Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 39401 — Reports on Abyssinia, the affair

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered us to emigrate to the land of al-Najashi together with Sayyiduna Ja'far bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him). Abu Musa said: News of this reached our people, so they sent Amr bin al-As and Umarah bin al-Walid, and gathered gifts for al-Najashi. We arrived (there), and those two arrived as well. The two came to him with the gifts, and he accepted them. They (the envoys of Quraysh) prostrated to him. Then Amr bin al-As said to al-Najashi: "Some people from among us have turned away from their religion, and they are (at this time) in your land." Al-Najashi asked them: "In my land?" The envoys said: "Yes!" Then al-Najashi sent (someone) to us. 2. Sayyiduna Ja'far said to us: "None of you is to speak. Today I am your spokesman." The narrator said: We reached al-Najashi, who was sitting in his assembly. Amr bin al-As was seated on his right and Umarah on his left. The priests and monks were seated in two rows. Amr bin al-As and Umarah had told al-Najashi that these people would not prostrate to him. 3. The narrator said: When we reached him, the monks and priests who were with him restrained us, saying: "Prostrate to the king!" Sayyiduna Ja'far said: "We do not prostrate to anyone except Allah." When we reached al-Najashi, al-Najashi asked: "What has prevented you from prostrating?" Sayyiduna Ja'far replied: "We do not prostrate to anyone except Allah." Al-Najashi asked Sayyiduna Ja'far: "What is the (reason for) this?" Sayyiduna Ja'far said: "Allah Almighty has sent among us a Messenger of His, and he is the same Messenger of whom Isa bin Maryam gave glad tidings: (of a messenger who will come after me, whose name is Ahmad) [Al-Saff: 6]. This Messenger commanded us to worship Allah alone and not associate anything with Him, to establish the prayer and pay the zakah, and this Messenger commanded us to do good and forbade us from evil." The narrator said: The words of Sayyiduna Ja'far pleased al-Najashi. 4. When Amr bin al-As saw this state of affairs, he said: "May Allah Almighty keep the king safe! These people differ from you concerning Isa bin Maryam (peace be upon him)." Al-Najashi asked Sayyiduna Ja'far: "What does your companion (the Prophet) say about Isa bin Maryam (peace be upon him)?" Sayyiduna Ja'far said: "He says about Sayyiduna Isa what Allah has said: that he is the Spirit of Allah and His Word. Allah brought him forth from the devout virgin woman whom no human being had approached." The narrator said: Al-Najashi picked up a stick (a twig) from the ground and said: "O assembly of priests and monks! What these people say does not go beyond what you say about Isa bin Maryam even by the weight of this stick. Welcome to you, and welcome to the one from whom you have come. I bear witness that he is the Messenger of Allah, and he is the same Messenger of whom Isa bin Maryam (peace be upon him) gave glad tidings. Were it not for these affairs of government I am in, I would come to him so that I might carry his sandals. Stay in my land for as long as you wish." Then al-Najashi ordered food and clothing for us and said: "Return their gifts to these two (the envoys of Quraysh)." 5. The narrator said: Amr bin al-As was a short man, and Umarah bin al-Walid was a handsome young man. The narrator said: The two had come by sea toward al-Najashi. The narrator said: They drank wine. He said: Amr bin al-As had his wife with him. When they drank wine, Umarah said to Amr: "Order your wife to kiss me." Amr said to Umarah: "Are you not ashamed?" So Umarah seized Amr and threw him into the sea. Amr kept pleading with him until Umarah brought him back into the ship. Because of this, Amr resolved to harm Umarah when he found the chance. So Amr said to al-Najashi: "When you go out, Umarah comes and goes among your household." The narrator said: Al-Najashi sent for Umarah and had breath blown into his urinary passage, and Umarah went off with the wild beasts.