017 - The Second Migration to Abyssinia

[DOWNLOAD MP3]

As we said, the Muslims returned from Abyssinia due to the rumor that the Quraysh had embraced Islam, which was proven to be false.

Did the 4 Main Sahaba Emigrate?

From the immediate sahaba, (1) Umar was still not a Muslim, (2) Uthman RA emigrated, and (3) Ali ibn Abi Talib was too young to emigrate. How about (4) Abu Bakr RA? He initially decided to emigrate and accompany Uthman. But on the way to the ship in Juddah (Jeddah), they passed by the leader of the neighboring tribe, Ibn al-Daghina (ابن الدغنة), who saw them all leaving and asked, "Where are you going?" To which Abu Bakr told him of the torture that the Muslims were going through, and their desire to go to a land where they could worship in peace. Full story below:

______________

The Reason Abu Bakr RA Didn't Emigrate

Narrated by Aisha bint Abi Bakr (the wife of the Prophet PBUH)^[1]: "I never remembered my parents believing in any religion other than the True Religion (Islam), and (I don't remember) a single day passing without our (house) being visited by Allah's Messenger in the morning and in the evening. When the Muslims were put to test (troubled by the pagans), Abu Bakr set out migrating to the land of Abyssinia (Ethiopia), and when he reached Bark al-Ghimad (برك الغماد), Ibn al-Daghina, the chief of the tribe of Qara (القارة), met him and said, 'O Abu Bakr! Where are you going?' Abu Bakr replied: 'My people have turned me out (of my land), so I want to wander on the earth and worship my Lord.' Ibn al-Daghina said: 'O Abu Bakr! A man like you should not leave his homeland, nor should he be driven out, because you help the destitute, earn their living, and you keep good relations with your kith and kin, help the weak and the poor, entertain guests generously, and help the calamity-stricken persons. Therefore, I am your protector. Go back and worship your Lord in your town.'"

So Ibn al-Daghina and Abu Bakr both returned, and Ibn al-Daghina announced, "O people of Makkah, would you accept it if I offered my protection to Abu Bakr?" And as the chieftain of a neighboring tribe who was engaged in frequent trade, Ibn al-Daghina's offer was accepted by the Quraysh. However, they imposed one condition: Abu Bakr was not allowed to pray publicly.

Then a thought occurred to Abu Bakr to build a 'mosque' in front of his house, and there he used to pray and recite the Quran. (Therefore, Abu Bakr was the first person to build a 'masjid.' However, it is worth noting that he did not actually build a masjid structure — instead, he extended his house and designated a room as his place of worship. And he would pray out loud in this extension — because the condition was that he cannot pray publicly, but this is his own house. So he took advantage of the loophole and prayed out loud in this area.) And Abu Bakr's recitation was beautiful — the women and children would gather around listening to his recitation. As narrated by Aisha RA, he would cry a lot while reciting the Quran, and that would draw people to his house whenever he prayed.

Although he technically prayed in his own house as per the agreed condition, the impact of his recitation became so profound that the Quraysh felt compelled to send a messenger to Ibn al-Daghina. And when Ibn al-Daghina came to Makkah, they said, "We accepted your protection of Abu Bakr on condition that he should worship his Lord in his house, but he has violated the conditions and he has built a mosque in front of his house where he prays and recites the Quran publicly. We are afraid that he may affect our women and children unfavorably. So, prevent him from that. If he likes to confine the worship of his Lord in his house, he may do so, but if he insists on doing that openly, ask him to release you from your obligation to protect him, for we dislike to break our pact with you, but we deny Abu Bakr the right to announce his act publicly." So Ibn al-Daghina said to Abu Bakr, "O Abu Bakr! You know well what contract I have made on your behalf; now, you are either to abide by it, or else release me from my obligation of protecting you, because I do not want the Arabs to hear that my people have dishonored a contract I have made on behalf of another man." Abu Bakr RA said, "I release you from your pact to protect me and I am pleased with the protection from Allah."

______________

Coming Back to Makkah

As we said, between 14-17 people emigrated to Abyssinia; the strongest opinion is 12 men and 5 women. And after 'the incident of the satanic verses' they decided to come back. As they were coming back, they eagerly asked, "Have they (the pagans of Makkah) accepted (Islam)? Have they accepted?" But the first caravan they came across told them, "No, you have heard false. They were as they were." And this jolted them, so much so that some of them said, "Let's just go back to Abyssinia"—even though they were just a doorstep away from Makkah. Debate occurred, until eventually, their emotional state prevailed and said, "We are so close — let us just go in."

Now, we need to understand that when they left Makkah, they had basically 'canceled their passports' and renegaded from their tribes. So now, as they return, each one of them has to find new protection:

______________

Uthman ibn Maz'un

Uthman ibn Maz'un (famous sahabi) reached out to al-Walid ibn al-Mughira because he had a friendship with him. And he agreed to give him protection. So they publicly announced, "I have given my protection to Uthman ibn Maz'un." Recall al-Walid ibn al-Mughira was one of the most powerful men in Makkah [see episode 13]. So not a hair on Uthman's head was touched. But — Ibn Ishaq said: When Uthman saw his Muslim brothers being persecuted, his guilt got the better of him and said, "How come they are suffering and I am in safety?" So he went to al-Walid and said, "Please take your protection back. I cannot bear to see my fellow brothers suffer while I have this freedom." Subhan'Allah. Even though Islamically speaking, there is nothing wrong about him having his freedom. But he voluntarily returned his protection because of his strong conscience. So al-Walid announced, "Uthman has asked his protection be returned."

Uthman comes walking back and he passes by Labid ibn Rabi'ah (لبيد بن ربيعة), a very famous poet who was visiting Makkah at the time. Labid, who was not yet a Muslim, was reciting poetry: "Verily, everything other than Allah is useless." (Side note: The Prophet PBUH later says this was the most truthful statement any poet ever said.) When he recites this line, Uthman remarked, "Sadaqta (صدقت) — you have spoken the truth." And then Labid said, "Every blessing, without any doubt, will disappear." And Uthman did not agree with this, so he said, "Kadhabta (كذبت) — you have just lied — Jannah will never disappear, the pleasures of Jannah will never come to an end." Imagine the guest of honor is reciting poetry, the entire Quraysh were standing around him, and he is interrupted by Uthman. At this, Labid gets irritated and said, "Since when have you treated your guests in this manner?" (Labid of course doesn't know the political climate in Makkah — the tension between the pagans and the Muslims. So he considered Uthman a heckler.) And someone in the crowd ended up punching Uthman, giving him a black eye — his left eye became completely swollen. When al-Walid, who had offered protection to Uthman, heard about the incident, he approached him and said, "My nephew, why have you taken back the protection? Come back and I will give the protection back to you." Uthman responded, "No, this is not a problem at all. Verily, my other eye is now in need of the blessings that my left eye has gotten."

______________

Abu Salama

Abu Salama, who was the husband of Ummi Salama, the future wife of the Prophet PBUH, kept the protection. (Note: Abu Salama is a cousin of the Prophet PBUH from his mother's side, and was a Makhzumi, the tribe of Abu Jahal. His mother is Abdullah's sister, i.e., the Prophet's PBUH father's sister.) So he reached out to Abu Talib, his mother's brother. (And obviously, he didn't reach out to Abu Jahal because there is no way Abu Jahal would give anyone protection.) And Abu Talib said, "Of course, I will protect you." But when Abu Jahal found out about this, he got angry and sent people to Abu Talib, who in response said, "If I am going to give protection to one nephew (the Prophet PBUH), why can I not give protection to the other nephew (Abu Salama)?" And an argument broke out. But Allah brought about a solution from a source we would never expect, which was through Abu Lahab. Abu Lahab felt compassion for his brother Abu Talib, so he stood up and said to Abu Jahal, "Have you not irritated this old man (Abu Talib) enough? Let him be. For by Allah, if you are going to continue, I will have to force my side and I will choose him." So Abu Lahab defended against Abu Jahal. Here he is speaking as a tribesman and defending Abu Talib out of love for his brother. But note, even though his stance ended up benefiting Islam in this case, this type of love is not going to help one from the punishment of Hell, as it is not done out of religious love for the Prophet PBUH. And indeed, Allah helps Islam through whomever He chooses. The Prophet PBUH said in Madinah many years later:

إن الله ليؤيد هذا الدين بالرجل الكافر

أو في بخاري ومسلم : بالرجل الفاجر

"Verily, Allah supports this religion [even] with a disbelieving man." Or in Bukhari and Muslim: "...[even] with an evil man."

______________

The Second Emigration to Abyssinia

So the situation in Makkah remained status quo, and the Quraysh continued to torture and persecute the Muslims. In the meantime, news spread amongst the Muslims about how good Abyssinia was in terms of freedom. They had food and safety in Abyssinia and that was enough. When the Muslims heard this, 40% if not 50% of them got together and said let us go to Abyssinia. And that is a huge number. So it is as if the wisdom why Allah allowed the first batch to return was so that the bulk of the Muslims also go to Abyssinia to safety. Indeed, there was no other way so many Muslims would have emigrated. No way they would leave their entire livelihood and homes. So for the second emigration, more than 80 Muslims emigrated, headed by Ja'far ibn Abi Talib, the direct cousin of the Prophet PBUH.

Note: Uthman ibn Affan decided to remain in Makkah and he migrated to Madinah later on. And Mus'ab ibn Umayr, the first person to emigrate to Madinah within 3 years, the one whose own parents tortured him so much, also did not return to Abyssinia, even though he went the first time.

______________

Quraysh's Attempt to Bribe Najashi

Note at this time, Makkah only had around a few hundred people in it. Certainly not more than 800 people. And out of that, 80 are migrating — more than 10% of your population. So it was a huge embarrassment for the Quraysh, the custodians of the Haram, that your own people are leaving. So when the Muslims migrated, the Quraysh decided, "We cannot allow this emigration," and they sent two delegates, Amr ibn al-As and another person, to Abyssinia, to appeal directly to the Najashi, the leader of Abyssinia. (Side note: Scholars have differed on who the second person was. Some say it was Abdullah ibn Abi Rabi'ah [عبد الله بن أبي ربيعة]; others say Umara ibn al-Walid [عمارة بن الوليد].)

The name of the Najashi was As'huma [or As'hama] ibn Abjar^[3] (أصحمة بن أبجر).

(Side note: His grave is still well known to this day.)

Ummi Salama has left us many reports about life in Abyssinia. She narrates, "When we landed in Abyssinia, we were treated very hospitably. The Negus granted us security and freedom; in fact, we did not even hear one ridicule against us by the people. But then the Quraysh heard of our status, so they then plotted against us and sent two strong men (strong men who would do their job). And they loaded them with many gifts (e.g., camel leather). When the two dignitaries arrived, the first thing they did was that they went to all the ministers of the Najashi and gave each of them expensive gifts and leather, and said, 'We have in your midst a group of rebels, and we want to take them back, and we want you to support us in this cause. When we give the Negus his gifts, remember our gifts to you.'" (So this is open bribery. Look at the hatred of the Quraysh — they can't even bear to see the Muslims live in a foreign land.) Ummi Salama: "The next day, they speak to the Negus and said to him, 'Some foolish youths from amongst our nation are in your country, and they have invented a new religion. They have left ours and neither embraced yours. And the leaders of us have sent us to you so you can hand these young foolish people back to us.' And they presented the Negus with lots of fine gifts."

It is worth mentioning here that, Subhan'Allah, our religion is so perfect — even before all of the modern systems came about, the Prophet PBUH strictly forbade what we now call lobbying. You are not allowed to give a public servant money. In an Islamic state, we are not allowed to give the employees of the state any money at all. Their money comes from the treasury / from the state — because they are employees. They have no right to get any money from you, because that is going to sway them from their job. That is basically the essence of bribery. And subhan'Allah, in certain lands in our times, they call it lobbying and consider it legit. The irony is, if you pay them money directly into their pocket, they will know it is bribery; but if you pay to their campaign or if you pay something else, they call it lobbying. And they just have their way around it. But we know the famous hadith wherein the Prophet PBUH forbade this. One day, the Prophet PBUH appointed somebody to go collect zakat. And when the zakat collector came back, he said, "All of this is for you (ya Rasulullah), and as for this, I was given a gift of something small." At this, the Prophet PBUH became so enraged he stood up and called the people and gave them khutbah, "What is wrong with some of you? We appoint him to do a job and we pay his salary, but then he comes back and says, 'This is for you, and this gift is for me.' Why didn't this man sit in his mother's house and see if a gift would then come to him?"

So the Quraysh tried to bribe the Najashi. They are frightening the Najashi by religious, social, and political differences. They say they were 'a bunch of youngsters' that have 'broken away from our religion nor embrace yours.' And political as well: 'these are a group of strangers, we don't know what's gonna happen. But we can control them, so send them back to us'—and as we know, every government in power is scared of 'unknowns.'

So the viziers stood up and said, "O our ruler, what they have said makes sense. Return them back to their people, and let them deal with their affairs"—they all cunningly agreed with the two Qureshi as had been orchestrated. But the Najashi said, "No, by God, I cannot hand them back after they have chosen my land." (Side note: Even though the books of seerah don't explicitly mention this, we can assume that when the Muslims entered Abyssinia, they must have sent a petition to the Najashi asking permission to live — because there is no other way you can live in that land. And the Najashi must have granted that petition.) So he said, "They have chosen me over all the other lands they could have chosen, and asked for my protection. The least that I can do is to listen to their side of the story." Subhan'Allah, he truly was a just king. "I won't return them back until I listen to them." This shows us how sensible and full of common sense the Negus was. And this also shows when Allah is on your side, Allah will plot and plan no matter what the others plot and plan [see Quran, 3:54]. So the Najashi sent a messenger to summon the Muslims to the palace, requesting an explanation for their migration and the opposition they faced from their own people. Though the Muslims were apprehensive, Ja'far ibn Abi Talib reassured them, saying, "We will speak the truth and only say what our Prophet PBUH told us to say." And they arrived at the palace and found the Negus surrounded by his viziers and patriarchs — it was an official meeting. You have Amr ibn al-As and his companion on one side, and Ja'far and the delegations of the Muslims on the other side. Amr ibn al-As and his companion entered first, and they prostrated in front of the Najashi. Ja'far entered, and he walked in erect, firm, and did not lower his head one inch. (Subhan'Allah, this was at a time when their future in Abyssinia was hanging in the balance. But theology was not an issue of compromise even though they were coming at a state of weakness.) The minister said, "How dare you walk in without prostrating to the Najashi." Ja'far said, "Our Prophet PBUH has told us we can only prostrate to our Lord." The Najashi said, "Tell me, what is this new religion? And why have you forsaken the religion of your people, and you have not embraced Christianity nor have you embraced the other religions on earth?" This is when Ja'far gave that response which is the pinnacle of eloquence:

"Your Highness, we used to be a nation steeped in Jahiliyyah,

and we would worship idols,

and we would eat dead meat,

and we would perform fahisha (فاحشة - obscenity/immorality),

and we would break the ties of kinship,

and treat our neighbors in contempt,

the strong amongst us would eat up and devour the weak,

and we remained in this state until Allah SWT sent a Messenger to us.

This Messenger was known to us — he is from our community,

we know his house and his lineage,

and we know his truthfulness and he never spoke one lie in his life.

And he invited us to believe in One God alone,

and to leave idol worship,

and he told us to abandon the ways of our forefathers,

and to leave the worship of stones and statues,

and he commanded us to be true when we speak,

and to fulfill our promises,

and to fulfill the ties of kinship,

he told us to be good to our neighbors,

and he commanded us to avoid all evils,

he told us to not spill blood,

to give true testimony,

he forbade us from eating the property of orphans,

he forbade us from accusing others of adultery,

and he commanded us to worship Allah alone without associating anything with him,

he told us to pray,

and to fast,

and to give charity.

So we believed in him,

and we followed him,

and we had faith in him,

and we worshiped Allah alone,

and we gave up worshiping idols,

and we forbade upon ourselves everything that he forbade upon us,

and we made permissible all that he allowed for us.

But our people opposed us,

and they showed hatred towards us,

and they tortured us,

and they punished us,

and they tried to force us back into idol worship,

and they were unjust to us and they made life miserable,

and they prevented us from being who we were.

So when they did this, we emigrated to your land,

and we chose you above all other rulers,

and we wish to come under your generosity and hospitality,

and we put our trust in you,

that we would not be shown injustice in your land, O Exalted Highness."

Subhan'Allah, it was such a powerful speech. Ja'far instantly puts the Muslims in the positive, and the two delegates sent by the Quraysh in the negative. He explains how they had no laws or ethics before Islam — and recall, Abyssinia was a civilized nation, so they understood this well. And this speech of Ja'far also shows he understood the Negus since the Negus knows what a prophet is.

The Najashi then asked the Muslims, "Do you have any revelation that this Prophet says he has?" Ja'far said, "Yes, I do," and he recited the beginning few pages of Surah Maryam; he chose the one surah that talks about the virgin birth, Mary, and Jesus AS. And can you imagine the voice of Ja'far booming in the halls of Najashi, reciting Quran in that beautiful, melodious voice? All the elite people are hushed and humbled, and the walls of the palace are reverberating with that recitation that must have gone on for at least 15 minutes. He recited all of the story of Jesus AS in Surah Maryam. And even the patriarchs, without understanding Arabic, were moved to tears. And when it was translated to the Najashi, he too began to cry, and said, "I swear by God, this recitation, and the messages of Moses and Jesus, have sprung forth from the same fountain." And he said to Amr ibn al-As and his companion, "Go away from me. I will never hand these people over to you, nor will I entertain the thought for even a moment."

So Amr ibn al-As and his companion exited in humiliation. And as they were leaving, Amr said to his companion, "Don't give up yet. I have one final trick. I will come back tomorrow."

______________

Amr ibn al-As's Second Attempt

As they were leaving, Amr said to his companion, "Don't give up yet. I have one final trick. I will come back tomorrow." To which, his companion replied, "Leave it, ya Amr. In the end, they are our relatives."

But this is Amr ibn al-As — so he went the next day and told the Negus, "O Holy Emperor, we forgot to mention to you one thing, that they say something blasphemous about your God, Jesus." And so the Najashi told the Muslims again to come immediately to the palace. At this, the sahaba were struck with immense terror, and they knew this was Amr's doing. And once again, Ja'far said, "We will say what the Prophet PBUH told us to say. We will not change that Jesus is the servant, Messenger, and Kalimah (كلمة - Word) of Allah, born of the Virgin Mary."

(Before we proceed; the most important lesson we learn from this whole story is that the sahaba used the system of the time to fight the oppression of the time. — It was not an Islamic state, and they were being 'charged' in a manner of the system of the Najashi. So we see Ja'far ibn Abi Talib using the system of the land to fight for his freedom. And we don't find the Muslims saying, "Hold on a sec the ways of the Najashi are the ways of kufr," etc. No. Ja'far had no qualms using the system. So we in our times too should do the same — fight against oppression through the courts, media, public pressure, and other available means. We have the same opportunities as others, and we should make use of them.)

And thus, Ja'far and the Muslims went back to the Najashi. The Najashi appeared somewhat irritated; he asked them, "What is this that I have heard that you have a blasphemous opinion about Jesus Christ?" Ja'far said, "Your Royal Highness, we say exactly what our Prophet PBUH has told us — that Jesus was the slave, Messenger, and Kalimah of Allah. His mother Maryam was a virgin." (Notice Ja'far didn't go on the offensive and say, 'Trinity is blasphemous; the concept of the son of God is insulting,' etc., even though that is what the Quran says. And even in this, there is wisdom. — Ja'far is not hiding the Truth, but he is telling it in a wise manner. As Muslims, we are not allowed to lie — but we must also consider how we speak, who our audience is, and the method and language we use. And Ja'far exemplifies this by choosing his words carefully and appropriately.)

And the Najashi comprehended the message conveyed by the Muslims, realizing that they did not consider Jesus to be the son of God. And interpreting the subtext, we learn that in fact, the Negus himself did not adhere to the belief in the Trinity. He did not believe that Jesus was a son of God. And in this, he resembled Heraclius, the Emperor of Rome — both of these political leaders were highly educated and intelligent, and they held versions of Christianity that their own priests did not believe in. Hence, when Ja'far spoke the Truth, the Najashi was even more impressed, as it aligned with his own beliefs. So he picked up a little branch/twig in front of him and said, "By God, what you have just said does not exceed what Jesus Christ said by this much of a branch," i.e., "Your message is the message of Jesus Christ — he never said he was a son of God." The Najashi then makes a final decision and turns to Amr ibn al-As and his companion, and says, "Begone from here. And take all of your gifts back with you — I have no need for them"—the day before, at least the gifts were accepted; but now, to add insult to injury, they were all returned.

And Ummi Salama concluded by saying, "They both left humiliated, debased, and degraded. And we remained in the land receiving the best hospitality and the most neighborly treatment, until we finally returned to the Prophet PBUH [in 7 AH]."

______________

Najashi's Own Political Struggle

When the Najashi made his statement while holding the twig, rumors began to circulate that he had deviated from their religion and become a heretic. Some individuals privately spoke against him, attempting to tarnish his reputation by claiming that he had unorthodox beliefs and was not truly committed to Christianity. And the situation escalated to the point where there was a possibility of a coup d'état.

The Najashi was aware of this brewing discontent, as his sympathizers informed him. So one day, he decided to confront this batch of instigators: He wrote a declaration on parchment in his native language, stating, "I bear witness that there is only one God, and that Jesus is the prophet, slave, and Word of God." And he concealed the parchment within his robe. Then, he summoned the instigators to his private chambers and directly addressed their grievances: "What is your problem? Have I not been a good king to you?" "Yes." "Have I not been a just ruler to you?" "Yes." "Have I not improved the situation (economically, etc.)?" "Yes." "What is your problem with me? Come out with it." "You have abandoned our religion and you have heretical beliefs." So the Najashi asked them, "What do you believe?" They said, "We believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, our Lord, our Savior, and the third of the Trinity." The Najashi said, "I swear by God, THIS..."—and he pointed at his chest where the parchment lay—"...THIS is exactly what I believe."

This strategic response by the Najashi, known as a tawriya (تورية - double meaning), created the impression that he shared their beliefs, while in reality, he referred to the parchment. And this defused the internal struggle and satisfied the instigators, as they perceived the Najashi to be aligned with their beliefs.

It is worth mentioning that prior to this meeting, the Najashi had discreetly sent a secret messenger to the Muslims, expressing his concerns about potential threats to his life. He informed them that he had prepared a ship for their escape, with a captain ready to assist them in case of his demise. However, as the Najashi emerged victorious in the power struggle, this plan never came to fruition.

______________

Najashi's Islam (Later in the Seerah)

Al-Bayhaqi narrated in Dala'il al-Nubuwwah that the Prophet PBUH eventually wrote the Najashi a letter^[4] after the Hijrah to Madinah, and the Najashi wrote back and said, "I am a Muslim — I believe in you and all that you say. And if you command me, O Prophet of God, I will come to Madinah and serve you." Subhan'Allah.

______________

Civil War in the Land of Najashi

One more story we know about the Muslims' life in Abyssinia is a story that involves a pretender to the throne. Not an internal struggle within the palace; but another force, another Abyssinian royal family, was struggling with the Najashi and tried to seek power in the land. And matters began to get bigger and bigger, heading towards a civil war. And Ummi Salama narrates, "We began to be scared that the Najashi would be defeated and somebody else would be installed in his place. And we didn't know what to do. And we began making du'a to Allah SWT to help the Najashi win and remain in power. And the situation eventually escalated to the point of a full-fledged civil war. So we had a meeting in which we said, 'What shall we do? Who will venture to the battlefield to witness the outcome, so that we can leave if needed?'" And Zubayr ibn al-Awwam volunteered. The battle took place on the banks of the Nile, so Zubayr camped on the bank and waited to see. And Ummi Salama said, "In the meantime, we prayed to Allah the most serious prayer, 'O Allah, allow the Najashi to remain in power, and give him authority and dominion over the land.'" When Zubayr returned after a few days, he joyfully declared, "Rejoice! Indeed, the Najashi has emerged victorious!'"

There is yet another important lesson we can learn from this: The conflict between Najashi and his contemporary was not centered around Islam; it was purely a political struggle — and yet, the Muslims emotionally aligned themselves with one party over the other (even though they couldn't directly intervene due to their non-citizen status in Abyssinia). Thus, extrapolating this lesson to our present time: There is nothing wrong when there is two parties in the land, one of whom is more sympathetic to Muslims, that you want that sympathetic party to win over the other. If the Abyssinian Muslims had been in a position to assist the Najashi, do you think they would have hesitated to support him? Certainly not. Their choice was a matter of survival. Hence, this illustrates that it is indeed Islamic to align oneself with a particular party and work within the available means.

______________

Najashi's Death [Occurring Later in the Seerah — 9 AH]

The Najashi died a number of years later, and the Prophet PBUH said, "Jibril has come and informed me that a pious brother of yours has died in a neighboring land." And he commanded the sahaba to come and pray the one and only prayer that was ever prayed in the lifetime of the Prophet PBUH: the Salat al-Janazah ala al-Gha'ib (صلاة الجنازة على الغائب - Salat al-Janazah Without the Body), or Salat al-Gha'ib (صلاة الغائب). Never before or after this one prayer the Prophet PBUH prayed over somebody without a body being present. The question arises therefore, why did he only pray this salah for the Najashi? There are many opinions on this and many different views. But in Sh. Yasir Qadhi's opinion, the Prophet PBUH did this because nobody in Abyssinia prayed Salat al-Janazah over the Najashi who was a secret Muslim. [Further reading: The Funeral Prayer in Absentia by Sh. Yasir Qadhi.]

[Transcribed by Br. Safwan Khan & Faizan]
safwan-khan@hotmail.com
[Re-revised by Br. Syed Haq & MAR, June 2023]