Al-Jawāb as-Sahīh li-man baddala dīn al-Masīh - Ibn Taimiya - (1/255)

without associating anything with Him, holding unlawful whatever He had forbidden us and lawful whatever He had permitted. Then our own people set upon us: they tortured us and tried to turn us away from our religion, wishing to drive us back to the worship of idols instead of the worship of Allah, and to make us treat as permissible the abominations we had once indulged in. When they overpowered us, wronged us, and made life unbearable, barring us from our faith, we fled to your land. We chose you above all others, sought the security of your protection, and hoped, O King, that we would not be wronged under your rule.

She said: The Negus asked him, “Do you have with you anything of what he has brought from Allah?”

She said: Jaʿfar replied, “Yes.”

The Negus said, “Then recite it to me.”

So Jaʿfar recited to him the opening of Surah Maryam:

شَيْئًا وَحَرَّمْنَا مَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْنَا، وَأَحْلَلْنَا مَا أَحَلَّ لَنَا، فَعَدَا عَلَيْنَا قَوْمُنَا فَعَذَّبُونَا وَفَتَنُونَا عَنْ دِينِنَا لِيَرُدُّونَا إِلَى عِبَادَةِ الْأَوْثَانِ عَنْ عِبَادَةِ اللَّهِ، وَأَنْ نَسْتَحِلَّ مَا كُنَّا نَسْتَحِلُّ مِنَ الْخَبَائِثِ، فَلَمَّا قَهَرُونَا وَظَلَمُونَا وَشَقُّوا عَلَيْنَا وَحَالُوا بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ دِينِنَا خَرَجْنَا إِلَى بَلَدِكَ، وَاخْتَرْنَاكَ عَلَى مَنْ سِوَاكَ، وَرَغِبْنَا فِي جِوَارِكَ، وَرَجَوْنَا أَنْ لَا نُظْلَمَ عِنْدَكَ أَيُّهَا الْمَلِكُ. قَالَتْ: فَقَالَ لَهُ النَّجَاشِيُّ: هَلْ مَعَكَ مِمَّا جَاءَ بِهِ عَنِ اللَّهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ؟ قَالَتْ: فَقَالَ لَهُ جَعْفَرٌ: نَعَمْ. فَقَالَ لَهُ النَّجَاشِيُّ: فَاقْرَأْهُ عَلَيَّ. فَقَرَأَ عَلَيْهِ صَدْرًا مِنْ سُورَةِ مَرْيَمَ: