It is narrated from Hazrat Amr bin Al-Aas (may Allah be pleased with him) that (before accepting Islam) when we returned from the Battle of the Trench, I gathered some people of the Quraysh who were aware of my status and listened to me, and I said to them, "You know, Muhammad (peace be upon him) is increasingly prevailing in many matters in a way that is undesirable to us. I have an opinion; advise me about it." They asked, "What is your opinion?" Amr said, "My opinion is that we should go to Najashi and stay there. If Muhammad (peace be upon him) prevails over his people, we will be with Najashi, and being under his rule is better for us than being under Muhammad (peace be upon him). And if our people prevail, we are known to them, so we can expect good from them." They said, "This is a very good opinion." I said to them, "Then gather something to present as a gift to Najashi." At that time, the best gift in our region was leather, so we collected a lot of leather and set out.

When we arrived there and were still with him, Hazrat Amr bin Umayyah Damri (may Allah be pleased with him) came to Najashi, whom the Prophet (peace be upon him) had sent to Najashi regarding Hazrat Ja'far and his companions. When he left, I said to my companions, "This is Amr bin Umayyah Damri. If I go to Najashi, I will request him to hand Amr over to me. If he does, I will kill him, and the people of Quraysh will see that when I have killed the messenger of Muhammad (peace be upon him), I have avenged them." So I went to Najashi and prostrated to him as I used to do before. Najashi said, "Welcome, my friend. Have you brought any gift for me from your region?" I said, "Yes, Your Majesty! I have brought a lot of leather as a gift for you." Saying this, I presented the leather to him, and he liked it very much. Then I said to him, "Your Majesty! I just saw a man leaving your presence who is a messenger of one of our enemies. Hand him over to me so that I may kill him, for he has harmed many of our noble and best people." Hearing this, Najashi became enraged and struck his nose so hard with his hand that I thought his nose had broken. At that moment, if the earth had split open, I would have entered it. I said, "Your Majesty! If I had known that this would displease you so much, I would never have made such a request." Najashi said, "Do you ask me for the messenger of the one to whom the Great Trust (Namūs Akbar) comes, the same that came to Moses (peace be upon him), so that you may kill him?" I asked, "Your Majesty! Is it really so?" Najashi said, "Amr! Woe to you, listen to me and follow them. By Allah, they are on the truth, and they will surely prevail over their opponents just as Moses (peace be upon him) prevailed over Pharaoh and his armies." I said, "Will you pledge allegiance to me on their behalf for Islam?" Najashi replied in the affirmative, extended his hand, and I pledged allegiance to him for Islam.

Then I returned to my companions, but my condition and opinion had changed from before. I kept my Islam hidden from my companions, and after a short while, I set out with the intention of presenting myself to the Prophet (peace be upon him) to accept Islam. On the way, I met Hazrat Khalid bin Walid (may Allah be pleased with him). This incident was before the conquest of Makkah. He was coming from Makkah. I asked him, "Abu Sulaiman! Where are you headed?" He replied, "By Allah! The matter has become clear; that person is certainly a Prophet, and now I am going to accept Islam. How long will this continue?" I said, "By Allah, I am also coming from Abyssinia to accept Islam." So we both presented ourselves to the Prophet (peace be upon him). First, Hazrat Khalid bin Walid (may Allah be pleased with him) stepped forward, accepted Islam, and pledged allegiance. Then I stepped forward and said, "O Messenger of Allah! I pledge allegiance to you on the condition that you forgive my past mistakes; I do not mention the sins that come after." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Amr! Pledge allegiance, for Islam wipes out previous sins, and likewise, migration also erases previous sins." So I pledged allegiance and returned. Ibn Ishaq...