An Unsuccessful Delegation of the Quraish to the Royal Court of the Negus — Seal of the Prophets Vol. 1
Introduction
In this discourse from The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 1), Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra) details the historical events and scholarly insights surrounding An Unsuccessful Delegation of the Quraish to the Royal Court of the Negus.
Book Series: The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 1)
Author: Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra)
Section: VII-Days of Struggle
Pages: Book pp. 214–216 (PDF pp. 238–240)
Navigation: Book Table of Contents | « Previous: [A Fabricated Incident] | Next: [Departure of Hadrat Abu Bakr (ra) with the Intention of Migration] »
Historical Account
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taught us to treat our neighbours well and stopped us from adultery, lying and the usurpation of the wealth of orphans, and he held us from bloodshed. He instructed us to worship Allāh. We believed in him, and followed him, but for this reason our people were displeased with us and subjected us to miseries and hardships, and tortured us and desired that we abandon our faith by coercion, until we finally left our homeland, saddened, and took refuge in your sovereignty. O King! We hope that under your rule we shall not be subjected to brutality.”
The Negus was greatly touched by this address and said to Ḥaḍrat Ja‘farra, “Read to me the word which has been revealed to you.” Upon this, Ḥaḍrat Ja‘farra very melodiously recited the opening verses of Sūrah Maryam. Upon hearing these verses, the Negus’ eyes filled with tears, and in a state of great emotion he said, “By God, this word, and the word of our Messiah [peace be upon him] seem to be the rays of a common light source.” Upon this, the Negus said to the delegation of the Quraish, “Go back, for I shall not send these people with you.” The Negus returned their gifts as well.
But the ferocious ambassadors of the Quraish were not ones to be silenced so easily. The next day, ‘Amr bin Al-‘Āṣ gained admission into the court of the Negus and said, “Your majesty, are you also aware of what these people say about the Messiah [peace be upon him]?” The Negus called for the Muslims once again, who were worried that since we do not believe in the Messiahas as the son of God, perhaps the scheme of ‘Amr bin Al-‘Āṣ will succeed. But these people were not ones to refrain from speaking the truth, even beneath the shadow of swords. Hence, when the Negus asked, “What are your beliefs about the Messiah [peace be upon him]?” Ja‘farra clearly responded:
“In light of our belief, the Messiah is a servant of God, not God Himself. However, he is an honoured messenger of Allāh who came into being by the word which He gave to Mary [peace be upon her].”
The Negus picked up a straw from the ground and said, “By Allāh, as per your statement, I do not find the Messiah [peace be upon him] greater than even this thorn.” Upon this statement of the Negus, the court bishops were greatly outraged, but the Negus did not care in the least, and the delegation of the Quraish returned unsuccessful.
Following this, the immigrants to Abyssinia lived in peace for quite some time. However, most of them returned to Makkah, near the migration of Yathrib, while others remained in Abyssinia, until the Holy Prophetsa migrated to Madīnah and the battles of Badr, Uḥud, and the Confederates occurred. It was at that time that these people returned to Arabia. This was the era in which the Holy Prophetsa was returning from the battle of Khaibar.
In the beginning, when most of the immigrants were still in Abyssinia, the Negus was confronted by a war from one of his enemies. Upon this, after mutual consultation, the companions decided that if required, we should also support the Negus. As such, they sent Zubair bin Al-‘Awwāmra to the battlefield across the Nile River to gain insight as to the state of affairs, while the rest of the companions prayed continuously to God for the victory of the Negus. Therefore, after a few days, Ḥaḍrat Zubair bin Al-‘Awwāmra returned to inform that by the Grace of Allāh, the Negus had won victory.
[For details of the aforementioned instances refer to: * As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Malik bin Hishām, pp. 245-250, Irsālu Quraishin ilal-Habashati fī Talabil-Muhajirīna ilaiha, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001) * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Muḥammad bin ‘Abdul-Bāqī Az- Zarqānī, Volume 1, pp. 503-506, Bābul-Hijratil-Ūlā ilal-Ḥabashah, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebehon, First Edition (1996) * Tārīkhuṭ-Ṭabarī, By Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad bin Al-Jarīr Ṭabarī, Volume 2, pp. 236-237, Bābu Dhikril-Khabri ‘ammā kāna min Amri Nabiyyillāhisa ‘inda Ibtidā’illāhi Ta‘ālā……, Dārul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Second Edition (2002) * Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 1, pp. 98-100, Bābu Dhikril-Hijratith- Thāniyati ilā Arḍil-Ḥabashah, Dārul-Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī, Kitābu Manāqibil-Anṣār, Bābu Hijratil-Ḥabashah, Ḥadīth No. 3876]
Departure of Ḥaḍrat Abū Bakrra with the Intention of
Migration
It is narrated by Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishahra that after the Muslims migrated to Abyssinia, at one time, Ḥaḍrat Abū Bakrra also left Makkah with the intention of migration. While travelling south, when he reached Barikul-Ghimād, he coincidentally met Ibni Daghinah who was a Chieftain of the Qārah tribe. When Ibni Daghinah inquired as to the cause of this trip, Ḥaḍrat Abū Bakrra responded, “My people have exiled me. For this reason, I have decided to travel throughout the land of Allāh freely, and worship my Lord.” “A man of your calibre should not leave Makkah on his own accord, nor should he be exiled,” said Ibni Daghinah, “Come, I take you into my protection. Return and worship your Lord in Makkah.” As a result, Abū Bakrra returned
Book Series: The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 1)
Section: VII-Days of Struggle | Navigation: « Previous: [A Fabricated Incident] | Next: [Departure of Hadrat Abu Bakr (ra) with the Intention of Migration] »