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11. REFUGEES In order to avoid the persecution of the Quraysh idolaters in Makkah the Prophet ordered in the early period of Islam his followers to emigrate to a safe place: in Ethiopia and then in Madinah. There were three kinds of people in response to this order to emigrate: (a) those Muslims who obeyed this order and emigrated to Madinah; (b) those Muslims who preferred to stay in Makkah for worldly reason, pretending not to be Muslims to avoid their persecution; (c) children and those who were sick and old, and were unable to emigrate, such as ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbās and his mother. When the Battle of Badr took place in the 2nd year of Hijrah those who preferred to stay in Makkah were forced to join the Quraysh army, or they would disclose their belief in Islam, and be persecuted. Ibn ‘Abbās said that some people among the Quraysh army who were secretly Muslims were hit in the battlefield. Their fellow Muslims in the Muslim army recognized them and prayed to Allah that they might be forgiven for joining the disbelievers in the battlefield. The Allah revealed the following verses: َّ َّإِنََّّالذِينََّّتوفا ُه َُّمَّ ْالمَلئِك َُّةَّظالِمِيَّأ ْنفُسِ ِه َّْمَّقالُواَّفِيمََّّ ُك ْن ُت َّْمَّقالُواَّ ُكنا َّ َّّللاَّواسِ عةََّّف ُتها ِجرُوا َِّ َّض َُّ ْنَّأر َّْ ضَّقالُواَّأل َّْمَّت ُك َّ ِ ْمُسْ تضْ عفِينََّّفِيَّ ْاْلر َّ َََّّّإِّلََّّ ْالمُسْ تضْ عفِينََّّمِن.تَّمصِ يرا َّْ فِيهاَّفأُولئِكََّّمأْوا ُه َّْمَّجهن َُّمَّوساء َّ ََّّانَّّلََّّيسْ تطِ يعُونََّّحِيلةََّّوّلََّّيهْت ُدون َِّ الَّوال ِّنسا َِّءَّو ْال ِو ْلد َِّ الرِّ ج ُ َّ َُّ ّللا َّ ََّّنَّيعْ فُوََّّع ْن ُه َّْمَّوكان َّْ ّللاَُّأ َّ ََّّفأولئِكََّّعسى.َّس ِبيَل َّ )77-79:عفُواَّغفُوراَّ(النساء Verily, as for those whom angels take (in death) while they are wronging themselves (as they stayed among the disbelievers even though emigration was obligatory for them), they (angels) say (to them): “In what (condition) were you?” They reply: “We were weak and oppressed on the earth.” They (angels) say: “Was not the earth of Allah spacious enough for you to emigrate therein?” Such men will find their Abode in Hell—