Holy Prophet Muhammad and His Teachings — Page 22
22 nia, which was even then ruled by a Christian. King. The majority of Muslim men and women therefore, left their homes in Mecca and proceeded to Abyssinia. The hostility of the Meccans, however, persued them thither, and the latter sent a deputation to the King of Abyssinia that he should hand over the fugitives to the Meccans. . But this Christian King was a monarch who loved to be just. When he had heard the depu. tation he desired to hear the other side and the. Muslims were commanded to appear before him. . It was a pathetic scene. The Muslims who had been compelled to leave their homes as the result of persecution by their own compatriots, appeared before the King of Abyssinia, apprehensive that they would be handed over to the Meccans and would be subjected by them to tortures soverer than those which they had experienced before. Then King enquired from them why they had come to his country. Their spokesman replied:Sir, we were ignorant and had no knowledge of good or evil. We worshipped idols and were unaware of the Unity of God. . All manner of evil was prevalent among us;