Al-Matalib al-'Aliyah 4318 — The delegation of Abyssinia

It is narrated from Sa'id bin Jubayr (may Allah have mercy on him) that al-Najashi (the King of Abyssinia) sent a delegation of his companions to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) recited the Noble Qur'an to them, and on hearing it they acknowledged it as the truth and accepted Islam. Concerning them this noble verse was revealed: "You will surely find the most intense of people in enmity towards the believers to be the Jews and those who associate partners with Allah; and you will surely find the nearest of them in affection to the believers to be those who say, 'We are Christians.' That is because among them are priests and monks, and because they are not arrogant. And when they hear what has been sent down to the Messenger, you see their eyes overflowing with tears because of the truth they have recognised. They say, 'Our Lord, we have believed, so record us among the witnesses.'" [Surah al-Ma'idah: 82-83] Then the delegation returned to al-Najashi, and al-Najashi too accepted Islam. Later, when news of his death reached the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), he (peace and blessings be upon him) offered the funeral prayer for him in absentia, in the way that prayer is offered over a deceased person.
Al-Harith recorded it in his Musnad, and this report is mursal (with a missing link).