Topics of the Day

🍁 Part 1 - Muslims present their case to Najashi

🌴 Part 2- An eloquent speech by Jaffar and recitation

of Surah Maryam

🌲 Part 3 - Quraish approach Najashi one more time

🌸 Part 4 - Trouble for Najashi

🍀 Part 5 - Najashi and the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬

 Part 1 : Muslims present their case to Najashi

🍁 The Muslims led by Jaffar ibn Abi Talib were called by the Najashi
(the Abyssinian ruler) to come to court and explain their case. The
Quraish represented by Amr ibn Al’ As was delighted thinking
that his plan has worked and the Muslims will be evicted shortly.

🍁 The Muslims were nervous as what to say and one wrong move
would be a matter of either living peacefully in Abyssinia or
being severely tortured in the hands of Quraish.

🍁 Jaffar (r.a) said to his companions: “We will only say what our
Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬has asked us to say, and we will say the truth”.

🍁 When the Muslims arrived to the palace the next day, they found
the Najashi surrounded by his ministers.

🍁 On one side of the entrance was Amr ibn Al ‘As and his
companion, and on the other side stood the Muslims.

🍁 Amr ibn Al ‘As entered the court first with his companion, and
like it was custom of that time, they prostrated to the Najashi and
then entered.
🍁 When Jaffar and the Muslims entered the court, they walked in
with their body straight and without bowing down. The ministers
said, “How dare you walk in without prostrating to the Najashi”.

🍁 To this Jaffar said: “Our Prophet (‫ ﷺ‬has told us that we can

only prostrate to our Lord. This is our religion.”

🍁 Najashi then said: “What is this new religion that you have
invented? And why have you forsaken the religion of your
people? And neither have you embraced my religion, nor any of
the religions of the world”.

Part 2 : An eloquent speech by Jaffar and recitation of

Surah Maryam

🌴 Jaffar then gave an eloquent response: “Your Highness, we used

to be a nation steeped in jahiliyya (ignorance).

🌴 We would worship idols and we would eat dead meat and break
the ties of kinship and treat our neighbours in contempt.

🌴 The strong amongst us would eat up and devour the weak. And
we remained in this state until Allah sent a messenger to us.
🌴 Jaffar continued: “And we know this man (‫ )ﷺ‬and we know his
lineage. We know his truthfulness and he has never spoken one
lie. He invited us to believe in one God alone. And to leave idol
worship and to abandon the ways of our forefathers and to fulfil
our promises and to fulfil the ties of kinship..

🌴 He told us not to spill blood and to give true testimony. He

forbade us from eating the property of orphans and he forbade
us from accusing others of adultery. He told us to pray, fast and
give in charity.

🌴 So we believed in him, followed him and had faith in him. He

worshipped Allah alone and did not worship idols. We forbade
upon ourselves everything that he prohibited, and we made
permissible all that he allowed us.

🌴 But our people opposed us, showed hatred towards us, and
punished us and tortured us. And tried to force us back to idol
worship.

🌴 They were unjust to us and made our life miserable and prevented
us from being who we were.

🌴 So when they did this, we immigrated to your land and chose

you above all rulers and we wish to come under your generosity
and hospitality and we put our trust in you, that we would not be
shown injustice in your land, O exalted highness”.

🌴 This speech moved Najashi and he said, “Do you have any
revelation that this Prophet says he has”.

🌴 So Jaffar recited the beginning few pages of Surah Maryam

which narrates the incident of Maryam (a.s) and Isa (a.s) (Surah
Maryam (19) : Verses 16 to 34).

🌴 As Jaffar recited, the ministers in the court were moved to tears

and when the verses were translated to Najashi, he cried.
🌴 He then said, “I swear by God, this recitation and the messages
of Moses and Jesus have sprung forth from the same fountain”.

🌴 He then turned to Amr and his companion and said, “Go away
from here. I am not even going to think about handing over
these people to you”.

🌴 So Amr and his companion left the court in humiliation, but

then Amr whispered, “Do not be disheartened, I have one final
trick and we shall execute it tomorrow”.

Part 3 : Quraish approach Najashi one more time

🌲 Amr returned to Najashi the next day and said, “O Holy Emperor,
we forgot to mention to you one thing.

🌲 These people say something blasphemous about your Lord, Jesus

Christ”.

🌲 Najashi immediately sent word to the Muslims to come

immediately to the palace, and he demanded to know what was
their position on Jesus Christ.

🌲 At this, the sahaba were struck with terror much more than
before.

🌲 They discussed what they will say, and decided that whatever
happens they will say the truth and exactly what Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬
asked them to say.

🌲 The Muslims arrived to the court of Najashi.

🌲 They found the Najashi a bit irritated and he asks them: “What
is this that I hear, that you have a blasphemous opinion on Jesus
Christ”.

🌲 Jaffar responded: “Your Royal Highness, we say exactly what our

 Prophet teaches us.

🌲 Our Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬said to us that Jesus Christ is the Prophet of

Allah, he is the ‘abd’ or the servant of Allah.

🌲 Allah gave him through a miraculous birth to a virgin named

Maryam, who was a chaste woman and Jesus Christ was a
righteous Prophet.”

🌲 When Jaffar spoke the above, Najashi became much impressed,

and it so happened that Najashi was amongst those Christians
who did not believe in the Trinity.

🌲 He picked up a small twig from the branch in front of him.

🌲 He came forward to Jaffar and said, “What you have just said,
does not exceed what Jesus Christ said by this much of a branch”.
Your message is the message of Jesus Christ.

🌲 Najashi then turned to Amr ibn Al ‘As and said to him: “Be gone
from here, and take all of your gifts back with you, for I have no
need for them”.

🌲 Umme Salamah then concludes her narration of this incident

 saying: “The two emissaries left, humiliated, debased and
degraded, having been returned with all the gifts that they
presented.

🌲 And the Muslims were allowed to remain in the land with

honour, respect and the best hospitality, until when the Prophet
(‫ )ﷺ‬called for their return to Madinah.”

Part 4 : Trouble for Najashi

🌸 The open and vocal support towards the Muslims, did not go too
well with a group of ministers in the court of Najashi and they
planned a coup against him.

🌸 The Najashi set out a date to address this matter. He wrote on a

parchment: “I bear witness that there is no god except Allah, and
that Jesus is the spirit of Allah, the Word of Allah, and the slave
of Allah.”

🌸 He placed this parchment inside his robe next to his chest.

🌸 He then called the problematic ministers and asked “What is the

matter? Have I not been a good king to you?”

🌸 They responded, “Yes, but you have abandoned our religion, and
you have heretical or some new set of beliefs which we cannot
accept.”

🌸 The Najashi asked: “What do you believe?” To which they

replied: “We believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, our Lord
and Saviour, and the third of the Trinity.”

🌸 The Najashi responded: “I swear by God that this is exactly what

I believe.” However, while saying that Najashi was pointing to his
chest, or more accurately, the parchment within his chest – when
he said, “this” is what he believed.
🌸 The Najashi was using tawriyah (or double meaning), to preserve
his belief while safeguarding his position. And he did this in the
most trying of times.

🌸 Prior to this meeting, the Najashi had sent a message to the

Muslims. He explained that he was experiencing tension within
his rank and that his assassination was possible.

🌸 He instructed, that if they were to hear news about his death, he

had organized for one of his ships to be in a certain location for
the Muslims to use and to escape.

Part 4 : Najashi and the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬

🍀 The Najashi’s tolerance towards the Muslims came from the fact
that he believed in the early form of Christianity - representing
Oneness of Allah and Jesus being a Prophet.

🍀 When the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬eventually immigrated to Madinah and

wrote to Najashi a letter inviting him to Islam, the Najashi wrote
back affirming that he was Muslim and said: “If you command
 me, O Messenger of Allah, I will come to Madinah and serve
you”.

🍀 A number of years later, the Najashi died. The Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬

explains that Jibril (a.s) informed him: “Your brother Ashamah,
the Najashi has died, so pray for him.”

🍀 News from Abyssinia would usually take a number of days

to reach Madinah, but the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬was provided this
information instantaneously. He gathered the Companions
and prayed the Absentee Funeral Prayer (Salah al Gha’ib) for
the Negus – the only time the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬ever prayed such a
prayer.”

🍀 The Muslims remained in Abyssinia for almost 14 years,

despite the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬emigrating to Madinah. They did not
participate in the famous battles of Badr, Uhud or Khandaq. It
was only after the Battle of Khyber that the Prophet (s.a.w.s)
recalled the Companions back to Madinah, when the Muslims
had firmly established themselves in the region.
🍀