THE HIJRA (MIGRATION) OF OUR BELOVED PROPHET (SAWS).
Whaen the Pophet made the Hijrah from Mecca to Medina, there were less than 90 people with him. Most gave up everything including their homes and possessions. The first one to make hijrah was Abu Salama ibn Abdul-Asad. He had made the first hijrah to Abyssinia but when he returned to Mecca, the Quraysh gave him an even harder time. He was about to go back to Abyssinia a second time but he heard that some of the people in Madinah (then called Yathrib) had become Muslim so he made the Hijrah to Madinah instead. But not before people from his wife’s tribe prevented her from accompanying him and people from his tribe, prevented his son from coming with him. He was so heartbroken that he cried about it every day, until finally they took pity on him and let him leave with his family.
He was the first of the Meccans to make hijrah to al-Madinah. The last persons to make hijra were the Prophet (SAWS), Abu Bakr, and Ali ibn Abi Taalib. Ali was the last. He stayed in Mecca for three days, tidying up business on behalf of Rasoolillaah (SAWS). However, when they made hijrah, there were still Muslims left in Mecca who were prevented from going for different reasons.
It took the Prophet (SAWS) eight days to go from Mecca to al-Madinah. He started from the house of our mother Khadijah (RA), his deceased wife, and the Quraysh put a bounty of 100 camels to whoever could capture the Prophet (SAWS) and Abu Bakr and bring them back to Mecca. They didn’t see him leave, but Abu Bakr was missing too, and they knew that wherever the Prophet was, Abu Bakr was with him.
The Prophet and Abu Bakr started off southward towards Yemen because they knew that the Meccans would be looking for them to the north, going towards Yathrib. They holed up in a cave on Jabal Thawr (Thawr mountain). Where
While Abu Bakr’s son Abdullah, and his daughter Asmaa, would bring them food and supplies at night. There were bounty hunters looking for them all over. 100 camels was a nice hunk of change. Finally a group of men, thought to check up on that mountain where there were caves. They got to within a few yards of Rasoolillaah. Abu Bakr was worried about the Prophet (SAWS), and the Prophet told him, “don’t worry, Allah is with us”. Yaa Allah…
Al-humdu lillaah, Allah be He Exalted and Merciful, protected our beloved using a spider. About this incident, Allah revealed the following verse: “If you do not aid the Prophet – Allah has already aided him when those who disbelieved had driven him out [of Makkah] as one of two, when they were in the cave and he said to his companion, “Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us.” And Allah sent down his tranquillity upon him and supported him with angels you did not see and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while the word of Allah – that is the highest. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise“. 9:40 at-Tauba. To this very day, I respect the spider ummah, and allow them to live in my houses because of the spider that protected Rasoolillaah.
When the people knew that the Prophet (SAWS) was coming, they use to go out everyday in the heat looking for him to be coming out of the desert. When he finally came, the people were singing to him. The name of the Prophet’s camel that carried him from Mecca to Medina, was Qaswa, she became his favorite camel. In sha Allah If I ever own a horse or a camel, I will name it Qaswa. One of the first things the our so beloved Prophet (SAWS) said to them was; “O people, spread the salaams, feed food (to people), pray while people are asleep (tahajjud) and you will enter paradise easily”.
There were some men who didn’t make Hijra because their wives and children didn’t want them to go. So when they would finally make Hijrah, some, years later and would see how much the people had learned from the Prophet (SAWS) and how much they missed (they didn’t have internet) they became angry and would take it out on their families. The following verse was revealed about that; “O you who have believed, indeed, among your wives and your children are enemies to you, so beware of them. But if you pardon and overlook and forgive – then indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” 64:14 at-Taghaabun.
The very last person to make hijrah (migration) from Mecca to al-Madinah was Prophet’s uncle Abbaas ibn Abdul-Muttalib. He left Mecca with his family in the eighth year of the hijra. On his way there, he ran into the Prophet (SAWS) and 10,000 Muslims about to march on what was to become the conquest of Mecca. So he got his family to safely to Madinah and raced back to the Prophet to participate in the conquest (Fat’h) of Mecca. Abbaas was in his sixties at this time, a time when many men would be sitting in their rocking chairs today. The men and women companions of the Prophet (SAWS) gave their all in the struggle to establish Islam. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our beloved, and upon his family and all those who follow him in goodness until the day of Rising. Ameen.
Imam Abu Laith Luqman Ahmad
Imam Luqman Ahmad is an associate Imam and Resident Scholar at the Toledo Masjid al-Islam in Toledo Ohio. He can be reached at imamabulaith@yahoo.com
Imam Luqman Ahmad Mosque Without Borders 