Abdullah bin Masud reported,

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent us to the Negus, and we numbered around eighty men, among them Abdullah bin Masud, Jafar, Abdullah bin Urfutah, Uthman bin Mazun, and Abu Musa. They came to the Negus, and the Quraysh sent Amr bin As and Umarah bin Walid with a gift.When the two of them entered upon the Negus, they prostrated to him, then hastened to his right and his left. They said to him, "A group from our cousins have settled in your land, and they have abandoned us and our religion."He asked, "Where are they?"They replied, "They are in your land, so send for them."So he sent for them. Jafar said, "I will be your spokesman today." So they followed him. He greeted the Negus but did not prostrate.They said to him, "Why do you not prostrate to the king?"He answered, "We do not prostrate to anyone except Allah ."The Negus asked, "And why is that?"Jafar said, "Allah sent His Messenger ﷺ to us and commanded us not to prostrate to anyone except Allah , and He commanded us to perform prayer and give charity."Amr bin As said, "But they differ with you concerning Isa, son of Maryam."The Negus asked, "What do you say about Isa, son of Maryam, and his mother?"They replied, "We say what Allah said. He is the word of Allah and His spirit, which He cast into the chaste virgin whom no man had touched and no child had been borne by."The Negus picked up a stick from the ground and said, "People of Abyssinia, priests, and monks, by Allah, what they add to what we say about him does not amount to even this. Welcome to you and to the one from whom you have come. I bear witness that he is the Messenger of Allah, for he is the one we find mentioned in the Gospel, and he is the messenger whom Isa, son of Maryam, foretold. Settle wherever you wish. By Allah, were it not for the kingship I am occupied with, I would have gone to him myself until I were the one carrying his sandals and pouring his water for ablution."Then he ordered the gift of the other two to be returned to them.Abdullah bin Masud then hastened back and reached Badr in time. It is said that the Prophet ﷺ sought forgiveness for him when news of his death reached him.

حدثنا حسن بن موسى قال سمعت حديجا أخا زهير بن معاوية عن أبي إسحاق عن عبد الله بن عتبة

عن ابن مسعود قال

بعثنا رسول الله ﷺ إلى النجاشي ونحن نحو من ثمانين رجلا فيهم عبد الله بن مسعود وجعفر وعبد الله بن عرفطة وعثمان بن مظعون وأبو موسى فأتوا النجاشي وبعثت قريش عمرو بن العاص وعمارة بن الوليد بهدية فلما دخلا على النجاشي سجدا له ثم ابتدراه عن يمينه وعن شماله ثم قالا له إن نفرا من بني عمنا نزلوا أرضك ورغبوا عنا وعن ملتنا قال فأين هم قال هم في أرضك فابعث إليهم فبعث إليهم فقال جعفر أنا خطيبكم اليوم فاتبعوه فسلم ولم يسجد فقالوا له ما لك لا تسجد للملك قال إنا لا نسجد إلا لله عز وجل قال وما ذاك قال إن الله عز وجل بعث إلينا رسوله ﷺ وأمرنا أن لا نسجد لأحد إلا لله عز وجل وأمرنا بالصلاة والزكاة قال عمرو بن العاص فإنهم يخالفونك في عيسى ابن مريم قال ما تقولون في عيسى ابن مريم وأمه قالوا نقول كما قال الله عز وجل هو كلمة الله وروحه ألقاها إلى العذراء البتول التي لم يمسها بشر ولم يفرضها ولد قال فرفع عودا من الأرض ثم قال يا معشر الحبشة والقسيسين والرهبان والله ما يزيدون على الذي نقول فيه ما يسوى هذا مرحبا بكم وبمن جئتم من عنده أشهد أنه رسول الله فإنه الذي نجد في الإنجيل وإنه الرسول الذي بشر به عيسى ابن مريم انزلوا حيث شئتم والله لولا ما أنا فيه من الملك لأتيته حتى أكون أنا أحمل نعليه وأوضئه وأمر بهدية الآخرين فردت إليهما ثم تعجل عبد الله بن مسعود حتى أدرك بدرا وزعم أن النبي ﷺ استغفر له حين بلغه موته