Al-Ḥabashah

Al-Ḥabashah, known in English as Abyssinia and corresponding broadly to present-day Ethiopia and Eritrea, occupies a distinguished place in the sīrah of Prophet Muḥammad (PBUH). It was the first foreign land to provide refuge to Muslims and became the destination of the earliest migration (Hijrah) in Islamic history. During the Makkan period, when the Muslim community faced severe persecution at the hands of Quraysh, the Prophet directed a group of his followers to seek protection in al-Ḥabashah under the rule of the just Christian king al-Najāshī (Negus). This migration marked the beginning of Islam’s engagement with communities beyond Arabia and demonstrated the Prophet’s concern for the safety and welfare of his followers.

The first migration to al-Ḥabashah took place around the fifth year of Prophethood. A small group of Muslims, including ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān (RA) and Ruqayyah bint Rasūl Allāh (RA), crossed the Red Sea and sought asylum in the kingdom of al-Najāshī. As persecution in Makkah intensified, a second and larger migration followed, led by Jaʿfar ibn Abī Ṭālib (RA). Concerned by the departure of the Muslims, Quraysh dispatched representatives, including ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ, to persuade al-Najāshī to extradite the refugees. The king, however, refused to surrender them without hearing their case. In a celebrated encounter preserved in sīrah literature, Jaʿfar explained the teachings of Islam and recited verses from Sūrat Maryam concerning the birth of ʿĪsā (Jesus) and Maryam (Mary). Deeply moved by the recitation, al-Najāshī rejected the demands of Quraysh and granted the Muslims protection.

The episode of al-Ḥabashah is significant for understanding the Prophet’s approach to religious coexistence and international relations. The Prophet praised al-Najāshī as a ruler under whom no one was wronged and encouraged Muslims to seek refuge in his kingdom. The protection extended to the Muslim emigrants illustrates one of the earliest examples of peaceful Muslim-Christian relations. Islamic sources further relate that al-Najāshī later accepted Islam privately, and when news of his death reached Madinah, the Prophet performed the funeral prayer in absentia (Ṣalāt al-Ghāʾib) for him, an honor rarely accorded to any individual.

The relationship between the Prophet and al-Ḥabashah continued during the Madinan period through diplomatic correspondence. The Prophet sent a letter to al-Najāshī inviting him to Islam and maintaining friendly relations with his kingdom. The continued residence of some Muslim emigrants in Abyssinia until after the Battle of Khaybar reflects the stability and security they enjoyed there. Historians regard al-Ḥabashah as the first territory outside Arabia where Muslims lived as a protected minority and practiced their faith freely.

Within the sīrah, al-Ḥabashah symbolizes refuge, justice, and interreligious coexistence. The migration to Abyssinia demonstrated the universality of Islam and its ability to establish constructive relations with non-Muslim societies. The events associated with al-Ḥabashah, particularly the dialogue between Jaʿfar ibn Abī Ṭālib and al-Najāshī, remain among the most celebrated episodes in early Islamic history and continue to serve as a model of principled diplomacy, religious tolerance, and moral courage.