Migration to Abyssinia
The migration to Abyssinia (Arabic: الهجرة إلى الحبشة, romanized: al-hijra ʾilā al-habaša), also known as the First Hijra (الهجرة الأولى, al-hijrat al'uwlaa), was an episode in the early history of Islam, where the first followers of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (they were known as the Sahabah) migrated from Arabia due to their persecution by the Quraysh, the ruling Arab tribal confederation of Mecca. They sought and were granted refuge in the Kingdom of Aksum, an ancient Christian state that was situated in modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea (also referred to as Abyssinia), in 9 BH (613 CE) or 7 BH (615 CE). The ruling Aksumite monarch who received them is known in Islamic sources as Najashi (نجاشي, najāšī), the Negus of the kingdom; modern historians have alternatively identified him with the Aksumite king Armah and Ella Tsaham. Some of the Sahabah exiles returned to Mecca and made the migration to Medina with Muhammad, while the others remained in Aksum and arrived in Medina in 628.
| Part of the diplomatic career of Muhammad | |
1314 manuscript illustration by Rashid ad-Din depicting the Negus of medieval Abyssinia declining a Meccan delegation's request to surrender the early Muslims. | |
| Native name | الهجرة إلى الحبشة |
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| Date | c. 613-615 CE (9-7 BH) |
| Also known as | Hijrah Habshah ʽUla (الهجرة الأولى إلى الحبشة) or Hijrah il-al-Habshah (الهجرة إلى الحبشة) |
| Motive | To escape persecution by the Quraysh |
| Participants | The early Sahabah: Eleven men and four women |
| Outcome | Some of the early Muslims settle in Aksum |
| Departure location | Mecca, Hejaz, Arabia |
| Destination | Aksum, Kingdom of Aksum |
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| Muhammad |
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