الفتح الربانی
Al-Fath al-Rabbani
كتاب سيرة أول النبيين وخاتم المرسلين نبينا محمد بن عبد الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم
Book of the Biography of the First of the Prophets and the Last of the Messengers, Our Prophet Muhammad ibn Abdullah, Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him and His Family
بَابُ مَا جَاءَ فِي هِجْرَةِ بَعض الصَّحَابَةِ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمْ إِلَى الْحَبْشَةِ فِرَارًا بِدِيْنِهِمْ مِنَ الْفِتْنَةِ وَهِيَ أَوَّلُ هِجْرَةٍ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ
Chapter: What has been reported regarding the migration of some companions, may Allah be pleased with them, to Abyssinia fleeing with their religion from persecution—the first migration in Islam
Hadith Number: 10539
عن عبد الله بن عتبة عن ابن مسعود رضي الله عنه قال بعثنا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم إلى النجاشي ونحن نحو من ثمانين رجلا فيهم عبد الله بن مسعود وجعفر وعبد الله بن عرفطة وعثمان بن مظعون وابو موسى فاتوا النجاشي وبعثت قريش عمرو بن العاص وعمارة بن الوليد بهدية فلما دخلا على النجاشي سجدا له ثم ابتدراه عن يمينه وعن شماله ثم قالا له إن نفرا من بني عمنا نزلوا ارضك ورغبوا عنا وعن ملتنا قال فاين هم قالوا هم في ارضك فابعث إليهم فبعث إليهم فقال جعفر انا خطيبكم اليوم فاتبعوه فسلم ولم يسجد فقالوا له ما لك لا تسجد للملك قال إنا لا نسجد إلا لله عز وجل قال وما ذلك قال إن الله عز وجل بعث إلينا رسوله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم وامرنا ان لا نسجد لاحد إلا لله عز وجل وامرنا بالصلاة والزكاة قال عمرو بن العاص فإنهم يخالفونك في عيسى بن مريم قال ما تقولون في عيسى بن مريم وامه قالوا نقول كما قال الله عز وجل هو كلمة الله وروحه القاها إلى العذراء البتول التي لم يمسها بشر ولم يفرضها ولد قال فرفع عودا من الارض ثم قال يا معشر الحبشة والقسيسين والرهبان والله ما يزيدون على الذي نقول فيه ما يسوى هذا مرحبا بكم وبمن جئتم من عنده اشهد انه رسول الله فإنه الذي نجد في الإنجيل وإنه الرسول الذي بشر به عيسى بن مريم انزلوا حيث شئتم والله لو لا ما انا فيه من الملك لاتيته حتى اكون انا احمل نعليه واوضئه وامر بهدية الآخرين فردت إليهما ثم تعجل عبد الله بن مسعود حتى ادرك بدرا وزعم ان النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم استغفر له حين بلغه موته
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent us to Najashi. We were about eighty individuals, among them were Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud, Sayyiduna Ja'far, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Arfatah, Sayyiduna Uthman bin Maz'un, and Sayyiduna Abu Musa. So these people reached the kingdom of Najashi. Meanwhile, the Quraysh sent Amr bin As and Amarah bin Walid with gifts. When these two individuals reached Najashi, they prostrated to him, and then quickly one sat on his right side and the other on his left side. Then both of them said: A group of our cousins has come to your land; they have turned away from us and our religion. The king said: Where are they now? They said: They are in your land, you should send a message to them. So he sent a message to them. Sayyiduna Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) said to his companions: Today I will speak on your behalf. All agreed to his words. So he greeted Najashi and did not prostrate. The people said: What has happened to you, you are not prostrating to the king? He said: We only prostrate to Allah Almighty. He said: What is the matter? Sayyiduna Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Indeed, Allah Almighty has sent a Messenger to us and has commanded us to prostrate only to Allah Almighty, and has also commanded us to perform prayer and give zakat. Amr bin As said: O King! These people oppose you regarding Isa bin Maryam. So the king said: What is your belief about Isa bin Maryam and his mother? The companions said: We say about them only what Allah Almighty has said; he is the Word of Allah and His Spirit, which He cast towards the chaste virgin, whom no man had touched and upon whom (before Isa, peace be upon him) there was no sign of any child. Hearing this statement, Najashi picked up a stick from the ground and said: O Abyssinians! Priests and monks! By Allah, what these Muslims have said does not exceed our belief even by the measure of this stick. O Muslims! Welcome to you and to the one from whom you have come. I bear witness that he is truly the Messenger of Allah; rather, he is the one whose mention we find in the Gospel, and he is the Messenger whose glad tidings Isa bin Maryam (peace be upon him) gave. You may live wherever you wish in my land. By Allah! If I were not involved in this kingdom, I would have gone to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), carried his shoes, and helped him perform ablution. Then Najashi ordered that the gifts of the Quraysh be returned to them. Then Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) returned from Abyssinia to Madinah Munawwarah and participated in the Battle of Badr. He also said that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) learned of Najashi's death, he prayed for his forgiveness.
تخریج الحدیث:
حكم: اسناده ضعيف
Hadith Number: 10540
عن ابي بكر بن عبد الرحمن بن الحارث بن هشام المخزومي عن ام سلمة ابنة ابي امية بن المغيرة زوج النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم قالت لما نزلنا ارض الحبشة جاورنا بها خير جار النجاشي امنا على ديننا وعبدنا الله لا نؤذى ولا نسمع شيئا نكرهه فلما بلغ ذلك قريشا ائتمروا ان يبعثوا إلى النجاشي فينا رجلين جلدين وان يهدوا للنجاشي هدايا مما يستطرف من متاع مكة وكان من اعجب ما ياتيه منها إليه الادم فجمعوا له ادما كثيرا ولم يتركوا من بطارقته بطريقا إلا اهدوا له هدية ثم بعثوا بذلك مع عبد الله بن ابي ربيعة بن المغيرة المخزومي وعمرو بن العاص بن وائل السهمي وامروهما امرهم وقالوا لهما ادفعوا إلى كل بطريق هديته قبل ان تكلموا النجاشي فيهم ثم قدموا للنجاشي هداياه ثم سلوه ان يسلمهم إليكم قبل ان يكلمهم قالت فخرجنا فقدمنا على النجاشي ونحن عنده بخير دار وعند خير جار فلم يبق من بطارقته بطريق إلا دفعا إليه هديته قبل ان يكلما النجاشي ثم قالا لكل بطريق منهم إنه قد صبا إلى بلد الملك منا غلمان سفهاء وفارقوا دين قومهم ولم يدخلوا في دينكم وجاءوا بدين مبتدع لا نعرفه نحن ولا انتم وقد بعثنا إلى الملك فيهم اشراف قومهم ليردهم إليهم فإذا كلمنا الملك فيهم فتشيروا عليه بان يسلمهم إلينا ولا يكلمهم فإن قومهم اعلى بهم عينا واعلم بما عابوا عليهم فقالوا لهما نعم ثم إنهما قربا هداياهما إلى النجاشي فقبلها منهما ثم كلماه فقالا له ايها الملك إنه قد صبا إلى بلدك منا غلمان سفهاء فارقوا دين قومهم ولم يدخلوا في دينك وجاءوا بدين مبتدع لا نعرفه نحن ولا انت وقد بعثنا إليك فيهم اشراف قومهم حتى آباؤهم واعمامهم وعشائرهم لتردهم إليهم فهم اعلى بهم عينا واعلم بما عابوا عليهم وعاتبوهم فيه قالت ولم يكن شيء ابغض إلى عبد الله بن ابي ربيعة وعمرو بن العاص من ان يسمع النجاشي كلامهم فقالت بطارقته حوله صدقوا ايها الملك قومهم اعلى بهم عينا واعلم بما عابوا عليهم فاسلمهم إليهما فليرداهم إلى بلادهم وقومهم قال فغضب النجاشي ثم قال لا ها الله ايم الله إذا لا اسلمهم إليهما ولا اكاد قوما جاوروني ونزلوا بلادي اختاروني على من سواي حتى ادعوهم فاسالهم ما يقول هذان في امرهم فإن كانوا كما يقولون اسلمتهم إليهما ورددتهم إلى قومهم وإن كانوا على غير ذلك منعتهم منهما واحسنت جوارهم ما جاوروني قالت ثم ارسل إلى اصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم فدعاهم فلما جاءهم رسوله اجتمعوا ثم قال بعضهم لبعض ما تقولون للرجل إذا جئتموه قالوا نقول والله ما علمنا وما امرنا به نبينا صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم كائنا في ذلك ما هو كائن فلما جاءوه وقد دعا النجاشي اساقفته فنشروا مصاحفهم حوله سالهم فقال ما هذا الدين الذي فارقتم فيه قومكم ولم تدخلوا في ديني ولا في دين احد من هذه الامم قالت فكان الذي كلمه جعفر بن ابي طالب فقال له ايها الملك كنا قوما اهل جاهلية نعبد الاصنام وناكل الميتة وناتي الفواحش ونقطع الارحام ونسيء الجوار ياكل القوي منا الضعيف فكنا على ذلك حتى بعث الله إلينا رسولا منا نعرف نسبه وصدقه وامانته وعفته فدعانا إلى الله لنوحده ونعبده ونخلع ما كنا نعبد نحن وآباؤنا من دونه من الحجارة والاوثان وامرنا بصدق الحديث واداء الامانة وصلة الرحم وحسن الجوار والكف عن المحارم والدماء ونهانا عن الفواحش وقول الزور واكل مال اليتيم وقذف المحصنة وامرنا ان نعبد الله وحده لا نشرك به شيئا وامرنا بالصلاة والزكاة والصيام قال فعدد عليه امور الإسلام فصدقناه وآمنا به واتبعناه على ما جاء به وعبدنا الله وحده فلم نشرك به شيئا وحرمنا ما حرم علينا واحللنا ما احل لنا فعدا علينا قومنا فعذبونا وفتنونا عن ديننا ليردونا إلى عبادة الاوثان من عبادة الله وان نستحل ما كنا نستحل من الخبائث فلما قهرونا وظلمونا وشقوا علينا وحالوا بيننا وبين ديننا خرجنا إلى بلدك واخترناك على من سواك ورغبنا في جوارك ورجونا ان لا نظلم عندك ايها الملك قالت فقال له النجاشي هل معك مما جاء به عن الله شيء قالت فقال له جعفر نعم فقال له النجاشي فاقراه علي فقرا عليه صدرا من كهيعص قالت فبكى والله النجاشي حتى اخضل لحيته وبكت اساقفته حتى اخضلوا مصاحفهم حين سمعوا ما تلاه عليهم ثم قال النجاشي إن هذا والله والذي جاء به موسى ليخرج من مشكاة واحدة انطلقا فوالله لا اسلمهم إليكم ابدا ولا اكاد قالت ام سلمة فلما خرجنا من عنده قال عمرو بن العاص والله لانبئنهم غدا عيبهم عندهم ثم استاصل به خضراءهم قالت فقال له عبد الله بن ابي ربيعة وكان اتقى الرجلين فينا لا تفعل فإن لهم ارحاما وإن كانوا قد خالفونا قال والله لاخبرنه انهم يزعمون ان عيسى بن مريم عبد قالت غدا عليه الغد فقال ايها الملك إنهم يقولون في عيسى بن مريم قولا عظيما فارسل إليهم فاسالهم عما يقولون فيه قالت فارسل إليهم يسالهم عنه قالت ولم ينزل بنا مثله فاجتمع القوم فقال بعضهم لبعض ماذا تقولون في عيسى إذا سالكم عنه قالوا نقول والله فيه ما قال الله وما جاء به نبينا صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم كائنا في ذلك ما هو كائن فلما دخلوا عليه قال لهم ما تقولون في عيسى بن مريم فقال له جعفر بن ابي طالب نقول فيه الذي جاء به نبينا صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم هو عبد الله ورسوله وروحه وكلمته القاها إلى مريم العذراء البتول قالت فضرب النجاشي بيده إلى الارض فاخذ منها عودا ثم قال ما عدا عيسى بن مريم ما قلت هذا العود فتناخرت بطارقته حوله حين قال ما قال فقال وإن نخرتم والله اذهبوا فانتم سيوم بارضي والسيوم الآمنون من سبكم غرم ثم من سبكم غرم فما احب ان لي دبرا ذهبا واني آذيت رجلا منكم (والدبر بلسان الحبشة الجبل) ردوا عليهما هداياهما فلا حاجة لنا بها فوالله ما اخذ الله مني الرشوة حين رد علي ملكي فآخذ الرشوة فيه وما اطاع الناس في فاطيعهم فيه قالت فخرجا من عنده مقبوحين مردودا عليهما ما جاءا به واقمنا عنده بخير دار مع خير جار قالت فوالله إني على ذلك إذ نزل به يعني من ينازعه في ملكه قالت فوالله ما علمنا حزنا قط كان اشد من حزن حزناه عند ذلك تخوفا ان يظهر ذلك على النجاشي فياتي رجل لا يعرف من حقنا ما كان النجاشي يعرف منه قالت وسار النجاشي وبينهما عرض النيل قالت فقال اصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم من رجل يخرج حتى يحضر وقعة القوم ياتينا بالخبر قالت فقال الزبير بن العوام انا قالت وكان من احدث القوم سنا قالت فنفخوا له قربة فجعلها في صدره ثم سبح عليها حتى خرج إلى ناحية النيل التي بها ملتقى القوم ثم انطلق حتى حضرهم قالت ودعونا الله للنجاشي بالظهور على عدوه والتمكين له في بلاده واستوسق عليه امر الحبشة فكنا عنده في خير منزل حتى قدمنا على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم وهو بمكة (مسند احمد: 1740)
It is narrated from the wife of the Messenger, Sayyida Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her), she says: We arrived in the land of Abyssinia and found Najashi to be the best neighbor. We became secure in our religion and worshipped Allah Almighty. We were neither harmed nor did we hear anything unpleasant. When the Quraysh came to know of this, they consulted among themselves and decided to send two strong men to Najashi and to select gifts for Najashi that were considered the finest goods of Mecca, and the most favored thing from Mecca was sauce. So, they collected a large quantity of sauce and decided to send a gift to every prominent priest of Abyssinia. Then they sent Abdullah bin Abi Rabi’ah al-Makhzumi and Amr bin al-As bin Wa’il al-Sahmi with the gifts and explained everything to them. They said to these two men: Before speaking to Najashi, give each prominent priest his share, and then present the gifts to Najashi and demand from him that he hand over these people to you, and do not give him a chance to speak first.
Sayyida Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) says: We set out and reached Najashi, and we were in the best house and in the neighborhood of the best neighbor. Meanwhile, the delegation of the Quraysh arrived. They did not leave any prominent priest before speaking to Najashi without presenting him his gift. Then they said to every prominent priest: Some foolish youths of our people have come to the land of King Najashi, abandoning their religion. They have not entered your religion, but have invented a new religion, which neither we know nor you know. The nobles of our people have sent us to this king so that he may return them to us. Therefore, when we speak to the king, you must advise him to hand them over to us and not give the king a chance to speak first. Surely, the people of their own nation can best see and know what they find blameworthy in them. The priests said: Absolutely right.
Afterwards, these two envoys of the Quraysh presented the gifts to Najashi, and he accepted them from them. Then they spoke and said: O King! Some foolish youths of ours have come to your land, abandoning their religion. They have not adopted your religion either, but have invented a new religion, which neither we know nor you. The nobles of their people, even their fathers, uncles, and other members of their tribes, have sent us to you so that you may return them to us. We can best see and know what we find blameworthy in them and for what reason we rebuke them.
The thing most disliked by Abdullah bin Abi Rabi’ah and Amr bin al-As was that Najashi should listen to the words of those Companions. Meanwhile, the priests around him said: O King! These people are telling the truth. Their own people can best see and know what they find blameworthy in them. Therefore, hand these people over to them so that these two men may take them back to their homeland and people.
Hearing this, Najashi became angry and said: By the Creator of creation! By Allah! I will not hand them over to them, nor is it likely that any trickery will be played with me in this matter. These people have chosen my neighborhood, have come to my country, and have preferred me over other kings. Therefore, I will call them and ask them about what these two men say. If the matter is as they say, I will hand them over and return them to their people. But if it is otherwise, I will protect them and prove myself a good neighbor to them.
Then Najashi sent a message to the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and called them. When his messenger came, they gathered together. Then some of them said to others: When you go to this man, what will you say? They said: By Allah! We will say only what we know and what our Prophet has commanded us. Whatever happens because of this, let it happen (we do not care).
When those Companions reached him and Najashi called the priests, they sat around him with their scriptures open. Najashi said: What is the reality of this religion because of which you have separated from your people and have not entered my religion, nor have you adopted the religion of any of the existing nations?
Sayyiduna Ja’far bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) spoke and said: O King! We were an ignorant people, worshipping idols, eating carrion, committing evil deeds, severing ties of kinship, mistreating neighbors, and the strong among us would oppress the weak. These were our conditions until Allah Almighty sent a Messenger to us from among ourselves. We knew his lineage, truthfulness, trustworthiness, and chastity. He invited us to Allah Almighty, that we should affirm His Oneness, worship Him, and abandon the stones and idols that we and our forefathers used to worship. This Prophet commanded us to speak the truth, fulfill trusts, maintain ties of kinship, treat neighbors well, and refrain from forbidden acts and murder. He (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade us from evil deeds, falsehood, consuming the wealth of orphans, and slandering chaste women. He (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded us to worship Allah Almighty, Who is One and Unique, not to associate anything with Him, to establish prayer, give zakat, and fast.
Thus, Sayyiduna Ja’far (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned the matters of Islam before Najashi and then said: So we affirmed this Messenger, believed in him, followed the Shari’ah he brought, worshipped Allah Almighty, and did not associate anything with Him. Whatever the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) declared unlawful for us, we considered unlawful, and whatever he declared lawful, we considered lawful. For these reasons, our people wronged us, harmed us, and put us to trial regarding our religion so that they might turn us away from the worship of Allah Almighty to the worship of idols and make us consider lawful the evil things we used to consider lawful in the days of ignorance. When they oppressed us, wronged us, and made things difficult for us, and tried to come between us and our religion, we came to your country, preferred you over others, and were encouraged to live in your neighborhood. We hoped, O King, that we would not be wronged in your presence.
Najashi, after hearing this speech, said: Do you have any part of what your Prophet brought from Allah Almighty? Sayyiduna Ja’far (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Yes. Najashi said: Then recite it to me. Sayyiduna Ja’far (may Allah be pleased with him) recited the opening part of Surah Maryam. By Allah! Najashi began to weep until his beard became wet, and the priests also began to weep upon hearing this recitation, so much so that the scriptures before them became wet.
Then Najashi said: By Allah! Surely, the source of this speech and the speech brought by Musa (Moses) is the same. Both of you go away from here. By Allah! I will never hand these people over to you, nor can any trickery be played with me in this matter.
Sayyida Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) says: When we left his presence, Amr bin al-As said: By Allah! Tomorrow I will tell Najashi and his people of a fault of theirs, and through it I will uproot their very foundation. Abdullah bin Abi Rabi’ah, who was the better of the two, said to him: Do not do this, after all, they are our relatives, even though they oppose us. But Amr bin al-As said: By Allah! I will surely tell them that these people say that ‘Isa bin Maryam (Jesus, son of Mary) is a servant. So, the next day he went to the king and said: O King! These people say a strange thing about ‘Isa bin Maryam. So, call them again and ask them about this matter.
So, to investigate this, he sent for them. This was the greatest calamity for us. The Companions gathered and began to say to each other: When he asks you, what will you say about ‘Isa (peace be upon him)? Some replied: By Allah! We will say only what Allah Almighty has said and what our Prophet’s Shari’ah has said. Whatever is to happen, let it happen.
When they entered, Najashi said: What do you say about ‘Isa bin Maryam? Sayyiduna Ja’far bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We say about him only what our Prophet has taught us. We say that he is the servant of Allah, His Messenger, His spirit, and His word, which He cast into the chaste virgin Maryam.
Hearing this, Najashi struck his hand on the ground, picked up a stick from there, and said: What you have said about ‘Isa bin Maryam, his status is not even more than this stick. Hearing this comment from Najashi, the priests (angrily) began to speak, but Najashi said: Indeed, you may speak in anger. By Allah! O Companions! Go, you are safe in my land. Whoever abuses you will be punished. Whoever curses you will be punished. I do not like to harm any of you even if I were given a mountain of gold. In the Abyssinian language, a mountain is called“dabar.”Then Najashi said: Return the gifts of these two Qurayshi men to them. We have no need of them. By Allah! When Allah Almighty granted me my kingdom, He did not take a bribe from me, so why should I take a bribe in this matter? As long as people obey me, I will obey them.
Sayyida Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) says: Now these two Qurayshis left, disgraced and dishonored, and the gifts they had brought were returned to them. We remained in Najashi’s territory as if we were in the best house with the best neighbor.
She says: We were still residing there when people began to challenge Najashi, seeking to snatch the kingdom from him. By Allah! At that time, the intense grief that befell us—we do not know if there could be any greater grief than that. We feared that a king might prevail over Najashi who would not recognize our right as Najashi did. Najashi also set out to face them, while the Nile was between the two sides. Seeing this situation, the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Who will go to the battlefield and inform us of the situation? Sayyiduna Zubair bin al-Awwam (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I will go. He was the youngest among them. So, the people filled a waterskin with air, tied it to his chest, and he began to swim on it until he crossed to the other side of the Nile where the two armies were to meet. He kept going until he reached them.
She says: We prayed to Allah Almighty that Najashi would prevail over his enemy and that Allah Almighty would keep him in his land, and so it happened that the matter of the Abyssinians was settled in favor of Najashi. Thus, we remained with him in the best manner until we returned to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in Mecca.
Sayyida Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) says: We set out and reached Najashi, and we were in the best house and in the neighborhood of the best neighbor. Meanwhile, the delegation of the Quraysh arrived. They did not leave any prominent priest before speaking to Najashi without presenting him his gift. Then they said to every prominent priest: Some foolish youths of our people have come to the land of King Najashi, abandoning their religion. They have not entered your religion, but have invented a new religion, which neither we know nor you know. The nobles of our people have sent us to this king so that he may return them to us. Therefore, when we speak to the king, you must advise him to hand them over to us and not give the king a chance to speak first. Surely, the people of their own nation can best see and know what they find blameworthy in them. The priests said: Absolutely right.
Afterwards, these two envoys of the Quraysh presented the gifts to Najashi, and he accepted them from them. Then they spoke and said: O King! Some foolish youths of ours have come to your land, abandoning their religion. They have not adopted your religion either, but have invented a new religion, which neither we know nor you. The nobles of their people, even their fathers, uncles, and other members of their tribes, have sent us to you so that you may return them to us. We can best see and know what we find blameworthy in them and for what reason we rebuke them.
The thing most disliked by Abdullah bin Abi Rabi’ah and Amr bin al-As was that Najashi should listen to the words of those Companions. Meanwhile, the priests around him said: O King! These people are telling the truth. Their own people can best see and know what they find blameworthy in them. Therefore, hand these people over to them so that these two men may take them back to their homeland and people.
Hearing this, Najashi became angry and said: By the Creator of creation! By Allah! I will not hand them over to them, nor is it likely that any trickery will be played with me in this matter. These people have chosen my neighborhood, have come to my country, and have preferred me over other kings. Therefore, I will call them and ask them about what these two men say. If the matter is as they say, I will hand them over and return them to their people. But if it is otherwise, I will protect them and prove myself a good neighbor to them.
Then Najashi sent a message to the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and called them. When his messenger came, they gathered together. Then some of them said to others: When you go to this man, what will you say? They said: By Allah! We will say only what we know and what our Prophet has commanded us. Whatever happens because of this, let it happen (we do not care).
When those Companions reached him and Najashi called the priests, they sat around him with their scriptures open. Najashi said: What is the reality of this religion because of which you have separated from your people and have not entered my religion, nor have you adopted the religion of any of the existing nations?
Sayyiduna Ja’far bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) spoke and said: O King! We were an ignorant people, worshipping idols, eating carrion, committing evil deeds, severing ties of kinship, mistreating neighbors, and the strong among us would oppress the weak. These were our conditions until Allah Almighty sent a Messenger to us from among ourselves. We knew his lineage, truthfulness, trustworthiness, and chastity. He invited us to Allah Almighty, that we should affirm His Oneness, worship Him, and abandon the stones and idols that we and our forefathers used to worship. This Prophet commanded us to speak the truth, fulfill trusts, maintain ties of kinship, treat neighbors well, and refrain from forbidden acts and murder. He (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade us from evil deeds, falsehood, consuming the wealth of orphans, and slandering chaste women. He (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded us to worship Allah Almighty, Who is One and Unique, not to associate anything with Him, to establish prayer, give zakat, and fast.
Thus, Sayyiduna Ja’far (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned the matters of Islam before Najashi and then said: So we affirmed this Messenger, believed in him, followed the Shari’ah he brought, worshipped Allah Almighty, and did not associate anything with Him. Whatever the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) declared unlawful for us, we considered unlawful, and whatever he declared lawful, we considered lawful. For these reasons, our people wronged us, harmed us, and put us to trial regarding our religion so that they might turn us away from the worship of Allah Almighty to the worship of idols and make us consider lawful the evil things we used to consider lawful in the days of ignorance. When they oppressed us, wronged us, and made things difficult for us, and tried to come between us and our religion, we came to your country, preferred you over others, and were encouraged to live in your neighborhood. We hoped, O King, that we would not be wronged in your presence.
Najashi, after hearing this speech, said: Do you have any part of what your Prophet brought from Allah Almighty? Sayyiduna Ja’far (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Yes. Najashi said: Then recite it to me. Sayyiduna Ja’far (may Allah be pleased with him) recited the opening part of Surah Maryam. By Allah! Najashi began to weep until his beard became wet, and the priests also began to weep upon hearing this recitation, so much so that the scriptures before them became wet.
Then Najashi said: By Allah! Surely, the source of this speech and the speech brought by Musa (Moses) is the same. Both of you go away from here. By Allah! I will never hand these people over to you, nor can any trickery be played with me in this matter.
Sayyida Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) says: When we left his presence, Amr bin al-As said: By Allah! Tomorrow I will tell Najashi and his people of a fault of theirs, and through it I will uproot their very foundation. Abdullah bin Abi Rabi’ah, who was the better of the two, said to him: Do not do this, after all, they are our relatives, even though they oppose us. But Amr bin al-As said: By Allah! I will surely tell them that these people say that ‘Isa bin Maryam (Jesus, son of Mary) is a servant. So, the next day he went to the king and said: O King! These people say a strange thing about ‘Isa bin Maryam. So, call them again and ask them about this matter.
So, to investigate this, he sent for them. This was the greatest calamity for us. The Companions gathered and began to say to each other: When he asks you, what will you say about ‘Isa (peace be upon him)? Some replied: By Allah! We will say only what Allah Almighty has said and what our Prophet’s Shari’ah has said. Whatever is to happen, let it happen.
When they entered, Najashi said: What do you say about ‘Isa bin Maryam? Sayyiduna Ja’far bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We say about him only what our Prophet has taught us. We say that he is the servant of Allah, His Messenger, His spirit, and His word, which He cast into the chaste virgin Maryam.
Hearing this, Najashi struck his hand on the ground, picked up a stick from there, and said: What you have said about ‘Isa bin Maryam, his status is not even more than this stick. Hearing this comment from Najashi, the priests (angrily) began to speak, but Najashi said: Indeed, you may speak in anger. By Allah! O Companions! Go, you are safe in my land. Whoever abuses you will be punished. Whoever curses you will be punished. I do not like to harm any of you even if I were given a mountain of gold. In the Abyssinian language, a mountain is called“dabar.”Then Najashi said: Return the gifts of these two Qurayshi men to them. We have no need of them. By Allah! When Allah Almighty granted me my kingdom, He did not take a bribe from me, so why should I take a bribe in this matter? As long as people obey me, I will obey them.
Sayyida Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) says: Now these two Qurayshis left, disgraced and dishonored, and the gifts they had brought were returned to them. We remained in Najashi’s territory as if we were in the best house with the best neighbor.
She says: We were still residing there when people began to challenge Najashi, seeking to snatch the kingdom from him. By Allah! At that time, the intense grief that befell us—we do not know if there could be any greater grief than that. We feared that a king might prevail over Najashi who would not recognize our right as Najashi did. Najashi also set out to face them, while the Nile was between the two sides. Seeing this situation, the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Who will go to the battlefield and inform us of the situation? Sayyiduna Zubair bin al-Awwam (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I will go. He was the youngest among them. So, the people filled a waterskin with air, tied it to his chest, and he began to swim on it until he crossed to the other side of the Nile where the two armies were to meet. He kept going until he reached them.
She says: We prayed to Allah Almighty that Najashi would prevail over his enemy and that Allah Almighty would keep him in his land, and so it happened that the matter of the Abyssinians was settled in favor of Najashi. Thus, we remained with him in the best manner until we returned to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in Mecca.
تخریج الحدیث:
حكم: اسناده حسن