Chief of the Prophets — Page 190
Chapter Eight 190 accept the truth. Allah the Exalted granted Negus the good fortune to accept Islam. When he died in 9 A. H. , Muḥammad sa offered his funeral prayers and said, “One of your righteous brothers, Negus died in Abyssinia. Let us pray together for his soul. ” 1 It is noteworthy that when Muḥammad sa wrote the letter to Negus with the invitation to Islam, which he accepted, he also sent him another private letter, and drew his attention towards two matters; first, to perform Muḥammad’s Nikāḥ in absentia with Ummi Ḥabībah, the daughter of Abū Sufyān, and second, to send Ja‘far bin Abī Ṭālib and his companions back to Arabia under his own arrangements. Negus carried out both of these requests. Acting upon the first request, he sent a message to Ummi Ḥabībah to get her formal permission before performing the Nikāḥ. Khālid bin Sa‘īd, her close relative approved the Nikāḥ as her guardian at a dowry of 400 dirhams. 2 He also carried out the second request according to the wishes of Muḥammad sa , and made arrangements for the return of Ja‘far and his companions. Ja‘far and his companions returned when Muḥammad sa was returning from the victory of Khaibar, and the tradition says that he was so pleased after meeting Ja‘far that he said, “I do not know if I am more pleased with the victory of Khaibar or on the arrival of Ja‘far and his companions. ” Unfortunately, Ja‘far did not live long, and after a little while, he was martyred in the Ghazwah of Mutah. 3 The Negus died in 9 A. H. , and after him another Negus took the throne. The new Negus did not accept Islam, but the revered Companions spent a long time in Abyssinia with peace and security under his rule. The Muslims remembered the favour of Abyssinia and never carried out a military campaign against Abyssinia while they waved the flag of Islam far and wide in the world with their victories. This appreciation of Negus’s favour could be observed 1 Bukhārī, Muslim and Az-Zarqānī. 2 Ibni S‘ad and Az-Zarqānī and Usdul-Ghābah 3 Bukhārī (Account of the Ghazwah of Mutah).