Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (1/431)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

Hisham related—from Umm Salamah, the Prophet’s wife—who said:

“When we settled in Abyssinia, we found in the Negus the best of neighbours. We felt secure about our religion, worshipped Allah, exalted is He, without harm, and heard nothing we disliked.

When the Quraysh learned of this, they conspired to send to the Negus two resolute men (1) and to present him with gifts of the choicest Meccan goods. Of all that reached him, what pleased him most was tanned leather.

They therefore gathered for him a great quantity of leather, and there was not a single dignitary among his courtiers but that they sent him a gift. They then dispatched ‘Abd Allah ibn Abi Rabi‘ah ibn al-Mughīrah al-Makhzūmī and ‘Amr ibn al-ʿĀṣ al-Sahmī, placed the whole affair in their hands, and instructed them:

‘First give every court dignitary his present before you speak to the Negus about the refugees; then present the king with his own gifts, and only after that ask him to hand them over to you before he has spoken with them.’

She continued: The two men set out and arrived before the Negus while we were still living with him in the best of lands and under the best of neighbours. They left no dignitary of his court without giving him his gift and telling him:

‘A group of foolish youths from among us has sought shelter (2) in the king’s land. They have abandoned the religion of their people without entering yours and have invented a new creed unknown to us and to you. The nobles of their tribe have sent us to the king so that he may return them to them. When we speak to the king about them, advise him to hand them over to us without speaking with them, for their own people keep a sharper eye on them (3) and know better the faults for which they blame them.’

The courtiers replied, ‘Yes.’

Then the two men presented their gifts to the Negus, and he accepted them. After that they addressed him, saying:

‘O King! A group of foolish youths from among us has sought shelter in your land; they have forsaken the religion of their people without entering yours, and they have introduced a new faith that neither we nor you recognize. The nobles of their people—their fathers, uncles, and clansmen—have sent us to you so that you may return them to them, for they keep a closer watch over them and know better the faults they have found in them.’

(1) The word “fina” (among us) is missing from the printed edition. (2) Al-Suhayli explains in al-Rawd al-unuf that the expression “dawa ilayka fitya” means “they sought refuge with you and attached themselves exclusively to you.” (3) Al-Suhayli comments that the phrase “absir bihim” means: keep a vigilant eye on them, that is, appoint over them someone whose insight surpasses that of others regarding their affairs.

هِشَامٍ، عَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَتْ: لَمَّا نَزَلْنَا أَرْضَ الحَبَشَةِ، جَاوَرْنَا بِهَا خَيْرَ جَارٍ النَّجَاشِيَّ، أَمِنَّا عَلَى دِيْنِنَا، وَعَبَدْنَا اللهَ -تَعَالَى- لاَ نُؤْذَى، وَلاَ نَسْمَعُ شَيْئاً نَكْرُهُهُ. فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ ذَلِكَ قُرَيْشاً، ائْتَمَرُوا أَنْ يَبْعَثُوا إِلَى النَّجَاشِيِّ فِيْنَا (١) رَجُلَيْنِ جَلْدَيْنِ، وَأَنْ يُهْدُوا لِلنَّجَاشِيِّ هَدَايَا مِمَّا يُسْتَطْرَفُ مِنْ مَتَاعِ مَكَّةَ، وَكَانَ مِنْ أَعْجَبِ مَا يَأْتِيْهِ مِنْهَا إِلَيْهِ الأَدَمُ. فَجَمَعُوا لَهُ أَدَماً كَثِيْراً، وَلَمْ يَتْرُكُوا مِنْ بَطَارِقَتِهِ بِطْرِيْقاً إِلاَّ أَهْدُوا إِلَيْهِ هَدِيَّةً، ثُمَّ بَعَثُوا بِذَلِكَ عَبْدَ اللهِ بنَ أَبِي رَبِيْعَةَ بنِ المُغِيْرَةِ المَخْزُوْمِيَّ، وَعَمْرَو بنَ العَاصِ السَّهْمِيَّ، وَأَمَّرُوْهُمَا أَمْرَهُم، وَقَالُوا لَهُمَا: ادْفَعُوا إِلَى كُلِّ بِطْرِيْقٍ هَدِيَّتَهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ تُكَلِّمُوا النَّجَاشِيَّ فِيْهِم، ثُمَّ قَدِّمُوا لَهُ هَدَايَاهُ، ثُمَّ سَلُوْهُ أَنْ يُسْلِمَهُم إِلَيْكُم قَبْلَ أَنْ يُكَلِّمَهُم. قَالَتْ: فَخَرَجَا، فَقَدِمَا عَلَى النَّجَاشِيِّ، وَنَحْنُ عِنْدَهُ بِخَيْرِ دَارٍ، عِنْدَ خَيْرِ جَارٍ، فَلَمْ يَبْقَ مِنْ بَطَارِقَتِهِ بِطْرِيْقٌ إِلاَّ دَفَعَا إِلَيْهِ هَدِيَّتَهُ، وَقَالاَ لَهُ: إِنَّهُ قَدْ ضَوَى (٢) إِلَى بَلَدِ المَلِكِ مِنَّا غِلْمَانٌ سُفَهَاءُ، فَارَقُوا دِيْنَ قَوْمِهِم، وَلَمْ يَدْخُلُوا فِي دِيْنِكُم، وَجَاؤُوا بِدِيْنٍ مُبْتَدَعٍ، لاَ نَعْرِفُهُ نَحْنُ وَلاَ أَنْتُم، وَقَدْ بَعَثَنَا إِلَى المَلِكِ فِيْهِم أَشْرَافُ قَوْمِهِم، لِيَرُدَّهُمْ إِلَيْهِم، فَإِذَا كَلَّمْنَا المَلِكَ فِيْهِم، فَأَشِيْرُوا عَلَيْهِ بِأَنْ يُسْلِمَهُم إِلَيْنَا، وَلاَ يُكَلِّمَهُمْ، فَإِنَّ قَوْمَهُم أَعْلَى بِهِم عَيْناً (٣) ، وَأَعْلَمُ بِمَا عَابُوا عَلَيْهِم. فَقَالُوا لَهُم: نَعَمْ. ثُمَّ إِنَّهُمَا قَرَّبَا هَدَايَا النَّجَاشِيِّ، فَقَبِلَهَا مِنْهُم، ثُمَّ كَلَّمَاهُ، فَقَالاَ لَهُ: أَيُّهَا المَلِكُ! إِنَّهُ ضَوَى إِلَى بَلَدِكَ مِنَّا غِلْمَانٌ سُفَهَاءُ، فَارَقُوا دِيْنَ قَوْمِهِم، وَلَمْ يَدْخُلُوا فِي دِيْنِكَ، وَجَاؤُوا بِدِيْنٍ مُبْتَدَعٍ، لاَ نَعْرِفُهُ نَحْنُ وَلاَ أَنْتَ، وَقَدْ بَعَثَنَا إِلَيْكَ أَشْرَافُ قَوْمِهِم مِنْ آبَائِهِم وَأَعْمَامِهِم وَعَشَائِرِهِم، لِتَرُدَّهُم إِلَيْهِم، فَهُمْ أَعْلَى بِهِم عَيْناً، وَأَعْلَمُ بِمَا عَابُوا

(١) سقطت لفظة " فينا " من المطبوع. (٢) وقال السهيلي في " الروض الانف ": ضوى إليك فتية: أي أووا إليك ولا ذوا بك. (٣) قال السهيلي: أي: أبصر بهم، أي: عينهم وإبصارهم فوق عيون غيرهم في أمرهم.