16 THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMADown brother, saying, 'You rule your people until my son comes of age; thereafter,
he shall be king.'
"But the king's brother wanted to rule and so he sold the Negus to a merchant.
However, the uncle died that night and the Abyssinians restored the Negus,
placing the crown on his head."
He then related it in brief. But Ibn Isbaq's account is better and fuller. But
God knows best.The account of Ibn Ishaq refers to 'Amr b. alLCA$ and 'Abd All& b. Aha Rabi'a.
Those of Miisa b. Wqba, d-Umawi and others give the two envoys as 'Amr b.
d-'A$ and Wmara b. al-Walid b. al-Mughira.
Wmaa was one of the seven persons against whom the Messenger of God
(SAAS) spoke prayers when they ridiculed hi on the occasion when they put
the placenta of the sacrificial animal on his back when he was bent over in prayer
at the ka'ba.
Similarly they were named in the previous accounts given by Ibn Masciid and
Abii Miisa al-Ash'ari.
What is implied is that when they left Mecca, 'Amr's wife was with him and also
that Wm%a was a handsome young man. They were together in the boat and
Wmaa was attracted to the wife of 'Amr b. al-'A$. So he threw 'Amr into the sea
to kill him, hut he swam back to the boat. TJmzra then told him, "If I'd known you
could swim so well, I wouldn't have thrown you in!" 'Amr consequently hated him.
Having failed to achieve their objective with the Negus regarding the
Emigrants, Wmaa ingratiated himself with some of the Negus's people. But
'Amr warned the Negus of this and the latter had 'Umara bewitched so that he
lost his mind and wandered off into the dcsert with the wild beasts.
Al-Umawi related his story at very great length, to the effect that he lived on
into the time of the reign of 'Umar b. d-Khattab, when some of the Companions
hunted him down and seized hi. He then began saying, "Dispatch me!
Dispatch me! Or I will die!" Since they did not dispatch him, he died right then
and there. But God knows best.
It has been said that Quraysh sent twice to the Negus regarding the
Emigrants. The first occasion involved 'Amr b. d-'tTs and 'Umara, the second
'Amr and 'Abd Allah b. Abii Rabi'a. Abii Nu'aym gives such a text in Dalz'il
(The Signs). But God knows best.
It is said that the second mission occurred after the battle of Badr. Al-Zuhri
stated this. Its purpose was to gain vengeance through the Emigrants there. But
the Negus, God bless him, did not grant them any part of their request. But God
knows best.Ziyad related, from Ibn Ishaq, that when Abii Talih saw Quraysh engaged in this
he wrote to the Negus some verses urging him to act with justice and kindness
towards those of his people who were living with him: