Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (1/438)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

He accepted it, and the two envoys prostrated before him.

ʿAmr then said, “Some people from our land have abandoned our religion, and they are now in your kingdom.”

The Negus asked, “In my realm?”

“Yes,” he replied.

So he sent for us, and Jaʿfar said, “Let none of you speak; I shall address him on your behalf today.”

We came before the Negus while he was seated in a magnificent council. ʿAmr was at his right, ʿUmārah at his left, and the bishops and monks sat in two orderly rows. ʿAmr had already told him, “They will not bow to you.”

When we entered, those around him hastened to command us, “Prostrate!” We replied, “We bow only to Allah.”

When we reached the Negus himself, he asked, “What kept you from prostrating?”

Jaʿfar answered, “We prostrate only to Allah.”

He said, “And why is that?”

Jaʿfar replied, “Allah has sent among us a Messenger—the one Jesus foretold when he said, ‘A messenger will come after me whose name is Ahmad’ (Q 61:6). He has ordered us to worship Allah alone without associating anything with Him, to establish the prayer, to give the zakat, to enjoin what is right, and to forbid what is wrong.”

The Negus was pleased with his words. When ʿAmr saw this, he said, “May Allah set the king aright! They differ with you concerning the son of Mary.”

The Negus said to Jaʿfar, “What does your companion say about the son of Mary?”

He replied, “He says about him what Allah has said: he is Allah’s spirit and His word, brought forth from the immaculate virgin who had never been touched by a man nor borne a child ⦗1⦘.”

The Negus picked up a twig, raised it, and said, “O assembly of bishops and monks! What you have said about the son of Mary does not outweigh this twig. Welcome to you and to the one from whom you have come. I bear witness that he is the Messenger of Allah and that he is the one Jesus heralded. Were it not for the position of sovereignty in which I find myself, I would go to him until…"

(1) The manuscript has this wording, and the same reading appears in al-Dhahabi’s autograph of Tarikh al-Islam, fol. 47. Majma az-Zawaid records it as: “yaftarduha.” Ibn al-Athir, al-Nihaya, s.v. the description of Mary—peace be upon her—quotes the expression: “wa-lam yaftarduha walad,” meaning that no child had left any trace in her or pierced her body, i.e. prior to the birth of the Messiah, peace be upon him.

فَقَبِلَهَا، وَسَجَدَا لَهُ. ثُمَّ قَالَ عَمْرٌو: إِنَّ نَاساً مِنْ أَرْضِنَا رَغِبُوا عَنْ دِيْنِنَا، وَهُمْ فِي أَرْضِكَ. قَالَ: فِي أَرْضِي؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ. فَبَعَثَ إِلَيْنَا، فَقَالَ لَنَا جَعْفَر: لاَ يَتَكَلَّمْ مِنْكُم أَحَدٌ، أَنَا خَطِيْبُكُمُ اليَوْمَ. فَانْتَهَيْنَا إِلَى النَّجَاشِيِّ وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ فِي مَجْلِسٍ عَظِيْمٍ، وَعَمْرٌو عَنْ يَمِيْنِهِ، وَعُمَارَةُ عَنْ يَسَارِهِ، وَالقِسِّيْسُوْنَ وَالرُّهْبَانُ جُلُوْسٌ سِمَاطَيْنِ. وَقَدْ قَالَ لَهُ عَمْرٌو: إِنَّهُم لاَ يَسْجُدُوْنَ لَكَ. فَلَمَّا انْتَهَيْنَا، بَدَرَنَا مَنْ عِنْدَهُ أَنِ اسْجُدُوا. قُلْنَا: لاَ نَسْجُدُ إِلاَّ لِلِّهِ ﷿. فَلَمَّا انْتَهَيْنَا إِلَى النَّجَاشِيِّ، قَالَ: مَا مَنَعَكَ أَنْ تَسْجُدَ؟ قَالَ: لاَ نَسْجُدُ إِلاَّ لِلِّهِ. قَالَ: وَمَا ذَاكَ؟ قَالَ: إِنَّ اللهَ بَعَثَ فِيْنَا رَسُوْلاً، وَهُوَ الَّذِي بَشَّرَ بِهِ عِيْسَى، فَقَالَ: ﴿يَأْتِي مِنْ بَعْدِي اسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ﴾ ، فَأَمَرَنَا أَنْ نَعْبُدَ اللهَ، وَلاَ نُشْرِكَ بِهِ شَيْئاً، وَنُقِيْمَ الصَّلاَةَ، وَنُؤْتِيَ الزَّكَاةَ، وَأَمَرَنَا بِالمَعْرُوْفِ، وَنَهَانَا عَنِ المُنْكَرِ. فَأَعْجَبَ النَّجَاشِيَّ قَوْلُهُ. فَلَمَّا رَأَى ذَلِكَ عَمْرٌو، قَالَ: أَصْلَحَ اللهُ المَلِكَ، إِنَّهُم يُخَالِفُوْنَكَ فِي ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ. فَقَالَ النَّجَاشِيُّ لِجَعْفَرٍ: مَا يَقُوْلُ صَاحِبُكُم فِي ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ؟ قَالَ: يَقُوْلُ فِيْهِ قَوْلَ اللهِ: هُوَ رُوْحُ اللهِ وَكَلِمَتُهُ، أَخْرَجَهُ مِنَ البَتُوْلِ العَذْرَاءِ الَّتِي لَمْ يَقْرَبْهَا بَشَرٌ، وَلَمْ يَفْرِضْهَا وَلَدٌ (١) . فَتَنَاوَلَ عُوْداً، فَرَفَعَهُ، فَقَالَ: يَا مَعْشَرَ القِسِّيْسِيْنَ وَالرُّهْبَانِ! مَا يَزِيْدُ عَلَى مَا تَقُوْلُوْنَ فِي ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ مَا تَزِنُ هَذِهِ، مَرْحَباً بِكُمْ وَبِمَنْ جِئْتُم مِنْ عِنْدِهِ، فَأَنَا أَشْهَدُ أَنَّهُ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ، وَأَنَّهُ الَّذِي بَشَّرَ بِهِ عِيْسَى، وَلَوْلاَ مَا أَنَا فِيْهِ مِنَ المُلْكِ لأَتَيْتُهُ حَتَّى

(١) كذا الأصل، وهي كذلك بخط المصنف الذهبي في " تاريخ الإسلام " ورقة (٤٧) وفي " مجمع الزوائد ": " يفترضها " وقال ابن الأثير في " النهاية ": وفي صفة مريم ﵍، ولم يفترضها ولد: أي لم يؤثر فيها ولم يحزها - يعني قبل المسيح ﵇.