Migration

(Hijrah)

Now consider hijrah (migration)^[1]. It means to leave, to severe ties; generally, migration is understood as synonymous with leaving one’s homeland. Certainly, the word migration is used in a specific sense for precisely this event. But no event can be understood by separating it from its background. The reality is that this leaving of the homeland that occurs in a believer’s life is not an accidental incident; rather, it is the culmination of a long history. It is a process that begins in the believer’s life from the very first day and ultimately reaches the stage of leaving one’s surroundings. By the grace of God, the truth becomes clear to a person, and he begins to make others aware of it.  Becoming the bearer of a new voice against the times, he virtually announces that he has abandoned submission to the prevailing environment and has decided to carve out a path for himself against the age. This is the beginning of migration. When a person resolves to abandon an illegitimate way of life and adopt a legitimate one, a continuous struggle begins thereafter in which he must leave many old things behind and adopt many new ones, severe ties with many of his own people and form bonds with many who were previously strangers. From within to without, he must abandon countless cherished things and instead accept other things that are unpleasant. Thus, as soon as faith is embraced, the believer’s life begins a process of migration in which many old things are left behind to adopt a new mode of conduct. When a person undertakes such a migration himself, he begins to make others aware of the same path. As a result, some people support him, while others oppose him. In this way, two completely opposing groups begin to emerge in the environment, one of which clings to what the other group seeks to abandon.

This difference does not arise merely from the fact that one group criticizes another and declares its conduct to be wrong. Rather, it goes beyond that and develops into a practical struggle between the two. Human society is a single whole in which no individual can carve out a separate path for himself, isolated from others. By nature, the human being is social. All his needs are fulfilled through mutual cooperation. Therefore, in many situations, he has to live according to the ideas of others.

For this reason, when a person decides to adopt a path that goes against the prevailing trend of the time, this decision inevitably leads to a clash with those whose system he is living under. Human society may be likened to a network in which all individuals are interconnected like links in a chain. If one link is pulled apart, it disturbs the entire network. In this way, a continuing conflict begins, which becomes more and more pronounced with each passing day, and at every step, resistance arises between the two sides. This struggle ultimately reaches a point where society refuses to accept the people of truth. At that stage, those who stand for truth decide to leave that settlement peacefully and move to another part of the land. This is the final and most extreme form of migration.

This migration does not simply mean leaving one place and going to another. In its true sense, it means abandoning falsehood and adopting the path of truth. It is to leave the wrong ways and choose the path of God. That is why, in the Quran and Hadith, the migration of believers is called Hijrah to God, meaning migration toward God. Why is this so? Obviously, these people do not leave the earth and go to the sky; they continue to live in this same world. The reason for using this expression is that this act of leaving happens because of devotion to God. To migrate toward God means to abandon whatever stands in the way of God, whatever becomes an obstacle in moving toward Him. This is the foundation of a God-centered life. Until a person is ready for this migration, he cannot fulfill the demands of faith. Only the one who is prepared for this sacrifice can succeed in making his life an Islamic life. When he sees that thoughts and tendencies are growing within him that go against God’s will, he removes them completely. If he is involved in wrongful actions, he abandons them forever. If a relationship is preventing someone from openly turning toward religion, he bids farewell to that relationship. If maintaining a certain standard of living prevents him from playing his part in the work of the faith, he should give up that standard of living. If fulfilling the demands of religion puts material prosperity at risk, he accepts that risk. If dedicating himself to the service of religion makes his own and his children’s future appear dark, he moves forward without worrying about it. In short, whenever a person finds himself in a situation where on the one side, God is calling him, and on the other side, some other demand is pulling him, leaving those other demands and moving toward God is what is called Hijrah to God.

This migration has many stages and countless forms. However, to understand its reality, we can divide it into two major headings. One is abandoning unlawful and forbidden things, and the other is abandoning things that are not, in themselves, necessarily avoidable. Yet because of adopting the religion, such stages arise that a believer is required to give these up as well.

The first kind of migration includes the entire list of thoughts and actions that God the Exalted has declared forbidden and worthy of abandonment. Every person is born into a particular environment. By environment is meant a specific structure of history, traditions, customs, and ways of life. It is a system of ideas and actions that casts its shadow over all aspects of life. Just as there is an invisible layer of air surrounding the globe of the earth in which we are all immersed, in the same way, every person is born immersed in the environment of their time. Within it, they grow and develop; the ideas and traditions of the environment become embedded in every vein of their being, and often it becomes difficult for them even to think against them. When the truth becomes clear to a person, the first step he must take is to abandon the customs and beliefs he had accepted merely by imitation. He must examine himself and remove all the wrong influences he has absorbed from his environment. Within every person there is a self that seeks only pleasure. For this self, the criterion of liking or disliking something is not whether it is right or wrong, good or bad. Rather, its only standard is whether it appeals to him and brings him benefit.

In his earlier life, a person develops many interests and engagements which, though wrong, are pleasing to his self. At the same time, he neglects and abandons many responsibilities which, though morally necessary, do not appeal to him. Therefore, when a person embraces faith, they must set in motion a continuous process of breaking down and rebuilding their life. Many things that were extremely dear to them in their previous life are left behind forever, and many things toward which they felt aversion, in which they had no interest, must be brought into their life.

In this way, after accepting faith, a continuous effort begins to abandon wrong emotions, Wrong relationships, and wrong actions. In every aspect of life, one must remain alert and actively avoid wrong ways. This is an ongoing struggle that continues until the final moment of life. This is the first and initial form of migration: a process of purifying oneself from past habits and resolving never to return to them again. This form of migration is indicated in one of the earliest chapters of the Quran revealed at the beginning of prophethood: “shun uncleanness.” (74:5). That is, migrate away from impurity.

It means that one should abandon all evils of thought and action. This is what the Prophet Muhammad e, clarified in the following words:

“The emigrant is the one who abandons what God has forbidden” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 10).

This is one aspect of migration toward God, in which a person must abandon all unlawful things. In order to become aligned with God’s will, one has to purify oneself of everything that goes against His will. Its second aspect is that in which a person is compelled to sacrifice even his lawful interests in the path of God. This is because Islam assigns a task so great that after it, there remains no opportunity for anything else. One’s attention turns away from the self and becomes wholly devoted to Islam. That is why it is said that in this world, the believer has only responsibilities and no rights. Whatever rights he has are with God, and it is there that he will receive them.

Accepting Islam does not simply mean adopting it in one’s personal life. It also requires a person to strive to make others aware of it. This dual demand of the faith does not merely double our responsibility; it makes it profoundly demanding. Living by the faith in one’s personal life, even to the extent possible, is not an easy task. It means using one’s freedom and will in the right direction in a world full of temptations. It is to remain free, yet willingly submit oneself to God’s discipline, and to stay committed until the final moment of life. But there is another demand of the faith: to convey God’s message to others. This is an even greater responsibility. It is a demanding and exhausting task that calls for all of a person’s strength and everything he has. If he devotes his time and energy to other pursuits at the expense of steadfastness in faith and conveying the truth, he falls short of fulfilling his primary duty.

When a person accepts the faith in this sense, he immediately realizes that playing his part in this mission means he can hardly afford to engage in anything else. He finds no option but to reduce his personal needs to the bare minimum. He must bury his worldly desires once and for all, and remain as little occupied with himself as possible so that he may render maximum service to the truth. He is compelled to devote whatever time remains, after meeting his essential needs, to the cause of bearing witness to the faith.

In other words, if a person wishes to adopt Islam in his individual life, he may be considered religious simply by abstaining from what is forbidden. But to convey Islam to others, he must pass through a path of immense patience. Without this, even the proper beginning of this work is not possible, let alone bringing it to completion.

In the first case, a person is responsible only for himself, but in the second, he becomes responsible for conveying the message of truth to all people. This greatly increases his commitments and challenges. It requires him to develop a deep and unwavering conviction in the truth of Islam so that he may become its messenger. He must acquire a detailed understanding of Islam in order to present it clearly to others. He must prepare reasoned responses to the false ideas and beliefs that have distanced people from God, so that they may be inclined toward the truth. He must reach out to each individual and, with genuine well-wishing, explain the message in a peaceful manner, according to their psychology, circumstances, and level of understanding. He must become a model of the highest moral character and avoid living by double standards, so that his conduct does not contradict his claim, but instead stands as a witness to its truth. In short, there is a vast list of responsibilities that demands great sacrifice. Once a believer commits himself to fulfilling such a duty, little room remains for him to take interest in anything else.

This is the second kind of migration. That is, setting aside the demands of one’s own self in order to fulfill the demands of religion. When there is a clash between the needs of religion and personal needs, when the work of religion asks from you all your time and all your abilities, when religion requires that you leave behind your comfort, your ease, and even your close family members and move forward for its sake, then you should sacrifice everything for it, and there should be nothing whose attachment becomes an obstacle in your path toward religion. This is the reality that is stated in the following verse. After mentioning the high ranks of the believer, the migrant, and the one who strives in the path of God, it is said:

“Say, “If your fathers and your sons and your brothers and your spouses and your tribe, and the worldly goods which you have acquired, and the commerce which you fear will decline, and the homes you love are dearer to you than God and His Messenger and the struggle for His cause, then wait until God fulfills His decree. God does not guide the disobedient people.” (Quran, 9:24)

In this verse, all the things that are mentioned are, in themselves, lawful, and none of them is inherently forbidden. Yet the believers are told to leave all of them behind and move toward God, and those who do not do so are declared to be fasiq, that is, breakers of their covenant. God had made this demand of our predecessors, the noble Companions (Sahaba), who entered into a covenant with their Lord through the Final Prophet, committing themselves to devote all their strength to the cause of upholding God’s word. When twenty years had passed since this pledge, and they had consistently proven through sustained sacrifice that they were ready to give up everything for the sake of the faith, then, after their return from the journey of Tabuk in 9 AH, God declared the acceptance of their efforts in the following words:

“God has bought from the believers their lives and their wealth in return for the Garden. They fight for the cause of God and they kill and are killed. It is a promise binding on Him in the Torah, the Gospel and the Quran, and who is truer to his promise than God? Rejoice then in the bargain you have made. That is the supreme achievement.” (Quran, 9:111)

This migration—or, in other words, the willingness to sacrifice legitimate interests for a higher purpose—is both a test of a person’s devotion to God and the means by which God’s religion continues to flourish on this earth. Those who step forward to take part in this work, yet want to secure their position in the world first and only then turn to the concerns of the Hereafter; who are not prepared to lower their standard of living; who are unwilling to risk their children’s future; who are not ready to sacrifice their worldly desires and ambitions; who do not consider reducing their material engagements in order to devote more time to the service of the faith, but instead are constantly looking for greater opportunities to meet their rising expenses—such people lack the resolve required for this path. In short, people who do not have the courage to give preference to tomorrow’s gain over today’s gain have never established the religion in history. And as long as this earth and sky remain, this task will never be accomplished by such people in the future either.