Return of the Abyssinian emigrants with Ja'far ibn Abi Talib
قدوم مهاجري الحبشة مع جعفر بن أبي طالب
c. 628 CE · c. 7 AH
After Hudaybiyya, the Prophet sent Amr ibn Umayya al-Damri to the Negus, who transported the remaining Muslim emigrants in two ships to the Prophet at Khaybar after the conquest. The Prophet received Ja'far with a kiss between the eyes, saying 'I do not know which gives me greater joy — the opening of Khaybar or the arrival of Ja'far.' Sixteen men came on the two ships; thirty-four others came later or died in Abyssinia; sixteen women emigrated in all, counting those who came back and those who died there, apart from daughters born there.
At a glance
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Arabia · East Africa & Swahili coast
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
In time
In space
Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph
Refugees, migrants and diaspora
Summary
In Ibn Hisham's recension, Ibn Ishaq presents the coming of the Abyssinian emigrants to the Prophet at Khaybar after al-Hudaybiyya, then lists their names clan by clan. 1
This page is the canonical entry for the event; the earlier duplicate page "the return from Abyssinia" was merged into it, and its id event/return-from-abyssinia became an alias. 2
The coming
The Prophet sent Amr ibn Umayya al-Damri to the Negus; the Negus carried those who remained in two ships and brought them to the Prophet while he was at Khaybar after al-Hudaybiyya. 1
Ja'far ibn Abi Talib arrived, and with him his wife Asma' bint Umays and his son Abdullah, whom she had borne in the land of Abyssinia; Ja'far was killed at Mu'ta as the Messenger of God's commander. 1
Under this heading it is reported that the Prophet kissed Ja'far between the eyes and embraced him on his coming. 1 See Ja'far's arrival at the Prophet at Khaybar.
The groups
- Those carried in the two ships, sixteen men, detailed in the Negus carrying the emigrants in two ships. 3
- The rest of the Abyssinian emigrants, thirty-four men, not carried in the two ships: they came after Badr, or later, or died there. 4
- The women emigrants, sixteen women, and those born there, five men and five women. 5
The full list is in the Abyssinian emigrants roster, and the term in the emigrants of Abyssinia.
The list by clans
The names as Ibn Ishaq lists them; their detail on each clan's and each person's page:
- Banu Hashim: Abdullah ibn Ja'far, Ja'far ibn Abi Talib, Asma' bint Umays, Ruqayya bint Rasul Allah
- Banu Abd Shams: Khalid ibn Sa'id ibn al-As, Aban ibn Sa'id ibn al-As, Sa'id ibn al-As Abu Uhayha, Amr ibn Sa'id ibn al-As, Mu'ayqib ibn Abi Fatima, Muhammad ibn Abi Hudhayfa, Sa'id ibn Khalid ibn Sa'id, Ama bint Khalid ibn Sa'id, Abu Musa al-Ash'ari
- Banu Umayya ibn Abd Shams: Habiba bint Ubaydullah, Umm Habiba bint Abi Sufyan
- Banu Asad ibn Abd al-Uzza: al-Aswad ibn Nawfal, Yazid ibn Zam'a, Amr ibn Umayya, Yazid ibn Zam'a
- Banu Abd al-Dar: Jahm ibn Qays, Amr ibn Jahm, Khuzayma ibn Jahm, Umm Harmala bint Abd al-Aswad, Abu al-Rum ibn Umayr, Firas ibn al-Nadr
- Banu Zuhra: Amir ibn al-Waqqas, Utba ibn Mas'ud, al-Muttalib ibn Azhar, Abdullah ibn al-Muttalib ibn Azhar
- Banu Taym ibn Murra: al-Harith ibn Khalid ibn Sakhr, Rayta bint al-Harith ibn Jubayla, Amr ibn Uthman, Musa ibn al-Harith ibn Khalid, A'isha bint al-Harith ibn Khalid, Zaynab bint al-Harith ibn Khalid, Fatima bint al-Harith ibn Khalid
- Banu Makhzum: Habbar ibn Sufyan, Abdullah ibn Sufyan al-Makhzumi, Hisham ibn Abi Hudhayfa, Zaynab bint Abi Salama, Umm Salama bint Abi Umayya
- Banu Jumah: Uthman ibn Rabi'a, Hatib ibn al-Harith, Muhammad ibn Hatib, al-Harith ibn Hatib, Hattab ibn al-Harith, Fukayha bint Yasar, Sufyan ibn Ma'mar, Junada ibn Sufyan, Jabir ibn Sufyan
- Banu Sahm: Ramla bint Abi Awf, Mahmiyya ibn al-Jaz', Abdullah ibn al-Harith the poet, Qays ibn Hudhafa, Abu Qays ibn al-Harith, Abdullah ibn Hudhafa al-Sahmi, al-Harith ibn al-Harith al-Sahmi, Ma'mar ibn al-Harith al-Sahmi, Bishr ibn al-Harith al-Sahmi, Sa'id ibn al-Harith al-Sahmi, al-Sa'ib ibn al-Harith, Umayr ibn Ri'ab
- Banu Adi ibn Ka'b: Ma'mar ibn Abdullah ibn Nadla, Urwa ibn Abd al-Uzza, Adi ibn Nadla, al-Nu'man ibn Adi, Layla bint Abi Hathma
- Banu Amir ibn Lu'ayy: Fatima bint al-Mujallal, Abu Hatib ibn Amr, Malik ibn Rabi'a, Amra bint al-Sa'di, Salit ibn Amr, Sahla bint Suhayl, Umm Kulthum bint Suhayl, Sawda bint Zam'a
- Banu al-Harith ibn Fihr: al-Harith ibn Abd Qays, Uthman ibn Abd Ghanm, Sa'd ibn Abd Qays, Iyad ibn Zuhayr
Markers of weakness and doubt in the chapter
These markers as they appear in the book, all recorded:
- "Ibn Hisham said" prefaces the report of Ja'far's coming, from Sufyan ibn Uyayna from al-Ajlah from al-Sha'bi. 1
- "It is said: Humayna bint Khalaf" for the name of Khalid ibn Sa'id ibn al-As's wife — she is, in his account, Amina bint Khalaf. 6
- "So it was said: if any man was the first to inherit his father in Islam" — of Abdullah ibn al-Muttalib ibn Azhar. 7
- "It is doubted whether he was killed there or not" — of Abdullah ibn Sufyan al-Makhzumi. 7
- "It is said: he was killed on the day of Khaybar — it is doubted" — of al-Sa'ib ibn al-Harith al-Sahmi. 8
- An apparent contradiction on where Rayta bint al-Harith died: in the land of Abyssinia on p. 5, and on the road on p. 11. 9
Connections
- Had participant
- Abdullah ibn al-Harith the PoetAbdullah ibn al-Muttalib ibn AzharAbdullah ibn Hudhafa al-SahmiAbdullah ibn Ja'farAbdullah ibn Sufyan al-MakhzumiAbu al-Rum ibn UmayrAbu Hatib ibn AmrAbu Musa al-AshariAbu Qays ibn al-HarithAdi ibn NadlaA'isha bint al-Harith ibn KhalidAl-Aswad ibn NawfalAl-Harith ibn Abd QaysAl-Harith ibn al-Harith al-SahmiAl-Harith ibn HatibAl-Harith ibn Khalid ibn SakhrAl-Muttalib ibn AzharAl-Nu'man ibn AdiAl-Sa'ib ibn al-HarithAma bint Khalid ibn Sa'idAmir ibn al-WaqqasAmina bint KhalfAmr ibn JahmAmr ibn Sa'id ibn al-AsAmr ibn UmayyaAmr ibn UthmanUmra bint al-Sa'diBaraka bint YasarBishr ibn al-Harith al-SahmiFatima bint al-Harith ibn KhalidFatima bint al-MujallalFatima bint SafwanFiras ibn al-NadrFukayha bint YasarHabbar ibn SufyanHabiba bint UbaydullahHasana, Umm ShurahbilHatib ibn al-HarithHattab ibn al-HarithHisham ibn Abi HudhayfaIyad ibn ZuhayrJabir ibn SufyanJahm ibn QaysJunada ibn SufyanKhalid ibn Sa'id ibn al-AsKhuzayma ibn JahmLayla bint Abi HathmaMahmiyya ibn al-Jazu'Malik ibn Rabi'aMa'mar ibn Abdullah ibn NadlaMa'mar ibn al-Harith al-SahmiMu'ayqib ibn Abi FatimaMuhammad ibn Abi HudhayfaMuhammad ibn HatibMusa ibn al-Harith ibn KhalidQays ibn Abdullah al-AsadiQays ibn HudhafaRamla bint Abi AwfRayta bint al-Harith ibn JubaylaRuqayya bint MuhammadSahla bint SuhaylSa'd ibn Abd QaysSa'id ibn al-Harith al-SahmiSa'id ibn Amr al-TamimiSa'id ibn Khalid ibn Sa'idSalit ibn AmrSawda bint Zam'aShurahbil ibn HasanaSufyan ibn Ma'marUbaydullah ibn JahshUmayr ibn Ri'abUmm Habiba Ramlah bint Abi SufyanUmm Harmala bint Abd al-AswadUmm Kulthum bint SuhaylUmm Salama (Hind bint Abi Umayya)Urwa ibn Abd al-UzzaUtba ibn Mas'udUthman ibn Abd GhanmUthman ibn Rabi'aYazid ibn Zam'aZaynab bint Abi SalamaZaynab bint al-Harith ibn KhalidJa'far ibn Abi TalibMuhammadAsma' bint Umays
- Occurred at
- KhaybarAksum
- Part of
- The second migration to Abyssinia
- Has part
- The Negus carries the emigrants to the Prophet in two shipsJa'far ibn Abi Talib comes before the Prophet at Khaybar
- Mentions
- Ubaydullah ibn Jahsh becomes a Christian in AbyssiniaUmar dismisses al-Nu'man ibn Adi from MaysanThe emigrants to Abyssinia
People and things also explored
AksumBanu SahmBanu JumahMuhammadBanu Amir ibn Lu'ayyBanu Taym ibn MurraAl-Harith ibn Khalid ibn SakhrRayta bint al-Harith ibn Jubayla
Sources
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/3
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/3-11
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/3-5
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/10
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/10-12
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/3-4
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/7
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/8
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/5, 4/11
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Return of the Abyssinian emigrants with Ja'far ibn Abi Talib”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/return-of-abyssinian-emigrants/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.