Migration, Feelings of Belonging to a Land, and the Universality of Islam Zeki Saritoprak According to Islamic theology, human beings are natural immigrants and migra- tion is viewed positively in a variety of circumstances. Tere are many verses in the Qur’an praising those who migrate. Qur’an 2: 218 says, “Tose who believed and migrated and struggled in the way of God are those who are hopeful of the mercy of God. God is Forgiving and Merciful.” Another verse says, “Tose who have migrated…surely I will forgive their sins” (Qur’an, 3:195). A common ele- ment in these verses is the combining of faith and migration. One verse asks those who were persecuted yet did not migrate: “Wasn’t the land of God large enough that you could have migrated?” (Qur’an, 4:97). As part of the same narrative, the Qur’an actually encourages believers to migrate and states that those who chose to migrate when they are oppressed will fnd success: “Tose who are migrating in the way of God will fnd refuge and prosperity” (Qur’an, 4:100). Migration was an important aspect of the early development of Islam and some scholars argue that this is an important example of Islamic non-violence. From the beginning of the revelation of the Qur’an, the Prophet and his community faced persecution from the other residents of Mecca. In approximately 617 CE, the sixth year of his prophethood, about eighty-three members of Muhammad’s community, both male and female, under the leadership of the Prophet’s cousin Ja’far bin Abu Talib, lef the city of Mecca for Abyssinia. Tough the Prophet him- self remained in Mecca, he asked his cousin to lead this group of new converts because they came from marginalized social classes and thus faced severe per- secution. In addition to being the frst major Muslim migration, this is also one of the earliest encounters between Muslims and Christians and many important E. Aslan, M. Hermansen (eds.), Islam and Citizenship Education, Wiener Beiträge zur Islamforschung, DOI 10.1007/978-3-658-08603-9_2, © Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden 2015