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parties to make their statements before making a decision. The 
Muslim refugees were summoned to the King’s court. Then the 
King questioned them why they had entered an unknown religion 
that had caused them to abandon their families and tribes. Ja’far 
bin Abu Talib, the Prophet’s cousin, rose on behalf of the 
Muslims and said: “O King! We are a nation steeped in ignorance. 
We worshipped idols, ate carrion and committed many 
abominations. We neglected our kin and mistreated our 
neighbours. The strong among us devoured the weak. We lived 

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thus until Allah raised among us a messenger, of whose noble 
lineage, truthfulness, honesty and purity were all aware. 
“He invited us to acknowledge the Oneness of God, to 
worship Allah, and to renounce the stones and idols we and our 
forefathers used to venerate. He enjoined upon us to speak the 
truth, to keep our word, and to be kind and considerate to our 
relatives and neighbours. He forbade us to shed blood, to act 
wantonly, to lie and to deceive others. He forbade us to encroach 
upon the property of orphans or to vilify chaste women. 
“He commanded us to worship Allah alone without 
associating anything with Him. He ordered us to pray, to fast, and 
to pay the poor their due. We acknowledged he was Allah’s 
messenger and believed in him. We followed him in whatever he 
brought from Allah, and we worshipped only one God without 
associating anything with Him. We treated as unlawful what he 
forbade and embraced what he made lawful for us. At this, our 
people were estranged. They persecuted us, tried to seduce us 
from our faith and force us to return to idolatry, pressing us to 
return to the abominations we used to commit earlier. When they 
tortured us, ground us under their tyranny and stood between us 
and our religion, we fled to your country, choosing you above 
others for refuge. We have come here, O King, to your country 
seeking your protection. We hope that we shall not be dealt with 
unjustly.” 
The King listened patiently to Ja’far. The he asked Ja’far if he 
could recite something that had been revealed to Muhammad . 
Ja’far then recited the opening verses of Surah Maryam, named 
after Mary, the mother of Jesus. The King wept until tears flowed 
down to his beard, and the bishops were also overcome. 
“Truthfully, this and what Jesus brought are from the same divine 
light.” 

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Then turning to the envoys of the Quraysh, the King siad, 
“You may go. By God, I shall never give them to you, not will 
they be ill-treated.” 
The two envoys from the Quraysh now changed their tactics. 
The next day they returned to the King’s court and made another 
attempt to convince the King to expel the Muslims from his 
country. Amr tried to incite the King against the Muslims. “O 
King! They assert a dreadful thing about Jesus which is too 
shameful to be repeated before you.” 
The King again summoned the Muslims to his court and 
questioned them about their belief regarding jesus. 
Ja’far bin Abi Talib replied: “We say about him that which 
our Prophet has taught us. Jesus was a human being and 
Allah’s Prophet. He was a spirit and a word cast unto the blessed 
virgin Maryam.” 
The King took a straw from the ground and said: “By God, 
Jesus, the son of Mary, does not exceed what you have said by the 
length of this straw. Go and live in my territory in peace and 
security. Those who ill-treat you will be punished. I shall not give 
you any trouble even if I were offered a mountain of gold in 
exchange.” 
The King then ordered that all the gifts brought by the 
envoys from the Quraysh be returned. Having failed miserably, 
the two envoys left for Arabia in great shame.