—the polytheists of Mecca—when they came to them to mobilize against the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, and al-Hasan said: “Many of them,” meaning many of the hypocrites, take the Jews as allies. “How evil is that which their souls have sent ahead for them!” That is, how evil are the deeds they have sent forward for their return in the Hereafter. “Allah is displeased with them,” meaning, Allah is angry with them. “And they will remain in the punishment forever.”

“And had they believed in Allah, the Prophet”—Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace—“and what was sent down to him,” meaning the Quran, “they would not have taken them,” meaning the disbelievers, “as allies. But many of them are defiantly disobedient,” that is, they have departed from Allah’s command.

His saying, Exalted is He: “You will surely find the Jews and those who associate partners with Allah to be the most vehement of people in hostility toward those who believe”—meaning the Arab polytheists—“and you will surely find those who say, ‘We are Christians,’ to be the nearest of them in affection toward those who believe.” This does not refer to all Christians, for in their hostility toward Muslims they are like the Jews: they kill Muslims, take them captive, devastate their lands, destroy their mosques, and burn their copies of the Quran. They are entitled to neither loyalty nor honor. Rather, the verse concerns those among them who embraced Islam, such as the Negus and his companions. [It was also said: It was revealed concerning all the Jews and all the Christians, because the Jews are harder of heart, while the Christians are softer of heart than they are; and the Christians were less supportive of the polytheists than the Jews.] (1)

The scholars of Quranic exegesis said: Quraysh conspired to turn the believers away from their religion. Each clan then rose against those Muslims who belonged to it, harming and torturing them. Some yielded under persecution, while Allah protected whomever He willed among them. Allah Most High protected His Messenger through his uncle Abu Talib. When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saw what his Companions were suffering, and was unable to protect them—and had not yet been commanded to fight—he instructed them to depart for the land of Abyssinia. He said:

“Indeed, there is there a righteous king, under whom no one commits injustice and no one is wronged. Go to him until Allah grants the Muslims relief.”

He meant the Negus. His name was Ashamah, which in the Ethiopian language means “gift.” The Negus was merely the title of the king, just as Caesar and Khosrau were titles. Eleven men and four women secretly set out for him: Uthman ibn Affan and his wife Ruqayyah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace; al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam; Abd Allah ibn Masud; [Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf] (2); Abu Hudhayfah ibn Utbah and his wife Sahlah, daughter of Suhayl ibn Amr; Musab ibn Umayr; Abu Salamah ibn Abd al-Asad and his wife Umm Salamah, daughter of Abu Umayyah; Uthman ibn Mazun; and Amir ibn Rabi'ah and his wife