Jump to content

Al-Najashi (the king of Abyssinia)

Add links
From wikishia
Al-Najashi (the king of Abyssinia)
King of Abyssinia
The tomb attributed to Najashi in Ethiopia
The tomb attributed to Najashi in Ethiopia
Personal Information
NameAṣḥama b. Abjar
Epithetal-Najashi
ReligionChristianity, then converted to Islam
Burial PlaceEthiopia
Rule
Contemporary withProphet Muhammad (s)
ActivitiesGiving refuge to the Muslim emigrants ● correspondence with the Prophet (s)


Al-Najāshī (Arabic: النجاشي) was the king of Abyssinia who has always been noted for giving refuge to the Muslim emigrants, his correspondence with the Prophet (s), and the possibility of his conversion to Islam.

Prophet Muhammad (s) invited al-Najashi to Islam in a letter and, in another letter, requested him to marry Umm Habiba, daughter of Abu Sufyan, to him. Al-Najashi respectfully accepted these requests. However, there is a difference of opinion regarding his conversion to Islam; some consider him a Muslim citing his sending of gifts to the Prophet (s) and other evidence.

After al-Najashi's death, the Prophet (s) performed the Funeral Prayer for him. In Shi'a jurisprudence, performing the funeral prayer in absentia is not permissible; therefore, this action of the Prophet (s) has been interpreted as a supplication or a special case.

According to some exegetes, certain verses of the Qur'an were revealed concerning al-Najashi. The Prophet (s) also referred to him as a just ruler.

Introduction and Status

Al-Najashi, the King of Abyssinia, named Aṣḥama b. Abjar[1] or Aṣḥamat b. Abjar,[2] is considered an influential figure in early Islam due to his role in historical events, including giving refuge to Muslim emigrants to Abyssinia,[3] correspondence with the Prophet (s),[4] the possibility of his conversion to Islam,[5] and the Prophet's (s) performance of the Funeral Prayer for him after his death.[6][7]

According to some exegetes, verses from the Qur'an such as Qur'an 2:115,[8] Qur'an 2:121,[9] Qur'an 3:199,[10] Qur'an 5:82 and Qur'an 5:83,[11] and verses 52 to 54 of Qur'an 28[12] were revealed concerning al-Najashi and his companions. However, a study shows that the chains of transmission of these narrations are weak, and there are conflicting narrations as well.[13]

In narrations attributed to the Prophet (s), al-Najashi is described as a wise, just, and righteous ruler.[14] Also, based on some historical sources, Abraha, the commander of the Companions of the Elephant, is introduced as al-Najashi's grandfather,[15] although some consider him a friend of al-Najashi's grandfather.[16]

Al-Najashi, Title of Abyssinian Kings

According to historical sources, Najashi was the title of the kings of Abyssinia.[17] According to Sayyid Ja'far Murtada al-'Amili, the Prophet (s) was contemporary with three Abyssinian kings bearing this title during his prophethood. The first Najashi (Aṣḥama b. Abjar) gave refuge to Muslim emigrants. The third Najashi tore up the Prophet's letter inviting him to Islam, and the Prophet predicted the collapse of his kingdom.[18]

Giving Refuge to Muslim Emigrants

Main article: Migration to Abyssinia

Based on historical reports, Prophet Muhammad (s) ordered Muslims to migrate to Abyssinia to protect them from the persecution of the polytheists of Quraysh. Following this order, two groups of Muslims migrated to Abyssinia. When the Quraysh tribe learned of this, they sent 'Amr b. al-'As and 'Abd Allah b. Rabi'a to return the Muslims to Mecca; but al-Najashi, after hearing the words of Ja'far b. Abi Talib, refused to hand over the Muslims and placed them under his protection.[19]

Prophet's Correspondence and Possibility of al-Najashi's Conversion

According to historical sources, the Prophet (s) sent letters to the leaders of several countries, including the King of Abyssinia, in the sixth[20] or seventh year after Hijra,[21] and according to some accounts after the Treaty of Hudaybiyya, inviting them to Islam.[22] Al-Najashi responded positively to the Prophet's invitation and converted to Islam.[23] He pronounced the Shahadatayn in the presence of Ja'far b. Abi Talib[24] and sent gifts, including a bondwoman named Mariya al-Qibtiyya, to the Prophet (s).[25] According to Tarikh al-Tabari, al-Najashi declared in a letter to the Prophet that he would come to Medina if the Prophet wished.[26] However, some historical studies do not consider the authenticity of al-Najashi's conversion to Islam certain due to conflicting narrations,[27] and according to some reports, he was a Christian and prayed towards Jerusalem until the end of his life.[28]

In another letter, the Prophet asked the King of Abyssinia to marry Umm Habiba to him; the king performed this marriage with a Mahr of 400 dinars, and Umm Habiba was sent to Medina along with other Muslims.[29]

Did the Prophet Perform Funeral Prayer in Absentia for al-Najashi?

Mosque and tomb attributed to al-Najashi in Ethiopia

According to some narrations, after al-Najashi's death, the Prophet performed the Funeral Prayer for his corpse from a distance and called the Sahaba to do so.[30] In Shi'a jurisprudence, funeral prayer in absentia is not permissible.[31] Therefore, Shi'a jurists, citing a narration from Imam al-Sadiq (a),[32] interpret this act of the Prophet as a supplication[33] or a special case[34] which was not repeated for any of the Sahaba.[35]

They also believe that narrations related to this subject are weak[36] and point to the existence of incompatible narrations as well.[37]

Tomb of al-Najashi in Ethiopia

In the village of Negash in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, there is a mosque and a tomb attributed to al-Najashi, which is also said to be the burial place of 15 companions of the Prophet (s).[38] This mosque is known as the oldest mosque built in Africa.[39] According to the Specialized Mosque Base quoting Anadolu Agency of Turkey, this building, which was damaged during internal conflicts in Ethiopia, has been reconstructed and restored with the cooperation of TIKA organization from Turkey.[40]

Notes

  1. ↑ Bayhaqī, Dalāʾil al-nubuwwa, 1405 AH, vol. 2, p. 309.
  2. ↑ Abū Ḥayyān al-Tawḥīdī, Al-Imtāʿ wa l-muʾānasa, 1424 AH, vol. 1, p. 226; Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī, 1387 Sh, vol. 2, pp. 652-653; Ibn Saʿd, Al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā, 1410 AH, vol. 1, pp. 198-199.
  3. ↑ Yaʿqūbī, Tārīkh al-Yaʿqūbī, vol. 2, p. 29.
  4. ↑ Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī, 1387 Sh, vol. 2, p. 652.
  5. ↑ Ibn Saʿd, Al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā, 1410 AH, vol. 1, pp. 198-199.
  6. ↑ Ṣadūq, Al-Khiṣāl, 1362 Sh, vol. 2, p. 360; Quṭb al-Dīn al-Rāwandī, Al-Kharāʾij wa l-jarāʾiḥ, 1409 AH, vol. 1, p. 64.
  7. ↑ Bustānī et al, «Arzyābī-yi riwāyāt-i shaʾn-i nuzūl-i āyāt darbāra-yi Najāshī...», pp. 37-39.
  8. ↑ Wāḥidī, Asbāb al-nuzūl, 1412 AH, p. 38.
  9. ↑ Wāḥidī, Asbāb al-nuzūl, 1412 AH, p. 40.
  10. ↑ Wāḥidī, Asbāb al-nuzūl, 1412 AH, p. 140; Ṭabarsī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1415 AH, vol. 2, p. 480.
  11. ↑ Ṭūsī, Al-Tibyān, 1409 AH, vol. 3, p. 614.
  12. ↑ Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-bayān, 1420 AH, vol. 10, p. 505.
  13. ↑ Bustānī et al, «Arzyābī-yi riwāyāt-i shaʾn-i nuzūl-i āyāt darbāra-yi Najāshī...», pp. 41-57.
  14. ↑ Bustānī et al, «Arzyābī-yi riwāyāt-i shaʾn-i nuzūl-i āyāt darbāra-yi Najāshī...», p. 40.
  15. ↑ Abū l-Suʿūd, Tafsīr Abī l-Suʿūd, vol. 9, p. 201.
  16. ↑ Ṭabarsī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1415 AH, vol. 10, p. 442.
  17. ↑ Ibn al-Athīr, Usd al-ghāba, 1415 AH, vol. 1, p. 189.
  18. ↑ ʿĀmilī, Al-Ṣaḥīḥ min sīrat al-Nabī al-aʿẓam, 1385 Sh, vol. 17, p. 56.
  19. ↑ Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī, 1387 Sh, vol. 2, pp. 328-332.
  20. ↑ Ibn Saʿd, Al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā, 1410 AH, vol. 1, p. 198; Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī, 1387 Sh, vol. 2, p. 644.
  21. ↑ Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, Zād al-maʿād, 1415 AH, vol. 1, p. 120.
  22. ↑ Yūsufī Gharawī, Mawsūʿat al-tārīkh al-Islāmī, 1417 AH, vol. 2, p. 651; Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī, 1387 Sh, vol. 2, p. 645.
  23. ↑ Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī, 1387 Sh, vol. 2, pp. 652-653.
  24. ↑ Yūsufī Gharawī, Mawsūʿat al-tārīkh al-Islāmī, 1417 AH, vol. 2, pp. 653-654.
  25. ↑ Ibn Saʿd, Al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā, 1410 AH, vol. 1, p. 198.
  26. ↑ Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī, 1387 Sh, vol. 2, pp. 652-653.
  27. ↑ Bustānī et al, «Wākāvī-yi riwāyī-tārīkhī-yi guzārish-hā-yi Islām āvardan-i Najāshī...», p. 86.
  28. ↑ Jāḥiẓ, Al-Mukhtār fī l-radd ʿalā l-Naṣārā, 1411 AH, p. 61.
  29. ↑ Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī, 1387 Sh, vol. 2, pp. 652-653; Ibn Saʿd, Al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā, 1410 AH, vol. 1, p. 198; Yūsufī Gharawī, Mawsūʿat al-tārīkh al-Islāmī, 1417 AH, vol. 2, pp. 654-657.
  30. ↑ Ṣadūq, Al-Khiṣāl, 1362 Sh, vol. 2, p. 360; Quṭb al-Dīn al-Rāwandī, Al-Kharāʾij wa l-jarāʾiḥ, 1409 AH, vol. 1, p. 64.
  31. ↑ For instance see: ʿAllāma Ḥillī, Muntahā l-maṭlab, 1412 AH, vol. 7, p. 296; Ṭabāṭabāʾī Yazdī, Al-ʿUrwa al-wuthqā, 1419 AH, vol. 2, p. 100.
  32. ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, 1403 AH, vol. 78, p. 347.
  33. ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, 1403 AH, vol. 78, p. 347.
  34. ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, 1403 AH, vol. 78, p. 347.
  35. ↑ Mughniyya, Al-Fiqh ʿalā l-madhāhib al-khamsa, 1421 AH, vol. 1, p. 60.
  36. ↑ Raḥīmī, «Wākāvī-yi mabānī-yi mashrūʿīyyat-i namāz-i mayyit-i ghiyābī...», p. 147.
  37. ↑ Shahīd al-Thānī, Tamhīd al-qawāʿid, 1416 AH, p. 174.
  38. ↑ «اتیوپی مسجد تاریخی نجاشی را بازسازی می‌کند», IQNA.
  39. ↑ «بازسازی قدیمی‌ترین مسجد آفریقا در اتیوپی», IQNA.
  40. ↑ «مسجد نجاشی بازسازی شد», Specialized Mosque Base.

References

  • Abū Ḥayyān al-Tawḥīdī, ʿAlī b. Muḥammad. Al-Imtāʿ wa l-muʾānasa. Ed. Haytham Khalīfa Ṭuʿaymī. Beirut, Al-Maktaba al-ʿAṣriyya, 1424 AH.
  • Abū l-Suʿūd, Muḥammad b. Muḥammad. Tafsīr Abī l-Suʿūd. Beirut, Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, n.d.
  • ʿAllāma Ḥillī, Ḥasan b. Yūsuf al-. Muntahā l-maṭlab fī taḥqīq al-madhhab. Mashhad, Majmaʿ al-Buḥūth al-Islāmiyya, 1st ed., 1412 AH.
  • ʿĀmilī, Sayyid Jaʿfar Murtaḍā al-. Al-Ṣaḥīḥ min sīrat al-Nabī al-aʿẓam. Qom, Sāzmān-i Chāp wa Nashr-i Dār al-Ḥadīth, 1385 Sh.
  • «Bāzsāzī-yi qadīmī-tarīn masjid-i Āfrīqā dar اتیوپی». IQNA. Posted: 16 Dey 1399 Sh. Accessed: 31 Shahrivar 1404 Sh.
  • Bayhaqī, Aḥmad b. Ḥusayn al-. Dalāʾil al-nubuwwa wa maʿrifat aḥwāl Ṣāḥib al-Sharīʿa. Ed. ʿAbd al-Muʿṭī Qalʿajī. Beirut, Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 1st ed., 1405 AH.
  • Bustānī, Qāsim et al. «Arzyābī-yi riwāyāt-i shaʾn-i nuzūl-i āyāt darbāra-yi Najāshī pādishāh-i Ḥabasha». Faṣlnāma-yi Muṭālaʿāt-i Fahm-i Ḥadīth. No. 18. 1402 Sh.
  • Bustānī, Qāsim et al. «Wākāvī-yi riwāyī-tārīkhī-yi guzārish-hā-yi Islām āvardan-i Najāshī pādishāh-i Ḥabasha». Faṣlnāma-yi Tārīkh-i Islām. Vol. 26. No. 1. 1404 Sh.
  • «Etyūpī masjid-i tārīkhī-yi Najāshī rā bāzsāzī mī-kunad». IQNA. Posted: 10 Aban 1397 Sh. Accessed: 31 Shahrivar 1404 Sh.
  • Ibn al-Athīr, ʿAlī b. Abī l-Karam. Usd al-ghāba fī maʿrifat al-ṣaḥāba. Beirut, Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 1415 AH.
  • Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, Muḥammad b. Abī Bakr. Zād al-maʿād fī hady khayr al-ʿibād. Ed. Shuʿayb Arnāʾūṭ & ʿAbd al-Qādir Arnāʾūṭ. Beirut, Muʾassisa al-Risāla, 1415 AH.
  • Ibn Saʿd, Muḥammad b. Saʿd. Al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā. Ed. Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Qādir ʿAṭā. Beirut, Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 1st ed., 1410 AH.
  • Jāḥiẓ, ʿAmr b. Baḥr al-. Al-Mukhtār fī l-radd ʿalā l-Naṣārā. Beirut, Dār al-Jīl, 1411 AH.
  • Majlisī, Muḥammad Bāqir al-. Biḥār al-anwār al-jāmiʿa li-durar akhbār al-aʾimma al-aṭhār. Beirut, Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 2nd ed., 1403 AH.
  • «Masjid-i Najāshī bāzsāzī shud». Specialized Mosque Base. Accessed: 31 Shahrivar 1404 Sh.
  • Mughniyya, Muḥammad Jawād. Al-Fiqh ʿalā l-madhāhib al-khamsa. Beirut, Dār al-Tayyār al-Jadīd & Dār al-Jawād, 10th ed., 1421 AH.
  • Quṭb al-Dīn al-Rāwandī, Saʿīd b. ʿAbd Allāh. Al-Kharāʾij wa l-jarāʾiḥ. Qom, Muʾassisa al-Imām al-Mahdī (aj), 1st ed., 1409 AH.
  • Raḥīmī, Murtaḍā. «Wākāvī-yi mabānī-yi mashrūʿīyyat-i namāz-i mayyit-i ghiyābī dar fiqh-i madhāhib-i Islāmī». Dū-faṣlnāma-yi Takhaṣṣuṣī-yi Muṭālaʿāt-i Fiqh wa Uṣūl-i Madhāhib. Year 5. No. 1. Spring & Summer 1401 Sh.
  • Ṣadūq, Muḥammad b. ʿAlī al-. Al-Khiṣāl. Ed. ʿAlī Akbar Ghaffārī. Qom, Daftar-i Intishārāt-i Islāmī, 1st ed., 1362 Sh.
  • Shahīd al-Thānī, Zayn al-Dīn b. ʿAlī al-. Tamhīd al-qawāʿid al-uṣūliyya wa l-ʿarabiyya. Qom, Intishārāt-i Daftar-i Tablīghāt-i Islāmī, 1st ed., 1416 AH.
  • Ṭabāṭabāʾī Yazdī, Sayyid Muḥammad Kāẓim. Al-ʿUrwa al-wuthqā (Al-Muḥashshā). Compiled by Aḥmad Muḥsinī Sabzawārī. Qom, Daftar-i Intishārāt-i Islāmī, 1st ed., 1419 AH.
  • Ṭabarī, Muḥammad b. Jarīr al-. Jāmiʿ al-bayān. Ed. Aḥmad Muḥammad Shākir. Beirut, Muʾassisa al-Risāla, 1420 AH.
  • Ṭabarī, Muḥammad b. Jarīr al-. Tārīkh al-umam wa l-mulūk (Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī). Ed. Muḥammad Abū l-Faḍl Ibrāhīm. Beirut, Dār al-Turāth, 2nd ed., 1387 AH.
  • Ṭabarsī, Faḍl b. Ḥasan al-. Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Ed. Jamʿī min al-Muḥaqqiqīn. Beirut, Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 1415 AH.
  • Ṭūsī, Muḥammad b. Ḥasan al-. Al-Tibyān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Ed. Aḥmad Ḥabīb Qaṣīr. N.p., Maktabat al-Iʿlām al-Islāmī, 1409 AH.
  • Wāḥidī, ʿAlī b. Aḥmad al-. Asbāb nuzūl al-Qurʾān. Ed. ʿIṣām b. ʿAbd al-Muḥsin. Dammam, Dār al-Iṣlāḥ, 1412 AH.
  • Yaʿqūbī, Aḥmad b. Isḥāq. Tārīkh al-Yaʿqūbī. Beirut, Dār Ṣādir, n.d.
  • Yūsufī Gharawī, Muḥammad Hādī. Mawsūʿat al-tārīkh al-Islāmī. Qom, Majmaʿ al-Fikr al-Islāmī, 1417 AH.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikishia.net/w/index.php?title=Al-Najashi_(the_king_of_Abyssinia)&oldid=201511"