ISLAM SPREADS TO
YATHRIB (MADINAH)

The Prophet regularly conveyed the message of Islam to people from outside Makkah. In the eleventh year of his prophethood, in 620 AD, six men from the tribe of Khazraj of Yathrib (which later came to be known as Madinatun-Nabi, The Prophet’s City) accepted Islam during their pilgrimage to Makkah. The following year twelve more men from Yathrib accepted Islam. This time they took an oath pledging allegiance to the Prophet. This oath is known as the First Pledge of Aqabah, named after the Aqabah pass at Mina, near Makkah, where they had sworn to accept Islam. They requested the Prophet to send Musab bin Umayr, a companion of the Prophet, to Yathrib to convey the message of Islam to the inhabitants. There the divine message was immediately well-received, and within a year, many people accepted Islam due to the preaching of Musab ibn Umayr.

In the thirteenth year of prophethood, seventy-two Muslims from Yathrib came for the Hajj. On behalf of their people, they invited the Prophet to make Yathrib his home. During the pilgrimage, they also took the oath known as the Second Pledge of Aqabah. These men from Yathrib, of the tribes of Aws and Khazraj, pledged to protect the Prophet from his enemies. However, for all this sacrifice on their part, they wanted the Prophet to promise them only one thing: that when he had gained power, he would not leave them and return to Makkah. The Prophet replied:

“You have that assurance. I am yours, and you are mine.” (Al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah - Ibn Hisham, Vol. 1, p. 442)

Then the Muslims began to emigrate to Yathrib in large numbers to escape persecution at the hands of the Quraysh. Finally, only the Prophet, Abu Bakr and a few Muslims were left in Makkah.

This enraged the Quraysh, for Islam was strengthening its roots in Yathrib. They were greatly alarmed that their enemies were gaining a firm foothold. There was nothing more dangerous than that. So they resolved to remove the danger once and for all. They said:

“Kill Muhammad, and Islam will die with him.” (Al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah - Ibn Hisham, Vol. 1, p. 482)

The Makkans then plotted against the Prophet’s life, and the young men with whom the Quraysh had planned to carry out the murder collected on that fateful night to put their plan into action. However, God had another plan—and who can overrule the plan of God? And that was to command the Prophet to leave for Yathrib. So the Prophet first called Ali, gave him the people’s deposits, and asked him to return them to the depositors. Then he made Ali lie in bed while leaving the house at midnight.

The Prophet had already informed Abu Bakr, his closest friend, of the plan to emigrate, to be conducted in total secrecy. So they left Makkah before dawn, riding on two camels which Abu Bakr had kept ready to carry them across the desert. About five miles from the city, they took shelter in a cave called Thawr.

When the Makkans learnt of the Prophet’s escape, they were enraged. They offered a prize of one hundred camels to anyone who captured Muhammad. So several horse riders raced out into the desert. One of them even managed to reach the very mouth of the cave of Thawr. Abu Bakr was stricken with fear lest they harm the Prophet. However, the Prophet reassured him, saying:

“Fear not. We are not just two in this cave. There is a third—God.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 4663)

The Prophet and Abu Bakr lay hidden in this cave for three days and nights. Finally, on the fourth day, they came out and continued the journey with Abdullah ibn Urayqit, their guide.