Quraysh attempt to extradite Muslims

The Quraysh found it difficult to accept the fact that a large group of Muslims had managed to escape their campaign of terror. Safe in Abyssinia, the Muslims now enjoyed the experience of not facing any opposition to their faith and way of life. The Quraysh, nonetheless, had a plan. They sent two of their very shrewd envoys, Amr bin Al-Aas and Abdullah bin Rab’ia to Abyssinia to have the Muslims extradited back to Arabia.

According to the plan, two representatives of the Quraysh first met the Abyssinian bishops and bribed them in order to gain access to the King. When they succeeded in getting an audience with him, they presented him with gifts from Arabia. Then they stated their case: “O King! Some foolish men from our city have taken refuge in your majesty’s country. They have abandoned our religion, but rather than accepting your religion, they have invented one of their own. Their families, knowing of their delusions, have sent us to Your Majesty to bring them back home.”

When they had made their plea to the King, the Abyssinian bishops stood and urged him to grant their request. The King, however, was a very fair judge. He said that he would allow both parties to make their statements before making a decision. The Muslim refugees were summoned to the King’s court. Then the King questioned them why they had entered an unknown religion that had caused them to abandon their families and tribes.

Ja’far bin Abu Talib, the Prophet’s cousin, rose on behalf of the Muslims and said: “O King! We are a nation steeped in ignorance. We worshipped idols, ate carrion and committed many abominations. We neglected our kin and mistreated our neighbours. The strong among us devoured the weak. We lived thus until Allah raised among us a messenger, of whose noble lineage, truthfulness, honesty and purity were all aware.

“He invited us to acknowledge the Oneness of God, to worship Allah, and to renounce the stones and idols we and our forefathers used to venerate. He enjoined upon us to speak the truth, to keep our word, and to be kind and considerate to our relatives and neighbours. He forbade us to shed blood, to act wantonly, to lie and to deceive others. He forbade us to encroach upon the property of orphans or to vilify chaste women.

“He commanded us to worship Allah alone without associating anything with Him. He ordered us to pray, to fast, and to pay the poor their due. We acknowledged he was Allah’s messenger and believed in him. We followed him in whatever he brought from Allah, and we worshipped only one God without associating anything with Him. We treated as unlawful what he forbade and embraced what he made lawful for us. At this, our people were estranged. They persecuted us, tried to seduce us from our faith and force us to return to idolatry, pressing us to return to the abominations we used to commit earlier. When they tortured us, ground us under their tyranny and stood between us and our religion, we fled to your country, choosing you above others for refuge. We have come here, O King, to your country seeking your protection. We hope that we shall not be dealt with unjustly.”

The King listened patiently to Ja’far. The he asked Ja’far if he could recite something that had been revealed to Muhammad . Ja’far then recited the opening verses of Surah Maryam, named after Mary, the mother of Jesus. The King wept until tears flowed down to his beard, and the bishops were also overcome. “Truthfully, this and what Jesus brought are from the same divine light.”