The plight to Abyssinia and isolation in the Gorge of Abi
Talib
The hardships and sufferings borne by the Muslims were ever on the increase. Nabi SAW at last permitted them to migrate to some other place. Abyssinia, at that time was ruled by a Christian King (who later on embraced Islam), who was famous for his mercy and justice. In Rajab, in the fifth year of nubuwat, the first group of Muslims migrated to Abyssinia. This group included about twelve men and five women. The Quraish pursued them to the port to capture them, but their boats had already left the shore. When the group reached Abyssinia, they heard the rumour that the whole tribe of the
Quraish had accepted Islam.
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| The Gorge of Valley of Abi Talib before but now develop into a massive residential,hotel and commercial area. |
They were naturally very much pleased at the news and returned to their country. On approaching Makkah, they learnt that the rumour was false and the persecutions were going on without check. Some of them decided to return to Abyssinia and the rest entered Makkah, seeking the protection of a few influential people. This is known as the first migration (Hijrat) to Abyssinia. Later on, a bigger group of eighty-three men and eighteen women migrated to Abyssinia.
This is called the second migration to that country. Some Sahaabah took part in both the migrations. The Quraish did not like the emigrations, and the thought of peace enjoyed by the muhaajireen gave them no rest. They sent a delegation to Abyssinia with handsome presents for the king, his chiefs 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.
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| The Abysinnian King and muslimin. |
Having thus made their way to the royal court, they prostrated themselves before 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 ancestral faith, and have joined an absolutely new religion, which is opposed to our as well as your religions. They have come and settled in your country. The nobility of Makkah, their own parents and kith and kin have
sent us to take them back to their country. We request you to make them over to us." The king replied: “Without proper investigation, we cannot make over to you the people who have sought our shelter.
Let us call them to our presence, and hear them out. If your charge of apostasy against them is genuine, we shall make them over to you." Thereafter, the king summoned the Muslims to his court. At first, they were greatly worried and did not know what to do, but Allah gave them courage, and they decided to go and place the true facts before the king.
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| The plight of early Muslim to Ethiopia from supression of Makkah kafirun at that time. |
On appearing before him, they greeted him with 'Salaam'. Someone from the court officials objected that according to the rules of the land, they had not prostrated before the king. They explained: "Our Nabi SAW has forbidden us from prostrating before any one except Allah ." The king then asked them to put forward what defense they had to the charges brought against them. Hadhrat Ja'far rose and addressed the king thus:
"O, king! We were an ignorant people. We neither knew Allah nor His Ambiyaa. We worshipped stones. We used to eat carrion and commit all sorts of undesirable and disgraceful acts. We did not fulfil our obligations to our relatives. The strong among us would thrive at the expense of the weak. At last, Allah raised a Nabi SAW for our reformation. His noble lineage, upright conduct, integrity of purpose and pure life are only too well known amongst us. He called upon us to worship Allah , and exhorted us to give up idolatry and stone worship. He enjoined upon us right conduct, and stopped us from indecency. He taught us to tell the truth, to discharge trust (amanah), to have regard for our kith and kin and to do good to our neighbours.
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| The plight of Ist group of Muslim to Abyssinia. |
From him we learnt to observe Salah, to Fast, to pay Zakat, have good conduct; and to avoid sin, ill conduct and bloodshed. He forbade adultery, lewdness (vulgar behavior), telling of lies, misappropriating the orphan's inheritance, bringing false accusations against others, and all other indecent things. He taught us the Qur’an, the wonderful book of Allah . We believed in him, followed him and acted upon his teachings.
There upon, our people began to persecute us and subject us to tortures, thinking that we might give up our faith and revert to idolatry. However, when their cruelties exceeded all bounds, we took shelter in your country by the permission of our Nabi SAW." The king said: "Let us hear something of the Qur’aan that your Nabi SAW has taught you." Hadhrat Ja'far recited a few verses from the beginning of Surah "Maryam", which touched the hearts of the king and the priestly class so much that tears flowed down their cheeks and wet their beards.
| The African king protected the Muslims and eventually accepted Islam; he later sent a delegation, which included his son, to study under the Prophet in Medina. |
The king remarked: "By Allah SWT, these words and the words revealed to Moosaare the rays of one and the same light." He then told the Quraish delegation that he would by no means hand over the refugees to them. The delegation, disappointed and disgraced, held a counsel.
One of them said: "I have hit upon a plan that is sure to draw the king's wrath upon them." Although the others did not agree to such a drastic step (for after all they were their own flesh and blood), yet he would not listen. The next day, they incited the king by telling him that those heretics denounced Hadhrat 'Isa and did not believe in his religion. The Muslims were again summoned to the court. They were much more worried this time.
When the king inquired about their belief in Hadhrat 'Isa, they said: "We believe in what Allah has revealed about him to our Nabi SAW, i.e. he is a servant and Nabi of Allah and is the word of Allah , which He conveyed to the virgin and pure Maryam." Negus said: "Hadhrat 'Isa 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 Quraish 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 improved the status of the Muslims in the country, and the Quraish delegation had to return crest fallen.
This failure of the Quraish delegation to Abyssinia, and the victory of the Muslims over them, led to an increase in the frustration of the idolaters. Hadhrat 'Umar’s conversion to Islam added fuel to fire. They grew more and more angry, until their anger reached such a point that a large number of the Quraish chiefs planned to kill Muhammad SAW outright and deal immediately with the whole affair. But this was not so easy.
Banu Hashim, to which clan Nabi SAW 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 Nabi SAW. Therefore, the Quraish decided to place a social ban on the Banu Hashim clan. Their chiefs drew up a document to the effect that none of them or their clans would associate with, buy from or sell to those who sided with the Banu Hashim, unless and until they surrendered Muhammad SAW for the death penalty. All of them signed this document on 1st
Muharram of 7th year of Nubuwat and the scroll was hung up in the Ka'abah in order to give it full sanctity.
For three long years, Nabi SAW and all his kinfolk were shut up in the glen, which was a sub-section of one of the gorges that ran down to Makkah. For three long years nobody could see them or have any contact with them. They could neither purchase anything in Makkah nor from any trader coming
from outside. Any person found outside this natural prison, was beaten mercilessly and if he asked for anything, then it was flatly refused. Soon their stock of food was exhausted and they were reduced to famine.
Their women, and more especially their children and suckling babies would cry with hunger. This was harder on them than their own starvation. During the last part of this period, their sole subsistence was the little food that the husbands of Hashimite women married into other clans managed to smuggle into the glen in the darkness of night. At last after three years, by the Grace of Allah , the scroll was eaten up by white ants and the ban was removed.
The severity of the suffering which they bore during this period of sanctions cannot be imagined. During this period, the Sahabah not only remained steadfast in their faith, but also kept busy in spreading the light of Islam amongst their comrades in distress. Look! How much the Sahabah have suffered in the path of Allah 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 SWT in His path? Success is always proportionate to the sacrifice. We wish to live in luxury and comfort, and are too eager to race shoulder to shoulder with the non-Muslims in enjoying the good things of this world, forgetting the Hereafter, and then at the same time we expect to receive the same help from Allah which the Sahabah received.
We cannot beguile anybody but ourselves by behaving like this. As the Poet has said,
"O wayfarer, I am afraid that you will not reach the Ka'aba because the path that you are following leads (in the opposite direction) to Turkistan.”
