Another was his letter, which was kept by Umar ibn al-Khattāb, concerning the thresholds at which zakat becomes due and other matters (1).

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The Envoys of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and His Letters to Kings

When the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, returned from al-Hudaybiyah, he wrote to the kings of the world and sent his envoys to them. He wrote to the Byzantine emperor, but was told that they would not read a letter unless it was sealed. He therefore had a silver signet ring made and engraved it with three lines: “Muhammad” on one line, “Messenger” on another, and “Allah” on a third. He used it to seal his letters to the kings (2). He dispatched six men on a single day in Muharram, 7 AH.

The first was Amr ibn Umayyah al-Damrī, whom he sent to the Negus, whose name was Ashamah ibn Abjar. The meaning of “Ashamah” in Arabic is “gift.” He honoured the Prophet’s letter, then embraced Islam (3) and bore witness to the truth. He was among those most knowledgeable about the Gospel. On the day he died, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, offered the funeral prayer for him in Medina, while he was in Abyssinia. This is what a number of scholars, including al-Wāqidī and others, have stated. However, their account is incorrect: Ashamah, the Negus for whom Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, offered the funeral prayer, was not the one to whom he wrote. This second Negus is not known to have embraced Islam, unlike the first, who died a Muslim (4).