Story of The First Migration To Ethiopia And Confinement In The Valley Of Abi Talib
The hardships and sufferings born by the Muslims were ever on the increase. Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) at last permitted them to migrate to some other place. Ethiopia at that time was ruled by a Christian king (who later on embraced Islam) famous for his mercy and justice. In the month of Rajab of the fifth year of Nubuwwah, the first group migrated to Ethiopia. The group comprised about twelve men and five women. The Quraysh followed them to the port to capture them, but their boats had left the shore.
When the group reached Ethiopia, they heard the rumour that the whole tribe of the Quraysh had accepted Islam. They were naturally very pleased at the news and returned to their country. On approaching Makkah (Mecca) they learnt the rumour was false and the Muslims were suffering as before. Some of them decided to return to Ethiopia and the rest entered Makkah (Mecca), seeking the protection of a few influential people. This is known as the first migration to Ethiopia. Later on, a bigger group of eighty three men and eighteen women migrated to Ethiopia (separately). This is called the second migration. Some sahabah took part in both the migrations. The Quraysh did not like the migrations, and the thought of peace, enjoyed by the refugees, gave them no rest.
They sent a delegation to Ethiopia with handsome presents for the king, his nobles and the priests. The delegation first met the chiefs and the priests and, by offering them presents, succeeded in winning the court officials to their side. Having thus made their way to the royal court, they did sajdah in front of the king and then presenting the gifts put their case before him.
They said, “O king! A few foolish lads of our community have renounced their forefathers faith, and have joined an absolutely new religion, which is opposed to our religion as well as yours. They have come and settled in your country. The nobility of Makkah (mecca), their own parents and relatives have sent us to take them back to their country. We request you to hand over to us.” The king replied, “We cannot hand over to you the people who have sought our shelter, without proper investigation. Let us call them and hear what they have to say about this. If your accusation that they have left the faith of their forefathers is true, we shall hand them over to you.”
The king thereupon called the Muslims to his court. They were at first greatly worried and did not know what to do, but Allah ta’ala gave them courage, and they decided to go and place the true facts before the king. On appearing him, they greeted him with salam. Someone from the courtiers objected that they had not done sajdah in front of the king according to the rules of the land. They explained, “Our Nabi (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) has forbidden us from doing sajdah in front of anyone except Allah ta’ala.” The king then asked them to reply to the accusation made the delegation from Makkah.
They sent a delegation to Ethiopia with handsome presents for the king, his nobles and the priests. The delegation first met the chiefs and the priests and, by offering them presents, succeeded in winning the court officials to their side. Having thus made their way to the royal court, they did sajdah in front of the king and then presenting the gifts put their case before him.
They said, “O king! A few foolish lads of our community have renounced their forefathers faith, and have joined an absolutely new religion, which is opposed to our religion as well as yours. They have come and settled in your country. The nobility of Makkah (mecca), their own parents and relatives have sent us to take them back to their country. We request you to hand over to us.” The king replied, “We cannot hand over to you the people who have sought our shelter, without proper investigation. Let us call them and hear what they have to say about this. If your accusation that they have left the faith of their forefathers is true, we shall hand them over to you.”
The king thereupon called the Muslims to his court. They were at first greatly worried and did not know what to do, but Allah ta’ala gave them courage, and they decided to go and place the true facts before the king. On appearing him, they greeted him with salam. Someone from the courtiers objected that they had not done sajdah in front of the king according to the rules of the land. They explained, “Our Nabi (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) has forbidden us from doing sajdah in front of anyone except Allah ta’ala.” The king then asked them to reply to the accusation made the delegation from Makkah.
Ja’far (rdiyallahu anhu) rose and addressed the king thus: “O king! We were an ignorant people. We neither knew Allah ta’ala nor his anbiya. We worshipped stones. We used to eat meat of dead animals and commit all sorts of sins. We were not good to our relatives. The strong amongst us would destroy the weak. At last, Allah ta’ala sent the Nabi for our guidance.
His noble descent, truthfulness, trustworthiness and piety are only too well know amongst us. He called upon us to worship Allah ta’ala, and stopped us from idolatry and stone worship. He taught us to tell truth, to be trustworthy, to have regard for our relatives and to be good to our neighbours.
His noble descent, truthfulness, trustworthiness and piety are only too well know amongst us. He called upon us to worship Allah ta’ala, and stopped us from idolatry and stone worship. He taught us to tell truth, to be trustworthy, to have regard for our relatives and to be good to our neighbours.
From him we learnt to observe salah, fast, charity and good conduct. He forbids adultery, indecency, telling of lies, misappropriating the orphans’s heritage, bringing false accusations against others and all other indecent things of that sort. He thought us the Quran; so we believed in him, followed him and acted upon his teachings. Thereupon our people became our enemies and they put us to torture, thinking that we might give up our faith and start worshipping idols again. When, however, their tortures exceeded all limits, we took shelter in your country by the permission of our Nabi (sallallahu alaihi wasallam).”
The king said, “Let us hear something form the Quran that your Nabi (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) has taught you.” Ja’far (rdiyallahu anhu) recited a few ayat from the beginning of surah maryam, which touched the hearts of the king and the priests so much that tears flowed down their cheeks and their beards became wet. The king said, “By Allah, these words and the words revealed to Musa (alayhis-salam) are the rays of one and the same nur.” He told the Quraysh delegation that he would by no means hand over the refugees to them. Then, disappointed and disgraced, they held a counsel. One of them said, “I have thought of a plan that is sure to make the king very angry at the Muslims.” Although the others did not agree to such a drastic step (for after all they were their own relatives), yet he would not listen. The next day, they excited the king by telling him that those refugees insulted ‘Isa (alayhis-salam) and did not believe him to be God. The Muslims were again called to the court. They were much more worried this time.
When the king asked about their belief in ‘Isa (alayhis-salam), they said, “We believe in what Allah ta’ala has revealed about him to our Nabi (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) : i.e. he is a slave and Rasul of Allah ta’ala, and is His word, which He conveyed to the virgin and pure Maryam.” Negus said, “Isa (alayhis-salam) himself does not say anything beyond that.” The priests then began to murmur in protest, but the king would not listen to them. He returned to the delegation the presents they had brought for him, and said to the Muslims, “Go and live in peace. If anybody ill-treats you, he will have to pay heavily for it.” A royal declaration was also issued to that effect. This increased the respect for the Muslims in the country, and the Quraysh delegation had to return disappointed.
The king said, “Let us hear something form the Quran that your Nabi (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) has taught you.” Ja’far (rdiyallahu anhu) recited a few ayat from the beginning of surah maryam, which touched the hearts of the king and the priests so much that tears flowed down their cheeks and their beards became wet. The king said, “By Allah, these words and the words revealed to Musa (alayhis-salam) are the rays of one and the same nur.” He told the Quraysh delegation that he would by no means hand over the refugees to them. Then, disappointed and disgraced, they held a counsel. One of them said, “I have thought of a plan that is sure to make the king very angry at the Muslims.” Although the others did not agree to such a drastic step (for after all they were their own relatives), yet he would not listen. The next day, they excited the king by telling him that those refugees insulted ‘Isa (alayhis-salam) and did not believe him to be God. The Muslims were again called to the court. They were much more worried this time.
When the king asked about their belief in ‘Isa (alayhis-salam), they said, “We believe in what Allah ta’ala has revealed about him to our Nabi (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) : i.e. he is a slave and Rasul of Allah ta’ala, and is His word, which He conveyed to the virgin and pure Maryam.” Negus said, “Isa (alayhis-salam) himself does not say anything beyond that.” The priests then began to murmur in protest, but the king would not listen to them. He returned to the delegation the presents they had brought for him, and said to the Muslims, “Go and live in peace. If anybody ill-treats you, he will have to pay heavily for it.” A royal declaration was also issued to that effect. This increased the respect for the Muslims in the country, and the Quraysh delegation had to return disappointed.
This failure of the Quraysh delegation to Ethiopia, and the triumph of Muslims over them, led to a tremendous increase in the idolater’s anger. ‘Umar’s embracing Islam added fuel to fire. They grew more and more angry, until things came to a stage that a large number of the Quraysh chiefs conspired to kill Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) outright and settle the whole problem.
But this was not so easy. Banu Hashim, to which clan Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) belonged, were strong in number and still stronger in influence. Although all of them were not Muslims, yet even the non-Muslims among them would not agree to, or tolerate the murder of Rasulullah (peace be upon him).
The Quraysh, therefore, decided to place a social ban on the Banu Hashim, and their chiefs drew up a document to the effect that none of them or their clans would associate with, buy form or sell to those who sided with the Banu Hashim, unless and until they surrendered Muhammad (peace be upon him) for the death penalty. All of them signed this document on first day of the month of Muharram of the seventh year of the Nubuwwah, and the declaration was hung up in the Ka’bah in order to give it full sanctity.
Then, for three long years, Rasulullah (peace be upon him) was confined with all his relatives in a subsection of one of the valleys that runs down to Makkah (mecca). For three long years, nobody see them nor could they see anybody. They could not buy anything form the people of Makkah nor could they meet any trader coming outside. If any of them went outside the valley he was beaten mercilessly and if he asked for anything it was flatly refused.
Soon their food was finished and they had to face famine. Their women and, more specially, the children and suckling babies would cry with hunger, and this was harder on them than their own starvation.
At last by the mercy of Allah ta’ala, after three years the document hanging on the Ka’bah was eaten up by white-ants and the ban was removed. The severity of the hardships which they bore, during this period of boycott, cannot be imagined. But the sahabah (radiyallahu anhuma) not only remained steadfast in their faith, but also kept busy in spreading the light of Islam.
Note: Look! How much the sahabah have suffered in the path of Allah ta’ala and for the cause of Islam.We claim to follow their footsteps, and dream of the material progress and spiritual elevation which was theirs, but how much have we suffered in the true cause? What sacrifice have we offered for the sake of Allah ta’ala in His path?
Success is always proportionate to sacrifice. We wish to live in luxury and comfort, and are eager to race shoulder to shoulder with the non-Muslim in enjoying the good things of this world, forgetting the Akhirah, and then at the same time we expect to receive the same help form Allah ta’ala which the sahabah received in their time. We cannot deceive anybody but ourselves by working like this. As the poet has said:
Note: Look! How much the sahabah have suffered in the path of Allah ta’ala and for the cause of Islam.We claim to follow their footsteps, and dream of the material progress and spiritual elevation which was theirs, but how much have we suffered in the true cause? What sacrifice have we offered for the sake of Allah ta’ala in His path?
Success is always proportionate to sacrifice. We wish to live in luxury and comfort, and are eager to race shoulder to shoulder with the non-Muslim in enjoying the good things of this world, forgetting the Akhirah, and then at the same time we expect to receive the same help form Allah ta’ala which the sahabah received in their time. We cannot deceive anybody but ourselves by working like this. As the poet has said:
ترسم نرسی بکعبہ ایئ اعرابی کین راہ کہ تو میروی بترکستان است
‘I am afraid, 0 wayfarer, that you will not reach the Ka’aba because the path that you are following goes (in the opposite
direction) to Turkistan.’
direction) to Turkistan.’