Ja'far ibn Abi Talib

The Quraysh, suspicious of their motives for leaving Arabia, sent Abdullah ibn Abi Rabiah and Amr ibn al-As to negotiate with the Negus to bring the emigrants back to Mecca. They gave presents of leather-goods to the Negus and his officials and gave him a bad report of the Muslims.^[8] The Negus replied that he had promised protection to the Muslims and therefore could not hand them over without hearing their side of the story. When the Muslims were called to answer to the Negus, Ja’far was their spokesman.^[9]

The Negus asked them what was the religion for which they had forsaken their people, without entering into his religion or any other.^[9] Ja'far replied: "We were an uncivilised people. God sent us an apostle who commanded us to speak the truth, be faithful to our engagements, mindful of the ties of kinship and kindly hospitality, and to refrain from crimes and bloodshed. He forbade us to commit abominations and to speak lies, and to devour the property of orphans, to vilify chaste women. He commanded us to worship God alone and not to associate anything with Him, and he gave us orders about prayer, alms and fasting [enumerating the commands of Islam]. So we believed in him and what he brought to us from Allah, and we follow what he asked us to do and we avoid what he forbade us to do."^[10]

The Quraish said to Negus that Muslims did not respect Jesus or the Virgin Mary. He was enraged and asked Ja'far to reply to Amr's claim. So he recited the first verses of Surah Maryam in the Quran, which narrates the story of 'Isa (Jesus) and his mother Maryam (Mary). On hearing these words, "the Negus wept until his beard was wet and the bishops wept until their scrolls were wet." The Negus said that he would never harm the Muslims. The two Quraysh delegates alleged that the Muslims called Jesus a created being, so the Negus asked Ja'far what he thought of Jesus. Ja'far answered: "Our prophet says he is God's slave, apostle, spirit and word, which he cast into Mary the blessed virgin."^[11]

At this the Negus (al-nejashi) returned the gifts of the Quraysh, calling them "bribes," and "they left his presence crestfallen." The Muslims continued to live with the Negus, "comfortably in the best security".^[12]

It is said that Ja'far left Abyssinia to preach in other countries. He accompanied Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas and others in their mission to the region of Chittagong, Manipur, Tibet, Khotan and China. The Muslims of the oasis-city of Khotan (in the Xinjiang Province, 6 miles (9.7 kilometres) south of the Taklamakan Desert,^[13] west of Tibet) trace their origin to Ja'far.^[14] Thereafter Ja'far returned to Abyssinia.

When the news reached Muhammad, he wept and prayed for Ja'far's soul. He later reported that the angel Jibril (Gabriel) came down to console him, saying: "Jafar was a brave and loyal soldier. God has given him everlasting life, and in place of his arms which were cut off in the battle, the Lord has given him a pair of wings. The Prophet (s) prayed for him and said, "May God give you two wings, with which to fly in the company of the angels."^[22]

Thereafter Ja'far had the byname Dhul-Janāḥīn (Arabic: ذُو ٱلْجَنَاحِيْن, "The Winged").^[23]

Ja'far's widow Asma recalled: "God's Messenger came to me and asked, 'Where are Jafar's children?' I brought them to him and he embraced them and smelled them, then his eyes welled up and he cried. 'O God's Messenger,' I asked, 'Have you heard something about Jafar?' 'Yes,' he replied. 'He was martyred today.' I stood up and screamed, and the women came to me. The Prophet began to say, 'O Asma, do not speak obscene words or beat your chest!'" Her son Abd Allah remembered: "He said, 'O Asma, will you not rejoice? Indeed, God most high has made two wings for Ja'far, that he may fly with them in Paradise!'" Then Muhammad told his daughter Fatimah, "Prepare food for the family of Ja'far, for they are preoccupied today."^[24]