamed about with the wild beasts. After that he came to his family. They took hold of him and gave him a drink of sawiq (barley gruel), because of which he died. When Sayyiduna Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) and his companions had come to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), after that the news of the Negus's death reached him (peace and blessings be upon him).
Al-Tabarani recorded it as a mursal report. Its chain contains Muhammad bin Kathir al-Thaqafi, who is da'if (weak).