المستدرك على الصحيحين
Al Mustadrak ala al‑Sahihayn
كتاب التفسير
Book of Tafsir
قصة إسلام النجاشي وغلبة وفد المسلمين على الكافرين عنده
The story of the Negus accepting Islam and the Muslim delegation prevailing over the disbelievers before him
Hadith Number: 3247
اخبرنا ابو عبد الله محمد بن عبد الله الزاهد الاصبهاني، حدثنا احمد ابن مهران بن خالد الاصبهاني، حدثنا عبيد الله بن موسى، اخبرنا إسرائيل، عن ابي إسحاق، عن ابي بردة، عن ابي موسى قال: امرنا رسول الله ﷺ ان ننطلق إلى ارض النجاشي، فبلغ ذلك قريشا، فبعثوا إلى عمرو بن العاص وعمارة بن الوليد وجمعوا للنجاشي هدايا، فقدمنا، وقدما على النجاشي، فاتوه بهديته فقبلها وسجدوا له، ثم قال له عمرو بن العاص: إن قوما منا رغبوا عن ديننا وهم في ارضك، فقال لهم النجاشي: في ارضي؟! قالا: نعم، قال: فبعث إلينا، فقال لنا جعفر: لا يتكلم منكم احد، انا خطيبكم اليوم. فانتهينا إلى النجاشي وهو جالس في مجلسه، وعمرو بن العاص عن يمينه نه وعمارة عن يساره والقسيسون من الرهبان جلوس سماطين، فقال له عمرو وعمارة: إنهم لا يسجدون لك، فلما انتهينا إليه زبرنا من عنده من القسيسين والرهبان: اسجدوا للملك، فقال جعفر: لا نسجد إلا لله، فقال له النجاشي: وما ذاك؟ قال: إن الله بعث فينا رسوله، وهو الرسول الذي بشر به عيسي ﴿برسول ياتي من بعدي اسمه احمد﴾، فامرنا ان نعبد الله ولا نشرك به شيئا، ونقيم الصلاة ونؤتي الزكاة، وامرنا بالمعروف ونهانا عن المنكر، قال: فاعجب الناس قوله، فلما راى ذلك عمرو، قال له: اصلح الله الملك، إنهم يخالفونك في عيسى ابن مريم، فقال النجاشي لجعفر: ما يقول صاحبك في ابن مريم؟ قال: يقول فيه قول الله: هو روح الله، وكلمته، اخرجه من البتول العذراء لم يقربها بشر، قال: فتناول النجاشي عودا من الارض فرفعه فقال: يا معشر القسيسين والرهبان، ما يزيد هؤلاء على ما تقولون في ابن مريم ما يزن هذه، مرحبا بكم، وبمن جئتم من عنده، فانا اشهد انه رسول الله، وانه الذي بشر به عيسى ابن مريم، ولولا ما انا فيه من الملك لاتيته حتى احمل نعليه، امكثوا في ارضى ما شئتم، وامر لهم بطعام وكسوة، وقال: ردوا على هذين هديتهم (1).
هذا حديث صحيح على شرط الشيخين، ولم يخرجاه، وإنما اخرجته في هذا الموضع اقتداء بشيخنا ابي يحيى الخفاف (2)، فإنه خرجه في قوله ﷿: ﴿لن يستنكف المسيح ان يكون عبدا لله﴾ [النساء: 172].
[التعليق - من تلخيص الذهبي] ترقيم العلميه 3208 - على شرط البخاري ومسلم
هذا حديث صحيح على شرط الشيخين، ولم يخرجاه، وإنما اخرجته في هذا الموضع اقتداء بشيخنا ابي يحيى الخفاف (2)، فإنه خرجه في قوله ﷿: ﴿لن يستنكف المسيح ان يكون عبدا لله﴾ [النساء: 172].
[التعليق - من تلخيص الذهبي] ترقيم العلميه 3208 - على شرط البخاري ومسلم
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded us to set out for the land of the Negus (Abyssinia). This news reached Quraysh, so they sent Amr bin al-As and Umarah bin al-Walid with gifts for the Negus. We arrived, and those two also arrived before the Negus. They presented the gift to the Negus, which he accepted, and they prostrated to him. Then Amr bin al-As said to him: "Some people from among us have abandoned our religion and they are residing in your land." The Negus asked: "In my land?" They said: "Yes." So he sent for us. Sayyiduna Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) said to us: "None of you should speak; today I will be your spokesman." We came to the Negus while he was sitting in his court, with Amr bin al-As on his right and Umarah on his left, and the priests and monks were sitting in two rows. Amr and Umarah said to him: "These people do not prostrate to you." When we reached him, the priests and monks who were present rebuked us, saying: "Prostrate to the king!" Sayyiduna Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "We do not prostrate to anyone except Allah." The Negus asked: "What is this about?" He said: "Indeed, Allah has sent among us His Messenger, and he is the very Messenger whose glad tidings Isa (peace be upon him) gave: 'of a Messenger who will come after me, whose name is Ahmad (peace and blessings be upon him)'. He commanded us to worship Allah and not associate anything with Him, to establish the prayer and to give the zakah, and he commanded us to do good and forbade us from evil." The narrator said: The people were greatly pleased with his words. When Amr saw this, he said to the king: "May Allah set the king right! These people oppose you regarding Isa bin Maryam." The Negus asked Sayyiduna Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him): "What does your companion (the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)) say about the son of Maryam?" He said: "He says about him what Allah has said: he is the spirit of Allah and His word, whom Allah brought forth from the chaste virgin (the pure Maryam (peace be upon her)) whom no human being had touched." The narrator said: The Negus picked up a twig from the ground, raised it and said: "O assembly of priests and monks! What these people say about the son of Maryam does not exceed what you say by even the weight of this twig. Welcome to you all, and to the one from whom you have come. I bear witness that he is the Messenger of Allah and that he is the one whose glad tidings Isa bin Maryam gave. Were it not for this kingship (that binds me), I would certainly go to him so that I could carry his sandals. Stay in my land as long as you wish." He ordered food and clothing for them and said: "Return the gifts of these two to them."
This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), but they did not record it. I have mentioned it here following our Shaykh Abu Yahya al-Khaffaf, for he recorded it in the explanation of this saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "The Messiah (peace be upon him) would never disdain to be a servant of Allah" [Surah an-Nisa: 172] .
تخریج الحدیث: «خبر صحيح على وهمٍ في أوله، وهذا إسناد حسن من أجل أحمد بن مهران الأصبهاني، وقد توبع، وباقي رجاله ثقات، وظاهر هذا الخبر يدلُّ على أنَّ أبا موسى كان بمكة وأنه خرج مع جعفر إلى أرض الحبشة، قال البيهقي في "دلائل النبوة" 2/ 299: والصحيح عن بريد بن عبد الله ...» [ترقيم الرساله 3247] [ترقيم الشركة 3227] [ترقيم العلميه 3208]
Takhrij and Tahqiq of Hadith No. 3247 of Al Mustadrak ala al‑Sahihayn
by Shaykh Adil Murshid, Dr. Ahmad Barhoum, Dr. Muhammad Kamil Qarah Balli and Dr. Sa'id al-Lahham
Hadith-science notes and terminology
by Shaykh Adil Murshid, Dr. Ahmad Barhoum, Dr. Muhammad Kamil Qarah Balli and Dr. Sa'id al-Lahham
Hadith-science notes and terminology
Grading: This report is sahih, despite an error (wahm) at its beginning, and this chain is hasan on account of Ahmad bin Mihran al-Asbahani, and he has been corroborated; the rest of its narrators are thiqah (trustworthy).
Technical note / Defect ('illah): The apparent sense of this report indicates that Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) was in Makkah and that he went out with Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) to the land of Abyssinia. Al-Bayhaqi said in "Dala'il al-Nubuwwah" (2/ 299): "What is authentic, from Burayd bin Abd Allah bin Abi Burdah, from his grandfather Abu Burdah, from Abu Musa (and it is recorded by al-Bukhari: 3136, and Muslim: 2502), is that news of the emergence of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) reached them while they were in Yemen, so they set out as emigrants, some fifty-odd men, in a ship, but their ship cast them ashore with the Negus in Abyssinia. There they met Ja'far bin Abi Talib and his companions, and Ja'far told them to stay, so they stayed until they came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) at the time of Khaybar. So Abu Musa witnessed what took place between Ja'far and the Negus and reported it. Perhaps the narrator erred in his words: 'The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded us to set out.' And Allah knows best."
Technical note / Defect ('illah): The apparent sense of this report indicates that Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) was in Makkah and that he went out with Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) to the land of Abyssinia. Al-Bayhaqi said in "Dala'il al-Nubuwwah" (2/ 299): "What is authentic, from Burayd bin Abd Allah bin Abi Burdah, from his grandfather Abu Burdah, from Abu Musa (and it is recorded by al-Bukhari: 3136, and Muslim: 2502), is that news of the emergence of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) reached them while they were in Yemen, so they set out as emigrants, some fifty-odd men, in a ship, but their ship cast them ashore with the Negus in Abyssinia. There they met Ja'far bin Abi Talib and his companions, and Ja'far told them to stay, so they stayed until they came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) at the time of Khaybar. So Abu Musa witnessed what took place between Ja'far and the Negus and reported it. Perhaps the narrator erred in his words: 'The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded us to set out.' And Allah knows best."
(1) خبر صحيح على وهمٍ في أوله، وهذا إسناد حسن من أجل أحمد بن مهران الأصبهاني، وقد توبع، وباقي رجاله ثقات، وظاهر هذا الخبر يدلُّ على أنَّ أبا موسى كان بمكة وأنه خرج مع جعفر إلى أرض الحبشة، قال البيهقي في "دلائل النبوة" 2/ 299: والصحيح عن بريد بن عبد الله بن أبي بردة عن جده أبي بردة عن أبي موسى (وهو مخرَّج عند البخاري: 3136، ومسلم: 2502): أنه بلغهم مَخرَجُ رسول الله ﷺ وهم باليمن فخرجوا مهاجرين في بضع وخمسين رجلًا في سفينة فألقتهم سفينتهم إلى النجاشي بالحبشة، فوافقوا جعفرَ بنَ أبي طالب وأصحابَه عنده، فأمرهم جعفر بالإقامة، فأقاموا حتى قدموا على رسول الله ﷺ زمن خيبر؛ فأبو موسى شهد ما جرى بين جعفر وبين النجاشي فأخبر عنه، ولعلَّ الراوي وَهِمَ في قوله: أمَرَنا رسول الله ﷺ أن ننطلق، والله أعلم.
Reference / Source: Abu Dawud recorded it (3205) by way of Isma'il bin Ja'far, from Isra'il, with this chain; he abridged it and did not give its full wording.
وأخرجه أبو داود (3205) من طريق إسماعيل بن جعفر، عن إسرائيل، بهذا الإسناد. واختصره ولم يسق لفظه بتمامه.
Note / Clarification: He is Zakariyya bin Dawud bin Bakr al-Naysaburi, Abu Yahya al-Khaffaf, author of "al-Tafsir al-Kabir"; he died in 287 AH. (See al-Dhahabi's "Tarikh al-Islam" 6/ 751.)
(2) هو زكريا بن داود بن بكر النيسابوري أبو يحيى الخفاف، صاحب "التفسير الكبير"، توفي سنة 287 هـ. انظر "تاريخ الإسلام" للذهبي 6/ 751.
