Migration of Muslims from Mecca to Abyssinia
- The first migration to Abyssinia
After the polytheists of Quraysh intensified the harm to the Muslims in Makkah, the Prophet - peace be upon him - advised them to migrate to flee the religion of God Almighty and to protect themselves from the oppression of the polytheists, and he chose for them the land of Abyssinia, because there is a just king in it, who does not accept injustice against anyone, and this migration was the first Migration from Mecca, and it was in the fifth year of the mission, and the number of immigrants reached ten men and four women, and among them were: Othman bin Affan, and with him his wife, Ruqayyah, the daughter of the Messenger of God, peace be upon him, and Abu Salamah and his wife, Umm Salamah, and Abdul Rahman bin Auf, and Othman bin Mazun - Radi God for them-, and others. They went out secretly until they reached the sea. So they boarded the ship towards Abyssinia, and when the Quraish learned of their news, they followed them, but they had walked with God’s care, and they reached Abyssinia and resided there safely for the rest of Rajab, Sha’ban and Ramadan, then news reached them that the people of Mecca had declared their conversion to Islam. So they went back, and at the outskirts of Makkah it became clear to them that this was not the case, and that the harm of the polytheists increased over the call and those who believed in it. So some of them chose to enter Makkah by infiltration, and some of them entered near Uhud, and the rest of them chose to return to Abyssinia. Paragraph summary: The migration to Abyssinia was the first migration in Islam, after the polytheists’ harm to the Muslims intensified, so the Prophet urged them to go to Abyssinia because of the presence of a just king in it, then they heard of the Islam of the people of Makkah, and when they returned they found that it was common, so some of them entered Makkah and others returned to Abyssinia.
The second migration to Abyssinia
that the events of the second migration to Abyssinia took place at the end of the tenth year and the beginning of the eleventh year of the mission, and the Quraish had doubled their harm to the Muslims who were tested in their religion and themselves; So the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, again ordered them to go out to Abyssinia. So some eighty men and eighteen women went out, and among the men was Jaafar bin Abi Talib and his wife Asmaa bin Amis. After their departure, only a few remained with the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, who converted to Islam with him in Mecca, and Jaafar - may God be pleased with him - was their leader in this migration. They include the rich and the poor, men and women, the elderly and the young; Which gives an impression of the strong influence of the call on the people, despite all the challenges it faced. It is summarized from the foregoing that the second migration to Abyssinia was after the harm of the polytheists became double to the Muslims, so they went out to Abyssinia, men, women, and the elderly, and their number was approximately 82 men and 18 women.
Keenness to protect Islam Muslims were safe under Negus,
As for the results achieved from this migration, it was nothing but evidence of the skill of the Messenger of God, and his wisdom in managing the affairs of his people, and the reasons for migration can be summed up in several things, including: [10] Moving away from the injustice that they were suffering from. Avoid falling into apostasy. Activating commercial activity and doing business. Providing assistance in the military field by the Ethiopians. Migration was not limited to the weak and poor who were in Makkah, but most of them were those who had money, protection, and power in it, such as Uthman bin Affan and Abd al-Rahman bin Awf, and this is one of the most important evidences that the main reason for migration was not the weakness of Muslims, and their exposure to harm from Only before the Quraysh, but there were other reasons that prompted them to do so, and the Messenger of God counted the migration to Abyssinia as the migration to Medina, and here comes a statement of the reasons that prompted the Prophet to allow his companions to migrate to Abyssinia: [11] The Muslims began to run out of patience; Because of the intensification of the Quraysh's torture of them until it came to them that they asked the Messenger about the date of God's victory, so the Messenger of God feared for their religion and themselves. Preserving the call from collapse, and being lost after the number of those entering Islam increased, and fearing that the Quraysh would form a force against them, when it felt threatened by them, and this may be with the support of the Arabs for the Quraysh. The important role that the bond of kinship and kinship may play in the kindness of the Quraishites to the Muslims, and to stop harming them, and perhaps entering Islam, although some of them also had a reverse reaction, so they increased their harm to the Muslims. It is summarized from the above that the migration of Muslims to Abyssinia was due to the intensification of the polytheists' harm to Muslims, and so that Muslims would protect the Islamic call and be able to spread it.
- Reasons for choosing the Prophet to Abyssinia
As for the reason why the Messenger chose Abyssinia to be the first place to which Muslims migrate, there are several issues, including: the land of Abyssinia was emptied of Arab tribes; The absence of tribes in it closes the door for the Quraysh to ally with them and form a force against the Muslims. The king of Abyssinia, who was the Negus, was known for his justice. As a result of his knowledge of the Torah and the Bible, and the people of Mecca knew about it; Because of the movement of trade mutual among themselves, the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, said to his companions when he referred to them with immigration to Abyssinia: (The land of the diet is an angel that no one shades with him, so they joined his country until God makes you a vineyard and a way out. Good house to the best neighbor, safe on our religion). The people of Abyssinia were Christians among the People of the Book, and they are the closest in affection to those who believed. This is for those who believe, who say, “We are Christians.” That is because among them are priests and monks, and they are not arrogant.) Being a land of safety, comfort, and tranquility. Although Abyssinia is far from Mecca - and this may be considered a defect - it was in favor of the Muslims. Because it is far from the Quraysh and the extension of its influence.[15] Being a politically independent country that is not subject to anyone, and it has its own name, strength, trade, and its own and great economy among the tribes. In addition, the exchange of gifts and correspondence between them was what helped secure and provide protection for them, and their settlement there. The Prophet chose for his companions
When the Quraysh felt that the situation of the Muslims was becoming tranquil and stable in Abyssinia, they consulted among themselves, and agreed to send two young men from them to the Negus; In order to expel them, and bring them back to Mecca, and they collected a lot of gifts, and sent them to him with Abdullah bin Abi Rabia and Amr bin Al-Aas, and the gifts were not limited to him only, but also included his entourage, so there was no one left but they gave him a gift, and they incited them against those who came to them from Mecca, And they advised them to advise their king to hand over the people of Mecca to them, so they agreed to that. Then they went to the Negus, and presented him with special gifts, and said to him: “Indeed, foolish boys have come to your country, they have left the religion of their people and did not enter into your religion, and they have brought a religion that they invented that neither we nor you know, and we have sent to you the nobles of their people from among their fathers and uncles.” And their clan, to return them to them, for they are higher in eyes and more knowledgeable about what they reproached them for.” The people of the Negus supported the two messengers of Quraysh in their words, so it was only from the Negus that he refused what they asked for, and told them that he would not hand them over to them until he brought them and asked them about what they said about them. Ibn Abi Talib, and told him what they were doing in the Jahiliyyah of debauchery and disobedience, and what they are now doing of God’s monotheism, honesty, trustworthiness, and good neighborliness, and what they were subjected to from the torture of Quraysh; In order to turn back to idolatry, and he told him that they had chosen him over others; Hoping for what he has of justice and good neighbourliness, the Negus asked him to read to him some of what was revealed to his Prophet, so he read to him some of the openings of Surat Maryam, so he cried until his beard became wet, and his people cried with him, and he told the Quraishites that he would never hand them over to them. Amr bin Al-Aas threatened the Muslims, so he went the next day and told the Negus that the Muslims say a great saying about Jesus bin Maryam, and asked him to ask them about their affairs in him, so when he asked them, Jaafar told him that Jesus bin Maryam is his servant, his messenger, and his spirit, so the Negus agreed with them on that, and gave them security And he returned their gifts to the Quraishites, so they left him disappointed, and the Muslims lived in the land of the Negus safe and secure. It is summarized from the foregoing that the polytheists of the Quraish tried many attempts to expel the Negus companions from him and not receive them, but the Negus refused to do so until he listened to what they said, so when he listened to what the companion Jafar said; Negus refused to return the Muslims with the messengers of Quraysh.
The return of Muslims from Abyssinia
The duration of the Muslims’ stay in Abyssinia was prolonged after the second migration, as they remained there until after the Battle of Khaybar, and their stay was not at their will, but rather by order of the Messenger of God - may God’s prayers and peace be upon him -, and among the events that took place while they were in Abyssinia: the Prophet’s migration to Medina The enlightened one, and the establishment of the Islamic state, and despite the need of the Prophet to them; Because their number was large, but he did not ask them to return. As many great invasions took place; Badr, Uhud, Bani Qaynuqa, Bani al-Nadir, and the Treaty of Hudaybiyah, which was an important event in the course of the Islamic call, in which the Muslims felt their presence, and when the Messenger of God felt the stability of his state, he sent Amr bin Umayyah to the immigrants in Abyssinia; In order to ask them to return, and that was in the seventh year of migration after the conquest of Khaybar. Muslims returned from Abyssinia after a long period of time during which many events and invasions took place, and their stay was by order of the Prophet, as he did not order them to return, and after the conquest of Khaybar and the stability of his state, Amr bin Umayyah sent the immigrants to return. The results of migration to Abyssinia Among the most prominent results of migration to Abyssinia are the following: The migration to Abyssinia was a movement that opened horizons for the future in front of the Islamic call, and its exit from the scope of Medina; The intelligent preacher does not limit his call to time or place, and if the invitees do not respond to him, then he changes the place of his call, and does not stop from it. Immigration helped Muslims to remain steadfast in their religion. Migration helped spread Islam in a place other than Mecca. The status of the immigrants to Abyssinia The companions who migrated to Abyssinia have a great status with God - the Almighty -, and this is evident through the dialogue of Asma Bint Amis; She is one of the immigrant women to Abyssinia, and between Umar bin Al-Khattab when she was a visitor with Hafsa bint Umar, so Umar entered upon them, and when he knew that they were names, he told her that they had more right to the Messenger of God than those who migrated to Abyssinia. She got angry and said: “You lied, Umar. No, by God, you were with the Messenger of God, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, feeding the hungry among you and admonishing the ignorant among you, and we were in a house or in a suburb.” The enemies, who are far away, will fight each other in Abyssinia, and that is for the sake of Allah and His Messenger). The hadith, and the Messenger of God - may God’s prayers and peace be upon him - said: (He is not more worthy of me than you, and he and his companions have one migration, and you, the people of the ship, have two migrations), so joy increased in their hearts. It can be concluded from the foregoing that the migration to Abyssinia had many benefits and results. The most prominent of which is the spread of Islam and the increase in the strength of Muslims, and the immigrants to it had a great status with God - the Almighty - and His Messenger - may God bless him and grant him peace -
