SS-Which individuals were amid the first procession to Abyssinia
Which individuals were amid the first procession to Abyssinia? And how did this emigration, which was the means through which the Muslims could escape the tyranny and persecution that the polytheists afflicted upon them, take place?
5th year of the prophethood, the month of Rajab (A.D. 615).
The severity of the persecution, insults, and torturous acts the polytheists inflicted upon the Muslims continued to increase and worsen each day. As a result, Mecca became an unbearable city for the Muslims to live in. The torture and hardship that increased daily had eliminated the possibility for the Muslims to worship in a state of peace. The polytheists did not intend to forgo their cruel and inhumane behavior, either. For that reason, one day our Holy Prophet (PBUH) told the Muslims, “You might as well spread on the face of the Earth. Allah will bring you together once again.” When the companions asked, “O Allah’s Apostle, where shall we go?” Our Holy Prophet (PBUH) pointed in the direction of Abyssinia and said, “It will be good if you go to the country of Abyssinia. Nobody is tortured near the Abyssinian King. It is a righteous country. Hopefully Allah will allow you to attain peace there.”
Upon our Holy Prophet ‘s (PBUH) advice and permission, the Muslim procession that constituted ten men and five women left their homeland, parents, relatives, neighbors, properties, and gardens with the blessed aim of protecting their religion, and secretly set forth in the direction of a foreign country. The individuals who constituted the first Muslim procession to Abyssinia by way of the Red Sea and who were greeted very positively by the Ruler of Abyssinia were: Hazrat Uthman and his wife, Hazrat Ruqiyyah, Zubair bin Awwam, Abu Huzaifa bin Utba and his wife Sahla, Mus’ab bin Umair, Abdurrahman bin Awf, Abu Salama and his wife Ummi Salama, Uthman bin Mazun (the head of the procession), Amir bin Rabia and his wife Layla, Suhail bin Bayda, Abu Sabra bin Abi Ruhm and his wife Ummu Kulthum.1 Hazrat Uthman took his wife, Hazrat Ruqiyyah by his side and proceeded on the journey before everyone else. When our Holy Prophet (PBUH) was notified, he said, “The first person to follow Prophet Lut in taking his family and migrating in the way of Allah is Uthman.” 2
1. Ibn Hisham, Sirah, 1/344-345; Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat, 1/203-240; Tabari, Tarikh: 2/222
2. Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat, 1/203