It was in the early years of Rasulullah’s ﷺ mission. The pagans of Makkah would torture the Muslims every chance they got. It became so bad that Rasulullah ﷺ suggested some of them migrate to Abyssinia or Ethiopia as it is known today. It is not very far from Makkah and its King, known as the Najashi, was just and fair. He was a Christian.
It wasn’t easy. They were leaving behind the only home they knew, their family and friends and all that they held dear. They also did not know how long they would be away for or if they would be back. Najashi welcomed them and finally, they were free from persecution. Free to worship in peace.
But the pagans of Makkah weren’t gonna sit quiet. They had that one trait, we still see today. Dengki! They couldn’t bear the thought of this small group of Muslims living peacefully. They sent 2 reps with specific orders.
“By hook or by crook, get the Najashi to expel them!”
One of the reps was Amr al As (ra) who later became a Muslim himself. He was a good negotiator and knew the Najashi very well. He brought along gifts as bribe (familiar?).
When he saw Najashi he said,
“O King, the people you have given shelter to are troublemakers. Expel them before they bring you problems.”
But the King was fair remember? He said “not without hearing their side.”
The leader of the Muslims was Ja’far ibn Abu Talib (ra). How I love this character. He was Rasulullah’s ﷺ cousin and Ali’s (ra) older brother.
The Najashi then asked Ja’far to explain himself. Now, Ja’far’s reply remains one of the most beautiful descriptions of Islam. You can look it up or message me and I’ll send it to you.
Primarily, Ja’far said, when they became Muslims, the pagans of Makkah began their torture and abuse and prevented them from practicing Islam freely. So they chose the land of the Najashi, as they knew they could live in peace.
What did Najashi then do? He turned to Amr and basically said,
“pack your bags, take your gifts and go back. No way am I expelling these people. They are free to live and worship in my land.”
Amr tried again the following day but failed to convince the Najashi.
The Muslims lived peacefully in Abyssinia for many years. In fact they only joined Rasulullah ﷺ 7 years after he migrated to Madina. This tells us that they were in no danger at all in Najashi land.
Now when we hear this story, we applaud Najashi right? What a man! He saved a group of Muslims. Had he sent them back, their lives would have certainly been in danger.
Fast forward to 2021. Millions of refugees are fleeing for their lives, seeking safety. Some are here on our shores. Do you think it’s easy leaving their homeland? To a place unknown? And worse, hostile.
But they had to make that journey because their homes are no longer safe. They’re here because they need protection and we are in a position to provide that.
And how do we react? Just like Amr and the pagans of Makkah. We want to send them back to their tormentors, to their deaths.
How can we champion the human rights of one group of people and spit on another? If we stand against oppression, it’s gotta be for all oppressed people. If we stand in solidarity with those whose lives are made a living hell, then their skin colour, nationality, ethnicity, religion make no difference.
Where’s our humanity?
Where’s the Najashi in us? Where?
We are so messed up.
Azra Banu
Chairperson
Carefugees
#seerahchronicles
#theseerahandlifetoday