The Faith of the Najāshī, the Civil War, and the Ṣalāh al-Ghāʾib
storyAfter Jaʿfar's hearing, a new threat emerged from within the Abyssinian court itself. When the Najāshī said publicly that what the Muslims recited about ʿĪsā (Jesus) "does not exceed what Jesus said about himself by the length of a twig," rumors spread that the Najāshī had adopted heretical views. He was not Christian enough. A faction of ministers began conspiring against him, a potential coup d'état.
The Najāshī was aware of the plot through his own sympathizers. He responded with extraordinary craft. He wrote on a parchment his testimony of faith:
"Ashhadu an lā ilāha illā Allāh, wa anna ʿĪsā ʿAbdullāh wa Rasūlullāh wa Rūḥullāh wa Kalimatullāh"
(أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا الله، وَأَنَّ عِيسَى عَبْدُ الله وَرَسُولُه وَرُوحُه وَكَلِمَتُه)
He placed this parchment inside his robe, against his chest, close to his heart. Then he summoned the conspiring ministers to private chambers. He asked each one, methodically: "Have I not been a good king? A just ruler? Have I not improved the country?" They all agreed. "Then what is your problem with me?"
When they accused him of abandoning the Christian religion, he placed his hand on his chest, over the hidden parchment, and swore: "By Allāh, this is exactly what I believe." He was using tawriyah (تَوْرِيَة), a double meaning. What he said was absolutely true, that parchment was what he believed. But his audience understood him to mean he agreed with them. The conspiracy collapsed.
The secret ship:
In anticipation of defeat and death, the Najāshī sent a secret message to the Muslim community: "I have a ship ready at such-and-such a location. If you hear news of my death, go to that ship. Its captain will take you wherever you wish." He was thinking of their safety before his own survival.
The civil war:
A rival Abyssinian royal family later launched an open military challenge, a civil war for the throne. Umm Salamah (رضي الله عنها) narrated: "We were more terrified at that moment than at any other time since we arrived. We prayed to Allāh: 'Give the Najāshī tamkīn fi al-arḍ, authority and establishment in this earth.'" The Muslims could not fight, they were foreign guests, not citizens. Duʿāʾ was the only weapon available to them.
They asked Zubayr ibn al-ʿAwwām (رضي الله عنه), a cousin of the Prophet (SAW) and one of the physically strongest companions, to volunteer to spy on the battle, which was fought on the banks of the Nile River. He crossed to where the armies were, observed the fighting, and returned after several days with a broad smile. "Abshirū (أَبْشِرُوا), rejoice! The Najāshī has won." The Muslims' prayers were answered.
The letter and the private shahāda:
When the Prophet (SAW) emigrated to Medina, he wrote letters to the rulers of the world inviting them to Islām. One of these went to the Najāshī. Aṣḥamah replied, as narrated in Al-Bayhaqī's Dalāʾil al-Nubuwwah, with a letter saying: "I am a Muslim. I believe in you and everything you say. If you command me, O Messenger of Allāh, I will come right now to Medina and serve you." He remained in Abyssinia in his role as a protector of the Muslim community, the greater service, but his faith was real and confirmed.
The Ṣalāh al-Janāzah ʿalā al-Ghāʾib:
When the Najāshī died, the books do not give us a precise date, but it was during the Medinan period, the Prophet (SAW) came out one day and said: "Jibrīl has come and informed me that a pious brother of yours has died in a neighboring land." This was before any messenger could travel the two-week journey with news.
The Prophet (SAW) commanded the companions to come to the masjid and pray. He then led them in the only Ṣalāt al-Janāzah ʿalā al-Ghāʾib (صَلَاة الْجَنَازَة عَلَى الْغَائِب), funeral prayer over an absent body, that he ever prayed in his entire life. This unique distinction belongs solely to the Najāshī among all people the Prophet (SAW) ever prayed over.
The Najāshī's real name was Aṣḥamah (أَصْحَمَة). His grave remains known to this day in Abyssinia, and some of the speaker's colleagues have visited it.
Fiqh note (speaker): The reason for Ṣalāt al-Ghāʾib in this case was that no one else had prayed Janāzah over the Najāshī, he died as a secret Muslim in a Christian land. Many companions died in battles and other distant places and the Prophet did not pray Ṣalāt al-Ghāʾib over them, presumably because their Janāzah prayers were covered. This case was exceptional because he had no Muslim community to pray over him. The four madhhabs differ on when Ṣalāt al-Ghāʾib may be performed; the speaker has written a detailed article on this Fiqh question.
Overarching lesson: The Muslims lived in Abyssinia for approximately twelve years. Their first resort was hijra, leaving when staying became unbearable. Their second resort was da'wah through truthful representation (Ja'far's speech). Their third resort was duʿāʾ, prayer when they could not act. Their final experience was a just king who, by the end, had himself accepted Islām in his heart and died deserving of the Prophet's personal funeral prayer. The speaker: "When Allāh is on your side, Allāh will plot and plan no matter what others plot and plan. Wa makarū wa makara Allāh, wa Allāhu khayru al-mākirīn (وَمَكَرُواْ وَمَكَرَ اللّهُ وَاللّهُ خَيْرُ الْمَاكِرِينَ)."