The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) – Volume III — Page 214
Seal of the Prophets - Volume III 214 “I write this letter in the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, Ever Merciful. This letter is from Muḥammad, the Messenger of Allāh, to the Negus, King of Abyssinia. O King! May the Peace of God be upon you. After this, I praise God before you. There is none worthy of worship except Him. He is the true King of the heaven and earth; He is a compendium of all excellences and free from all defects; He grants peace to His creation and protects His creatures. I bear witness that Jesus, son of Mary, was raised by the word of God and came into existence through His command, which He revealed to the Virgin Mary. . . O King! I invite you towards the One God, Who has no partner, and I invite you to join me in obedience to God. I also invite you to follow me and thus believe in the word which has been revealed to me. For I am a Messenger of God, and call you and your subjects towards God in this very capacity. I have conveyed my message to you and have invited you towards the truth with sincerity and compassion; accept this sincerity and compassion of mine. I have (prior to this) already sent my paternal-cousin, Ja‘far along with a few other Muslims to you. May peace be upon him who follows the guidance of God. ” 1 When this letter of the Holy Prophet sa reached the Negus, he raised it to his eyes. As an act of respect, he stepped down from his throne and said, “I bear witness that Muḥammad sa is the Messenger of God. ” 2 Then he called for a small ivory box and safeguarded the letter of the Holy Prophet sa in it saying, “I firmly believe that until this letter remains preserved by our dynasty, the people of Abyssinia shall continue to derive blessings from it. ” 3 The writer of Tārīkhul-Khamīs states that this letter is preserved by the Royal Family of 1 * Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 1, pp. 124-125, Dhikru Bi‘thati Rasūlillāhi sa Ar-Rusula Bi-Kutubihī Ilal-Mulūki Yad‘ūhum Ilal-Islām , Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 5, pp. 19-21, Wa Ammā Mukātabatuhū ‘Alaihiṣ-Ṣalātu Was-Salāmu Ilal-Mulūki Wa Ghairihim, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 2 * Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 1, p. 125, Dhikru Bi‘thati Rasūlillāhi sa Ar-Rusula Bi-Kutubihī Ilal-Mulūki Yad‘ūhum Ilal-Islām , Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 5, p. 22, Wa Ammā Mukātabatuhū ‘Alaihiṣ-Ṣalātu Was-Salāmu Ilal-Mulūki Wa Ghairihim, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 3 * Tārīkhul-Khamīs Fī Aḥwāli Anfasi Nafīs, By Ḥusain bin Muḥammad bin Ḥasan, Volume 2, p. 31, Kitābun-Najāshiyyi Ilan-Nabiyyi, Mu’assasatu Sha‘bān, Beirut * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 5, p. 23, Wa Ammā Mukātabatuhū ‘Alaihiṣ-Ṣalātu Was-Salāmu Ilal-Mulūki Wa Ghairihim, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)