The Migration
to Madinah
The Prophet used to convey the message of Islam to the people coming from outside Makkah. People from Yathrib (renamed as Madinatun-Nabi, the Prophet’s city) had started to accept Islam.
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. These men from Yathrib pledged to protect the Prophet from his enemies. For all this sacrifice they only wanted one assurance from the Prophet: that when the Prophet 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.”
Now the Muslims began to emigrate to Yathrib in large numbers to escape persecution at the hands of the Quraysh. Only the Prophet, Abu Bakr and a few Muslims were left in Makkah.
This infuriated the Quraysh, for Islam was now strengthening its root in Yathrib. 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.”
The young men with whom the Quraysh planned to carry out the assassination, duly collected in that fateful night. But before they could put their plan into action, God, having conceived of a different plan for the Prophet, commanded him to leave for Madinah. And who can overrule God’s plan? Accordingly, the Porphet — after giving Ali all the people’s deposits to be returned to them made Ali lie down in his bed, while he himself left the house at midnight.
Before dawn, the Prophet, accompanied by Abu Bakr, left Makkah and, about five miles from the city the two men took shelter in a cave called Thawr.
When the Makkans learnt of the Prophet’s escape, they were mad with rage. They offered a reward of a hundred camels to anyone who captured The Prophet Muhammad and a number of horsemen immediately raced out into the desert. Some 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. But the Prophet reassured him, saying:
“Fear not. We are not two only in this cave. There is a third—God.”
The Prophet and Abu Bakr lay hidden in this cave for three days and three nights. On the fourth day they came out and continued the journey. Their guide for this dangerous journey was Abdullah ibn al Uraiqit, a non-Muslim, who was a friend of Abu Bakr.
Love for Humanity
The first problem faced by the Prophet was that of the Makkan refugees. They had neither homes nor money. Most of them had been well-to-do in Makkah, but they had left everything behind them. So the first important thing for the Prophet to do was to settle them in their new surroundings.
The solution to this problem was found in the concept of brotherhood in Islam. The Prophet collected the Muslims and suggested that one Ansar (Madinan Muslim) and one Muhajir (Makkan Muslim) should become linked together as two brothers.
The Muslims of Madinah immediately accepted the suggestion of the Prophet. Each Ansar took one Makkan Muslim as his brother. This bond between the two became even stronger than a blood relationship. The Ansar gave his Makkan brother half of everything he possessed—house, land, money and other belongings.
The Prophet gave his first sermon after migration to Madinah on the first Friday at the Mosque of Jumu‘a while he was travelling from Quba to Madinah. He said:
- Worship Almighty God.
- You should be truthful in your life.
- Love everyone in your society.
- Fulfill the promises and commitments you make.
- Differentiate between the lawful and the unlawful in your life.
- Behave in a good manner with others.
The Prophet, after being tortured and forced by the Makkans to migrate, did not mention any kind of revenge but instead talked about spreading love, peace and humanity among the people of Madinah.
The Prophet’s Mosque
The next most important task for the Prophet was to build a mosque. This mosque was built on the land he had bought from two orphans. It had mud walls and a roof of palm leaves. The Prophet himself contributed to building the mosque by carrying bricks and stones while reciting the following verses:
“Oh God! no bliss is there but that of the Hereafter, I beseech You to forgive the Emigrants and the Helpers.”
The qiblah (the direction in which Muslims turn their faces in prayer), was constructed to face Jerusalem. It was later changed by divine command to Makkah, the home of the Kabah.
Huts were built adjacent to the mosque for the Prophet’s family. The mosque was not only a place for prayer, it was also the administrative headquarters where consultations were held and decisions taken.
The Prophet gave his first sermon after migration to Madinah on the first Friday at the Mosque of Jumu‘a while he was travelling from Quba to Madinah.
A platform with a thatched roof was built in one corner of the mosque. Poor people who had no home or family lived here. They spent their time in worship and prayer. They were fed by those Muslims who could afford to do so. They also sometimes earned their living by collecting wood from the jungle and selling it in the market. These people came to be known as Ashabus-Suffa, people of the bench. The number of the Ashabus-Suffa used to vary but as many as seventy in number have been recorded. Abu Hurayrah, a constant attendant of the Prophet, and one of the Ashabus-Suffa, related more hadiths (traditions of the sayings and doings of the Prophet) than any other.
Abu Hurayrah himself narrated how this had become possible. He said that the Muhajir were traders whose occupation kept them busy—buying and selling. The Ansar had orchards of date palms to look after and they were occupied with that. Abu Hurayrah who, had none of these preoccupations was present when others were not and he had once complained to the Prophet about his forgetfulness. The Prophet Muhammad asked him to spread out his sheet of cloth, then he recited some duas and asked him to fold up the sheet. Abu Hurayrah folded the sheet and pressed it to his chest. He says that he never forgot anything after that day.
Makkan Opposition
The Prophet was a man of peace and reconciliation. He urged his companions to ask God for peace. For the Prophet’s main task was the communication of the divine message to the people. And an atmosphere of peace and goodwill was essential to perform this duty. But the Quraysh did not allow him to work in peaceful conditions. When they saw that the Muslims were becoming increasingly stronger, they resolved to wage war and crush them altogether.
Badr
The Quraysh marched to Madinah with a thousand strong army. They camped at Badr, about eighty miles from Madinah. It was the month of Ramadan, two years after the Hijrah. On hearing the news of the enemy camping at Badr, the Prophet marched out of Madinah at the head of an army of 313 Muslims. They had few horses and no armour. The Makkans, on the other hand, were well armed and had 300 horses and 700 camels.
The battle, in which the Muslims were seriously outnumbered, began on Friday, the 17th of Ramadan. The fighting lasted only a few hours, during which the Prophet prayed continuously for divine succour. God then sent angels to help the Muslims who emerged victorious. The Quraysh suffered a total rout.
Uhud
The defeat of Badr, however, did not teach the Quraysh a lesson, but further enraged them. Determined to wipe out the blot of this humiliation, they now began preparations for a second attack, on a much bigger scale. They raised an army of more than 3000 warriors and, mad with revenge, marched to Madinah, led by Abu Sufyan.
The Prophet’s men numbered only 700. But with God on their side, the Muslims successfully repulsed the attack. The enemy started retreating, leaving behind large quantities of booty. Victory was imminent for the Muslims, but a lapse allowed the Makkans to counter attack and the victory was turned to defeat.
The Prophet was a man of peace and reconciliation. He urged his companions to ask God for peace. For the Prophet’s main task was the communication of the divine message to the people.
The Quraysh lost 14 men, while the Muslims lost 70. Among the dead was Hamzah, the Prophet’s uncle. The Prophet grieved over the loss of this brave soul. With deep sorrow the martyrs were buried and the Muslims came back to Madinah.
The Trench
The enemies and hypocrites contrived to bring together all the opponents of Islam. So they were able to assemble a mighty force of 10,000, with which large army they started marching towards Madinah. The Muslims numbered only 3,000. But the Makkan cavalry were stopped by the trench. However, they had plenty of provisions and supplies so they decided to lay siege to the city.
On the 27th day of the siege, a fierce storm hit Madinah. For three days and nights the storm continued, bringing torrential rain.
All the tents were blown away and the provisions became unusable due to the rain. Dissension in the army was now gradually growing. Discouraged, the Quraysh abandoned the siege.
