The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) – Volume III — Page 216
Seal of the Prophets - Volume III 216 hand, the letter of the Negus bears witness that his soul was already sitting in anticipation to accept the truth. In any case, God the Exalted granted the Negus the ability to accept Islām. This is the same Negus who passed away in 9 A. H. The Holy Prophet sa lead his funeral prayer and said to the Companions, “A righteous brother in Islām, the Negus of Abyssinia, has passed away. Come, let us all supplicate for the salvation of his soul. ” 1 The Negus who took to the throne after the demise of this one has not been recorded in narrations by name. However, history states that the Holy Prophet sa wrote a letter inviting him to Islām as well. Unfortunately, he did not accept the invitation of the Holy Prophet sa and died as a follower of Christianity. 2 It is perhaps due to this reason that Islām could not spread in Abyssinia. At this instance, it should also be remembered that letters of invitation were sent one after the other to two Kings. In other words, one letter was addressed to the Negus named Aṣḥamah, who gave refuge to the Companions in the early days of Islām when they migrated; and who accepted Islām upon receiving the letter of the Holy Prophet sa ; and died in 9 A. H. as a Muslim. The second letter was sent to the Negus who took the throne after him, and did not accept the invitation of the Holy Prophet; and died in a state of disbelief. It is for this reason that certain historians have committed an error in this respect and they have considered both of these Kings to be the same. However, as mentioned above, the Holy Prophet sa sent two different letters at different times to two different Kings. Therefore, a clear narration has been related in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim by Ḥaḍrat Anas ra , which states that the Negus to whom a letter was sent afterwards was different from the one whose funeral prayer was led by the Holy Prophet sa. 3 Zarqānī and Tārīkhul-Khamīs have also elaborately 1 * Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābul-Janā’iz, Bābuṣ-Ṣufūfi ‘Alal-Jināzah, Ḥadīth No. 1320 * Ṣaḥīḥu Muslim, Kitābul-Janā’iz, Bābu Fit-Takbiri ‘Alal-Jināzah, Ḥadīth No. 2208-2209 * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 5, p. 25, Wa Ammā Mukātabatuhū ‘Alaihiṣ-Ṣalātu Was-Salāmu Ilal-Mulūki Wa Ghairihim, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 2 * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 5, p. 26, Wa Ammā Mukātabatuhū ‘Alaihiṣ-Ṣalātu Was-Salāmu Ilal-Mulūki Wa Ghairihim, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 5, p. 64, Rusuluhū sa , Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 3 Ṣaḥīḥu Muslim, Kitābul-Jihādi Was-Siyar, Bābu Kataban-Nabiyyu sa Ilā Mulūkil-Kuffāri Yad‘ūhum Ilallāhi ‘Azza Wa Jalla, Ḥadīth No. 4609