Letter of the Holy Prophet(sa) Inviting the Negus to Islām

In volume 1 of this book, Abyssinia, the Christian government of the African continent, has already been mentioned. The hereditary title of the King of this empire was ‘Negus.’ It has also been mentioned in volume 1 that when the persecution of the Quraish took on force against the Muslims in Makkah, the Holy Prophet(sa) sent many of his Companions (which included various women as well) to Abyssinia. Even though the Quraish pursued them and attempted to deceive the Negus by countless means, he stood firmly upon a course of equity and justice, and the Muslim Muhājirīn continued to live in peace and security under his rule.1 This Negus, whose name was Aṣḥamah, was already full of praise for the Holy Prophet(sa) since the beginning, and looked upon him with great reverence. His conduct towards the Companions was not only just, rather, it was actually protective. However, in any case, despite holding favourable views, until now, he had not yet become a Muslim. For this reason, after the Treaty of Ḥudaibiyyah, when the Holy Prophet(sa) dispatched letters inviting various Kings towards Islām, on this occasion, he dictated a letter addressed to the Negus as well, and committed it to a Companion by the name of ‘Amr bin Umaiyyah Ḍamrī. The text of this letter was as follows:

“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.”2

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.”3 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.”4 The writer of Tārīkhul-Khamīs states that this letter is preserved by the Royal Family of Abyssinia to this day.

After this, the Negus sent the following response to the Holy Prophet(sa):

“In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, Ever Merciful. This letter is addressed to Muḥammad, the Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him, from Aṣḥamah, the Negus. O Messenger of Allāh! Peace be upon you, and may the blessings of that God descend upon you, beside Whom there is none worthy of worship. It is He Who has guided me towards Islām. After this, O Messenger of Allāh! I have received your letter. By God, I do not believe Jesus, peace be upon him, to be any more than what you have mentioned, even by an iota. We have understood your message of truth. I bear witness that you are a truthful Messenger of God, whose advent has been foretold in scriptures of the past as well. Hence, I make an oath of allegiance through your paternal-cousin, Ja‘far, on your hand for the sake of God...May the peace of Allāh the Exalted be upon you, and may He shower his mercy and blessings upon you.”5

The letter which was written by the Holy Prophet(sa) to the Negus, and his subsequent response both possess a tone which is not found in any other letter recorded above. Indeed, on the one hand, the words of the Holy Prophet(sa) in his letter seem replete of the hope that God-willing, the Negus would surely accept Islām through the preaching of the Holy Prophet(sa). On the other 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.”6

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.7 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[sa]; 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).8 Zarqānī and Tārīkhul-Khamīs have also elaborately discussed this issue and proven that both were different individuals.9

It is also worthy of mention that when the Holy Prophet(sa) sent a letter to the Negus inviting him to Islām and he accepted, the Holy Prophet(sa) sent him another letter of a personal nature at that time as well, in which he stated two matters. Firstly, the Holy Prophet(sa) asked the Negus to announce the marriage of Ummi Ḥabībah, daughter of Abū Sufyān, with the Holy Prophet(sa). Secondly, he asked the Negus if arrangements could be made for Ḥaḍrat Ja‘far bin Abī Ṭālib(ra) and his Companions, who had been in Abyssinia for quite some time now, to be sent back to Arabia. This was around the same era when the Holy Prophet(sa) was returning from the victory of Khaibar. It is related that the Holy Prophet(sa) was so happy to see Ḥaḍrat Ja‘far that he said, “I cannot say whether I am more pleased by the victory of Khaibar, or more jubilant upon the arrival of Ja‘far and his Companions. It is unfortunate, however, that the life of Ḥaḍrat Ja‘far did not remain for very long, and he was martyred shortly thereafter in the Battle of Mautah.10

Ummi Ḥabībah, who married the Holy Prophet(sa) on this occasion, was the daughter of Abū Sufyān bin Ḥarb, the Head-Chieftain of Makkah, and the sister of Amīr Mu‘āwiyyah. She was from among the early Muslims and her husband ‘Ubaidullāh bin Jahash, was the paternal-cousin of the Holy Prophet(sa), who passed away in Abyssinia. After his demise, the Holy Prophet(sa) considered it appropriate to take Ummi Ḥabībah in to a bond of matrimony himself. The two-fold purpose in this was perhaps so that firstly, Abū Sufyān may become inclined towards Islām; and secondly, since she was the widow of the paternal-cousin of the Holy Prophet(sa), so that her heart could be consoled. Ummi Ḥabībah(ra), whose name was Ramlah, passed away in 44 A.H. Prior to announcing this Nikāḥ, the Negus officially sought permission from her, and then a near relative named Khālid bin Sa‘īd acted as her guardian and this marriage was settled with a dowery of 400 dinar.11 At this instance, if anyone wishes to study the discussion relevant to the issue of polygamy, reference can be made to Volume 2 of this book.

Although the other Negus who took his seat on the throne in 9 A.H. did not accept Islām, the first Negus became a Muslim and the Companions of the Holy Prophet(sa) took refuge in Abyssinia for a long time and lived lives of peace and security. The Muslims repaid the generosity of this country in such a manner that although their victorious marches planted the banner of the Islāmic state in all the four corners of the earth, no marches were lead against Abyssinia. They wielded their swords in the north and south, and in the east and west. From the boundaries of China and India to the ends of Marrakech and Spain, the sound of the thundering hooves of Muslim horses shook the face of the earth. Magnificent Kings such as the Caesar and Chosroes, fell before them like a heap of dust. However, in this universal wave of triumph, if there was any country against which the Muslims did not raise their swords, it was this very small Kingdom of Abyssinia. The region surrounding it in all four directions had come under the rule of the Muslims, but whenever they would happen to close in on Abyssinia, they would divert to other paths and did not even raise a finger at them. At the depth of this existed the very same highly moral sentiment that even at the pinnacle of their triumph, when hundreds of years had passed, the Muslims did not wish to forget the small act of benevolence, which the Negus of Abyssinia exhibited towards the early Muslims by granting refuge to a few Companions of the Holy Prophet(sa). This is a very excellent moral example, which can serve as an example for the nations of the world.