In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful
“And whomsoever migrates for the sake of Allah will find in the land: many dwellings and plenty to live by…”
By Dr Maher Khattab
The Migration (Hijrah) of the early Muslims from Makkah to Madinah in the early seventh century was a migration away from harm, persecution, oppression, polytheism and disbelief to peace, security, justice and Islam. In short: it was a migration towards saving the new message of Islam and establishing a fresh society, in which Islam would flourish and spread all over the world. The migration vault [of lessons] contains a vast amount of treasures to be experienced. What are these lessons? And how could one benefit from them? This is a large subject matter; and – in this leaflet – we will concentrate on a few of the most important ones.
Its about sacrifice:
The early companions of the Prophet e had to leave their relatives, homes, lands, wealth and businesses in Makkah for the sake of Allah. Take the case of Suhaib ibn Sinaan t who gave up all his wealth in exchange for getting away; and was awarded with a verse in the Qur’an dedicated to him: “And of people: are those who purchase themselves seeking the pleasure of Allah.”; and the stamp of approval from the Prophet e who said: “Your deal has triumphed, Aba Yahya!”
The early companions y migrated to a different city, a new culture and a fresh territory that the majority had not experienced before. They had to start from off afresh. That is why the Prophet e acknowledging this difficulty – paired up each new migrant with one of their Madani hosts, who displayed extreme generosity.
The story of Abdur Rahman bin Awf t is an excellent example. He had nothing to start off with, and politely declined the offer of his host (Saad ibn Al-Rabee’ t) to share everything with him; but enthusiastically asked: “Show me the way to the market!”
Abdur Rahman went to the market. He bought and sold; and quickly made profit. It wasn’t long before he had accumulated a gold nugget which he used as bridal money to get married.
From another angle, the migration had severe psychological and physiological effects on the new migrantswho had to leave the land where they were born and brought up, the houses that they erected, the homes that they constructed and got married in and had their children.
A prime example was that of Abu Bakr and Bilal y. Imam Al-Bukhari narrates that Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “When the Messenger of Allah e came to Madinah, both Abu Bakr and Bilal became ill. I entered on them, and asked: ‘My father! How do you find yourself? Bilal! How do you find yourself?”
As for Abu Bakr, whenever fever overwhelmed him, he would say [line of poetry]:
‘Every man wakes up among his family.
Whilst death is closer than the straps of his sandals.’
And when Bilal would recover, he would raise his voice weeping [words of poetry]:
‘Oh how I wish [to know] will I sleep another night,
In the valley [of Makkah] surrounded by Ithkhir and Jalil?
And will I – any time – pass by the water of Majannah?
And will I ever get to see Shamah and Tafeel?’
Aishah said, “I came Messenger of Allah e and I told him, he said: ‘O Allah! Make Al-Madinah dear to us like our love for Makkah and more. O Allah! Make it healthy, and bless us in our weights and measures; and remove its disease away from it to Al-Juhfah’.”
[Ithkhir: a type of lemon grass. Jalil: a flower which looks like the crocus. Majannah: a well in Okaad near Makkah. Shamah and Tafeel: two mountains or springs near Makkah. Al-Juhfah: a region outside Madinah.]
Its about conviction in Allah’s promise:
The hijrah displayed a great conviction (iman) in Allah and His promises. This iman which allowed them to go against the odds; for Allah is the One who will guarantee the results. Look at the story of the migration of the Prophet e and Abu Bakr t who both suffered during their migration. Abu Bakr was very frightened when Quraysh were outside the cave in which they were hiding. He said: “I saw the feet of the polytheists very close to us, as we were in the cave. I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! If one of them were to look to his sandals, he would surely see us.’ Thereupon the Prophet e replied reassuringly: Aba Bakr! Don’t worry! What do you make of two, whom Allah is their third?’.”
And indeed, Allah protected them and rewarded them with tranquillity and victory.
A turning point worth noting:
When early Muslims migrated from Makkah to Madinah, a new history for the Muslims started, and it was marked as a turning point for Islam and Muslims. This is why the Muslims during the leadership of Umar ibn Al-Khattab t designated the beginning of the Islamic calendar to be the year of the Hijrah.
- Republished from the Muslim Association of Britain’s website.
