Adi ibn Nadlah: An early Muslim who migrated to Abyssinia and died there, leaving two children who later reached Madinah

At a glance

Companions

Dates: Died in Abyssinia (the year is not recorded firmly)
Who: One of the early Muslims who left Makkah for Abyssinia, and the father of Anisah and an-Numan, who sailed to Madinah on the Negus's boats after Khaybar
Stages: The Call in Makkah

ProfileAdi ibn Nadlah

Adi (may Allah be pleased with him) was the son of Nadlah, and one of the early Muslims. According to the early biographies, he left Makkah for Abyssinia in the years of persecution and died there, and he never saw the Prophet ﷺ in Madinah. He left two children, Anisah and an-Numan, who were his heirs. Those two are the part of the story that the books keep.

According to the early biographies, in 7 AH, after Khaybar, the Negus provided two boats for the Muslims who were still in Abyssinia, and Anisah and an-Numan sailed in them. Abu Musa al-Ash'ari told that his boat took them to the Negus in Ethiopia, where they met Ja'far ibn Abi Talib and stayed with him, and then they all came together and met the Prophet ﷺ at the time of the conquest of Khaybar. When some people said that they had migrated before the people of the boat, the Prophet ﷺ said that the people of the boat had two migrations (Sahih al-Bukhari). Adi did not live to make the second one, and his children did it without him.

WatchA lecture about Adi ibn Nadlah

Lecture Yaqeen Institute · Dr. Omar SuleimanAnisa, Al-Numan, and Amir (ra): On A Boat From Abysinnia

Opens on YouTubeAnisa, Al-Numan, and Amir (ra): On A Boat From Abysinnia, Yaqeen Institute · Dr. Omar Suleiman

Meet them inWhere they appear in the seerah

Migration to Abyssinia (615 CE) Read Khaybar Read When they lived, and where they died Explore

SourcesSources for this profile

The books, lectures and maps behind this page are listed on our Sources page.