The Life of the Prophet (saws)

10. Moving Out(5th year of Prophethood)

The Prophet realised that no amount of

persuasion or negotiation would make the leaders of Makkah change their hostile attitude to Islam

Always a far-sighted and well-informed leader, the Prophet advised his companions to emigrate to Abyssinia where the Christian king, Negus, was known for his abhorrence of injustice

Abyssinia was be to a second home for the Islamic call

Moving out

The first party of Muslim emigrants to

Abyssinia consisted of 16 people, 4 of whom were women

Among the emigrants was Uthman ibn Affan and his wife, Ruqayyah, daughter of the Prophet

Other parties of emigrants followed at frequent intervals

Moving out

The emigrants constituted a large section of

the Muslim community This was a shrewd tactical move by the

Prophet since the Muslims who stayed behind in Makkah no longer constituted a threat to its social order

This was bound to weaken the argument of the hard liners, who advocated a strong-fisted approach to the problem represented by Islam

Moving out

The Quraysh were utterly displeased that the

Muslims should be able to escape its tyranny and find peace and security in their new place of abode

A meeting was called to discuss the situation, and it was resolved to send a delegation to Negus requesting him to deport the Muslims and send them back home

Amr ibn Al-Aas and Abdullah ibn Rabi’ah were chosen for the mission

An appeal for extradition

Amr in particular was well known for his

diplomatic skills He carried with him many gifts with which he

sought to make the atmosphere at Negus’s court favourable when he made his request

Amr’s plan was to present every one of the patriarchs who attended Negus’s court with a fine gift of animal hide

An appeal for extradition

Feeling that he could rely on the help of the

patriarchs, Amr explained his mission The patriarchs promised Amr and his friend

their support and the ground was prepared for a quick decision by Negus in favour of Amr and Abdullah

When the two were admitted into court, they presented the king with a precious gift of superb camel hide

An appeal for extradition

Nothing was more loathsome to the Quraysh

delegation that that Negus should call the Muslims in to present their case

They stressed that they were making their request on behalf of the fugitives’ own parents and uncles, who could not be expected to subject them to any harm

As they made their case, the patriarchs supported them

An appeal for extradition

Negus was angry. He said, “A group of people

who have sought my shelter, preferring me over everyone else, will not be summarily judged. I shall call them in first and give them a chance to answer what these two have alleged about them. Should I find these allegations true, I will extradite them. Otherwise, they will certainly enjoy my protection.”

An appeal for extradition

The Makkan delegation were very

disappointed at the Negus’s decision, but they could do nothing about it

The Muslims consulted with one another when the king’s messenger delivered to them an order to appear at court

They were unanimous that they would answer any question put to them truthfully, regardless of what results it might produce

An appeal for extradition

When they were admitted to the king’s

presence, he came straight to the point and asked them, “What is this new religion over which you are in dispute with your own people and which is at variance with my own religion and with all other known religions?”

An appeal for extradition

The Muslims had chosen Ja’far ibn Abi Talib,

the Prophet’s own cousin, as their spokesman and he put their case forward with a most eloquent summary of the Islamic call

Negus asked Ja’far to read a passage of the Qur’an

Ja’far chose the opening of Surah 19, entitled Mary, which speaks about Prophet Zachariah and his son John before it goes on to relate the story of the virgin birth of Jesus

An appeal for extradition

Negus and his patriarchs were in tears and he

said, “What I have just heard comes from the same source as Jesus’s revelations.”

He then dismissed the Quraysh delegation and assured the Muslims that they would have his full protection

Having failed, the Quraysh delegation began to think of some other, more devious ways to achieve their purpose

An appeal for extradition

The following day Amr went back to Negus

and said to him: “These people make a very wild claim about Jesus. You may wish to question them about that.”

When the Muslims realised the reason for their second summons to attend the king’s court, they were alarmed

They resolved, however, to stick to the truth and put their case frankly and clearly

An appeal for extradition

Ja’far, the Muslims’ spokesman, answered

Negus’s question about their view of Jesus without hesitation: “Our view is that taught to us by our Prophet: Jesus is God’s servant and messenger. He is His spirit and His word delivered unto virgin Mary.”

Negus picked up a little stick from the floor and said, “What you have just said about Jesus does not go beyond the truth by the width of this stick.”

An appeal for extradition

To the jeers and sneers of the patriarchs,

Negus replied, “It is true, no matter what you say.”

He then said to the Muslims, “You are safe in my land. Whoever harms you will be brought to justice. I would not harm any one of you for a mountain of gold.”

He then ordered his patriarchs to return the gifts of the Quraysh delegation

An appeal for extradition

The emigration of the Prophet’s companions to

Abyssinia was a highly significant event and the first major political move taken by the Prophet

A close examination of the list of people who travelled shows that hardly any of the weak or vulnerable members of the community took part

On the other hand, one finds that the list of travellers includes names of many prominent people who belonged to famous clans

A shrewd plan

The emigrants belonged to most, if not all, the

clans of the Quraysh The Prophet was keen to emphasise the very

concept which the Quraysh wanted to block He wanted his followers to realise that

belonging to Islam meant that they no longer belonged to a particular clan and that their only tie of allegiance was to their faith; they were simply Muslims

Realignment of loyalties

Before the emigration to Abyssinia, those who

heard of Islam outside of Makkah did not pay much attention to it, considering it an internal matter which only concerned the Quraysh

It was necessary, therefore, for Islam to break out of this imposed confinement and to broaden the scope of its efforts of advocacy

The emigration to Abyssinia gave the Muslims a chance to carry their message further afield

A new Muslim community

(Source: ‘Muhammad – Man and Prophet’ by Adil

Salahi)

End