Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets — Page 378
MUHAMMAD : SEAL OF THE PROPHETS 378 Abyssinia will continue to derive blessings from it. ’ The Negus sent the following reply to the Holy Prophet: ‘In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Ever Merciful. To Muhammad, Messenger of Allah, from the Negus As’hama. Peace be on you, Messenger of Allah, and His mercy and His blessings. Allah, beside Whom t here is no one worthy of worship, is He Who has guided me to Islam. Messenger of Allah, your letter has reached me. By the Lord of heaven and earth, Jesus, peace be on him, is not any more than you have mentioned, even by a particle. I have recognized that with which you have been sent to us. I bear witness that you are a true Messenger of Allah whose truth has been testified to. I make my pledge at the hand of your cousin and embrace Islam for the sake of Allah, Lord of the worlds. Peace be on you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. ’ This was the Negus who died in the ninth year of Hijra and for whom, on learning of his death, the Holy Prophet led a funeral service proclaiming that a righteous brother in Islam, the Negus of Abyssinia, had died and that his Muslim brethren should suppli cate for the salvation of his soul. The Holy Prophet addressed a letter to his successor also, but he did not respond to his call and died a Christian. The Holy Prophet had also sent a private letter to the Negus As’hama at the same time as the letter, the text of which has been set out above. In his private letter he had asked the Negus to perform his nikah with Um Habeebah, daughter of Abu Sufyan, who h ad been married to Ubaidullah bin Jahsh, cousin of the Holy Prophet, who had died in Abyssinia. He also requested the Negus that arrangements might be made for the return of Jafar