Table of Contents
Immediate Outcomes of the Migration
When the early Muslims migrated from Makkah to Abyssinia, several immediate results appeared that affected both the Muslims and Quraysh. This small movement of people, apparently weak and oppressed, became a turning point in the history of the da‘wah.
The first clear outcome was simple protection. Those who reached Abyssinia found real safety under a just Christian king, Najashi, while their brothers and sisters in Makkah continued to face torture and humiliation. Allah had opened a new door after one door had been shut. This showed that the migration was not a flight of despair, but a movement under divine guidance.
The Muslims were able to practice their religion openly, pray without fear, recite the Quran aloud, and gather for worship. In Makkah they had been forced to hide and to watch every word and action. In Abyssinia they were able to live as a small visible Muslim community for the first time. Over time this produced more confident, experienced believers, ready to serve Islam later in Madinah.
Another important outcome was political embarrassment for Quraysh. When they sent ‘Amr ibn al ‘As and others with expensive gifts to convince Najashi to return the Muslims, they were rejected in front of his court. Quraysh lost honor and influence. Their lies about the believers were exposed by the speeches of Ja‘far ibn Abi Talib and by Najashi’s own sense of justice.
The Muslims also gained a powerful moral ally. Najashi did not only protect them, he respected their faith, rejected the accusations of Quraysh, and even offered them a place in his land. Later, he himself accepted Islam in secret and the Prophet ﷺ prayed the funeral prayer in absence for him in Madinah:
عَنْ جَابِرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ: «مَاتَ الْيَوْمَ رَجُلٌ صَالِحٌ، فَقُومُوا فَصَلُّوا عَلَى أَخِيكُمْ أَصْحَمَةَ»
رواه أبو داود
Jābir رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Today a righteous man has died, so stand and pray for your brother Ashamah.”
Reported by Abu Dawud.
Through this, the Muslims saw that hearts could be guided far from Arabia, and that their message had a future beyond Makkah and the Arabian tribes.
The Growth of the Muslim Identity
In Abyssinia, Muslims experienced living as a minority under a non Muslim government that was just. This was completely new. They had to learn how to present Islam to people who did not know the Arab world, its customs, or its conflicts. They also had to learn how to live as loyal, law abiding residents in a land that was not ruled by Muslims, while keeping their faith strong.
The speech of Ja‘far ibn Abi Talib in the court of Najashi is a clear example of this new confidence and clarity. He described Islam and the Prophet ﷺ in simple, powerful words that explained who they were before Islam and what Islam had changed:
كُنَّا قَوْمًا أَهْلَ جَاهِلِيَّةٍ نَعْبُدُ الْأَصْنَامَ، وَنَأْكُلُ الْمَيْتَةَ، وَنَأْتِي الْفَوَاحِشَ، وَنَقْطَعُ الْأَرْحَامَ، وَنُسِيءُ الْجِوَارَ، وَيَأْكُلُ الْقَوِيُّ مِنَّا الضَّعِيفَ، فَكُنَّا عَلَى ذَٰلِكَ حَتَّى بَعَثَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْنَا رَسُولًا مِنَّا
“We were a people in ignorance. We worshipped idols, we ate dead animals, we committed shameful deeds, we cut off family ties, we mistreated neighbors, and the strong among us devoured the weak, until Allah sent to us a Messenger from among us.”
In this description, he showed that Islam was not only a set of rituals, but a complete moral transformation. He also recited verses from Surat Maryam about Maryam and ‘Isa عليهما السلام, which moved Najashi to tears. This built a bridge between Muslims and fair minded Christians who recognized the truth of what was revealed to Muhammad ﷺ.
The community in Abyssinia began to develop its own experiences, its own struggles, and its own understanding of how to be Muslim in a foreign environment. When some of them later joined the Prophet ﷺ in Madinah, they brought this maturity and perspective with them. They had learned patience, trust in Allah, and how to hold firmly to faith in a place where their neighbors followed a different religion but gave them justice.
Demonstration of Divine Support
The story of the migration to Abyssinia is also a demonstration that Allah guides and protects His servants in ways that human minds cannot fully plan. The believers left Makkah with very little, unarmed and with no political power. Yet they were led to one of the just kings of the time, whose justice was known even in the Arabian Peninsula.
The Prophet ﷺ had said about Najashi before the migration:
«إِنَّ بِأَرْضِ الْحَبَشَةِ مَلِكًا لَا يُظْلَمُ عِنْدَهُ أَحَدٌ»
“In the land of Abyssinia there is a king under whom no one is oppressed.”
This guidance was a mercy from Allah. It reminds the believer that success is not only through strength or numbers, but through Allah’s choice and help. Quraysh, with their wealth, status, and idols, tried to control every movement of the Muslims. Yet Allah opened for the believers a door that Quraysh did not expect, in a land they did not control.
The Quran later gave comfort to the believers by reminding them of earlier prophets and their followers who were also forced to leave their homes, but were supported by Allah. Among many verses, one general principle appears repeatedly:
﴿وَمَن يَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ يَجۡعَل لَّهُۥ مَخۡرَجٗا • وَيَرۡزُقۡهُ مِنۡ حَيۡثُ لَا يَحۡتَسِبُ﴾
“And whoever is mindful of Allah, He will make for him a way out, and will provide for him from where he does not expect.”
Surah At Talaq 65:2 3
The story of Abyssinia is one of the clear examples of this promise in action.
Key lesson: When the path for serving Allah becomes tight in one place, another path may be opened by His permission. The believer must not despair, but must seek lawful means, trust Allah, and move forward.
The Principle of Hijrah as a Strategy
The migration to Abyssinia established an important pattern in Islamic history, the use of hijrah, or migration, as a means to protect faith and allow Islam to grow. This hijrah was not yet the famous Hijrah to Madinah, but it prepared the minds of the believers for the idea that leaving one’s home for the sake of Allah can be a necessary and blessed step.
Later, the Quran would speak about those who migrated for Allah in many verses, honoring them and promising them reward:
﴿وَٱلَّذِينَ هَاجَرُواْ فِي ٱللَّهِ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ مَا ظُلِمُواْ لَنُبَوِّئَنَّهُمۡ فِي ٱلدُّنۡيَا حَسَنَةٗۖ وَلَأَجۡرُ ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ أَكۡبَرُۚ لَوۡ كَانُواْ يَعۡلَمُونَ﴾
“And those who migrated for Allah after they had been wronged, We will surely settle them in this world in a good place, and the reward of the Hereafter is greater, if only they knew.”
Surah An Nahl 16:41
Although this verse was revealed later, its meaning applied to the early emigrants as well. The Abyssinian migration showed that hijrah could be partial and temporary, yet it was still counted as a noble act and a part of the wider divine plan.
It is also important that this hijrah was to a non Muslim land that was safe and just. This indicates that the purpose of hijrah is the safety of faith and the freedom to worship Allah, not simply the label of a land. Where faith is protected and worship is possible, that place can become a home for the believer.
Hijrah is a means to guard faith and allow the practice of Islam. When remaining in a place threatens one’s religion, migration can become an act of obedience and trust in Allah.
Lessons in Justice and Interfaith Relations
The story of Najashi shows that justice is beloved to Allah, even when it appears from a non Muslim ruler. The Prophet ﷺ trusted the justice of Najashi before he became Muslim, and sent some of his most vulnerable followers to him.
Najashi himself responded with fairness and careful listening. He did not accept Quraysh’s request blindly. He insisted on hearing both sides. When Ja‘far recited verses about Maryam and ‘Isa, he was moved and he recognized a shared root between his faith and Islam. Reports mention that he said:
إِنَّ هَذَا وَالَّذِي جَاءَ بِهِ عِيسَى لَيَخْرُجُ مِنْ مِشْكَاةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ
“Indeed this and what ‘Isa came with come from the same lamp.”
Even while he was still a Christian, he used his power as a king to protect the Muslims from injustice. Later, when he embraced Islam secretly, it showed that sincere search and fairness can lead to guidance, even if slowly.
From this, the Muslims learned that they can live peacefully and honorably with people of other faiths who are fair, that they can explain their beliefs clearly and respectfully, and that they can form relationships built on justice and truth, not on flattery or hiding their religion.
The Quran praised justice in general terms that include Muslims and non Muslims:
﴿يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُونُواْ قَوَّٰمِينَ لِلَّهِ شُهَدَآءَ بِٱلۡقِسۡطِۖ وَلَا يَجۡرِمَنَّكُمۡ شَنَـَٔانُ قَوۡمٍ عَلَىٰٓ أَلَّا تَعۡدِلُواْۚ ٱعۡدِلُواْ هُوَ أَقۡرَبُ لِلتَّقۡوَىٰ﴾
“O you who believe, stand firmly for Allah as witnesses in justice, and let not the hatred of a people cause you to avoid justice. Be just, that is nearer to mindfulness of Allah.”
Surah Al Ma’idah 5:8
The Abyssinian experience is a practical example of this principle. The Muslims saw that a just Christian king could be closer to them than unjust leaders from their own tribe.
Patience, Reliance, and Gradual Victory
A central lesson in the migration to Abyssinia is the nature of patience. The Muslims who left Makkah did not know how long they would stay away. Some remained there for many years, missing the company of the Prophet ﷺ and the events unfolding in Makkah and then in Madinah.
Their patience was not silent passivity. It was an active trust in Allah, a continuous holding to faith, prayer, and obedience even far from the Prophet ﷺ. They accepted loneliness, poverty, and uncertainty so that they could keep their religion safe.
In Makkah, the Prophet ﷺ continued to care about them, mention them, and seek news of them. Both groups, those in Makkah and those in Abyssinia, formed together one ummah, even though they were in different lands.
Over time, Allah brought their paths back together. Some of the emigrants left Abyssinia to join the Prophet ﷺ in Madinah. They then carried with them double honors. They were among the earliest Muslims, and also among the first to sacrifice their homes for the sake of Allah.
The Prophet ﷺ spoke about the rewards of those who faced trials and remained patient. One of the ahadith that reflects this meaning states:
عَجَبًا لِأَمْرِ الْمُؤْمِنِ، إِنَّ أَمْرَهُ كُلَّهُ لَهُ خَيْرٌ، وَلَيْسَ ذَاكَ لِأَحَدٍ إِلَّا لِلْمُؤْمِنِ، إِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ سَرَّاءُ شَكَرَ، فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ، وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ ضَرَّاءُ صَبَرَ، فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ
رواه مسلم
“How amazing is the affair of the believer. All of his affair is good, and that is for no one except the believer. If something pleasant comes to him, he is grateful, so it is good for him. If something harmful comes to him, he is patient, so it is good for him.”
Reported by Muslim.
The emigrants to Abyssinia are living proof of this hadith. Their hardship became honor, and their exile became part of the path toward the final victory of Islam.
True patience is to continue obeying Allah in every circumstance, to trust His wisdom when the reasons are not clear, and to believe that every step taken for His sake will be rewarded.
A Model for Future Generations
For Muslims in later times, especially those who live as minorities or under pressure, the story of Abyssinia offers a model. It shows that it is possible to hold firmly to Islam while living among people of other faiths, to seek safety without losing identity, and to balance loyalty to the land of residence with loyalty to Allah.
The early emigrants to Abyssinia did not dissolve into the surrounding culture. They remained clearly Muslim, prayed together, learned and taught, and represented Islam with dignity and calm. They did not attack the people who hosted them, nor did they join the injustice of Quraysh. They embodied the prophetic guidance in practice.
At the same time, they did not cut ties with the wider Muslim community. Their hearts remained attached to the Prophet ﷺ, and they joined him when the time and circumstances allowed. In this way, they remained part of the same ummah, even though a sea separated them.
The outcomes of the Abyssinian migration can be summarized as a series of quiet victories, not loud battles. It was a victory of conscience over fear, of justice over oppression, of clear faith over confusion, and of patient planning over panicked reaction. Above all, it was a victory given by Allah to a small group who chose to protect their religion at any cost.