Makkan PeriodPersecution
Migration to Abyssinia
Persecuted believers migrate to the just Christian king (the Negus).
When (CE)
615 CE
Where
Abyssinia (Ethiopia)
Prophet's age
≈ 45
As persecution intensified, the Prophet ﷺ directed a group of believers to seek refuge with the Negus of Abyssinia, a just Christian king.
When Quraysh sent envoys to demand their return, Jaʿfar ibn Abī Ṭālib spoke for the Muslims and recited verses of Sūrat Maryam; moved to tears, the Negus refused to surrender them.
Key figures
The Negus (al-Najāshī)Jaʿfar ibn Abī Ṭālib (ra)
Reflections
- Seeking safety and just protection is part of wisdom.
Source & authenticity · Compiled from standard Seerah works, principally Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar) by S. al-Mubarakpuri. Editorial summaries in our own words; dates per traditional sources. Long-form detail is expanded from vetted sources and under scholarly review.