Chief of the Prophets — Page 62
Chapter Four 62 “Negus” 1 , a title retained to this date. Eleven men and four women migrated to Abyssinia in the month of Rajab, in the 5 th Nabawī year. Some of the prominent emigrants were ‘Uthmān bin ‘Affān ra and his wife Ruqayyah bint Muḥammad ra , ‘Abdur Raḥman 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 This caravan mostly consisted of people from influential tribes who could afford the travel. Common people and slaves did not possess the means to travel. When this caravan of believers reached Shu‘aibah, a famous Arabian port in those days, they were fortunate to find a ship anchored there ready to sail, which they boarded immediately and departed. The Quraish pursued them. When they reached the port, the ship had already departed, and they could do nothing. Extremely disappointed, they returned. The Quraish of Makkah decided after mutual consultation to send a delegation of two associates to Negus, the King of Abyssinia, and his courtiers with expensive gifts to plead that a few foolish people, who had abandoned the religion of their ancestors and raised a great rebellion in the country, had run off to his country, and that they wanted them to be returned. ‘Amr bin al-‘Āṣ and ‘Abdullāh bin Rabī‘ah were chosen for this task. Both of them went to Aksum, the capital of Abyssinia, and first they presented gifts to the courtiers of Negus and won their sympathies. Thereafter, they appeared in the court of Negus and made a very effective and forceful presentation of the views of the Quraish, and the courtiers also supported them. But Negus, who was a wise and open-minded person, refused to make a one-sided decision. So the Muslim immigrants were called to the court and Negus asked them, 1 Negus was formerly used as a title of the emperors of Abyssinia. At the time of publishing of this book, certain governors of the provinces of Ethopia still used Negus as their honorary title. [Publisher] 2 Ibni Hishām.