The Negus gave her in marriage to him, fixed her dowry at four thousand dirhams from his own purse, and sent her off under the escort of Shuraḥbīl ibn Ḥasanah; all of her trousseau, too, came at the Negus’s expense (1).
Ibn Luhayʿah, however, transmitted from Abū al-Aswad, from ʿUrwah, who said: “It was ʿUthmān (may Allah be pleased with him) who contracted her marriage to him in Abyssinia.”
That report is mistaken, for ʿUthmān was in Medina with the Prophet ﷺ and was absent from him only on the day of Badr, when the Prophet ﷺ instructed him to stay behind and nurse his wife, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Ibn Saʿd said: Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar related to us; ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr ibn Zuhayr related to us, from Ismāʿīl ibn ʿAmr ibn Saʿīd ibn al-ʿĀṣ, who said:
Umm Ḥabībah stated: “I saw in a dream that ʿUbaydullāh ibn Jahsh appeared in the most hideous and repulsive form, and I awoke terrified. When morning came he said to me, ‘O Umm Ḥabībah! I have examined the religions and have found none better than Christianity. I had once professed it, then I entered the religion of Muḥammad, but I have now returned to it.’
“I told him of the dream, but he dismissed it and plunged into wine-drinking until he died.
“After that I dreamt that someone called out to me, ‘O Mother of the Believers!’ I was startled, and I interpreted it to mean that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would marry me.
“Once my waiting period was over, I was taken by surprise when the Negus’s envoy stood at my door seeking permission to enter. A maid of his named al-Burhah, who used to attend to his clothes and ointments, came in and said, ‘The king conveys to you that the Messenger of Allah has written to him instructing him to marry you to him.’
“I replied, ‘May Allah bring you good news.’
“She said, ‘The king says: “Appoint someone to act on your behalf in the marriage contract.”’
“So I sent for Khālid ibn Saʿīd and appointed him my representative. I also gave al-Burhah two silver bangles, some rings I was wearing on my toes, and two anklets I had on.
“When evening came and it was time for the meal, the Negus summoned Jaʿfar ibn Abī Ṭālib and the other Muslims who were there, and they attended.
“The Negus then delivered a sermon, saying, ‘Praise …’