The Migrations to Abyssinia

The first hijra in Islam — two waves of emigration by persecuted Muslims to Christian Abyssinia (Ethiopia), under the just king the Najashi.

First migration (EP 015–016)

Announced in Rajab, the 5th year of the da’wah (c. 615 CE), as torture intensified. About 15 emigrants (11 men, 4 women) left — among them Uthman ibn Affan and his wife Ruqayyah (the Prophet’s ﷺ daughter), al-Zubayr, Mus’ab ibn Umayr, and Abu Salama & Umm Salama. Yasir Qadhi notes the emigrants were mostly high-status Qurayshis — the enslaved (Bilal, Ammar) could not leave — an application of choosing the lesser of two harms. They returned after only ~3 months, on a false rumour that Quraysh had accepted Islam (see The Incident of the "Satanic Verses" (Qissat al-Gharaniq)).

Second migration (EP 017)

Once word spread of Abyssinia’s safety, a far larger group — 80+ Muslims, led by Ja’far ibn Abi Talib — emigrated (c. 616 CE). The Quraysh sent Amr ibn al-As and a companion to bribe the Najashi into extraditing them, but the king refused, moved by Ja’far’s speech and his recitation of Surah Maryam, and again by Ja’far’s truthful witness about Jesus. The envoys left humiliated. These Muslims stayed in Abyssinia until 7 AH, returning only after Khaybar — Yasir Qadhi suggests the Prophet ﷺ kept them there as a backup until Medina was secure.

Significance & lessons

• A model for Muslims living as a law-abiding minority in a just non-Muslim land.
• Establishes that an Islamic state may not ban others’ freedom of worship.
• The Companions used the host’s legal system to fight oppression without compromising creed.

Cross-references

The Najashi (Negus) — As'hama ibn Abjar · Ja'far ibn Abi Talib (ra) · Muhammad ﷺ · The Incident of the "Satanic Verses" (Qissat al-Gharaniq) · Da'wah & Its Five Stages · Quraysh

Sources

• S004 — Yasir Qadhi Seerah EP 015 (first migration, why Abyssinia), EP 016 (return), EP 017 (second migration, the Najashi).