Christianity and Islam

was dominated by idolaters who, rejecting monotheism, set about persecuting the Prophet and his Companions. The Prophet, therefore, advised his followers to leave for Abyssinia (now known as Ethiopia), a justly ruled Christian kingdom, “until God leads us to a way out of our difficulty.” (As-Sirah by Ibn Hisham, Vol. 1, p. 322) About eighty Muslims then emigrated to Abyssinia, where they lived under the protection of the Negus, the Christian ruler of the land, until after the Prophet emigrated to Madinah. The Makkans, upset at this Muslim exodus, immediately sent a delegation to the Negus asking for the emigrants’ extradition to Makkah. However, the Negus refused to yield to their appeal until he had heard the refugees plead their case. This was ably done by Jafar ibn Abi Talib, who briefly described the teachings of Islam. At the request of the Negus, he recited certain Quranic revelations. When the patriarchs heard the first part of the chapter of the Quran entitled ‘Mary,’ confirming the message of the Evangel, they were pleasantly surprised and said: “These words must have sprung from the same fountainhead from which the words of our Lord Jesus Christ have sprung.” The Negus then said, “What you have just recited and that which was revealed to Moses must have both been issued from the same source. Go forth into my kingdom; I shall not extradite you at all.” (As-Sirah by Ibn Hisham, Vol. 1, p. 336) These examples help us understand the goodwill between many adherents of Islam and Christianity in early times. Reviving this goodwill can help build Christian-Muslim relations on positive lines today.