Amr ibn al-'As and 'Abd Allah ibn abi Rabi'ah then went to
the king and presented him also with a gift, saying: 'Your
Highness, these people have abandoned the religion we have
always followed in Mecca, but they have not even become
Christians like you.' The royal advisers, who were also present,
told the king that the Meccans had spoken the truth and that
he should send the Muslims back to their own people. At this,
the king became angry and said, 'No, by God, I will not give
them up. Those who have come to ask for my protection,
settled in my country, and chosen me rather than others, shall
not be betrayed. I will summon them and ask them about
what these two men have said. If the Muslims are as the
Meccans say, I will give them up and send them back to their
own people, but if the Meccans have lied I will protect the
Muslims.' 'Amr was very upset by this for the last thing he
wanted was for the king to hear what the Muslims had to say.
The king then sent for the Muslims. When they entered, they
did not kneel before him as was the custom of the Abyssinians.
'Why do you not kneel before our king?' they were asked by
one of the advisors. 'We kneel only to Allah', they replied. So
the king asked them to tell him about their religion.
Ja'far ibn abi Talib, Ali's brother and a cousin of the Prophet
(pbuh), was chosen to speak for the Muslims. He replied, '0
King, at first we were among the ignorant. We and our
ancestors had turned from the faith of Abraham, who, with
Ishmael, rebuilt the Ka’bah and worshipped only Allah. We
used idols in our worship of Allah; we ate meat that had not
been killed in the right way; we did not respect the rights of
our neighbors; the strong took advantage of the weak. We did
terrible things of which I dare not speak. This was our life until
Allah sent a Messenger from among us, one of our relatives,
whom we have always known to be honest, innocent, and
faithful. He asked us to worship only Allah, and to give up the
bad customs of our forefathers. He asked us to be truthful and
trustworthy, to respect and help our neighbors, to honor our
families, and to put a stop to our bad deeds and endless
fighting. He asked us to look after orphans. He ordered us not
to slander or speak evil of women or men.
the king and presented him also with a gift, saying: 'Your
Highness, these people have abandoned the religion we have
always followed in Mecca, but they have not even become
Christians like you.' The royal advisers, who were also present,
told the king that the Meccans had spoken the truth and that
he should send the Muslims back to their own people. At this,
the king became angry and said, 'No, by God, I will not give
them up. Those who have come to ask for my protection,
settled in my country, and chosen me rather than others, shall
not be betrayed. I will summon them and ask them about
what these two men have said. If the Muslims are as the
Meccans say, I will give them up and send them back to their
own people, but if the Meccans have lied I will protect the
Muslims.' 'Amr was very upset by this for the last thing he
wanted was for the king to hear what the Muslims had to say.
The king then sent for the Muslims. When they entered, they
did not kneel before him as was the custom of the Abyssinians.
'Why do you not kneel before our king?' they were asked by
one of the advisors. 'We kneel only to Allah', they replied. So
the king asked them to tell him about their religion.
Ja'far ibn abi Talib, Ali's brother and a cousin of the Prophet
(pbuh), was chosen to speak for the Muslims. He replied, '0
King, at first we were among the ignorant. We and our
ancestors had turned from the faith of Abraham, who, with
Ishmael, rebuilt the Ka’bah and worshipped only Allah. We
used idols in our worship of Allah; we ate meat that had not
been killed in the right way; we did not respect the rights of
our neighbors; the strong took advantage of the weak. We did
terrible things of which I dare not speak. This was our life until
Allah sent a Messenger from among us, one of our relatives,
whom we have always known to be honest, innocent, and
faithful. He asked us to worship only Allah, and to give up the
bad customs of our forefathers. He asked us to be truthful and
trustworthy, to respect and help our neighbors, to honor our
families, and to put a stop to our bad deeds and endless
fighting. He asked us to look after orphans. He ordered us not
to slander or speak evil of women or men.