society, to subject them to any harm. As they made their case, the patriarchs supported them, saying: “Certainly their people are best equipped to judge them. Extradition is the proper course for the king to take in these circumstances.”
Negus was very angry. He said: “A group of people who have sought my shelter, preferring me over everyone else, will not be summarily judged. I shall call them in first and give them a chance to answer what these two have alleged about them. Should I find these allegations true, I will extradite them. Otherwise, they will certainly enjoy my protection.” Thus the scene was set for a great encounter. Needless to say, the Makkan delegation were very disappointed at Negus’s decision, but they could do nothing about it. They had to attend the court when the Muslims were summoned.
The Muslims consulted with one another when the king’s messenger delivered to them an order to appear at court. They were unanimous that they would answer any questions put to them truthfully. They would state the whole truth, as they had been taught by the Prophet, regardless of what results it might produce.
When they were admitted into the king’s presence, he was surrounded by his patriarchs. The atmosphere was awesome. However, he came straight to the point and asked them: “What is this new religion over which you are in dispute with your own people and which is at variance with my own religion and with all other known religions?”
The Muslims had chosen Jaʿfar ibn Abī Ṭālib, the Prophet’s own cousin, as their spokesman. He put their case as follows:
In our recent past we were ignorant people: we worshipped idols, ate carrion, committed all sorts of sins, attached little value to maintaining good relations with our kinsfolk and behaved badly to our neighbours. Our overruling maxim was that might was right. This continued to be our situation until God sent us, from among ourselves, a Messenger whose good name, honesty, sincerity and integrity were well known to us. He called on us to believe in God, the one and only God, and to stop worshipping all idols which we and our forefathers used to worship alongside Him. He commanded us always to speak the truth and be honest, to be good to our relatives and neighbours, to preserve life and shed no blood, to refrain from sin, perjury, robbing the property of orphans entrusted to our care, and making false accusations against honourable women. He also commanded us to devote our worship to God alone, ascribing to Him no partners of any sort. He further commanded us to pray regularly, to give away certain purifying alms and to fast, etc. We gave him a favourable response, believed in him and gave him our full support. We followed these Divine commandments he conveyed to us. We began to worship God alone, refraining from what He forbade us and accepting what He made lawful for us. Our people, however, assaulted us and subjected us to physical torture to compel us to revert to idolatrous worship and to indulge in the sinful practices we used to indulge in. Having been overpowered, oppressed and denied the freedom to choose our faith and practise it, we sought refuge in your country, choosing you in preference to all other rulers, hoping that in your refuge we would suffer no injustice.
Negus asked Jaʿfar to read him a passage of the Qur’ān. Jaʿfar chose the opening of Sūrah 19, entitled Mary, which speaks about Prophet Zachariah and his son John before it goes on to relate the story of the virgin birth of Jesus. Negus and his patriarchs were in tears. Then he said: “What I have just heard comes from the same source as Jesus’s revelations.” He then dismissed the Quraysh delegation and assured the Muslims that they would have his full protection.3
It is not in the nature of things, however, that those who find themselves taking a stand against the truth accept defeat easily and abandon their attempts to suppress the cause they oppose. Hostility to the truth is often brutal, immoral, unyielding. If one imagines truth as a man, he would be of the honest, frank and straightforward type. Trying to make any gains, big or small, by petty or devious means, would be totally alien to his nature. Truth also has a direct, clear and logical way of putting its case to the human mind. Hence, the difficulty its opponents find in resisting it is very great. Therefore, they often find an inescapable need to resort to vile and devious means. This is a slippery road: once started, there is no stopping. The only way out of this dilemma is for the opponents of the truth to give up: they can either follow the truth or acknowledge the fact that they are at variance with it and allow it to take its course. Certainly the Quraysh delegation who tried to secure the extradition of the Muslim refugees in Abyssinia were in no such mood. Having failed in their attempt to overcome Negus’s sense of justice by offering precious, personal gifts to him and his patriarchs, they began to think of some other, more devious way to achieve their purpose. As they left Negus’s court, ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ, the more cunning of the two-man delegation, said to his colleague, ʿAbdullāh ibn Abī Rabīʿah: “I will come back to him tomorrow with something which would make him exterminate them all.” ʿAbdullāh counselled him against such a step, protesting the fact that they were still their own kinsfolk.
The following day ʿAmr went back to Negus and said to him: “These people make a very wild claim about Jesus. You may wish to question them on that.”4
When the Muslims realized the reason for their second summons to attend the king’s court, they were very alarmed. They resolved, however, to stick to the truth and put their case frankly and clearly. They would simply state what God’s Messenger had taught them, whatever the consequences.
Some people may argue that in their delicate situation the Muslims’ stand might have been foolhardy. The situation called for a somewhat ‘diplomatic’ stance. People of faith, however, consider such an argument to be short-sighted. Truth, they argue, speaks louder and more frankly. Given a chance, it will always prevail. To the Muslim refugees in Abyssinia, the case was simply stating a fact revealed by God and conveyed by His Messenger. Evasion was unthinkable. Moreover, evasion is alien to the nature of those who follow the truth.
Jaʿfar, the Muslims’ spokesman, therefore answered Negus’s question about their view of Jesus without hesitation: “Our view is that taught to us by our Prophet: Jesus is God’s servant and messenger. He is His spirit and His word delivered unto virgin Mary.” Negus picked a little stick from the floor and said: “What you have just said about Jesus does not go beyond the truth by the width of this stick.” To the jeers and sneers of the patriarchs he replied: “It is true, no matter what you say.” He then said to the Muslims: “You are safe in my land. Whoever harms you will be brought to justice. I would not harm any one of you for a mountain of gold.” He then ordered his patriarchs to return the gifts of the Quraysh delegation.5
A Shrewd Plan
The emigration of the Prophet’s companions to Abyssinia was a highly significant event, which can be accurately described as the first major political move taken by the Prophet. Although people often give more prominence to the Prophet’s desire to spare his companions the persecution inflicted by the Quraysh, it had some definite objectives. If one analyses the emigration and the whole situation that prevailed in Makkah at that time, one is bound to realize that there were other, far more important reasons, which made this emigration a shrewd strategic move on the part of the Prophet. A close examination of the list of people who travelled to Abyssinia shows that hardly any of the weak and vulnerable elements who were subjected to unbearable torture joined the travellers. Historians of that period are uncertain about ʿAmmār ibn Yāsir who was, together with his parents, a target for some of the most brutal types of torture. Indeed, both his parents died under torture. Historians are certain, however, that people like Khabbāb ibn al-Aratt and Bilāl ibn Rabāḥ, who were the most famous of ʿAmmār’s fellow sufferers, did not travel. On the other hand, one finds that the list of travellers includes names of many prominent people who belonged to famous clans which were able to afford them protection.
In this list are the names of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān of the Umayyah clan, Abū Ḥudhayfah ibn ʿUtbah of ʿAbd Shams, whose father was one of the chiefs in Makkah, and his wife Sahlah bint Suhayl of the ʿĀmir clan, whose father was later to become the governor of Makkah, al-Zubayr ibn al-ʿAwwām
