The Hijrah of the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) to Abyssinia – Part Two

When the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) entered the court of Najaashi, then instead of bowing down before him, like how all the people would do, they greeted him normally. Seeing this, the ministers became angry and began to make a big noise. They asked the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) why they refused to bow before Najaashi, to which the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) said, “We only bow down before Allah Ta‘ala. Allah Ta‘ala sent His Rasul (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) to us, and he told us that we must not bow to anyone besides Allah Ta‘ala. That is why we will not bow before Najaashi.”

Najaashi then asked the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum), “What is this new religion which you are following, that is neither idol worship nor Christianity?” To answer Najaashi’s question, Hazrat Ja’far (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), the cousin of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), stood up and spoke on behalf of the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum). He clearly explained the message of Islam and the mission of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). He said to Najaashi:

“O King! Before Islam, we were all ignorant and did not know the true path of Islam to Jannah. We would worship idols and eat carrion. We were involved in many shameless and evil actions. We would break family ties and would ill-treat our neighbours. The strong among us would oppress and take advantage of the weak.

“While we were in this condition, Allah Ta‘ala favoured us by appointing a person from among us as His Rasul, whose nobility, truthfulness, trustworthiness and purity we are fully aware of. This messenger of Allah Ta‘ala invited us to Allah Ta‘ala. He invited us to believe that Allah Ta‘ala is One and Alone, and to worship Him alone, and to leave the idols that we and our forefathers used to worship. He commanded us to be truthful and honest, to join family ties, to show our neighbours good character, and to stay away from bloodshed and other evil actions.

“He also stopped us from all shameless actions, speaking lies, and stealing the wealth of orphans. He commanded us to worship Allah Ta‘ala alone, without joining any partners with Him. He commanded us to perform salaah, give zakaah and to fast. He taught us that we should be happy to sacrifice our lives and wealth in the path of Allah Ta‘ala.”

After mentioning a few other teachings of Islam, Hazrat Ja’far (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) said, “We accepted his message and brought imaan in him, and we follow the laws that he has brought to us from Allah Ta‘ala. It is only because of our accepting this religion of Islam that our people have started to trouble and punish us, trying to force us stop worshipping Allah Ta‘ala and return to our old ways of evil.

“When we could not manage their punishment any longer, and it became difficult for us to follow our deen and worship Allah Ta‘ala, then we left our homeland and came to your land with the hope that you will not oppress us.”

The King asked Hazrat Ja’far (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), “Do you know any portion of the divine message (i.e. the Qur’aan Majeed) that your Rasul has brought from Allah Ta‘ala?” When Hazrat Ja’far (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) said yes, Najaashi asked him to recite a portion of it.

Hazrat Ja’far (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) commenced reciting the beginning verses of Surah Maryam. Hearing these verses, Najaashi and all his ministers were so affected by the beauty and message of the Qur’aan Majeed that they all began to weep, to such an extent that the beard of Najaashi was wet with tears.

When Hazrat Ja’far (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) completed his recitation, Najaashi said, “These words and the words brought by Nabi Isa (‘alaihis salaam) come from the same source (i.e. the Qur’aan Majeed is undoubtedly the message of Allah Ta‘ala).”

Najaashi then said to the two men of the Quraish, “I will never hand over these people to you, nor is there any possibility of me doing so.”

However, the next day, the two men of the Quraish tried to make trouble for the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) again. They came to Najaashi and told him that the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) spoke bad things about Nabi Isa (‘alaihis salaam), the Nabi of the Christians. Najaashi again called the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum), and again, the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) spoke the truth of Islam.

They said to him, “Our belief, regarding Nabi Isa (‘alaihis salaam), is that he is the slave and Rasul of Allah Ta‘ala (i.e. He is not the son of Allah Ta‘ala).” Hearing this, Najaashi accepted that this was the truth. He returned all the gifts to the men of the Quraish and sent them away, and told the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) that they could stay in Abyssinia in peace and safety, and that no one would trouble them.

Najaashi also accepted Islam and sent many presents and gifts for Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam).

Lesson:

No matter where they went in the world, the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) were only worried about pleasing Allah Ta‘ala. Even when Najaashi called them to his court, they spoke the truth of Islam. They did not speak lies, or change Islam, to try and make Najaashi and the non-Muslims happy. They knew that Allah Ta‘ala is in control of everything and everyone. If they please Allah Ta‘ala, then He will help them, and no one will be able to harm them. Because the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) made Allah Ta‘ala happy and spoke the truth of Islam, Allah Ta‘ala made the heart of Najaashi soft towards the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum). He supported them, accepted their message and also embraced Islam thereafter, and passed away upon Islam.