14 THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMADThe Negus then said, "I swear, God took no bribe from me when He returned
my kingdom to me. And He did not acquiesce to the people about me; so am I
to acquiesce to them about him? Return their presents to the two envoys. I don't
need them. And, you two, get out of my country!"
The two men did depart in disgrace, with what they had brought having been
returned to them.
Umm Salama continued, "And so we stayed on there in comfort and security.
"But soon a certain Abyssinian rose in revolt and challenged the rule of the
Negus. And, I swear, nothing had ever caused us so much grief as this, since we
feared that that rebel would defeat him and then there would he a king who
might not recognise our rights as the Negus had done.
"And so we began saying prayers to God, supplicating Hi to give victory to
the Negus who went out to do battle.
"The Companions of the Messenger of God (SAAS) then asked one another
which one of them should go and witness the engagement to see which side
would he victorious.
"Al-Zubayr, one of the youngest of them, volunteered.
"They then blew air into a skin which they attached to his chest and he set off
on it, swimming across the Nile. He came out on the other hank, went to the site
where the two sides were meeting and witnessed the battle.
"God defeated and killed that rebel leader, giving the Negus victory over him.
"Al-Zubayr then returned to us, waving his shirt and yelling, 'Rejoice! God
has given victory to the Negus! "'
Umm Salama concluded, "I swear by God we were never happier than at the
Negus's victory. Thereafter we remained there with him, until some of us
returned to Mecca while others stayed there."
Al-Zuhri stated, "I related this hadith on the authority of Umrn Salarna to Wrwa
b. al-Zuhayr and he asked, 'Do you know what was meant by the Negns's words?
"I swear, God took no bribe from me when he returned my kingdom to me; so
am I to accept a bribe about Him? And He did not acquiesce to the people about
me; so am I to obey them about hi?"'
"I replied, 'No; Aha Bakr h. 'Abd al-Ra?unm b. al-Haith b. Hisha, relating
on the authority of Umm Salama, did not tell me that.'
"Wrwa explained, 'Well, 'A'isha related to me that his father had been the
king of his people and had a brother who had fathered twelve sons. Whereas his
own father had only one son, the Negus himself. The Abyssinians discussed this
among themselves and decided to kill the father of the Negus and to appoint his
uncle over them in his place. For since the uncle had twelve sons of his own who
would inherit the kingship, then Abyssinia would remain for a long time free
from unrest. They therefore attacked and killed the father of the Negus and
made his brother king.