By Amal Al-Sibai
A new year in the Islamic calendar is upon us. The new year corresponds with the migration of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) from Makkah to Madinah. The migration, or the Hijrah, was one of the most important turning points in the history of Islam.
The story of the Hijrah should be told and retold every year so that we may continue to learn from its valuable lessons. There are several factors that came into play which led to the success of the Hijrah and the establishment of a flourishing Muslim community in Madinah.
Careful planning and tremendous efforts were executed to make the escape of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) possible. The Prophet (peace be upon him) arranged for his cousin Ali bin Abi Talib to lie in the Prophet’s bed while he snuck out of his house, so that the people of Quryash would think that the Prophet was asleep in bed.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) was cleverly thinking several steps ahead of his adversaries and anticipating their moves. He (peace be upon him) knew that the people of Quraysh would search for him on the common routes to Madinah. Rather than taking an expected northern trail to Madinah, the Prophet (peace be upon him) headed south and hid in Cave Thawr. He (peace be upon him) had also previously made preparations for provisions, the camels to ride, and other necessary precautions.
Keeping good company is an important lesson in the Hijrah that we can benefit from. The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not set out on his journey alone, likewise we should try to maintain good friendships in our lives. Friends can be a strong source of support, inspire us to do good deeds, remind us of Allah when we are heedless, share with us our happiness, and keep us adrift when tragedies strike.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) wanted a friend to accompany him on his Hijrah, and he chose the best of friends, Abu Bakr.
We also need to be careful about who we choose to surround ourselves with because friends influence on another, either positively or negatively.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) drew a vivid metaphor when he described the influence of friends by saying, “The example of a good companion (friend) in comparison with a bad one is like that of one who sells musk and the blacksmith. From the first, you would either buy musk or enjoy its good smell, while from the blacksmith you would either get burned or smell a bad scent.”
Try to make sure that your friends are more like the seller of musk than the blacksmith.
Careful planning, hard work, and maintaining a support system of good friends are not enough to get us through challenging times.
We need what the Prophet (peace be upon him) had during his Hijrah, hope and trust in Allah. Trust in Allah means that you do your part, but you remain in a peaceful state of mind. You are confident that Allah will take care of the outcome for you.
When Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his friend Abu Bakr were hiding in the cave, the men of Quraysh searching for them had approached the cave. Abu Bakr was frightened because if the men of Quraysh peered into the cave they could easily spot the Prophet (peace be upon him) and Abu Bakr.
However, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) confidently said, “What do you think of those two with whom the Third is Allah?” (Sahih Al-Bukhari)
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) reassured his friend and said, “Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us.”
Indeed, Allah protected the Prophet (peace be upon him) and Abu Bakr because due to the spider web at the entrance to the cave and the dove that was guarding its eggs in the nest, the men of Quraysh thought it was highly unlikely for anyone to have entered the cave.
Another lesson we take away from reading about the Hijrah is that great accomplishments usually come about due to a collective effort. The energy and fervor of the youth should be utilized, and the role of women is just as important as that of the men.
Ali bin Abi Talib was a young man when he courageously slept in the Prophet’s bed to deceive the men of Quraysh who were lurking outside the Prophet’s house, waiting to kill him (peace be upon him). Abdullah, Abu Bakr’s son, was a young man who was entrusted with the secret of where his father and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) were hiding. Abdullah would listen to what the people of Makkah were plotting against the Prophet (peace be upon him) and he would report it to the Prophet (peace be upon him) under the cover of the night.
A female hero of the Hijrah is Asmaa, Abu Bakr’s daughter. She used to secretly take food and water to her father and the Prophet (peace be upon him) who were hiding in Cave Thawr, risking her own life. She was pregnant at that time. Suspecting that she knew something, Abu Jahl, one of the fiercest men of Quraysh, stormed into her home and demanded that she tell him her father’s hiding place. She faced him bravely and refused to say a word. Abu Jahl slapped her so violently that her necklace broke and she fell to the ground. She later migrated as well, and as soon as she arrived in Madinah she gave birth to her son, Abdullah bin Zubayr, the first newborn among the Muslims in Madinah.
In conclusion, although we cannot partake in the Prophet’s Hijrah from Makkah to Madinah, we can still learn from and we can engage in a different kind of Hijrah, and this type can be done by Muslims in all times to come.
“A true migrator is one who abandons what Allah has prohibited.”
This is a part of the Hadith recorded by Al-Bukhari that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “A Muslim is one whom other Muslims are safe of his tongue and hand; and a migrator is one who deserts what Allah has prohibited.”
To migrate means to move away from one part to another. We can make a new year’s resolution to stay away from what displeases Allah and to move towards a life of obedience and worship of Allah.
