with the claimed couplet to realize that the whole thing was total fabrication. Even the Makkan unbelievers themselves were unconvinced and they dropped the report altogether, although some unscrupulous Orientalists and other people who are hostile to Islam have tried to make something out of it.
It is well known that most of the Arabs at the time could not read or write. Therefore, it is not surprising that the dates of events were not recorded accurately. One cannot be certain how many groups of emigrants to Abyssinia from among the Muslims of Makkah had already gone before the first group, or some of its members, were on their journey back to Makkah. Many of those who returned felt they had to go back to Abyssinia after finding out that nothing had changed in Makkah. If anything, the situation became worse for the Muslims. The emigrants were going out in small groups, two or three families at a time. Many young Muslims were not yet married. Therefore, the number of men among the Muslims in Abyssinia far exceeded the women. Altogether, 82 or 83 men arrived in Abyssinia with 19 women. They constituted a large section of the Muslim community. Those who were left in Makkah might have been fewer than those who emigrated. That was a shrewd tactical move by the Prophet which defused a potentially explosive situation. To all appearances, the Muslims who stayed in Makkah did not constitute any threat to its social order. That was bound to weaken the argument of the hard liners, who advocated a strong-fisted approach to the problem represented by Islam. The Quraysh, however, 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. ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ and ʿAbdullāh ibn Abī Rabīʿah were chosen for the mission. ʿAmr 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.
An Appeal to Extradite the Fugitives
ʿAmr’s plan was to present every one of the patriarchs who attended Negus’s court with a fine gift of animal hide. Feeling that he could rely on their help, he explained his mission, saying:
A few drop-outs of our people have arrived in your land. Having rebelled against our religion, they did not adopt yours. Instead, they have come up with a new trend, unknown to you or to us. We have come as representatives of our leaders to request the king to extradite these fugitives. When we make this request to the king, we hope you will counsel him to grant it without going to the trouble of calling them and speaking to them. You will undoubtedly agree that their own people are better equipped to judge them fairly and to determine whether their creed is of any use.
The patriarchs promised ʿAmr and his friend their support. Thus the ground was prepared for a quick decision by Negus in favour of ʿAmr and ʿAbdullāh.
When the two were admitted into court, they presented the king with a precious gift of superb camel hide. To him, that was the finest gift they could bring. He was so pleased with it that he immediately asked them to put their request.
Nothing was more loathsome to the Quraysh delegation than that Negus should call the Muslims in to present their case. Hence, they emphasized that the Muslims did not opt for Christianity, Negus’s own religion. They also stressed that they were making their request on behalf of the fugitives’ own parents and uncles, who could not be expected, particularly in the Arabian tribal 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