(Dr. Imran Khan & Mufti. Shah Rafi Uddin Hamdani)

The second phase of migration to Abyssinia took place in 615 C.E., the fifth year of the Holy Prophet’s mission, when the Muslims, who had returned to Makkah after the first migration, discovered that the rumors regarding the acceptance of Islam of the Makkans were false. When these people arrived in Makkah, those who were unable to procure any protection from their tribes or their allies, were severely persecuted. This new wave of opposition and persecutions was so intensified and the situation deteriorated so rapidly that Prophet Muhammad advised the Muslims to move to Abyssinia again. This time, the migration to Abyssinia was more difficult than the first one as the people of Quraysh were alert and wanted to stop the Muslims from migrating at any cost. ¹

Prophet Muhammad never migrated to Abyssinia. However, it is speculated by some of the researchers that the possibility of Prophet Muhammad’s trade visits to Abyssinia before the start of his mission and his close personal relations with Negus cannot be denied. ² Evidences of Prophet Muhammad’s usage of Abyssinian words is also recorded by Al-Bukhari ³ which also reflects Prophet Muhammad’s familiarity with Abyssinian language and culture.

Events of Migration

In the second phase of migration to Abyssinia, the Muslims migrated in successive small clusters. Prophet Muhammad advised his followers to move to Abyssinia and stay there until the matter was settled for them by Allah Almighty. Uthman ibn ‘Affan and his wife Ruqayyah , were also among the emigrants of second phase of migration. On this occasion Uthman said the following to Prophet Muhammad :

يارسول الله! فھجرتنا الأولى، وهذه الآخرة الى النجاشى ولست معنا.

O Messenger of Allah (), That was our first emigration, and now this is the second one towards Negus, and you are not with us.

Prophet Muhammad replied:

انتم مھاجرون الى الله والي، لكم هاتان الھجرتان جميعا. ⁴

You people are migrating towards Allah and me. The reward of these two migrations belong to you all.

After hearing this, Uthman and the other emigrants became satisfied, and started preparing for the migration.

Number of Emigrants

Some biographers suggest that there were 83 men ⁵ and 18 women in the second migration to Abyssinia. Among the women, 11 were from Quraysh while 7 were from other tribes. ⁶ Prominent people, who migrated to Abyssinia for in the second phase include Salamah ibn Hisham , Hisham ibn ‘Abi Hudhaifah , ‘Ayyash ibn Abi Rabi‘ah , Umm Salamah , Umm Habibah , ‘Utbah ibn Rabi‘ah's son Abu Hudhaifah and Suhayl ibn ‘Amr's brother. ⁷

Life in Abyssinia

According of Umme Salmah's report, the emigrants from Makkah had managed to settle down in a hospitable neighborhood of Abyssinia. Furthermore, they were secure from the persecutions and could carry out the commands of Allah Almighty, without any fear or problem. ⁸

Abu Bakr’s Plan to Move to Abyssinia

The situation in Makkah became so severe for the Muslims that the most prominent companion of Prophet Muhammad , Abu Bakr also decided to migrate to Abyssinia. He took Prophet Muhammad’s permission and left for Yemen. When he reached a place named Barq Al-Ghimad, he met one of his friends Ibn Ad-Daghina, the chief of the Qara tribe and leader of Al-Ahabish. Abu Bakr informed him about the maltreatment he faced in Makkah due to which he was planning to migrate to Abyssinia. He also told him that he had no tribal protection as his tribe had expelled him. Ibn Ad-Daghina was surprised that how could the people of Makkah abandon an esteemed person like Abu Bakr . Thus, he offered Abu Bakr his protection and insisted to return to Makkah with him. Abu Bakr agreed and when they reached Makkah, Ibn Ad-Daghina publicly announced his official protection for Abu Bakr . He also warned the people against harming Abu Bakr by any means. The leaders of the Quraysh tribe leaders could not disregard that protection, so they accepted it on the pretext that Abu Bakr would only pray inside his house and not recite the Holy Quran publicly. Ibn Ad-Daghina and Abu Bakr accepted the condition. After some time Abu Bakr built a mosque within the limits of his home. The leaders of Quraysh objected to it and discussed the matter with Ibn Ad-Daghina. When Abu Bakr was asked to stop the people from praying in his house, he asked Ibn Ad-Dagina to withdraw his protection. ⁹

Quraysh’s Diplomatic Mission to Abyssinia

As time went on, the leaders of the Quraysh became extremely restless and frustrated. Since they were not content to allow the Muslims to have a moment's peace, they plotted a scheme to bring back their fellow tribesmen. ¹⁰ Thus, the people of Quraysh decided to send two of their skilled diplomats to the court of the Abyssinian King. For this purpose they chose ‘Amr son of Aas ibn Wail of Banu Sahm and Abdullah ibn Abi Rabiah who was Abu Jahl’s uterine brother. They also took luxurious presents for the King and his courtiers. After reaching Abyssinia, they met with the main courtiers, religious leaders and high officials and presented them with valuable gifts. The gift for Negus included a fine horse and a robe of fine silk. ¹¹

The ambassadors of the Quraysh tried to influence the courtiers to work in their favour and asked them to convince the King to extradite the emigrants. Later, when the King called the ambassadors in his court, they presented the gifts and stated that some of their disobedient and foolish people had fled their country and had taken refuge in Abyssinia. According to them, those people had also renounced the faith of their fore fathers and had adopted a new religion which was pure apostasy, and no other people, including the Negus, followed it. When the diplomats of the Quraysh conveyed their message, the courtiers also supported them and demanded the King to expel these migrants. They argued that the countrymen of the emigrants knew them better and such apostates should not be given shelter in the country. Negus disagreed with them and said that the refugees needed to be given a chance to present their case. Hence, the refugees were called in the court of the King on a fixed day. When the emigrants received the King’s summon, they discussed the matter and unanimously agreed to tell the King about the teachings of Islam and Prophet Muhammad , irrespective of the consequences. ¹²

Jafar’s Speech in Negus’ Court

The emigrants attended the court on the appointed day. The King asked them about the reasons due to which they had deserted the religion of their ancestors. He also asked them about the rationale for inventing a new religion, when they already had many other religions to follow, including Christianity and Judaism. Furthermore, he inquired about the teachings of their new religion. On behalf of the Muslims, Jafar ibn Abi Talib addressed the court. He informed them about the condition of Arabs before the advent of Prophet Muhammad and highlighted the vices as well as social and moral corruptions which were prevalent amongst them. Ibn Hisham quoted Jafar’s words from Ibn Ishaq’s narration as:

أيھا الملك، كنا قوما أهل جاهلية، نعبد الأصنام، ونأكل الميتة، ونأتي الفواحش، ونقطع الأرحام، ونسيء الجوار، ويأكل القوي منا الضعيف، فكنا على ذلك، حتى بعث اللّٰه إلينا رسولا منا، نعرف نسبه وصدقه وأمانته وعفافه، فدعانا إلى اللّٰه لنوحده ونعبده، ونخلع ما كنا نعبد نحن وآباؤنا من دونه من الحجارة والأوثان وأمرنا بصدق الحديث، وأداء الأمانة، وصلة الرحم، وحسن الجوار، والكف عن المحارم والدماء، ونھانا عن الفواحش، وقول الزور، وأكل مال اليتيم، وقذف المحصنات، وأمرنا أن نعبد الله وحده، لا نشرك به شيئا، وأمرنا بالصلاة والزكاة والصيام... فعدد عليه أمور الإسلام فصدقناه وآمنا به، واتبعناه على ما جاء به من اللّٰه، فعبدنا الله وحده، فلم نشرك به شيئا، وحرمنا ما حرم علينا، وأحللنا ما أحل لنا، فعدا علينا قومنا، فعذبونا، وفتنونا عن ديننا، ليردونا إلى عبادة الأوثان من عبادة اللّٰه تعالى، وأن نستحل ما كنا نستحل من الخبائث، فلما قهرونا وظلمونا وضيقوا علينا، وحالوا بيننا وبين ديننا، خرجنا إلى بلادك، واخترناك على من سواك، ورغبنا في جوارك، ورجونا أن لا نظلم عندك أيھا الملك. ¹³

'O King, we were a people of ignorance. We worshipped idols, ate the meat of dead animals, committed immoral acts, severed family ties, mistreated our neighbors, and the strong among us would oppress the weak. We lived in such a state until Allah sent to us a Messenger from among ourselves, whose lineage, truthfulness, trustworthiness, and chastity we knew well. He called us to Allah so that we may worship Him alone and abandon the stones and idols we and our forefathers used to worship besides Him. He commanded us to speak the truth, fulfill our trusts, maintain family ties, treat our neighbors well, and refrain from forbidden acts and bloodshed. He prohibited us from immorality, false speech, consuming the wealth of orphans, and slandering chaste women. He ordered us to worship Allah alone without associating anything with Him and commanded us to pray, give charity, and fast. So we believed in him, accepted his message from Allah, and followed him in what he brought from Allah. We worshipped Allah alone, not associating anything with Him, and we forbade what He forbade for us and permitted what He allowed for us. But our people attacked us, tortured us, and tried to force us to abandon our religion and return to idol worship, and to once again commit the immoral acts we had once indulged in. When they oppressed us, treated us unjustly, and restricted our freedom to practice our religion, we fled to your land. We chose you over others, and we sought your protection, hoping that we would not be wronged in your care, O King.'

The King was impressed by Jafar’s speech. Then he asked Jafar to recite what he claimed had been revealed from Allah to Prophet Muhammad . Jafar recited some verses from Surah Maryam. The Negus was so moved with the words of the Holy Quran that his eyes were filled with tears which rolled down on his face. Other important personalities of the King's court were also moved by it and started weeping. They wept so much that their scriptures got wet with their tears. ¹⁴

The King asked the religious experts of Christianity who were present in the court, if they had found anything in their scriptures about a Prophet who would come between Jesus and the Day of Judgment and possessed the same attributes which the emigrants had mentioned. The Christian religious scholars confirmed that Jesus had mentioned about a messenger with these attributes and had said that whoever believed in him, actually believed in me and whoever rejected him, actually rejected me. Negus got pleased and commented that if it had been possible for him to leave his kingdom, he would have visited Prophet Muhammad himself. Then, the King announced that he would not hand over the emigrants to the Makkans and they could live in Abyssinia with peace and security. ¹⁵

‘Amr ibn Al-‘As's Second Attempt to Convince the King

According to the account narrated by Umme Salmah , one of the diplomats of Quraysh, known as Abdullah, was lenient towards the Muslims, whereas 'Amr ibn Al-'As, was hostile and wanted the Muslims to be returned to Makkah at all cost. Hence, he decided to make another attempt by asking Negus to interrogate the emigrants about their belief regarding Jesus . He anticipated that Negus would not allow the emigrant to stay in Abyssinia after hearing their beliefs about Jesus , as the Muslims believed that Jesus was not a God, but a human being. Abdullah tried to prevent ‘Amr from doing so but failed. Thus, the next day, ‘Amr approached Negus and requested him to ask the Muslims about their views on Jesus . He added that Muslims had very objectionable opinions regarding Jesus . The Muslims already knew about ‘Amr’s plan so they consulted themselves and again decided to state the truth by presenting Allah’srevelation and Prophet Muhammad’s teachings about Jesus . The Muslims were called to attend the King’s court again and when Negus asked them about their faith regarding Jesus , Jafar replied without any hesitation that Jesus was a servant of Allah and a spirit, which He had bestowed upon Mary , who was a virgin woman. When Negus heard this, he agreed to it. An attempt was made by the clerics present in the court to raise some objections to this view, but Negus overruled them. Then, the King ordered to return all the presents sent by the Quraysh leaders to their envoys, and dismissed them from his court. He issued an order that the Muslims could stay in Abyssinia without any fear of torment from anyone. ¹⁶

Negus Accepts Islam

It is stated that in the 7th Hijri, in the month of Rabi Al-Awwal, Prophet Muhammad sent a letter to Negus and invited him towards Islam. He sent this letter via ‘Amr ibn Umayyah Al-Damriyyi. When the letter was read in front of Negus, he accepted Islam. ¹⁷ The following reply was sent by Negus to Prophet Muhammad :

بسم اللّٰه الرحمن الرحيم إلى محمد رسول اللّٰه من النجاشي أصحمة سلام عليك يا نبي اللّٰه من اللّٰه ورحمة اللّٰه وبركاته، اللّٰه الذي لا إله إلا هو، أما بعد: فقد بلغني كتابك يا رسول اللّٰه فيما ذكرت من أمر عيسى، فورب السماء والأرض إن عيسى لا يزيد على ما ذكرت ثفروقا إنه كما ذكرت، وقد عرفنا ما بعثت به إلينا، وقد قربنا ابن عمك وأصحابه فأشھد أنك رسول اللّٰه صادقا مصدقا، وقد بايعتك وبايعت ابن عمك، وأسلمت على يديه للّٰه رب العالمين. ¹⁸

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, to Muhammad , the Messenger of God, from the Negus, Ishamah, peace be upon you, O Prophet of Allah (), and Allah’s mercy and blessings. Allah, there is no God but Him. As for what follows: Your letter, O Messenger of Allah (), has reached me in which you mentioned about Jesus, so by the Lord of the heavens and the earth, Jesus () is not more than what you mentioned, he is exactly as you mentioned, and we recognised what you sent to us, and we have brought your cousin and his companions close to us, so I testify that you are the Messenger of Allah (), truthful and testified, and I have pledged allegiance to you and your cousin, and submitted at his hands to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

This letter is a clear proof that Negus accepted Islam. Negus’ acceptance of Islam is further supported by the Ahadith which state that in the month of Rajab, 9 A.H., Prophet Muhammad led Negus’ funeral prayer (in absentee) in Madinah, when he passed away in Abyssinia. ¹⁹ Reports propose that Negus also stated that he wanted to visit Makkah and serve Prophet Muhammad , but it was not possible at that moment as he was busy with the affairs of the state. On Prophet Muhammad's orders, Negus married Umm-e-Habibah to him and paid a dowry of 400 dirhams. Then, as the situation in Madinah stabilized, he sent her and the other emigrants to Madinah by providing two ships and plenty of gifts. ²⁰

Abu Musa’s Migration to Abyssinia

When Abu Musa Al-Ashari was in Yemen, he heard that Prophet Muhammad had migrated to Yathrib. Hence, Abu Musa Al-Ashari , along with 52 or 55 other Muslims of his tribe migrated to Abyssinia on a boat. When they reached Abyssinia, they joined Jafar ibn Abi Talib and other emigrants over there. ²¹ They returned to Madinah at the expedition of Khyber in 628 C.E or 7th Year of Hijrah.

The emigrants stayed in Abyssinia for a long time. After some time, 33 men and 8 women returned to Makkah. 2 of them died in Makkah while 7 people were imprisoned by the Quraysh. 24 of them managed to flee to Madinah and participated in the Battle of Badr. ²² Others remained in Abyssinia and returned to Madinah in 628 C.E. after the conquest of Khyber.

Abyssinian Christian Delegation in Makkah

Migration of such a large number of people, including wealthy merchant families of Makkah to a foreign land, for the sake of a new religion did not go unnoticed in Abyssinia. The people listened to the teachings of this religion, which was very similar to Christianity and Judaism and it aroused their curiosity and interest in Islam. Hence, a delegation of around twenty Christian scholars visited Makkah on a fact-finding mission. They met Prophet Muhammad and had a detailed discussion with him about Islam and its teachings. He recited some of the verses of the Holy Quran to them and called upon them to accept Islam. After listening to the Holy Quran, tears rolled down their cheeks. They were convinced that Muhammad was the same messenger whose signs were mentioned in their scriptures as well, so, they embraced Islam. It is cited that when they were departing for -their homeland, they met Abu Jahl and his associates on the way. Abu Jahl taunted them and said their (Abyssinian) people had sent them here to collect facts, and they (Christian Scholars) instead of taking the information, had abandoned the religion of their ancestors. The Abyssinians replied that they had visited Makkah to find the truth and not to insist on ignorance and falsehood. They asked Abu Jahl to leave them alone and not to interfere in their matters. ²³

Importance of Migration to Abyssinia

Exodus to Abyssinia had far reaching consequences. Sincerity and determination of the young men and women was evident from the fact that they willingly left their motherland, relatives and families for the sake of their faith. Their determination impressed the Quraysh as the Muslims refused to surrender, and the Quraysh failed to have them returned from Abyssinia. This was a huge defeat for the Quraysh. Their policy of persecution had also proved to be unsuccessful and the Muslims were ready to sacrifice their lives for their faith. Migration to Abyssinia signifies that Prophet Muhammad and his followers had then started looking beyond the boundaries of Makkah, and even Arabia. Emigrants had carried with them nothing except the powerful message of Islam. Thus, they were very first emissaries of Islam to foreign lands. Migration to Abyssinia marked the beginning of Islam as a global religion. Intelligent sections of local population in Abyssinia were curious about Islam and took keen interest in it, which led to the promotion of Islam in Abyssinia. As a result, a delegation of Christians visited Makkah and inquired about Islam from Prophet Muhammad and ended up accepting it. ²⁴

• ¹  Muhammad ibn Saad Al-Basri (1968), Tabqat Al-Kubra, Dar Sadir, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 207.
• ²  Muhammad Hamidullah (2013), Paighambar-e-Islam (Urdu Translation: Khalid Pervaiz), Beacon Books, Lahore, Pakistan, Pg. 299-300.
• ³  Muhammad ibn Ismail Al-Bukhari (1999), Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith: 3071, Dar Al-Salam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Pg. 508.
• ⁴  Muhammad ibn Saad Al-Basri (1968), Tabqat Al-Kubra, Dar Sadir, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 207.
• ⁵  Abd Al-Malik ibn Hisham (1955), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Hisham, Shirkah Maktabah wa Matba’a Mustafa Al-Babi, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 1, Pg. 330.
• ⁶  Muhammad ibn Saad Al-Basri (1968), Tabqat Al-Kubra, Dar Sadir, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 207.
• ⁷  Muhammad Ali Mohar (1997), Sirat Al-Nabi and the Orientalists, King Fahad Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran, Madinah, Saudi Arabia, Vol. 1-B, Pg. 676.
• ⁸  Muhammad ibn Yusuf Al-Salihi Al-Shami (1993), Subul Al-Huda wal-Rashad fi Seerat Khair Al-‘Ibad, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 2, Pg. 389.
• ⁹  Muhammad ibn Ismail Al-Bukhari (1999), Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith: 3905, Dar Al-Salam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Pg. 656-657.
• ¹⁰  Dr. Ali Muhammad As-Sallaabee (2005), The Noble Life of the Prophet ﷺ (Translated by Faisal Shafeeq), Dar Al-Salam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Vol. 1, Pg. 499.
• ¹¹  Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Ahmed Al-Halabi (1427 A.H.), Al-Seerah Al-Halabiyah, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 477-478.
• ¹²  Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Yasar Al-Madani (1978), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Ishaq, Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 213-214.
• ¹³  Abd Al-Malik ibn Hisham (1955), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Hisham, Shirkah Maktabah wa Matba’a Mustafa Al-Babi, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 1, Pg. 336.
• ¹⁴  Ibid, Pg. 336.
• ¹⁵  Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Ahmed Al-Halabi (1427 A.H.), Al-Seerah Al-Halabiyah, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 479.
• ¹⁶  Abd Al-Malik ibn Hisham (1955), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Hisham, Shirkah Maktabah wa Matba’a Mustafa Al-Babi, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 1, Pg. 337.
• ¹⁷  Muhammad ibn Saad Al-Basri (1968), Tabqat Al-Kubra, Dar Sadir, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 207.
• ¹⁸  Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr ibn Qayyam Al-Jawziyah (1994), Zaad Al-Ma’ad, Muassasah Al-Risala, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 3, Pg. 602.
• ¹⁹  Muhammad ibn Ismail Al-Bukhari (1999), Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith: 3877, 3878, 3879, 3880, 3881, Dar Al-Salam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Pg. 651.
• ²⁰  Muhammad ibn Saad Al-Basri (1968), Tabqat Al-Kubra, Dar Sadir, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 207-208.
• ²¹  Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Ahmed Al-Halabi (1427 A.H.), Al-Seerah Al-Halabiyah, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 477.
• ²²  Muhammad ibn Saad Al-Basri (1968), Tabqat Al-Kubra, Dar Sadir, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 207.
• ²³  Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Yasar Al-Madani (1978), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Ishaq, Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 218.
• ²⁴  Muhammad Ali Mohar (1997), Sirat Al-Nabi and the Orientalists, King Fahad Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran, Madinah, Saudi Arabia, Vol. 1-B, Pg. 679-680