The Life of the Prophet Muhammad: Chapter 10: Summary
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Notes from Chapter 10 of Adil Salahi's book 'Muhammad – Man and Prophet' (published by Islamic Foundation): Moving Out (5th year of Prophethood).
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The Life of the Prophet Muhammad: Chapter 10: Summary
- 1. 10. Moving Out (5th year of Prophethood)
- 2. The Prophet realised that no amount of persuasion or negotiation would make the leaders of Makkah change their hostile attitude to Islam Always a far-sighted and well-informed leader, the Prophet advised his companions to emigrate to Abyssinia where the Christian king, Negus, was known for his abhorrence of injustice Abyssinia was be to a second home for the Islamic call Moving out
- 3. The first party of Muslim emigrants to Abyssinia consisted of 16 people, 4 of whom were women Among the emigrants was Uthman ibn Affan and his wife, Ruqayyah, daughter of the Prophet Other parties of emigrants followed at frequent intervals Moving out
- 4. The emigrants constituted a large section of the Muslim community This was a shrewd tactical move by the Prophet since the Muslims who stayed behind in Makkah no longer constituted a threat to its social order This was bound to weaken the argument of the hard liners, who advocated a strong-fisted approach to the problem represented by Islam Moving out
- 5. The Quraysh were utterly displeased that the Muslims should be able to escape its tyranny and find peace and security in their new place of abode A meeting was called to discuss the situation, and it was resolved to send a delegation to Negus requesting him to deport the Muslims and send them back home Amr ibn Al-Aas and Abdullah ibn Rabi’ah were chosen for the mission An appeal for extradition
- 6. Amr in particular was well known for his diplomatic skills He carried with him many gifts with which he sought to make the atmosphere at Negus’s court favourable when he made his request Amr’s plan was to present every one of the patriarchs who attended Negus’s court with a fine gift of animal hide An appeal for extradition
- 7. Feeling that he could rely on the help of the patriarchs, Amr explained his mission The patriarchs promised Amr and his friend their support and the ground was prepared for a quick decision by Negus in favour of Amr and Abdullah When the two were admitted into court, they presented the king with a precious gift of superb camel hide An appeal for extradition
- 8. Nothing was more loathsome to the Quraysh delegation that that Negus should call the Muslims in to present their case They stressed that they were making their request on behalf of the fugitives’ own parents and uncles, who could not be expected to subject them to any harm As they made their case, the patriarchs supported them An appeal for extradition
- 9. Negus was 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.” An appeal for extradition
- 10. The Makkan delegation were very disappointed at the Negus’s decision, but they could do nothing about it 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 question put to them truthfully, regardless of what results it might produce An appeal for extradition
- 11. When they were admitted to the king’s presence, 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?” An appeal for extradition
- 12. The Muslims had chosen Ja’far ibn Abi Talib, the Prophet’s own cousin, as their spokesman and he put their case forward with a most eloquent summary of the Islamic call Negus asked Ja’far to read a passage of the Qur’an Ja’far chose the opening of Surah 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 An appeal for extradition
- 13. Negus and his patriarchs were in tears and 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 Having failed, the Quraysh delegation began to think of some other, more devious ways to achieve their purpose An appeal for extradition
- 14. The following day Amr went back to Negus and said to him: “These people make a very wild claim about Jesus. You may wish to question them about that.” When the Muslims realised the reason for their second summons to attend the king’s court, they were alarmed They resolved, however, to stick to the truth and put their case frankly and clearly An appeal for extradition
- 15. Ja’far, the Muslims’ spokesman, 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 up 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.” An appeal for extradition
- 16. To the jeers and sneers of the patriarchs, Negus 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 An appeal for extradition
- 17. The emigration of the Prophet’s companions to Abyssinia was a highly significant event and the first major political move taken by the Prophet A close examination of the list of people who travelled shows that hardly any of the weak or vulnerable members of the community took part On the other hand, one finds that the list of travellers includes names of many prominent people who belonged to famous clans A shrewd plan
- 18. The emigrants belonged to most, if not all, the clans of the Quraysh The Prophet was keen to emphasise the very concept which the Quraysh wanted to block He wanted his followers to realise that belonging to Islam meant that they no longer belonged to a particular clan and that their only tie of allegiance was to their faith; they were simply Muslims Realignment of loyalties
- 19. Before the emigration to Abyssinia, those who heard of Islam outside of Makkah did not pay much attention to it, considering it an internal matter which only concerned the Quraysh It was necessary, therefore, for Islam to break out of this imposed confinement and to broaden the scope of its efforts of advocacy The emigration to Abyssinia gave the Muslims a chance to carry their message further afield A new Muslim community
- 20. (Source: ‘Muhammad – Man and Prophet’ by Adil Salahi) End