Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا حَسَنُ بْنُ مُوسَى قَالَ سَمِعْتُ حُدَيْجًا أَخَا زُهَيْرِ بْنِ مُعَاوِيَةَ عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُتْبَةَ عَنْ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ بَعَثَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلَى النَّجَاشِيِّ وَنَحْنُ نَحْوٌ مِنْ ثَمَانِينَ رَجُلًا فِيهِمْ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْعُودٍ وَجَعْفَرٌ وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُرْفُطَةَ وَعُثْمَانُ بْنُ مَظْعُونٍ وَأَبُو مُوسَى فَأَتَوْا النَّجَاشِيَّ وَبَعَثَتْ قُرَيْشٌ عَمْرَو بْنَ الْعَاصِ وَعُمَارَةَ بْنَ الْوَلِيدِ بِهَدِيَّةٍ فَلَمَّا دَخَلَا عَلَى النَّجَاشِيِّ سَجَدَا لَهُ ثُمَّ ابْتَدَرَاهُ عَنْ يَمِينِهِ وَعَنْ شِمَالِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَا لَهُ إِنَّ نَفَرًا مِنْ بَنِي عَمِّنَا نَزَلُوا أَرْضَكَ وَرَغِبُوا عَنَّا وَعَنْ مِلَّتِنَا قَالَ فَأَيْنَ هُمْ قَالَ هُمْ فِي أَرْضِكَ فَابْعَثْ إِلَيْهِمْ فَبَعَثَ إِلَيْهِمْ فَقَالَ جَعْفَرٌ أَنَا خَطِيبُكُمْ الْيَوْمَ فَاتَّبَعُوهُ فَسَلَّمَ وَلَمْ يَسْجُدْ فَقَالُوا لَهُ مَا لَكَ لَا تَسْجُدُ لِلْمَلِكِ قَالَ إِنَّا لَا نَسْجُدُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَالَ وَمَا ذَاكَ قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بَعَثَ إِلَيْنَا رَسُولَهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَمَرَنَا أَنْ لَا نَسْجُدَ لِأَحَدٍ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَأَمَرَنَا بِالصَّلَاةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ قَالَ عَمْرُو بْنُ الْعَاصِ فَإِنَّهُمْ يُخَالِفُونَكَ فِي عِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ قَالَ مَا تَقُولُونَ فِي عِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ وَأُمِّهِ قَالُوا نَقُولُ كَمَا قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ هُوَ كَلِمَةُ اللَّهِ وَرُوحُهُ أَلْقَاهَا إِلَى الْعَذْرَاءِ الْبَتُولِ الَّتِي لَمْ يَمَسَّهَا بَشَرٌ وَلَمْ يَفْرِضْهَا وَلَدٌ قَالَ فَرَفَعَ عُودًا مِنْ الْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا مَعْشَرَ الْحَبَشَةِ وَالْقِسِّيسِينَ وَالرُّهْبَانِ وَاللَّهِ مَا يَزِيدُونَ عَلَى الَّذِي نَقُولُ فِيهِ مَا يَسْوَى هَذَا مَرْحَبًا بِكُمْ وَبِمَنْ جِئْتُمْ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ فَإِنَّهُ الَّذِي نَجِدُ فِي الْإِنْجِيلِ وَإِنَّهُ الرَّسُولُ الَّذِي بَشَّرَ بِهِ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ انْزِلُوا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمْ وَاللَّهِ لَوْلَا مَا أَنَا فِيهِ مِنْ الْمُلْكِ لَأَتَيْتُهُ حَتَّى أَكُونَ أَنَا أَحْمِلُ نَعْلَيْهِ وَأُوَضِّئُهُ وَأَمَرَ بِهَدِيَّةِ الْآخَرِينَ فَرُدَّتْ إِلَيْهِمَا ثُمَّ تَعَجَّلَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْعُودٍ حَتَّى أَدْرَكَ بَدْرًا وَزَعَمَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُ حِينَ بَلَغَهُ مَوْتُهُ.
English Translation
Hasan ibn Musa told us, who said: I heard Hudayj, brother of Zuhayr ibn Mu'awiya, from Abu Ishaq, from Abdullah ibn Utba, from Ibn Mas'ud, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent us to the Negus, and we were about eighty men, among them Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, Ja'far, Abdullah ibn Urfuta, Uthman ibn Maz'un, and Abu Musa. They came to the Negus, and Quraysh had sent Amr ibn al-As and Umara ibn al-Walid with a gift. When the two entered upon the Negus, they prostrated to him, then hastened to be at his right and his left, then they said to him, "Some people from among the sons of our uncles have settled in your land and have turned away from us and from our religion." He said, "Where are they?" They said, "They are in your land, so send for them." So he sent for them. Ja'far said, "I am your spokesman today," so they followed him. He gave the greeting of peace and did not prostrate. They said to him, "What is wrong with you, that you do not prostrate to the king?" He said, "We do not prostrate except to Allah, Mighty and Sublime." He said, "And what is that about?" He said, "Allah, Mighty and Sublime, sent to us His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and commanded us not to prostrate to anyone except Allah, Mighty and Sublime, and commanded us with prayer and almsgiving." Amr ibn al-As said, "They differ with you concerning Jesus son of Mary." He said, "What do you say about Jesus son of Mary and his mother?" They said, "We say as Allah, Mighty and Sublime, said: he is the Word of Allah and His Spirit, which He cast to the virgin, the chaste one, whom no man had touched and to whom no child was assigned." He then picked up a stick from the ground and said, "O assembly of Abyssinians, priests, and monks, by Allah, they do not add to what we say about him more than the weight of this. Welcome to you, and to him from whom you have come. I bear witness that he is the Messenger of Allah, for he is the one we find in the Gospel, and he is the Messenger foretold by Jesus son of Mary. Settle wherever you wish. By Allah, were it not for the kingship I am in, I would go to him, until I would be the one carrying his sandals and washing him for ablution." And he ordered the gift of the other two to be returned to them. Then Abdullah ibn Mas'ud hurried until he caught up in time for Badr, and he claimed that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sought forgiveness for him when news of his death reached him.