We Muslims don’t know exactly when the Hijri calendar began. During the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), there was no date. People at that time counted the days based on some major event as a reference. The day the Prophet (peace be upon him) first arrived in Medina was the first day of the Hijri calendar. However, the calendar was not yet created because civilization had not developed at that time and Islam was only centered in a small city. The Hijri calendar was introduced during the time of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). At that time, Islamic civilization had reached a huge size.
Umar (RA) consulted with other companions about how to introduce the calendar or when to start counting the years. Although many people expressed many opinions, it was finally decided that the Hijri calendar would begin from the day the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) first migrated to Medina or set foot in Medina. Why did they start counting the day of their first arrival in Medina as the Hijri calendar? The reason is that the arrival of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to Medina was a huge event.
The polytheists of Mecca saw the people gathering their wealth in Medina and they learned that the two tribes of Hajjaj and Aws had united and that they would not be able to withstand their combined strength.
They almost went mad because of their failure. They decided to kill the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
A conference was held at Darul Aqam and the main topic of the conference was how to stop the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Allah Almighty says about this gathering in Mecca:
And [remember, O Muhammad], when those who disbelieved plotted against you to restrain you or kill you or evict you [from Makkah]. But they plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best of planners.
(Quran 8:30)
The great leaders of Quraysh were present at this conference and they continued to make various decisions. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Some leaders said that whenever the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) left his house, he would be singled out, meaning he would be imprisoned. Someone said he should be killed. Someone said he should be deported. The most heinous proposal was to kill the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). This proposal was from the infamous Abu Jahl.
He proposed that a strong man from each tribe be sent, each with a sword in his hand, and that they all attack the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) together. As a result, no specific person will have to bear the responsibility for the murder. As a result, every tribe in Mecca will be held responsible for this murder, and the family of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) will not be able to fight against every tribe.
This proposal was outrageous, but it worked. Murder bill passed in Mecca parliament. The polytheists planned to secretly kill the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but Allah’s plan was to protect him.
Allah taught His Prophet a prayer:
And say, “My Lord, cause me to enter a sound entrance and to exit a sound exit and grant me from Yourself a supporting authority.”
(Quran 17:80)
After receiving permission from Allah to migrate, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) set out for Abu Bakr’s house to inquire about the matter.
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that day: We saw a man coming towards their house with his face covered with a cloth. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) saw him and realized that he was the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said upon seeing the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that if he had not had some important matter to attend to, he would not have come this afternoon. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) entered the house and Abu Bakr made a place for him to sit.
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told Abu Bakr that no one else should be there. Abu Bakr said that all those present here are from your family, meaning that he meant that Abu Bakr’s family meant the family of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). So you can trust them and talk important things in front of them.
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “O Abu Bakr, Allah has commanded me to leave Mecca and go to Medina.” Abu Bakr said, “O Messenger of Allah, may I go with you?”
It was not that migrating to Medina was a great joy, but Abu Bakr knew that migrating with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) meant putting his life at risk.
He knew that he was going to a dangerous place, but he was happy because he was going with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
Abu Bakr was not afraid for his life, but rather wept with joy at this opportunity.
Meanwhile, the Quraysh were about to implement their plan. As planned, they surrounded the house of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Their intention was to prevent the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) from leaving his house. Who was chosen for the assassination? 11 people were selected, including Abu Lahab and Abu Jahl.
They surrounded the Prophet’s house.
On the other hand, the Prophet (peace be upon him) knew that he would be killed, so he gave the Quraysh’s treasure to Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and told him that you can sleep on this bed wearing my cloak, nothing will happen to you. The Prophet (peace be upon him) left the house with a handful of soil. And he threw dust at them, so that he disappeared from their sight.
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) left the house in front of them, but no one saw him, and he was reciting this verse:
And We have put before them a barrier and behind them a barrier and covered them, so they do not see.
(Quran 36:9)
He sat with his head covered in dirt, hoping to kill 11 of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), but later learned that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had already left. They entered the house with a sense of dread and saw Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) lying on the bed. In the morning, they asked Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) where Muhammad was. Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) replied that he did not know.
Their plan was foiled and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and Abu Bakr set out on the road to Medina and traveled far.
They reached a cave and entered it, but the Quraysh had already seen them and started following them. Then they entered the cave and a strange thing happened there: a spider made a web at the mouth of the cave. Allah Almighty says in the Quran about this.
The example of those who take allies other than Allah is like that of the spider who takes a home. And indeed, the weakest of homes is the home of the spider, if they only knew.
(Quran 29:41)
A spider web can be torn apart with your fingers, and the spider becomes a soldier of God.
The Quraysh approached the cave and saw the web, saying that Muhammad was not in the cave because if he had entered the cave, the spider would not have spun a web.
During the migration, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was accompanied by only Abu Bakr and no one else, but even if no one else was present, Allaah was with them, and this is what Allaah revealed in the following verse:
If you do not aid the Prophet – Allah has already aided him when those who disbelieved had driven him out [of Makkah] as one of two, when they were in the cave and he said to his companion, “Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us.” And Allah sent down his tranquillity upon him and supported him with angels you did not see and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while the word of Allah – that is the highest. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.
(Quran 9:40)
In this verse, Allah Almighty mentions Abu Bakr as a companion of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The Prophet (peace be upon him) and Abu Bakr stayed in this cave for three days. Abu Bakr’s son would come and stay with them at night and return to Mecca during the day to find out what the polytheists were planning.
Three days later, a man named Abdullah ibn Ubayqat arrived there. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) hired him to take him and Hazrat Abu Bakr to Medina. Even though he was a polytheist, he was faithful.
They continued along the coast until they reached Medina. They continued along the coast until they reached Medina. And for this reason, the Quraysh announced a reward to the Bedouins.
On the way, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and Abu Bakr stopped at the tent of a woman named Umm Yatra from the tribe of Hujjaj.
This woman was a charitable woman who invited people who passed by the three tents.
But he had nothing with him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked him for food. He replied, “If there was any food, he would have given it to him himself, without asking.”
Umm Najna had a goat that was very weak. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked permission to milk it. After receiving permission, he took a large bucket and as soon as the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) started milking it, the goat immediately started giving milk.
When the pot was filled with milk, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gave the milk to Umm Naa first, and then they all drank it one by one.
We will try to discuss through a few points.
Firstly, Allah Almighty says about migration as the distinguishing between truth and falsehood, and this distinction will remain until the Day of Judgment.
Allah Almighty says that:
[They are] those who have been evicted from their homes without right – only because they say, “Our Lord is Allah.” And were it not that Allah checks the people, some by means of others, there would have been demolished monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which the name of Allah is much mentioned. And Allah will surely support those who support Him. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might.
(Quran 22:40)
Allah Almighty says that the final victory is the victory of the believers.
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The second point that the event of the migration teaches us is the obstacles and dangers in the path of invitation.
Everyone attacks those who call people to the path of Allah to suppress them. They want to stop the progress of Islam even if it means spending money.
Allah says that:
Indeed, those who disbelieve spend their wealth to avert [people] from the way of Allah. So they will spend it; then it will be for them a [source of] regret; then they will be overcome. And those who have disbelieved – unto Hell they will be gathered.
(Quran 8:36)
The Quraysh spent a huge amount of money to suppress Islam, not only during the migration but also afterwards.
Third point of caution. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) analyzed every little thing during the migration. He prepared in advance for each stage. But remember, preparation is not everything, rather everything happens according to God’s plan. From the beginning to the end of the migration, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) took very practical measures regarding security. The Prophet (peace be upon him) did everything that was possible for a human being to do.
Point number four: Although the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) took all kinds of security measures, he still faced various dangers. After that, various miracles started happening. From this we understand that when a servant does everything he can, Allah becomes his protector.
Point number five: The supportive role of Muslim women. The event of the migration has only been narrated from Asma (RA). Asma (may Allah be pleased with her) kept water in a bag for her father and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) during the migration. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) kept water in a bag for her father and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) during the migration.
That is why the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed for him to have two ribbons in Paradise.
Point number 6: Maintaining balance in privacy. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) maintained great secrecy at every stage of his life in Mecca and during the Hijrah. However, a balance must be maintained between privacy and Islamic da’wah activities.
Point number 7: The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) chose Abu Bakr as his traveling companion. Abu Bakr was a friend of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). When he learned that he was going to migrate with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), he wept with joy, even though migrating from Mecca to Medina was very risky.
Believers value Islam more than the safety of their own lives, so when Abu Bakr had the opportunity to migrate with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), he did not fear for his life but rather came forward to help the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Point number 8: Abu Bakr was an intelligent and trustworthy man. He fattened his camel by feeding it grass for four months. He entered the cave before the Prophet (peace be upon him) to see if there was any danger there.
Point number 9: Becoming self-reliant. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told Abu Bakr about migrating, he said that two camels were ready, but the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not want to take the camels for free, but wanted to buy them.
From here we understand one thing that a preacher of Islam must be self-reliant and not rely on the help of others.
Allah Almighty says in this regard:
Or have they taken protectors [or allies] besides him? But Allah – He is the Protector, and He gives life to the dead, and He is over all things competent.
(Quran 42:9)
Point number 10: The conflict between the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the Quraysh is an ideological conflict.
And that is their double-minded behavior: they keep their trust with the Prophet they want to kill. What more two-faced policy could there be?
From this we learn that they did not dislike the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as a person, but rather they disliked the message that came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) for that reason.
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At the same time, we see another wonderful aspect of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that he did not want to turn this ideological conflict into a personal dispute.
He did not waste his deposit because they were going to kill him, but rather he handed it over to Ali.
