HOME | DD

Description
Assalaamu alaikum [peace be to you],

Today, I'd like to tell you a story of a great king who is unknown to many of you: The Negus of Abyssinia (The Kingdom of Aksum, the current northern Ethiopia and Eritrea).
sorry, this is a little long. I didn't want to split it into 2 articles.

THE FIRST EMIGRATION:
After the last prophet of Islam, Mohammed -peace be upon him- started his mission calling people to the way of the God, The pagan leaders of Makkah intensified their persecutions against the prophet and his followers. Even influential men who now followed the new religion were not spared. They were boycotted and several of them were restrained in their own homes. Many of the Muslims with little or no influence were tortured publicly and repeatedly.
The Prophet peace be upon him saw his followers standing up to their convictions in spite of persecutions, and his heart was laden with grief. And since he could do nothing to protect them, he advised his followers to migrate to the country of the Christian ruler, Negus of Abyssinia, who was reputed to be a just and fair king. It was a friendly country where the Muslims could stay until such time as God relieved them of their distress.
A total of eighty-three persons are reported to have fled to Abyssinia. The emigrants were well received in Abyssinia, and were allowed complete freedom of worship.

Negus is not a name. it's a title of the kings of Aksum, like Khosrau, Caesar... the king's name was Ashama.

QURAYSH PURSUES THE MUSLIMS:
The news that the Muslims were living in peace in Abyssinia reached Makkah making the Qurayshite leaders all the more restless depressed and discouraged. So they decided to send Abdullah Ibn Abi-Rabia and Amr Ibn Al-Aas as their emissaries, laden with choicest presents of Makkah for Negus, his nobles and generals, to get the persons in exile back from Abyssinia. Amr was a good freind withe the king of Abyssinia.
The agents of Quraysh first bribed the courtiers of Negus with their presents to espouse their cause before the king, then they presented their gifts to him and said:
“Some foolish young men and women of our people have taken refuge in this kingdom. They have left their own religion, not for yours, but for one they have invented, one that is unknown to us and to yourselves. Our nobles, (who are their elders and guardians) have sent us to Your Majesty so we could get them back from you, for they are closer to them and that they know their faults."
The generals of Negus who heard this whispered to him in chorus, They are correct, surrender the refugees to them. But king Negus was enraged; he disliked to forsake those who had sought his shelter. He said,
“Nay, by God, they shall not be betrayed - a people that have sought my protection and made my country their abode and chosen me above all others! Give them up I will not, until I have summoned them and questioned them concerning what you say of them. If it be as you have said, then will I deliver them unto you, that you may restore them to your own people. But if not, then will I be their good protector so long as they seek my protection."
The king summoned the Muslims to his court in the presence of his bishops.

IN THE KING'S COURT:
The refugees needed a spokesman and Ja'far Ibn-Abi-Talib -May the the God be pleased with him-, the cousin of the Prophet -peace be upon him-, was an eloquent speaker.
The King pointed to the two Qurayshite emissaries and said to Ja'far: "These men are requesting that I return you all to them."
Ja'far answered: "O King, ask them, are we their slaves?"
"No", answered 'Amr, "rather they are free and noble men."
"Ask them," Ja'far continued, "do we then owe them debts which they have come to claim from us?"
'Amr answered: "They owe us no debts which we have come to claim."
Ja'far continued: "Have they come then to avenge any blood of theirs that we had wrongfully shed?"
'Amr answered: "They have shed no blood for which we come to exact vengeance or blood money."
Ja'far asked: "What then do you want from us?"
'Amr said: "They have opposed us in our religion and the religion of our forefathers and insulted our gods. They have corrupted our youths and spread dissension among us. Return them to us, therefore, that our unity might be restored."

FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT:
Ja'far then addressed the King saying: "O King, we were a people plunged in the depths of ignorance and immorality, worshipping idols and eating the flesh of dead animals, committing all sorts of abomination and shameful deeds, breaking the ties of kinship, treating guests badly, and the strong among us exploited the weak. We remained in this state until Allah sent us a Prophet, one of our own people, whose lineage, truthfulness, trustworthiness, and integrity were well-known to us.
He called us to worship Allah alone, and to renounce the stones and the idols which we and our ancestors used to worship besides Allah.
He commanded us to speak the truth, to honor our promises, to be kind to our relations, to be helpful to our neighbors, to cease all forbidden acts, to abstain from bloodshed, to avoid obscenities and false witness, and not to appropriate an orphan’s property nor slander chaste women.
He ordered us to worship Allah alone and not to associate anything with him, to uphold Salat, to give Zakaah, and fast in the month of Ramadan.
We believed in him and what he brought to us from Allah, and we follow him in what he has asked us to do and we keep away from what he forbade us from.
For these reasons have our people turned against us, and have persecuted us to make us forsake our religion and revert from the worship of God to the worship of idols. That is why we have come to thy country, having chosen thee above all others; and we have been happy in thy protection, and it is our hope, O King, that here with thee we shall not suffer wrong."

The King said: "It is with such teachings that the God also sent Jesus the son of Mary!" Then addressing Ja'far, he continued: "Do you know by heart any of the revelations which God sent down to your prophet?"
"Yes", he answered.
"Recite then!" the King demanded.
Ja'far recited the opening verses of Surat Maryam (Chapter Mary, #19):"In the Name of the God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
Relate in the Book (the story of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East.
And she took, in seclusion from them, a screen. Then We sent to her Our Angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects.
She said: "I seek refuge from thee to the Most Gracious (Allah): (come not near) if thou dost fear Allah."
He said: "Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son.
She said: "How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?"
He said: "So (it will be): Thy Lord saith, 'that is easy for Me: and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us':It is a matter (so) decreed."
So she conceived him, and she retired with him to a remote place.
And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree. She said, "Oh, I wish I had died before this and was in oblivion, forgotten."
But (a voice) cried to her from beneath the (palm-tree): "Grieve not! for thy Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee;
"And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm-tree: It will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee.
"So eat and drink and cool (thine) eye. And if thou dost see any man, say, 'I have vowed a fast to (Allah) Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into not talk with any human being'*"

*translation of verses 19:16-26
When he reached these words, the king wept and exclaimed: "By God this is the truth!"
'Amr protested: "O King, this man has abandoned our religion; give him to us that we may take him back to our country!"
Here, the Negus exclaimed, "it seems as if these words and those which were revealed to Jesus are the rays of the light which have radiated from the same source."
The king said to Ja'far and his companions: "Go your ways, for you are safe in my land. Not for mountains of gold would I harm a single man of you"; and with a movement of his hand towards the envoys of Quraysh, he said to his attendant: "Return unto these two men their gifts, for I have no use for them."

Negus treated the Muslims with honor and pledged his protection to them. Both crestfallen envoys of Quraysh had to leave Abyssinia in great shame while the Muslims lived there in peace and security.

from:
- NEGUS AND PROPHET MUHAMMAD (pbuh) [link]
- Muslims Migrate To Abyssinia [link]
- Jafar ibn Abu Talib’s Speech to the Negus [link]
- "النجاشي" ملك الحبشة الصالح [link]

I hope this was beneficial.

If you didn't watch a movie called "The Message" (1976), then I'd like to recommend it. it's a MUST WATCH. it's a great movie that tells the story of the beginning of Islam with great realization and great cast of actors. this encounter with the Negus of Abyssinia is shown in that movie.

If I am right, it's from the God. if I am wrong, it's from myself.

Description
Assalaamu alaikum [peace be to you],

Today, I'd like to tell you a story of a great king who is unknown to many of you: The Negus of Abyssinia (The Kingdom of Aksum, the current northern Ethiopia and Eritrea).
sorry, this is a little long. I didn't want to split it into 2 articles.

THE FIRST EMIGRATION:
After the last prophet of Islam, Mohammed -peace be upon him- started his mission calling people to the way of the God, The pagan leaders of Makkah intensified their persecutions against the prophet and his followers. Even influential men who now followed the new religion were not spared. They were boycotted and several of them were restrained in their own homes. Many of the Muslims with little or no influence were tortured publicly and repeatedly.
The Prophet peace be upon him saw his followers standing up to their convictions in spite of persecutions, and his heart was laden with grief. And since he could do nothing to protect them, he advised his followers to migrate to the country of the Christian ruler, Negus of Abyssinia, who was reputed to be a just and fair king. It was a friendly country where the Muslims could stay until such time as God relieved them of their distress.
A total of eighty-three persons are reported to have fled to Abyssinia. The emigrants were well received in Abyssinia, and were allowed complete freedom of worship.

Negus is not a name. it's a title of the kings of Aksum, like Khosrau, Caesar... the king's name was Ashama.

QURAYSH PURSUES THE MUSLIMS:
The news that the Muslims were living in peace in Abyssinia reached Makkah making the Qurayshite leaders all the more restless depressed and discouraged. So they decided to send Abdullah Ibn Abi-Rabia and Amr Ibn Al-Aas as their emissaries, laden with choicest presents of Makkah for Negus, his nobles and generals, to get the persons in exile back from Abyssinia. Amr was a good freind withe the king of Abyssinia.
The agents of Quraysh first bribed the courtiers of Negus with their presents to espouse their cause before the king, then they presented their gifts to him and said:
“Some foolish young men and women of our people have taken refuge in this kingdom. They have left their own religion, not for yours, but for one they have invented, one that is unknown to us and to yourselves. Our nobles, (who are their elders and guardians) have sent us to Your Majesty so we could get them back from you, for they are closer to them and that they know their faults."
The generals of Negus who heard this whispered to him in chorus, They are correct, surrender the refugees to them. But king Negus was enraged; he disliked to forsake those who had sought his shelter. He said,
“Nay, by God, they shall not be betrayed - a people that have sought my protection and made my country their abode and chosen me above all others! Give them up I will not, until I have summoned them and questioned them concerning what you say of them. If it be as you have said, then will I deliver them unto you, that you may restore them to your own people. But if not, then will I be their good protector so long as they seek my protection."
The king summoned the Muslims to his court in the presence of his bishops.

IN THE KING'S COURT:
The refugees needed a spokesman and Ja'far Ibn-Abi-Talib -May the the God be pleased with him-, the cousin of the Prophet -peace be upon him-, was an eloquent speaker.
The King pointed to the two Qurayshite emissaries and said to Ja'far: "These men are requesting that I return you all to them."
Ja'far answered: "O King, ask them, are we their slaves?"
"No", answered 'Amr, "rather they are free and noble men."
"Ask them," Ja'far continued, "do we then owe them debts which they have come to claim from us?"
'Amr answered: "They owe us no debts which we have come to claim."
Ja'far continued: "Have they come then to avenge any blood of theirs that we had wrongfully shed?"
'Amr answered: "They have shed no blood for which we come to exact vengeance or blood money."
Ja'far asked: "What then do you want from us?"
'Amr said: "They have opposed us in our religion and the religion of our forefathers and insulted our gods. They have corrupted our youths and spread dissension among us. Return them to us, therefore, that our unity might be restored."

FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT:
Ja'far then addressed the King saying: "O King, we were a people plunged in the depths of ignorance and immorality, worshipping idols and eating the flesh of dead animals, committing all sorts of abomination and shameful deeds, breaking the ties of kinship, treating guests badly, and the strong among us exploited the weak. We remained in this state until Allah sent us a Prophet, one of our own people, whose lineage, truthfulness, trustworthiness, and integrity were well-known to us.
He called us to worship Allah alone, and to renounce the stones and the idols which we and our ancestors used to worship besides Allah.
He commanded us to speak the truth, to honor our promises, to be kind to our relations, to be helpful to our neighbors, to cease all forbidden acts, to abstain from bloodshed, to avoid obscenities and false witness, and not to appropriate an orphan’s property nor slander chaste women.
He ordered us to worship Allah alone and not to associate anything with him, to uphold Salat, to give Zakaah, and fast in the month of Ramadan.
We believed in him and what he brought to us from Allah, and we follow him in what he has asked us to do and we keep away from what he forbade us from.
For these reasons have our people turned against us, and have persecuted us to make us forsake our religion and revert from the worship of God to the worship of idols. That is why we have come to thy country, having chosen thee above all others; and we have been happy in thy protection, and it is our hope, O King, that here with thee we shall not suffer wrong."

The King said: "It is with such teachings that the God also sent Jesus the son of Mary!" Then addressing Ja'far, he continued: "Do you know by heart any of the revelations which God sent down to your prophet?"
"Yes", he answered.
"Recite then!" the King demanded.
Ja'far recited the opening verses of Surat Maryam (Chapter Mary, #19):"In the Name of the God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
Relate in the Book (the story of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East.
And she took, in seclusion from them, a screen. Then We sent to her Our Angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects.
She said: "I seek refuge from thee to the Most Gracious (Allah): (come not near) if thou dost fear Allah."
He said: "Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son.
She said: "How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?"
He said: "So (it will be): Thy Lord saith, 'that is easy for Me: and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us':It is a matter (so) decreed."
So she conceived him, and she retired with him to a remote place.
And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree. She said, "Oh, I wish I had died before this and was in oblivion, forgotten."
But (a voice) cried to her from beneath the (palm-tree): "Grieve not! for thy Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee;
"And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm-tree: It will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee.
"So eat and drink and cool (thine) eye. And if thou dost see any man, say, 'I have vowed a fast to (Allah) Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into not talk with any human being'*"

*translation of verses 19:16-26
When he reached these words, the king wept and exclaimed: "By God this is the truth!"
'Amr protested: "O King, this man has abandoned our religion; give him to us that we may take him back to our country!"
Here, the Negus exclaimed, "it seems as if these words and those which were revealed to Jesus are the rays of the light which have radiated from the same source."
The king said to Ja'far and his companions: "Go your ways, for you are safe in my land. Not for mountains of gold would I harm a single man of you"; and with a movement of his hand towards the envoys of Quraysh, he said to his attendant: "Return unto these two men their gifts, for I have no use for them."

Negus treated the Muslims with honor and pledged his protection to them. Both crestfallen envoys of Quraysh had to leave Abyssinia in great shame while the Muslims lived there in peace and security.

from:
- NEGUS AND PROPHET MUHAMMAD (pbuh) [link]
- Muslims Migrate To Abyssinia [link]
- Jafar ibn Abu Talib’s Speech to the Negus [link]
- "النجاشي" ملك الحبشة الصالح [link]

I hope this was beneficial.

If you didn't watch a movie called "The Message" (1976), then I'd like to recommend it. it's a MUST WATCH. it's a great movie that tells the story of the beginning of Islam with great realization and great cast of actors. this encounter with the Negus of Abyssinia is shown in that movie.

If I am right, it's from the God. if I am wrong, it's from myself.