The swift reception of our beloved Prophet's efforts to spread the message of Islam in society greatly unsettled the polytheist Quraysh tribe, who held dominant power in Mecca. Yet, the derision and ridicule aimed at his character, along with their attempts to coax him into abandoning his righteous cause through various agreements, proved futile. Their animosity continued to intensify since they believed that if polytheism were abolished, their superiority in the eyes of the Arab tribes and their commercial opportunities and interests would be lost. Consequently, they employed all available means to obstruct the Prophet's mission and scorned Muslims collectively through his persona. Whenever he passed by a group of people, they would gesture to each other and utter, “Behold, here comes the son of the descendants of Abd al-Muttalib, who is spoken to from the heavens.” Allah was undoubtedly supporting all the believers with His revelation, “We certainly know that your heart is truly distressed by what they say. So glorify the praises of your Lord and be one of those who always pray.” (Hijr, 15:97-98)
The most oppressed were the ones who were slaves and Muslims, lacking guardians to shield them. Given the Meccan's inability to trouble the free and esteemed Muslims significantly, they channeled their rage toward the vulnerable.
The Prophet (saw) himself was subjected to insults and violence. His uncle Abu Lahab, to whom he gave his two daughters in marriage, and his wife Umm Jamil, the sister of Abu Sufyan, were his fiercest opponents. Since their house was near the Prophet's residence, they used to throw dirt in front of his door and would often pelt his house with stones or incite others to do so. Umm Jamil, in particular, took pleasure in selecting large thorny plants and hurling them onto the path that he frequently used to reach his house. In response to the wicked deeds of this cruel couple, Allah said to our beloved Prophet: “May the hands of Abu Lahab perish, and he ˹himself˺ perish! Neither his wealth nor ˹worldly˺ gains will benefit him. He will burn in a flaming Fire, and ˹so will˺ his wife, the carrier of ˹thorny˺ kindling, around her neck will be a rope of palm-fibre.” (Masad, 111:1-5)
The first hijrah : The Prophet’s guidance to the Muslims to immigrate to Abyssinia
The Messenger of Mercy, profoundly grieved by the persecution and torture the Muslims were being subjected to, yet rendered powerless to halt it, counseled them to seek refuge in Abyssinia (contemporary Ethiopia) on the Red Sea coast. This region was governed by a just ruler belonging to the Ahl al-Kitab, and there they could freely practice their faith and enjoy safety. His decision was shaped by the unfavorable socio-cultural conditions prevailing in the Arabian Peninsula. The Arabian Peninsula was largely under the influence of the Quraysh and they held significant sway over this region. The Quraysh maintained favorable ties with other polytheist tribes, preventing any Arab tribe from daring to challenge them on behalf of the Muslims due to their intertwined commercial and religious relations. Moreover, the Yemeni region could not tolerate a divine religion because it was Zoroastrian. The movement towards Iraq and Damascus was also impossible due to the rigorous rule of the Sasanian and Byzantine in those regions.
Acting upon the counsel of the Prophet (saw), a cohort of Muslims clans secretly departed from Mecca in 615 to migrate to Abyssinia. This group consisted of eleven men and four women including ‘Uthman ibn Affan and his wife Ruqayya, Abu Hudhayfa ibn Utba and his wife Sahla bint Suhail, Abu Salama and his wife Umm Salama, Amir bin Rabi‘ah and his wife Layla bint Abi Hasma, Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwam, Mus’ab ibn ‘Umayr, ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf, ‘Uthman ibn Maz’un, Abu Sabra, Hatib ibn ‘Amr, and Suhayl ibn Bayda’. They traveled to Shu‘ayba, situated approximately 80 kilometers from Mecca, and from there they reached Abyssinia by sea.
Upon their arrival, the emigrants' foremost action was to approach Ashamah, the Najashi of Abyssinia, and hold a meeting with him. During this meeting, they told him about the Prophet Muhammad and his teachings of Islam, the nascent faith he had begun to convey in Mecca. They recounted the persecution and oppression they had faced after adopting this religion. Finally, they informed him that the Prophet Muhammad wanted to entrust them, and later other Muslims if he agreed, to his righteous rule. Thus, the Muslims presented their request for asylum to Ashamah, the Najashi of Abyssinia, and received the positive response they expected. They continued to live under his protection without facing any discrimination or oppression because of their religious preferences. The migration of this first group to Abyssinia was the first hijrah in the history of Islam.
Second hijrah to Abyssinia
Abyssinia’s strategic location along the maritime trade route, connected to various port cities on the Red Sea coast, facilitated its access to a wealth of accumulated information and news. Due to this location, the emigrants there received the false news that the Meccans had eventually embraced Islam. Naturally, this news in the minds of some of the emigrants ignited the belief that the unfavorable conditions had come to an end. Consequently, a portion of them returned to Mecca. As these returning emigrants drew near Mecca, they discovered the falsehood of the news. However, it was too late. Since it was too difficult to return to Abyssinia, some of them had to enter Mecca secretly and others under protection. The polytheist of Quraysh maintained their silence, probably assuming that the returning emigrants were coming back remorseful. Yet, this event enabled the Muslims to get first-hand information about the conducive environment in Abyssinia from the emigrants who had returned from there. After careful assessment, the Messenger of Allah (saw), directed another group of Muslims to Abyssinia, who were no longer able to endure the material and spiritual pressures, to migrate to Abyssinia.
One year after the first hijrah, a second group of eighty-two men and eighteen women migrated to Abyssinia in the year 616. These Muslims, who reached Abyssinia under the leadership of Ja‘far, the son of the Prophet’s uncle Abu Talib and the brother of ‘Ali, were welcomed there with equitable treatment and benevolence similar to the first emigrants.
The ramifications of the second hijrah had much greater implications in Mecca. For, according to the polytheists, the number of Muslims who migrated was much higher than before. The Meccan polytheists feared that Islam would proliferate in Abyssinia, potentially posing a threat to their authority. Moreover, given their significant trade relations with Abyssinia, they considered the presence of Muslim refugees there as hazardous to their economic interests. Therefore, in response, they immediately dispatched ‘Amr ibn al-‘As and ‘Abd Allah ibn Rabi‘ah to Najashi Ashamah, laden with substantial gifts. Their mission was to persuade Najashi to repatriate the Muslims who had sought refuge under his protection. Once in the court of Najashi, they maligned the Prophet Muhammad and those who believed in him to Najashi.
As a result, Najashi Ashamah summoned the Muslims to his presence and faced them with the representatives of the Quraysh. In the presence of the great bishops and priests, Ja‘far ibn Abi Talib spoke on behalf of the Muslims and explained the situation of the Muslims. At the end of his speech, Ja‘far recited the verses mentioning Prophet ‘Isa and his mother Maryam. Then Najashi said, “By Allah, Isa bin Maryam is not different from what you say. What you say comes from the same source as what came to Isa.” and refused to hand over the Muslims to the Meccans. The gifts Amr and Abdullah brought were returned to them, and they returned to Mecca empty-handed.
Consequently, through the strategic actions of the Messenger of Allah, a number of Muslims, particularly those vulnerable to potential harm, were able to practice their faith without hindrance. Those who remained in Mecca fostered unity amongst themselves, following the Prophet's distinct measures and interventions. This endeavor was far from simple, given the Quraysh's heightened control over the routes encircling Mecca, a measure aimed at obstructing Muslim migrations to various locations, particularly Abyssinia.
