The Noble Prophetic Migration: A Journey of Building and Belonging

 

 

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon the most honorable of creation and messengers, our master Muhammad, the trustworthy guide, and upon his family, companions, and followers, and whoever follows them in goodness until the Day of Judgment.

The blessed Prophetic Migration (Hijrah), whose anniversary Muslims commemorate every year, is one of the most significant events in all of human history. This is due to the profound lessons and noble stances it embodies, which were instrumental in the rise of the Islamic nation (Ummah) whose light shone forth to dispel the darkness of ignorance (Jahiliyyah) and rectify the course of humanity.

The honor of this great journey became manifest through the gathering of the believers and the unification of sincere efforts to build a nation founded on brotherhood, love, and affection, strengthened by the blessings of divine revelation and divine planning. Thus, it served as a lesson for us in every time and place, teaching us how an Ummah rises after its lethargy, how it heals after its illness, and how it strengthens after its weakness.

This blessed journey began after harsh conditions suffered by Muslims in Mecca, characterized by their small numbers, the abandonment of kin who could have supported them, the loss of aid from friends, and the grim hostility of distant enemies. This continued until the Prophet (peace be upon him) became certain that the hearts of the people of Makkah had hardened to the point of turning to stone, their emotions withered until they became blunt, nobility vanished from their characters, and hope in them was severed!

At that time, the command came from Allah the Almighty to depart to the lands of a people whose thirsty hearts yearned to quench their thirst from the spring of faith, and who pledged allegiance to the Prophet (peace be upon him) for victory and empowerment. Thus began that blessed journey, which commenced with a divine command, followed by taking human means. This was a lesson for us from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) that the first steps to success, after relying on Allah Almighty, are proper planning and sound preparation. If he (peace be upon him) had wished, it would have sufficed for him to raise his hands to the sky and supplicate to his Lord, Glorified be He, until Al-Buraq came obediently and submissively, transporting him and those with him with a mere sign in the blink of an eye to any destination he desired. However, he (peace be upon him) teaches us that walking the path of Hijrah is not by mere wishes, and building nations does not depend on the occurrence of miracles. Rather, it is by combining preparing the provisions with submission and delegation (to Allah), and by taking physical provisions after spiritual provisions, as Allah The Exalted Says (What means): "And take provisions, for indeed, the best provision is righteousness." [Al-Baqarah/197]. Then, by choosing the best of companions for the journey, accompanied by turning to Allah in supplication: "(O Allah, You are the Companion in travel and the Successor over my family)," and by changing the accustomed route known to the polytheists, while adhering to the station of "Guide us to the straight path." Thus, the pillars of submission to the will of the Almighty Truth were completed, and the meanings of harmony between divine legislation and sincere servitude became manifest, and the meanings of beauty were perfected in combining revelation and sound judgment, embodied in the person and actions of the Prophet (peace be upon him).

When the Prophet (peace be upon him) arrived in those new lands, he found what he had sought when he departed from a people who chose to live in the darkness of ignorance, whose eyes were blinded by the light of faith, and who chased the signs of guidance in the desert with the edges of swords, to a people who welcomed those lights at the gates of Medina with the beating of drums. They believed that the power of change in the Ummah lies within itself, that the secret of its strength is in the unity of its children, and that faith does not require seeing miracles, but rather requires purifying the self. Their faith in the Prophet (peace be upon him) was before they saw him, and their love for him was before they met him, because when the sweetness of faith penetrates the souls, spirits submit to it and limbs obey it.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) invested that great power of faith by building a structure in Medina – which was Quba’ Mosque – for the worship of Allah the Almighty. The companions chanted that immortal anthem during its construction, whose echoes resonate in hearts before ears, and invite us to reflect on its words that form a way of life: 

If we sit while the Prophet works, that would be a misleading act from us

This anthem shows us the methodology of the companions and their view of their new homeland. They carried building blocks on their shoulders, raising with them the edifice of their ancient future in the pure, illuminated land, sending a message to generations after them that their new homeland is a land where there is no laziness in work, and that diligence is required from every individual, and that the honor of homelands is only built upon the shoulders of honorable people. As for idleness in building and developing nations, it is the work of hypocrites and people of misguidance. Therefore, the Prophet's (peace be upon him) response was to supplicate for them with mercy and forgiveness, saying:

 There is no life but the life of the Hereafter; O Allah, have mercy on the Ansar and the Muhajirin

The Prophet (peace be upon him) completed the journey of building the Ummah by building the human being simultaneously with establishing the infrastructure. He commanded the brotherhood between the Muhajirin (the converts to Islam and the Islamic prophet Muhammad's advisors and relatives, who emigrated from Mecca to Medina) and the Ansar (the early Muslims from Medina) so that their hearts would shake hands as their hands did, and their souls would meet as their bodies met in obedience to Allah and His piety. He (peace be upon him) commanded them to purify their souls from the tribalism of ignorance and the impurities of idolatry. Through them, the Ummah of goodness and love was established, and Allah The Almighty called them "the successful ones" – those whose striving prospered, whose toil blossomed, and who saw the fruits of their work in this world before the Hereafter. As Allah The Almighty Says (What means): "For the poor emigrants who were expelled from their homes and their properties, seeking bounty from Allah and [His] pleasure and supporting Allah and His Messenger – those are the truthful. And [also for] those who settled in the home [Medina] and [accepted] the faith before them. They love those who emigrated to them and find not any want in their breasts of what the [emigrants] were given but give [them] preference over themselves, even though they were in privation. And whoever is protected from the stinginess of his soul – it is those who will be the successful." [Al-Hashr/8-9].

When these two great pillars in the Ummah were completed – meaning the pillar of knowledge, whose light shone from the Mosque, and the pillar of unity and love among the people of the same nation – submission to the foundation of justice in society became voluntary. So the Prophet (peace be upon him) established a document for them to regulate their affairs and inform them of their rights, and he built a strong economy for them that protected their livelihood, and he withdrew financial control from the hands of their enemies.

With these pillars, the Prophet (peace be upon him) was able to build an Ummah that Allah The Almighty called in His Book: "You are the best nation produced for mankind..." [Al-Imran/110]. This blessed Ummah will remain a bright, white page in the book of time, a history inscribed by believers in letters of light, and by The Will of Allah The Almighty, it will remain a witness to its superiority, righteousness, and goodness over all nations under the banner of our master, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), the leader of the Ummah, its Imam, and its role model, throughout all ages and times. Besides, Allah The Almighty Says (What means): "And thus We have made you a middle nation that you may be witnesses over the people and the Messenger may be a witness over you." [Al-Baqarah/143]. And all Perfect Praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds.