بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيم
Great and Precious Lessons from The Migration (Al-Hijrah) of Prophet MuHammad
Thereafter,
another lunar year has passed and a new one is about to begin to remind
us of the glorious memory of the great day in which the Prophet
migrated to Al-Madinah.
The prophet MuHammad emigrated from Mecca to Medina under the command of Allâh, and it is not by fleeing, fear, or cowardice.
The
blessed Migration displayed an honorable strife for human excellence
and contained several lessons of patience, forbearance, knowledge and
wisdom; an enrichment for future generations to implement and use to
iron out difficulties and overcome hardships and learn to persevere.
Allâh said in Surah Al-AHzab, Verse 39:
﴿ الَّذِينَ يُبَلِّغُونَ رِسَالاَتِ اللهِ وَيَخشَونَهُ وَلاَ يَخشَونَ أَحَدًا إِلاَّ الَلهَ ﴾
This means: « Those who convey the orders of Allâh and fear Him, and do not fear anyone except Allâh. »
Prophet MuHammad, Sallallâhu
`alayhi wa sallam, received the revelation in Makkah and therein he was
ordered to teach and spread among a society drowning in ignorance the
rules of Islam, the religion of all the Prophets, so that excellence,
justice and peace prevail and winning the hereafter may be achieved. The
people at that time used to worship idols, bury their newly born female
daughters while alive and commit many acts of wickedness and
debauchery; they were devoted to an immoral style of living that opposed
the proper manners and ethics taught by the Prophets of Allâh .
Allâh the
Exalted has sent His Prophet MuHammad, Sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam,
with guidance to renew the call for Islam. During the prime trading
season the Prophet used to pass among the people in Makkah and tell
them: « Say Lâ 'ilâha illa lLâh (There is no God except Allâh) and you
will win. » He brought them the good news of the great reward for those
who believed and warned those who did not believe a severe torture in
the hereafter.
In
the outset of his Call a few people believed in him but the majority
renounced his Call and denied his prophethood. However, the Messenger
of Allâh , Sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam, persisted and eventually met in
Makkah some people of Yathrib (Madinah) from the tribes
of Al-'Aws and al-Khazraj; he invited them to embrace Islam so six of
them accepted at first. When they left to go to Madinah, he sent with
them Ibn Umm Maktum and Mus`ab Ibn `Umayr to teach the Qur’an to the
ones who believed and to call upon the ones who did not embrace Islam to
do so; hence, their number increased by the following year.
The
harm and harassment of the blasphemers against the Prophet increased
after the death of his uncle Abu Talib, and his
wife Khadijah may Allah raise her rank. He was harmed personally along
with his oppressed followers. Bilal the son of Rabah al-Habashiyy was
tortured under the scorching heat of the sun and on the burning sand of
the desert; they used to put rocks on his chest during the hot noon
time. Sumayyah, the mother of `Ammar and her husband Yasir died as
martyrs for not submitting to the wishes of the blasphemers
of Quraysh and persisting to not revoke their state of belief; `Ammar,
the son of Yasir was tortured too.
The
Prophet and his Companions who believed in him endured and tolerated
the wrong doings of the blasphemers by remaining steadfast to the path
of Islam and acting in accordance with what is incumbent upon them of
its rules. The blasphemers of the tribe of Quraysh opposed their call
and harassed them in many ways. One day a person named `Uqbah dared to
come to the Prophet, Sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam, held him by his
shoulders and strangled him so strongly until Abu Bakr came and stopped
him and said: « Do you want to kill a man who says Allâh is my Lord and who has provided proofs from Allâh. »
The
Prophet, Sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam, advised his companions to
migrate to Al-Habashah (Abyssiniah) where a just king-Christian at the
time- presides and rules. Ten men and four women migrated at first and
their number increased until it reached eighty three men and seventeen
women other than the children. To protect themselves against harm and to
find comfort and justice under the king of Al-Habashah they migrated
out of fear of sedition and for preserving their religiosity to Allâh .
This was the the first Migration in Islam.
An-Najashiyy,
The king of Abyssiniah, received and treated them well and they enjoyed
peace and safety as guests in his land. The blasphemers
of Quraysh attempted to sway an-Najashiyy by offering him precious gifts
but to no avail; he turned their attempt down when he heard from the
companions blessed recitation of Qur'ân regarding Prophet `Isâ and his
mother Lady Maryam. He believed the Muslims and maintained his support
of them and became himself a highly pious Muslim.
When
the number of the believers increased in Madinah, Allâh revealed to the
Prophet, Sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam, to migrate to it. The Muslims
then started to migrate one after another in compliance to the order
of Allah and in obedience to the order of the Prophet, Sallallâhu
`alayhi wa sallam.
The
blasphemers of Quraysh were severely shocked by the speedy way the
Religion of Islam was spreading and they wanted to find a way to
eliminate it.
The
blasphemers of the tribe of Quraysh noticed the continuous migration of
the Companions to Madinah. So, they feared that the Prophet would do
the same and leave Makkah. They held a meeting in Dar an-Nadwahand
submitted to the opinion of `Amr Ibn Hisham (Abu Jahl) and collectively
conspired to kill Prophet Muhammad, Sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam. In
order to avoid revenge from the family of the Prophet, Sallallâhu
`alayhi wa sallam, they decided to spread his blood among the tribes. So
they schemed to have one man from every tribe strike the Prophet with
their swords all at once, thus it would be hard to seek revenge from all
the tribes.
Angel Jibrîl peace
be upon him descended and informed the Prophet about Quraysh’s scheme
of killing him and ordered him not to sleep in his regular sleeping
place.Jibril also conveyed to him Allâh’s permission to migrate. The
Prophet ordered his cousin `Aliyy Ibn Abi Talib to sleep in his place
and to cover himself with the Prophet's green shawl and to return the
belongings of the people which they had kept with the Prophet for safe
keeping; `Aliyy obeyed the order. By that time the blasphemers had
already gathered at the Prophet’s door.
Fully
relying upon Allah the Exalted, the Messenger of Allâh left his house
with his hands full of soil and he sprinkled the soil over the heads of
the conspirators while reciting verses from Surah Yâ-sîn.
وَجَعَلْنَا مِن بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ سَدًّا وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ سَدًّا فَأَغْشَيْنَاهُمْ فَهُمْ لاَ يُبْصِرُونَ
This means: « We have made before them a barrier and a barrier behind them, so We have covered them over so that they cannot see. »
Thus, Allâh blocked
His Prophet from their sight. In the morning they went into the
Prophet’s house to kill him but instead they found `Aliyy sleeping in
his place. They erupted in rage and fury out of humiliation and
embarrassment, especially when they found the soil on their heads.
Angry, furious, and nervous they left the house seeking the trails of
the Prophet.
Allâh
revealed the support of His Prophet in an astounding glorious event
when Prophet Muhammad, Sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam,
and Abu-Bakr may Allâh raise his rank went to the cave of Thawr to get
out of sight. Allâh ordered a tree to grow at the mouth of the cave to
cover it and two wild pigeons were ordered to sit in front of the cave
one of which laid eggs. A spider was inspired to weave a web at the
mouth of the cave. When the men of Quraysh came holding their staffs
and swords, they stood by the cave and looked around and they saw the
pigeons with their eggs and the spider web. They figured that if the
Prophet and his companion had entered the cave they would have destroyed
the eggs and the web, so they turned back and left defeated. What they
did not know is that they were forty cubits away from the Prophet and
his companion.
The
cave was privileged by hosting the Prophet and his companion for Three
days. `Amir Ibn Fuhayrah, Abu Bakr's slave whom he had set free, used to
graze his flock next to the cave so that they could milk the sheep and
drink and `Abdullâh the son of Abu Bakr used to keep them abreast of the
news and until the people lost hope in finding them and the situation
calmed down. On the forth day `Abdullâh Ibn Al-'Urayqit provided two
camels for them and they headed toward Madinah.
Quraysh assigned
a great amount of money as a bounty to whoever captures
Prophet Muhammad, Sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam, and his
companion. Surraqah Ibn Ju`shum was blinded by greed and money, he
followed the trails of the migrating Prophet and his companion until he
was as close as a spear's measure of distance from them. Abu Bakr was
scared for the life of the Prophet, but the Prophet comforted him and
said calmly: « Allâh is with us » that is He supports and protects.
The legs of Surraqah’s horse sank deep in the sand until its stomach
touched the ground while he was still mounting it. He got terrified and
realized at that moment that a miracle was taking place to protect a
great prophet. He asked the Prophet to make a supplication to Allâh
asking Him to have the legs of his horse back on the surface of the
ground, he promised the Prophet that he would leave and will not reveal
to the men of Quraysh their trails. The Prophet did so and Surraqah left
while in shock and honored his promise; he embraced Islam eight years
after that great event.
The
Messenger of Allâh, Sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam, migrated
to Madinah with Abu Bakr after staying in Makkah for thirteen years
calling people to embrace Islam and to believe in one God. The Migration
of our beloved and great Prophet MuHammad, Sallallâhu `alayhi wa
sallam, was neither for money nor for fame but rather in obedience to
the orders of Allâh and relying on Him. Neither the great number of the
blasphemers nor the danger of the trip stopped them from migrating
because all they wanted was to obey God. Thus, the plan of the
blasphemers failed.
Allâh said in the Glorious Qur’ân in Surah at-Tawbah, Verse 40:
﴿
إلاَّ تَنصُرُوهُ فَقَد نَصَرَهُ اللهُ إِذ أَخرَجَهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا
ثَانِيَ اثنَينِ إِذ هُمَا فِي الغَارِ إِذ يَقُولُ لِصَاحِبِهِ لاَ تَحزَن
إِنَّ اللهَ مَعَنَا ﴾
This means: « When
you did not support him, Allâh indeed supported him (Prophet
MuHammad)when the blasphemers harassed him. He was the second of two
(the Prophet and Abu Bakr) while they were in the cave he said to his
Companion: ‘Do not be sad Allâh is protecting us.’ »
The
Prophet arrived at Madinah to start a new era rich of Islamic Knowledge
and good manners. He was capable by his guidance, instructions, and
directives to unite the believers as if they all had the heart of a
single man; particularly during the hard times. Moreover, he guided them
to perform the obligations and to refrain from the prohibitions. He
also taught them to love for their brothers what they love for
themselves, advised them to have mercy among each other, and to help
each other in their hardship. In his Hadîth that was related
by Ibn Hibban, the Messenger of Allâh , Sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam,
also warned them from extremism and exceeding the proper bounds of the
Religion and that it destroyed their predecessors, he said:
« إياكُم والغُلو، فإنَ الغُلو أهلَكَ مَن كَانَ قَبلَكُم »
This means: « Do not dare to ever exceed the proper bounds of the Religion, for extremism is what destroyed the nations before you. »
From Madinah the
rays of light beamed strongly led by the greatest Prophet, Sallallâhu
`alayhi wa sallam, to wipe out the darkness of ignorance and disbelief.
This leadership pushed the Islamic Call forward with an amazing thrust
to build the barricades of truth and justice and to destroy the forces
of blasphemy, disbelief, and corruption. Allâh the Exalted bestowed His
endowments and blessings upon the Prophet and his Companions, He enabled
them to conquer Makkah after a long struggle and a series of battles
led by the great Prophet alongside his Companions, afterwards people
embraced Islam in large multitudes.
Allâh the Exalted said:
﴿ إذَا جَاءَ نَصرُ اللهِ والفَتحُ وَرَأيتَ النَّاسَ يَدخُلُونَ فِي دِينِ اللهِ أَفواَجًا
فسَبِّح بِحَمدِ رَبِّكَ وَاستَغفِرهُ إِنَّهُ كَانَ تَوَّابَا ﴾
The meaning of Surat An-Nasr: « When
the support of Allâh comes and you see people embrace Islam in
multitudes, proceed to Glorify and praise your Lord and seek
forgiveness. Verily, He is the One Who accepts the repentance and
forgives. »
The
fragrance of the Migration keeps on scenting, and its splendor keeps on
spreading. The fair person with a sound mind cannot afford ignoring it
or ignoring its traces and bright illumination.
The
migration of a Prophet, his companion, and their guide from the best
land, Makkah, to al-Madinah Al-Munawwarahin compliance to the order
of Allâh turned over societies, changed standards and balances, states
and habits ceased to exist, it also resulted in the change in the status
of some people. It was a dawn which had broken on millions of humans in
the east, the west, north, and south. It was the sun of a civilization
which shone to propagate progress, development, knowledge,
urbanization, and high manners to the different platforms of the
universe.
The
history of Islam is rich with wisdoms and examples. As we celebrate a
new Hijriyy (Lunar) year which reminds us of the jihad of the last of
the Prophets and the Master of all of the Messengers with his
Companion Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, and it reminds us of how his Companions
battled calamities and torture with patience and endurance, we need to
intelligently read the history and heed the proper lessons from it so
that we do not miss the chance of understanding the events of the
present time and we do not miss the good management of a wishful future.
Among
the lessons is that Islam, to which Prophet MuHammad renewed the call,
is the religion of all the Prophets and Messengers who came before him.
All of them in succession conveyed the religion which Allahaccepts to
their respective audiences until the religion was fully completed by
revealing the Qur'an to the last of the Prophets MuHammad, Sallallâhu
`alayhi wa sallam. Allâh said Surah Al-Baqarah, âyah 136:
﴿
قُولُواْ آمَنَّا بِاللّهِ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَى
إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَالأسْبَاطِ وَمَا
أُوتِيَ مُوسَى وَعِيسَى وَمَا أُوتِيَ النَّبِيُّونَ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ لاَ
نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّنْهُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ ﴾
This means: « Say
you we believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to
Abraham, Ismâ`îl, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes of Al-Asbat, and that
given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their
Lord: We make no difference between one and another of them: And we
submit to Allâh in Islam. »
Also
Among the lessons of the blessed Migration is to be steadfast to the
only Religion which Allâh accepts from his slaves, Islam, and to
sacrifice for the sake of Allâh . Also to be detached from the worldly
interests in order to get the great rewards on the Day of Judgment. This
was the lesson that the Prophet taught his Companions and the entire
nation.
When
his uncle came to him with the offer of Quraysh who said: « If you want
money we will give you until you become the richest among us, and if
you want position and fame we will make you our dignitary, so that we
will not do anything without consulting you, and if you are seeking to
be a king we will make you our king. », to that the Prophet responded to
his uncle:
« والله يا عم لو وضعوا الشمس بيميني والقمر بيساري على أن أترك هذا الأمر ما تركته حتى يظهره الله أو أهلِكَ دونه »
This means: « O
uncle I swear by Allâh that if they were to put the sun in my right
hand and the moon in my left hand in order to have me leave this call I
will not stop preaching and spreading Islam until Allâh reveals it or I
die for it. »
So
he taught us a great lesson of how the person who is calling for the
truth remains steadfast to the True belief, and to teaching people the
good, no matter how much seductive offers he gets. This was clearly seen
when the Companions of the Prophet migrated from Makkah
to Yathrib leaving behind them their families, monies, homes, and lands
for one thing only, which is seeking the reward from Allâh.
Besides
the lesson of sacrifice for the sake of Allâh, we see the lesson of
bravery in supporting the truth and confronting falsehood, which
normally vanishes no matter how great power and strength it has.
Allâh said in Surah 'Al-`Imrân, âyah 173:
﴿
الَّذِينَ قَالَ لَهُم النَّاسُ إِنَّ النَّاسَ قَد جَمَعُوا لَكُم
فَاخشَوهُم فَزَادَهُم إِيمَاناً وَقَالُواْ حَسْبُنَا اللّهُ وَنِعْمَ
الْوَكِيلُ ﴾
This means: People
said to them: « A great army is gathering against you so fear them » :
But it (only) increased their Faith: They said: « For us Allâh
sufficeth, and He is the best disposer of affairs. »
We
take the example of al-Faruq `Umar Ibn al-Khattab who migrated from
Makkah with forty of the oppressed Companions, he went to the gathering
club of the leaders of Quraysh and said to them:
« من أراد أن تثكله أمه أو ترمل زوجته أو تذهب روحه فليتبعني وراء هذا الوادي فإني مهاجر »
This means: « He
who wants his mother to lose him, or his kids to be orphaned, or his
wife be widowed, or to lose his soul, then let him follow me; for I am
migrating. » Yet, none of them dared to follow him. So where do we
find nowadays that superior bravery which is accompanied with great
wisdom?
Another
lesson is the good reliance on Allâh and the confidence of the heart
in Allâh, and the firm belief that victory is provided by Allâh only.
When the blasphemers of Quraysh agreed collectively to kill our
Master MuHammad, Sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam, he displayed the full
bravery and relaince upon Allâh and also `Aliyy Ibn Abi Talib who slept
in his place.
We
also see in the events of the blessed Migration the great attachment
and love of the Companions to this great leader. During the trip of the
Migration Abu Bakr would walk once in front of the Prophet, once, behind
him, once to his right, and once to his left. The Messenger
of Allah then would ask him about the reason for that. Abu Bakr would
say: « O Messenger of Allâh, if I walk in front of you, I am worried
that the enemy might come from behind you and if I were to walk to your
right, I am worried that the enemy might come from your left side. »
So
let us learn that obeying Allah brings goodness, all goodness, and that
the one who is God-fearing, Allâh will ease things for him and would
provide him with sustenance from where he does not expect.
The
unity of brotherhood between the people of Al-Madînah (Al-AnSâr) and
the Migrants of Makkah is a rich and important lesson for us. The
migrants came to Al-Madînah (Al-Muhâjirin) after they left back their
monies, lands, and families with nothing with them but reliance
upon Allâh wanting to be obedient to their Lord. The Master of the
creations, Sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam, united them with brotherhood,
the people of Madinahshared their monirs and homes with the migrants.
They did that because they loved each other for the sake of Allâh.
Those
who love each other for the sake of Allâh will be on illuminated
platforms and in the shade of the `Arsh (the ceiling of Paradise) on the
Day of Judgment, when there will be no shade but the shade of
the `Arsh.
Then
we find that as the Messenger of Allâh , Sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam,
leaves the honorable Makkah, he looks at it and bids farewell to it
with sweet soft words which carry deep meanings, and great guidance, he
said:
« والله إني لأعلم أنك أحب أرض الله إلى الله والله لولا أن أهلك أخرجوني ما خرجت »
This means: « By
Allâh, I know that you are the most beloved land to Allâh, by Allâh I
would have not left you had your people not caused me to leave. »
We
come to know from that emotional farewell how much was the Prophet
attached to Makkah. It is the land where the first house on Earth which
was dedicated to worship Allâh, the honorable Ka`bah, was built by the
father of the humans our Master Adam peace be upon him. The Messenger
of Allâh, Sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam, taught us how to attach our
hearts to the blessed lands as Makkah, Al-Madinah, and the blessed land
of ash-Sham. He also taught us not to neglect our land rights. The
Messenger of Allâh, Sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam, did not leave Makkah
for good, but rather he left it in obedience to the order of Allâh. He
returned to it eight years later.
The
Messenger of Allâh, Sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam, had built the glory
of this nation on solid foundations when he united around the correct
Creed the disunited Arab tribes which used to fight for silliest
reasons. Whom among us hasn’t heard of the wars of: Dahis
wal-Ghabra’, al-Busus, and the wars of al-Aws and al-Khazraj during the
era of ignorance (Jahiliyyah). The Messenger of Allâh, Sallallâhu
`alayhi wa sallam, unified these tribes to make of them one nation under
one banner which is the banner of: « Lâ ilâha illallâh » and spreads
one creed which is the creed of at-Tawhid. The creed of
clearing Allâh from resembling the creations, the creed of
clearing Allâh of having a partner or residing in a place; this state of
belief and unity extended eventually to larger areas and big countries.
All
of that took place when we were united as if we were one man with one
heart clear of any greed or envy, helping one another and supporting one
another. During that period of time, our nation prevailed over the
world in civilization and in the different universal sciences.
So
whom among us does not know about the gift that was sent from Hârun
ar-Rashid to Charlman, the King of Germany, which was the first clock to
be made in history.
And
whom among us hasn’t heard of al-Khawarizmiyy the one who put the rules
of the science of calculus in mathematics, and the rules of the science
of fractions in arithmetic in order to serve the science of
inheritance.
So,
are we going to forget Ibn al-Haitham, who excelled in optics, or Ibn
an-Nafis, the doctor, who stated that blood definitely passes from the
right ventricle to the left ventricle by way of lungs. As such, he had
discovered the pulmonary circulation. It cannot be missed that the
Muslim doctors were the first ones who used anesthesia in surgeries,
Is
there anybody who does not recognize the Turkish Muslim
architect Sinan, who built tens of mosques, hospitals, and corners where
the Religious Knowledge used to be taught. He was the one who built the
highest dome in history, the dome of Suleimiyyah in Istanbul and many
other projects.
So
know and be certain that the route to our victory and success is by
obeying Allâh, and our unity that Allâh accepts from us is the path to
our prosperity.
We
must employ this occasion and be guided by the teachings of the
Prophet, Sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam, and unite the Muslims. We must
actively speak as one and act in good will. We need to gracefully return
to Allâh and His book and the Sunnah of His Messenger, Sallallâhu
`alayhi wa sallam, with obedience and stronger belief. Allâh said
in Surah Al-Ma'idah, 16:
﴿
قَدْ جَاءكُم مِّنَ اللّهِ نُورٌ وَكِتَابٌ مُّبِينٌ يَهْدِي بِهِ اللّهُ
مَنِ اتَّبَعَ رِضْوَانَهُ سُبُلَ السَّلاَمِ وَيُخْرِجُهُم مِّنِ
الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ بِإِذْنِهِ وَيَهْدِيهِمْ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ
مُّسْتَقِيمٍ ﴾
This means: « Indeed,
there has come to you light and a clear Book from Allâh; with it, Allah
guides him who will seek His acceptance into the ways of peace and
safety and brings them out of utter darkness into light by His will and
guides them to the right path. »
The Messenger of Allâh, Sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam, guided us in his Farewell Speech when he graciously advised: « I have left among you two things that if you adhere to them you shall never be misguided, the Book of Allâh and my Sunnah. »
We
ask Allâh to enable us to heed the proper lessons from the Blessed
Migration and to instill its rich meanings into our hearts and to answer
our supplication and to make this occasion full of blessings,
benediction, and charity and to guide us to march head straight in the
footsteps of the Prophet, Sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam.
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