The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page 206
Seal of the Prophets - Volume I 206 the pains of the Muslims reached their limits, the Holy Prophet sa instructed that those who could afford should migrate to Abyssinia. Therefore, upon the instruction of the Holy Prophet sa , in the month of Rajab 5 Nabawī , 1 eleven men and four women migrated to Abyssinia. The well-known names among them were as follows: Ḥaḍrat ‘ Uthmān bin ‘Affān ra and his wife Ruqayyah ra the daughter of the Holy Prophet sa , ‘ Abdur-Raḥmān bin ‘Auf ra , Zubair bin Al- ‘Awwām ra , Abū Ḥudhaifah bin ‘Utbah ra , ‘ Uthmān bin Maẓ‘ūn ra , Muṣ‘ab bin ‘Umair ra , Abū Salamah bin ‘Abdul-Asad ra and his wife Ummi Salamah ra. 2 It is very strange that a majority of these pioneer immigrants were those who belonged to powerful tribes of the Quraish, and the weaker were few and far between. This illustrates two things: firstly, even those who belonged to the powerful tribes of the Quriash were not safe from the cruelties of the Quraish. Secondly, weak people such as slaves, etc. , at that time were in such a grave state of weakness and misery that they were not even able to migrate. Travelling south, when the immigrants reached Sha‘ībah, which was a sea-port in Arabia at that time, by the Grace of Allāh they found a trade ship which was just ready to leave for Abyssinia and thus, all of them boarded in security. When the Quraish were informed of this, they were deeply enraged that this ‘prey’ has slipped our hands. Hence, they pursued these immigrants, but when their man reached the coast, the ship had already departed, and for this reason they returned dissapointed. 3 Upon reaching Abyssinia the Muslims found a life of great peace and protection from the cruelties of the Quraish after much difficulty and prayers. A Rumour of the Quraish’s Acceptance of Islām and the Return of Some Immigrants from Abyssinia However, as some historians have mentioned, it had not been long 1 Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 1, p. 98, Bābu Dhikri Hijrati man Hājara min Aṣḥābi Rasūlillāhi sa ilā Arḍil-Ḥabashati fil-Marratil-Ūlā , Dārul-Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 2 As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Malik bin Hishām, p. 238, Bābu Dhikril-Hijratil- Ūlā ilal-Arḍil-Ḥabashah, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001) 3 * Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 1, p. 98, Bābu Dhikri Hijrati man Hājara min Aṣḥābi Rasūlillāhi sa ilā Arḍil-Ḥabashati fil-Marratil-Ūlā , Dārul-Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Muḥammad bin ‘Abdul-Bāqī Az- Zarqānī, Volume 1, p. 505, Bābul- Hijratil-Ūlā ilal-Arḍil-Ḥabashah , Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)