Ashamah ibn al-Abjar was the ruler of the Kingdom of Aksum. He was also known as Negus, but the Arabs called him “Najashi” in their language. Ashamah was raised a Christian, he was a ruler of the Aksumites after all, who were Christians just like the Byzantines. Ashamah was known to be a great ruler, he was very kind to his people and he was a just king. Everyone loved him; his only flaw was that he was not a Muslim yet.
In Makkah, a generation of the Banu Qurayza mostly converted to Islam, and this made the pagans of Makkah unhappy. So, the pagans decided not to spare this new generation of Muslims. The Muslims fleed on a wooden ship to the city of Abyssinia, now in present-day Ethiopia. The pagans did not wish to waste their resources and energy on sailing to Abyssinia to arrest the Muslims. So they hired two delegates from Banu Qurayza to capture the Muslims and bring them back to Makkah for their punishment.
In the court of the Aksumites, the two delegates were able to convince Ashamah to turn against the Muslims. But then, Ashamah suddenly asked the Muslims to bring anything which their Prophet ﷺ had brought from Allah, and he requested that it be read to him. So, Ja'far ibn Abu Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, recited the Qur'an, specifically the Surah Maryam, in a very blissful and melodious voice. At once, Ashamah cried out loud that what he had heard was exactly what was stated in the Tawrah and the Injeel. He stated that Islam was a true religion, and he stated that he would have preferred being a mere servant of the Prophet ﷺ rather than being a king of the Aksumites. He then turned towards the two delegates and ordered them to be kicked out, while promising the Muslims he would always protect them.
Now called Najashi (after he accepted Islam in his court), many of the Aksumites began converting to Islam. When Prophet Muhammad ﷺ wrote a letter to various kings, one of them the king of Ethiopia, Najashi declared that he was a Muslim and no longer a Christian. Najashi passed away as a Muslim in the 9th year of Hijrah, and Prophet Muhammad ﷺ announced his passing, as well as observed a funeral prayer for him.
After Najashi's passing, a second ruler came to the throne, also called “Najashi”. It is unclear whether this King was a Muslim, as he did not reply to the letter that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ sent him; which was an invitation to Islam. It is widely agreed that he was not a Muslim, and Allah knows best on what he truly was.
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Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and Contemporary Rulers
Non-FictionA short book, written to document the interactions of the Prophet ﷺ with the various rulers (i.e. Kings and Princes) who lived at the same time as Him. Included within this book are the stories of some kings who converted to Islam or accepted the fa...
