Reports on Abyssinia, the affair of the Negus and the story of his acceptance of Islam

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.

It is narrated from al-Sha'bi that when Sayyiduna Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) returned from the land of Abyssinia, Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) met Sayyidah Asma bint Umays (may Allah be pleased with her) and said to her: "We emigrated before you, and we are better than you." Sayyidah Asma said: "I will not go back until I have met the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)." The narrator said: She came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! I met Sayyiduna Umar, and he claims that they are better than us and that they emigrated before us." She said: He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "(No), rather you people have emigrated twice."

Isma'il said: Sa'id bin Abi Burdah narrated to me that on that day Sayyidah Asma (may Allah be pleased with her) said to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): "It is not so. (For) we were driven out in a land of those who are hated and far away, while you were with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), who admonished the ignorant among you and fed the hungry among you."

Hisham narrates from his father, concerning the words of Allah: (You see their eyes overflowing with tears because of the truth they have recognised) [Al-Ma'idah: 83], that this verse was revealed concerning al-Najashi.

It is narrated from al-Sha'bi that when Khaybar was conquered, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was given this news, and he was told that Sayyiduna Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) had returned from al-Najashi. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I do not know which of these two things makes me (more) happy: the arrival of Ja'far or the conquest of Khaybar." Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) met him, embraced him and kissed him between his eyes.

Abu Bakr bin Abd al-Rahman narrates that al-Najashi summoned Sayyiduna Ja'far bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) and gathered the leaders of the Christians for him, then said to Sayyiduna Ja'far: "Recite to them what you have of the Qur'an." Sayyiduna Ja'far recited to them Kaf Ha Ya Ayn Sad [Maryam: 1], and their eyes overflowed. Upon this the following verse was revealed: (You see their eyes overflowing with tears because of the truth they have recognised) [Al-Ma'idah: 83].

It is reported about Ibn Sirin that Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) was mentioned in his presence, and a man said: "People revile him." Ibn Sirin said: "Woe to those people, that they revile a man who entered upon al-Najashi together with a group of the Companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)! Every one of them gave in to the trial except him." The people asked: "What was the trial that they gave in to?" Ibn Sirin said: "Everyone who went in to al-Najashi would enter bowing his head. Sayyiduna Uthman refused to do this, so al-Najashi said to him: 'What has prevented you from prostrating as your companions prostrated?' He replied: 'I do not prostrate to anyone except Allah.'"