say that it contains 4,000 palaces, 4,000 baths, 40, 000 Jews and 400 theatres for the enter-
tainment of the nobles." (Husn-ul-MUhudra by Suyuti)
NEGUS
Ethiopia is an ancient country in the eastern part of Africa lying along the coast of the Red
Sea which came to be known as Abyssinia since the distant past. Its boundaries, as they
existed in the seventh century, are not easy to define now. The kingdom of Abyssinia was
also one of the oldest in the world. The Jewish sources denote that the queen Sheba be-
longed to Abyssinia and her progeny by Solomon ever ruled the country. The Jews started
migrating to the country from the sixth century B.C. after the destruction of Solomon's
Temple but Christianity became the dominant faith of the people by the fourth century.
When the Jewish monarch of Yemen persecuted the Christians of his land, Emperor Justin I
wrote to the Negus of Abyssinia to help the Christians. Negus of Abyssinia is said to have
complied by sending an army which captured Yemen in 525 A.D. and retained the hold of
Abyssinia over it for about fifty years.
Abraha was the viceroy of Abyssinian King in Yemen who led an army to destroy the House
of God in Makkah whence came off the memorable event of 'Am al-fil or the year of the
elephant. The capital of Abyssinia was at Axum. Being a sovereign state, it was neither de-
pendent nor a tributary to any alien power. Of course, as a Christian country, it had friendly
relations with Byzantium which was then regarded as the protector of Christendom. The
Byzantine Emperor respected the independence of Abyssinia for Justinian had sent his
Ambassador by the name of Julian, to the count of Axum.
De lacy O'Leary writes in the "Arabia before Muhammed" that "from 522 to the rise of
Islam, the Abyssinians controlled the southern end of the Red Sea including trade with
Africa, perhaps that with India as well. The official title of the King of Abyssinia was Nagusa
Nagasht or King of Kings of Ethiopia. But, the name of the King to whom the Prophet sent his
letter inviting him to embrace Islam has been variously mentioned in different sources.
However, we have before us two kings of Abyssinia. One of these is the king during whose
reign the Muslim migrated from Makkah to Abyssinia under the leadership J'afar b. Abi
Talib, in the fifth year of the Prophet messengership of Muhammed (r). But it is highly
improbable that the Prophet (r) wrote any letter to Negus at that time. The circumstances
prevailing with the Prophet (r) at Makkah then were unfavorable for addressing such a
letter to any ruler. And in any case, it was neither an appropriate time for inviting any noble
or king from a foreign land to accept Islam nor did he send any such letter, according to the
Traditions, to any foreign dignitary. All that the Traditions suggest is that the Prophet (r)
had requested the then Negus to afford protection to the Muslims in his country for they
were being severely persecuted by the Quraysh.
Similarly, the writings of Ibn Hisham and others imply that the Negus had admitted the
truth of divine revelation and accepted that Jesus was a Prophet (r) and word of God cast