Al-Ghalābī (1) narrated to us, saying: “ʿAbd Allāh ibn Rajāʾ narrated to us, and Israʾīl narrated to us.” – Sulaymān ibn Aḥmad also narrated to us, saying: “[Muḥammad ibn Zakariyyā narrated to us, and al-Ḥasan] (2) ibn ʿAllawayh al-Qaṭṭān narrated to us; ʿAbbād (3) ibn Mūsā al-Khuṭalī narrated to us; Ismāʿīl ibn Jaʿfar narrated to us; and Israʾīl narrated to us.” – Abū Aḥmad likewise narrated to us, saying: “ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn Shīrawayh narrated to us; Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm—better known as Ibn Rāhawayh—narrated to us; ʿUbayd Allāh (5) ibn Mūsā narrated to us; and Israʾīl narrated to us, from Abū Isḥāq, from Abū Burdah, from Abū Mūsā.”

He said:

“The Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, ordered us to travel with Jaʿfar ibn Abī Ṭālib to the land of the Negus. When Quraysh heard of this, they dispatched ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ and ʿUmārah ibn al-Walīd, having gathered a gift for the Negus. The two envoys arrived, presented the gift, which he accepted, and they both prostrated before him.

ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ then said, ‘Some people from our country have turned away from our religion and are now living in your realm.’

The Negus asked, ‘In my land?’

They replied, ‘Yes.’ So he sent for us.

Jaʿfar said to us, ‘Let no one among you speak; today I shall be your spokesman.’ We appeared before the Negus while he was seated in council, ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ to his right and ʿUmārah to his left, with the bishops seated in two rows. ʿAmr and ʿUmārah had told them beforehand, ‘These people will not prostrate to you.’

When we entered, those of the priests and monks who were present urged us, ‘Prostrate before the king!’ Jaʿfar replied, ‘We prostrate only to God, Exalted is He.’

[When we reached the Negus he asked, ‘What has kept you from prostrating?’ I replied, ‘We prostrate only to God.’] (6)

He said, ‘And why is that?’

I said, ‘God has sent among us a Messenger—the very messenger of whom Jesus son of Mary, peace be upon him, gave glad tidings: “A messenger will come after me whose name is Ahmad.” He has commanded us to worship God alone without associating anything with Him, [to establish the prayer] (8), to give the alms-due, to enjoin what is right, and to forbid what is wrong.’ The Negus was struck by these words. When ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ saw this he said, ‘May God set the king aright! They contradict you concerning Jesus 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 God says: he is God’s Spirit and His Word which He cast into the Virgin, the Pure—she whom no man had touched and who had never borne a child.’ (9)

The Negus then picked up a twig from the ground, raised it, and said, ‘O assembly of bishops and monks, these people do not add to what we say about the son of Mary by so much as this.’ (10)