He was one of those who pledged allegiance at al-ʿAqabah and who fought at Uhud, the Trench, and the campaigns that followed. According to the best-known view, he remained in Syria until he died in 80 AH; others say he passed away in 54 AH.(1) Allah knows best.
ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī and Khalīfah ibn Khayyāṭ distinguish between him and another Companion, ʿAbd Allāh ibn Unays Abū ʿĪsā al-Anṣārī,(2) who reported that the Prophet ﷺ, on the day of Uhud, called for a water-skin, twisted its mouth, and drank from it. This ḥadīth was recorded by Abū Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī(3) through the chain of ʿAbd Allāh al-ʿUmarī, from ʿĪsā ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Unays, from his father. Al-Tirmidhī then commented, “Its isnād is not sound; ʿAbd Allāh al-ʿUmarī is weak in his memory.”
The Story of ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ with the Negus and His Embracing Islam(4)
Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq(5) said—after relating the killing of Abū Rāfiʿ:
Yazīd ibn Abī Ḥabīb told me, on the authority of Rāshid,(6) the freedman of Ḥabīb ibn Abī Aws al-Thaqafī, from Ḥabīb ibn Abī Aws, who said—reporting directly from ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ:
When we withdrew from the Trench on the day of the Confederates, I gathered some men of Quraysh who shared my view and listened to me. I said to them, “You know, by Allah, that I see Muhammad’s cause ascending above all others in an astonishing way. I have formed an idea—what do you think of it?”
They asked, “What idea?”
I said, “I think we should go to the Negus and stay with him. If Muhammad prevails over our people, we shall be with the Negus, for being under his rule is dearer to us than being under Muhammad’s. If our people prevail, they know us well, and from them we shall receive only good.”
They replied, “That is indeed a sound plan.”
I said, “Then gather something we can offer him as a gift. Of all the things from our land, what he likes most is leather.” So we collected a large quantity of hides and set out until we reached him. By Allah, while we were with him, ʿAmr ibn Umayyah al-Ḍamarī arrived—he had been sent by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ concerning Jaʿfar and his companions.
He entered the Negus’s presence and then left. I said to my companions, “This man is ʿAmr ibn Umayyah. If I were to go in to the Negus and ask him to give the man to me so that I could cut off his head—and if I did so—Quraysh would see that I had fully satisfied them by killing Muhammad’s envoy.”
So I went in and prostrated before the Negus as was my custom. He said, “Welcome, my friend! Have you brought me a gift from your land …”