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Introduction The immigration of the prophet -may peace be upon him- from Mecca to Medina is a very great event in the Islamic history. The Muslim calendar started from this day (that of Hegira), and the first to use it as a date for the Muslims was Omar Ibnu El Khatab (during his caliphate) after he consulted with the Sahaba. The prophet's immigration was due to the torture and the harm he received along with the Muslims from the unbelievers. Therefore, they got away from Mecca leaving behind their countries, families and properties because religion is the most precious thing the Muslims possess.
I. Preparation for Hegira. The prophet -may peace be upon him- was calling some tribes to embrace Islam like Kinda, Bani Hanifa, Bani Amr… and at the same time, he was seeking an opportunity to convey his message to all the Arabs. He found that the appropriate time is the pilgrimage season, and indeed, in the tenth year of the prophet's Mission (his sending as a messenger), seven men of the tribe of Khazraj believed in him. The prophet -may peace be upon him- asked them to return back to their tribe and come back one year later with some other believers. When those persons came back in the next year of pilgrimage, they brought with them five other believers. So they were 12 persons (nine from khazraj leaded by Asâad bnu Zurara and three from Aous headed by Abu Haitham). The prophet -may peace be upon him- met them at night in El Aqaba (in Mecca) and they took the pledge of allegiance. This was called the first Aqaba pledge or the woman's pledge. The most important points upon which they took pledge were: - To believe that Muhammad -may peace be upon him- is a messenger of Allah. - To keep away from stealing, fornication and from spreading corruption. After that, they returned to Medina with Musâab bnu Umair who was the first ambassador of Islam. The prophet -may peace be upon him- charged him with the mission of spreading the Islamic Dawa (the call to Allah's way) and preparing people to receive the Muslim immigrants. A year after, Musâad bnu Umair returned with 73 men and 02 women and the second Aqaba's pledge took place. (The women are: Nussaiba, the daughter of Kaâb and Asmâ', the mother of Amr from bani Salam). The main points that can be noticed in this pledge are the followings: 1- The choice of Al Aqaba as a place for the pledge. 2- The choice of the pilgrimage season and the night as a time for the pledge. 3- The guard was given to Abu Bakr and Omar bnu El-khatab. The pledge was attended by the prophet -may peace be upon him, his uncle El-Abass who was a disbeliever, Mussâab bnu Umair and his delegation. El-Abass was the first to speak. He said: «O people of Aous and Khazraj! Muhammad is from us and you know that he is well protected and high standing and he insisted on immigrating to you (Medina). So, if you are able to defend and protect him, do it. And if you can not protect him let him from now for he is well protected and high standing». The Ansâr said: «We heard what you (El-Abass) said, speak o prophet of Allah… and say what you want about you and your Lord». Then, the prophet -may peace be upon him- recited verses from the Noble Koran and aroused their interest in Islam, he called them to be loyal in sorrow and joy, in distress and ease, to spend (their money) for the cause of Allah, to ordain what is good and warn about what is bad. The prophet -may peace be upon him- said: «…You protect me from what you protect your wives and children». El Barâ bnu Maârur held the hand of the prophet and said: "Yes, by Him (Allah) who who truly sent you as a prophet, we protect you from what we protect our women. Indeed, we are the people of war and inherited this from our forefathers". Al-Barâ' was interrupted by Abu El Haithem who said: "O messenger of Allah! There is relations (trade) between us and the people and indeed we will severe them. So, if we do so and Allah grants you victory, do you return back to your people and leave us?" The prophet -may peace be upon him- smiled and said: «…I am from you and you are from me, I fight whom you fight and I make peace with the ones you reconciled». Then, El-Abass bnu Ubaida El Ansâri said: «Do you know on which you pledge allegiance to this man (that is, the prophet -may peace be upon him)? You pledge allegiance to him on fighting the red and the black (i.e. the Arabs and the non Arabs) ». The Ansâr replied: "So what is our reward for this?" The prophet -may peace be upon him- said: «paradise». Then, they said: "Stretch your hand for us to pledge allegiance to you". Thus, the great Aqaba's pledge took place. The prophet Muhammad - may peace be upon him- said: «Choose from you 12 chiefs». They selected nine from El-Khazraj, among them: Asâad bnu zurara, Saâd bnu Erabiî, Abdul Allah bnu Rawaha, El Barâ' bnu Maârur, Ubada bnu Esâmit… and three from Aous: Assâad bnu Hudhair, Saâd bnu Khuthaima, refaâ bnu Abd El Mundhir.
II. Planning for Hegira. The prophet - may peace be upon him- said to his companions: «Indeed, Allah has made for you brothers and houses; you will live peacefully and you will be safe». Therefore, the Sahaba formed groups and leaved secretly and separately at night. The first immigrant to reach Medina was Abu Salama bnu Abd El Assad. Omar Ibnu El Khatab -may Allah be pleased with him- immigrated openly and at day. He circumambulated the Kaâba and prayed behind the Maqâm (Place of prayer) of Abraham -may peace be upon him. Then, he addressed the unbelievers in a challenging manner and said: «The faces are black (i.e. they are full of anger and hatred), I am immigrating to Medina, so he who wants his mother to weep over him, or his children to be orphaned or his wife to be widowed, pursue me along this river». Omar Ibnu El-Khatab's immigration does not imply that he is more courageous then the prophet Muhammad -may peace be upon him. Omar's behaviour or act is purely personal but all the prophet's acts are legislative and educative as to teach his people the way of planning. All the Sahaba immigrated and no one stayed in Mecca except the prophet -may peace be upon him- and Abu Bakr Es-Saddiq along with their families. Abu bakr -may Allah be pleased with him- asked permission from the prophet to immigrate and the latter said: «Do not hasten. May Allah make for you a companion to immigrate with him». When Allah permitted for his prophet to immigrate, he went to Abu Bakr and said: «Allah allowed me to immigrate». Then Abu Bakr said: "Your companionship o prophet of Allah". The prophet answered: «My companionship». Aisha -the Mother of the Faithful- said: "I saw Abu Bakr weeping from joy". The unbelievers gathered in the Council House (Dar En-Nadwa) and agreed to choose from each tribe a courageous man. All the selected men will take part in killing the prophet -may peace be upon him. In that case, Banu Hâshim will be unable to revenge the prophet because they can not fight all the tribes.
- What can be deduced from the prophet's immigration from its beginning till the day of Hegira can be summarized in the following points: 1- The choice of the appropriate time: Monday, Rabiî El Awal 19th at night. 2- The choice of a guide: he was Abdul Allah bnu Uraiqit who was a disbeliever but knows well the way to Medina. 3- The choice of another way (an unusual one): they went south of Mecca and not north of it although it (north) is the ordinary way that leads to Medina. 4- Ali bnu Abi Talib took the place of the prophet -may peace be upon him- and slept in his bed to mislead and delude the unbelievers and also to pay back the trusts that were given to the prophet to their people. 5- The prophet -may peace be upon him- and his companion leaved Mecca on foot. 6- Asmâ', the daughter of Abu Bakr, played an effective role during the prophet's immigration. In spite of being seven month pregnant, she was carrying food to her father and the prophet to Thur cave on foot… Indeed, no one can deny her active participation in facilitating the prophet's immigration. 7- Abdul Allah, the son of Abu Bakr, used to go to the Thur cave each night to inform the prophet -may peace be upon him- of the news of Quraish. 8- Amir bnu Fahira, the shepherd of Abu Bakr, was following the prophet and Abu Bakr with his cattle in order to obliterate their traces. When the prophet -may peace be upon him- went out from Mecca, he said: «I am indeed coming out of you (Mecca), and I certainly know that you are the country that Allah likes more, and if it is not your people who forced me to go out from you, I never do so». When the unbelievers discovered that Ali bnu Abi Talib is the one who slept in the bed instead of the prophet -may peace be upon him, they started to pursue him and promised a tempting offer for the one who will bring him dead or alive. When the unbelievers arrived at the cave of Thur where the prophet and his companion hide, Abu Bakr was afraid for the prophet -may peace be upon him. He said to the prophet: "If only one of them looks at his feet, he surely sees us". The prophet said: «O Abu Bakr, what you think of two (persons) Allah is their third, do not distress, indeed Allah is with us». The prophet Muhammad -may peace be upon him- evoked the presence of Allah in this difficult moment (i.e. he was certain that the Almighty Allah will protect them and will never abandon them). Ibn Ataâ' Allah Es Skandarani said: "What he lost the one who found Allah". Then, the Almighty Allah descended on them tranquility and peace. Allah, the Most High, said: «If you do not help the Messenger, Allah already has helped him, when the unbelievers expelled him, he and another, when the two of them were in the cave, he said to his companion:" Be not distressed, indeed Allah is with us". Then Allah sent down on him His serenity and strengthened him with Unseen forces and abased the word of the unbelievers, and Allah's word is supreme. Allah is Almighty, all Wise». [Surat At-Tawba/The Repentence, 40]. |
