The Migration to Abyssinia: The First Muslim Migration in Islamic History (UK Guide)

The first Muslim migration in Islamic history

The first migration of Muslims out of their homeland was not the famous Hijrah from Makkah to Madinah in 622 CE. It was a smaller, earlier migration — to the Christian Ethiopian kingdom of Aksum (Abyssinia) — that took place in approximately the 5th year of the Prophet ﷺ\'s mission, around 615 CE. The migration to Abyssinia is one of the most consequential and under-discussed events of the early Islamic community, with lessons that resonate for British Muslim families today.

This guide is the British Muslim parent\'s reference: what happened, why the Christian Negus protected the Muslim refugees, and what the migration teaches about Muslim life in non-Muslim societies.

The historical context

By approximately 615 CE, the early Muslim community in Makkah was facing intense persecution from Quraysh. Bilāl al-Ḥabashī (RA) was being tortured under boulders in the desert sun. Sumayyah (RA) — the first martyr in Islam — was killed by Abū Jahl. Other Muslims, particularly those without tribal protection, faced beatings, social ostracism, and economic ruin.

The Prophet ﷺ — recognising that some of his Companions could not safely remain in Makkah — instructed a group of them to migrate to Abyssinia, "for there is a king there in whose presence no one is wronged." The Christian king of Aksum, the Negus al-Najāshī, had a reputation for justice that reached even the Hijaz.

The two waves of migration

The first migration (around 615 CE)

A small group — approximately 11 men and 4 women — left Makkah secretly and travelled to Abyssinia. The classical sources name them. The group included Companions like ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān (RA, the future third caliph) and his wife Ruqayyah (RA, the Prophet\'s daughter), Zubayr ibn al-ʿAwwām (RA), and others. They were welcomed in Abyssinia and given protection.

The second migration (slightly later)

A larger group followed — by some estimates around 80 men and 18 women. The total Muslim refugee community in Abyssinia eventually numbered approximately 100. Among them was Sawda bint Zamʿah (RA), who would later become the second wife of the Prophet ﷺ.

The Quraysh delegation to recover the refugees

Quraysh, alarmed at this loss of leverage over the Muslim community, sent a delegation to Aksum. The delegation, led by ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ (later a Companion himself but at this time a Quraysh leader), brought gifts to the Negus and asked him to return the refugees so they could be punished in Makkah.

The Negus refused to deliver them without hearing their case. He summoned the Muslim refugees and asked them to explain themselves.

Jaʿfar ibn Abī Ṭālib\'s speech

One of the most preserved single speeches in early Islamic history. Jaʿfar ibn Abī Ṭālib (RA) — the Prophet ﷺ\'s cousin and the appointed leader of the refugee community — addressed the Negus in approximately these words:

"O King, we were a people of ignorance, worshipping idols, eating dead animals, committing every kind of abomination. We severed family ties; we mistreated neighbours; the strong among us devoured the weak. We were in this state until Allah sent to us a messenger from among ourselves, whose lineage, truthfulness, trustworthiness and modesty we knew. He called us to recognise Allah\'s oneness and to worship Him alone, abandoning the idols our fathers had worshipped. He commanded us to be truthful in speech, to fulfil our trusts, to maintain family ties, to be good to our neighbours, to refrain from forbidden things and from bloodshed. He forbade us from immorality, from false witness, from devouring the orphan\'s wealth, from accusing chaste women. He commanded us to worship Allah alone and to associate nothing with Him; he commanded us to pray, to give zakat, to fast..."

The Negus asked Jaʿfar to recite something from what had been revealed. Jaʿfar recited the opening verses of Surah Maryam — the Quranic narrative of the birth of ʿĪsā ﷺ. The Negus wept until his beard was wet. His bishops wept. He said: "This and what ʿĪsā brought come from the same lamp."

The Negus refused to deliver the refugees. ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ tried again the next day, attempting to provoke a doctrinal split by drawing attention to the Islamic position that ʿĪsā is not divine. The Negus heard the Quranic position, took some dust from the ground, and said: "There is not the difference of this dust between what we believe and what you say of him." He confirmed his protection.

The legacy of the Abyssinian migration

The Muslim refugee community remained in Abyssinia for many years. Some returned to Makkah after the relaxation of persecution; others remained until after the Hijrah and joined the Madinan community subsequently. The Negus al-Najāshī himself eventually embraced Islam, though his conversion was kept private. When he died, the Prophet ﷺ led a funeral prayer for him in absentia in Madinah — one of only two known cases in Islamic history of an absentee funeral prayer.

What this migration teaches British Muslim families

1. Muslim refuge in non-Muslim lands has prophetic precedent

The first Muslim migration was to a Christian kingdom. British Muslim families living as a religious minority in Britain are not living in conditions the Prophet ﷺ never anticipated. He explicitly directed early Muslims to seek refuge in a Christian state.

2. Just non-Muslim leadership deserves Muslim respect

The Negus was praised by the Prophet ﷺ specifically for his justice. British Muslim families should similarly recognise just leadership in non-Muslim contexts — local councillors who serve their constituents fairly, judges who rule impartially, employers who treat Muslim workers with dignity. Justice is honoured wherever found.

3. Da\'wah by accurate exposition is powerful

Jaʿfar\'s speech and his recitation of Surah Maryam moved the Negus to tears. The shared elements (the prophetic line, the position of ʿĪsā as a prophet, the commitment to ethical conduct) were emphasised. The disagreements were stated honestly without aggressive provocation. This is the model for modern interfaith engagement.

4. Muslim integrity in non-Muslim society is possible

The Muslim refugees in Abyssinia maintained their Islamic practice — daily prayer, Quranic recitation, the moral conduct Jaʿfar described — without compromise. Living among non-Muslims did not require abandoning Islam. The same is true for British Muslims today.

5. The Christian-Muslim relationship has deep historical foundations

The very first major external relationship of the early Muslim community was with a Christian kingdom that protected them. British Muslim families with Christian neighbours and friends have direct prophetic precedent for warm, principled relationship.

Frequently asked questions

Where to go next

For more on related history, see our guides on The Prophet ﷺ in His Cradle, The Childhood of the Prophet ﷺ, Sawda bint Zamʿah (a participant in the migration), and The People of the Book. To study the early sirah with a qualified Al-Azhar-graduate teacher, book a free trial lesson.