Examine the effects of migration of early Muslims to Abyssinia.

Answer Details

Background: As the persecution of the Muslims in Makkah grew unbearable, the Prophet (S.A.W) advised some of his followers to migrate to Abyssinia (Habashah), whose Christian king, the Negus (an-Najashi), was known to be just. Two migrations took place, and the effects of this migration were far-reaching.

1. Escape from persecution: The migration gave the weak and oppressed Muslims a place of safety where they could practise their religion freely, away from the torture of the Quraysh.
2. Preservation of the young Muslim community: By protecting a core of believers abroad, the migration ensured that Islam survived the severe early persecution and continued to grow.
3. Just and favourable reception by the Negus: When the Quraysh sent 'Amr b. al-'As to demand the return of the Muslims, the Negus heard both sides. After Ja'far b. Abi Talib recited verses of Suratu Maryam concerning Jesus and his mother, the king was moved to tears and refused to hand the Muslims over.
4. First contact between Islam and Christianity: The migration produced friendly relations between the Muslims and a Christian kingdom, and showed the closeness of the message of Islam to the true teaching about Jesus.
5. Reported conversion of the Negus: The Negus is reported to have accepted Islam privately, and when he died the Prophet (S.A.W) prayed the funeral prayer (Salatul-Gha'ib) for him in absence.
6. Exposure of Quraysh injustice: The failure of the Quraysh mission exposed their tyranny before a foreign king and strengthened the moral standing of the Muslims.
7. Boost to the morale of the Muslims: The success and safety of the migrants encouraged the believers in Makkah and gave them hope and steadfastness.
8. A lesson and precedent in migration: It taught that a Muslim may migrate to preserve his faith and served as a forerunner to the later great Hijrah to Madinah.

Conclusion: The migration to Abyssinia protected the early Muslims, preserved the young faith, opened friendly contact with a Christian kingdom and demonstrated the justice of the Negus against the tyranny of the Quraysh.