Facing persecution by the Quraysh in Mecca, a group of Muhammad's followers crossed the Red Sea and sought protection in the Christian Kingdom of Aksum. The Aksumite ruler, traditionally identified as the Negus, refused demands that the refugees be returned. The migration became an early example of religious asylum in Islamic history.

Accounts of the refugees' appeal before the Negus became an important episode in Arabic sira and historical literature. The story also established exile, protection and dialogue between faiths as recurring subjects in Islamic preaching and devotional poetry.