Life in Makkah had become unbearable for the believers: wherever they turned there were beatings, taunts, and social banishment. The Prophet ﷺ was pained by the misery of the poor and weak. He looked to Allah for a way out and comforted the believers at every turn. At last, permission came for a migration:

“Go to Abyssinia. It is a land of truth. Its ruler, the Negus (al-Najāshī), is a just king under whom no one is wronged. Stay there until Allah provides a path forward.”

Thus was prepared the first migration (hijrah) in Islamic history. It took place in Rajab of the fifth year of the mission. Twelve men and four women set out for Abyssinia:

1. ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān
2. His wife Ruqayyah (the Prophet’s ﷺ daughter)
3. Abū Ḥudhayfah ibn ʿUtbah
4. His wife Sahlah bint Suhayl
5. al-Zubayr ibn al-ʿAwwām
6. Muṣʿab ibn ʿUmayr
7. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf
8. ʿUthmān ibn Maẓʿūn
9. Abū Sabrah ibn Abī Ruhm
10. Ḥāṭib ibn ʿAmr
11. Suhayl ibn Bayḍāʾ
12. ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd
13. Abū Salamah ibn ʿAbd al-Asad
14. His wife Umm Salamah bint Abī Umayyah
15. ʿĀmir ibn Rabīʿah
16. His wife Laylā bint Abī Ḥathmah

Laylā bint Abī Ḥathmah recalls: “Among those who hated Islam most was ʿUmar. When we were preparing to leave, he saw me mounted and asked, ‘Where to, O Umm ʿAbdillāh?’ I answered, ‘You persecute us for believing—so we are going to a land where we will not be harmed.’ He said, ‘May Allah be with you.’ I told my husband, adding, ‘It is as though sorrow has touched ʿUmar.’ My husband retorted, ‘Do you think he will ever become Muslim? If the donkey of ʿUmar were to become Muslim, ʿUmar still would not!’”

Quraysh Move to Undo the Asylum

Jaʿfar (ibn Abī Ṭālib) later said: “In Abyssinia we lived in safety, worshipped as we pleased, and no one wronged us.” This infuriated Quraysh when they heard. They convened a council and dispatched two skilled envoys to the Negus — ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ and ʿUmārah ibn al-Walīd — bearing rich gifts, hoping to have the Muslims expelled.

Following their plan, they first bribed the palace officials with Makkah’s finest delicacies, seeking to sway them before meeting the king. Then, bowing deeply, they addressed the Negus:

“O King, a few foolish youths from our city have come to your land. They have abandoned the religion of their people and introduced a new faith unfamiliar to us and to you. Our leaders have sent us to bring them back. We, their countrymen and kin, know them best.”

Some courtiers agreed: “These two are leading men of Makkah; the refugees should be handed over.” The Negus bristled:

“Shall I hand over those who have sought my protection? They chose my realm over all others. I will not surrender them without hearing their case. If your claims are proven, I will consider it; otherwise, I shall shelter and honor them.”

He sent for the Muslims. They consulted one another: “What shall we say?” They agreed: “We will speak the truth plainly — exactly what the Prophet ﷺ taught us and what we believe.” Jaʿfar said, “Today I will speak on our behalf.”

The Negus assembled his bishops and officials; the clerics laid their scrolls before them. The Muslims entered, offered salām, but did not prostrate. The king asked, “Why do you not bow to the king?” They replied, “We do not prostrate to any created being — only to Allah, the Creator.”

“What is this religion that has set you apart from your people,” he asked, “yet is not the same as ours or that of any others?”

Jaʿfar spoke: “O King, we were a people sunk in ignorance: we worshipped idols, ate carrion, committed indecencies, severed family ties, mistreated neighbors, and the strong devoured the weak. Then Allah sent to us a Messenger from among us — one whose lineage we know, who was known for truthfulness, chastity, and trustworthiness. He called us to worship Allah alone, without partners, and to abandon the idols of stone and wood. He commanded prayer, almsgiving, and fasting; he told us to speak truth, keep trusts, uphold kinship, honor neighbors, and refrain from bloodshed, theft, false testimony, and the violation of the chaste.”

“When we embraced his call, our people rose against us to return us to our old ways. They persecuted and oppressed us. So we came to your land, choosing your protection, confident that under your rule we would not be wronged.”

The Negus listened intently. Then he asked, “Do you know anything of the revelation your Prophet recites?” “Yes,” said Jaʿfar. “Recite to me,” the king requested.

Jaʿfar recited from Sūrat Maryam. As the words flowed, tears welled in the king’s eyes and ran into his beard; the bishops wept until their scrolls were wet. The story of Mary and Jesus touched the core of the Christian court. The Negus said:

“By God, what Moses and Jesus brought springs from the same source as what you have recited — lamps lit from one and the same niche.”

He then turned to ʿAmr: “Are any of them your slaves?” — “No.”

“Do they owe you debts?” — “No.”

“Then, by God, I shall never hand them over to you. You may depart.”

Outside, ʿAmr said to his companion, “Tomorrow I will try one last move.” ʿUmārah protested, “Leave them; they are our kinsfolk after all.” ʿAmr persisted: “I will tell the king that these Muslims hold a wrong belief about Jesus — that will turn the tide.”

The Question About Jesus

Next day, ʿAmr went to the Negus with that charge. The king summoned the Muslims again. They guessed the issue and resolved: “We will say only what Allah and His Messenger have said.”

Jaʿfar spoke as the bishops stood at either side and ʿAmr sat among them:

“About Jesus, we say as our Prophet ﷺ taught us: Jesus is the servant of Allah and His Messenger, His spirit and word which He cast into Mary — the pure, chaste servant of God.”

Hearing this, the king struck the ground with a stick and said:

“By God, what you have said about Jesus does not differ from the truth even by the measure of this splinter. O bishops, there is nothing more to be said.”

Some clerics murmured, but the Negus silenced them: “Even if you raise your voices, this is the truth.” He was a man versed in scripture and the promises of prophethood.

Then he turned to the Muslims: “Welcome — and welcome to those with you. I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, the very one heralded in the Torah and the Gospel. Live in my land wherever you wish. Were it not for this kingdom entrusted to me, I would go to serve that Prophet myself.”

He ordered that food and clothing be provided, and proclaimed: “Live here in safety. If anyone insults you, I will exact a fine from them,” repeating this three times. In one report he asked what fine would suffice; when they said it was not enough, he doubled it. According to Mūsā ibn ʿUqbah, he even said: “Whoever so much as casts a hostile look upon a Muslim opposes me.”

He then dismissed ʿAmr and ʿUmārah and returned their gifts: “Give them back what they brought. I have no need of them. Allah did not take a bribe from me when He granted me authority; how then should I accept a bribe from anyone? The Creator to whom I am subject in the affairs of people — Him I obey concerning the people.”

The Quraysh envoys left, deflated — and the believers remained in Abyssinia under the shelter of a just king.