Migration is a difficult responsibility and not everyone is able to fulfill it. So some Muslims stayed in Mecca instead of migrating to Medina. Allah has discussed all these backward Muslims in the Holy Quran.
Allah not only shows the hope of reward, but also the fear of punishment. If someone only hopes for reward, he will continue to do bad deeds because he will think that Allah will come then. If he thinks about Allah’s punishment all the time, he will despair of Allah’s mercy.
The companions had a balancing act in their minds regarding this matter, so they were the best companions. We must fear Allah and at the same time have hope in Allah.
Allah has mentioned in the Quran the punishment of Hell for all those Muslims who stayed behind or did not migrate.
Indeed, those whom the angels take [in death] while wronging themselves – [the angels] will say, “In what [condition] were you?” They will say, “We were oppressed in the land.” The angels will say, “Was not the earth of Allah spacious [enough] for you to emigrate therein?” For those, their refuge is Hell – and evil it is as a destination.
(Quran 4:97)
All the Muslims who did not migrate had to participate in the Battle of Badr despite their reluctance. That is, Allah Almighty said that they committed a sin by not doing so despite knowing that migration was obligatory. That is, Allah Almighty said that they committed a sin by not doing so despite knowing that migration was obligatory.
Allah Almighty says about them:
And of the people are some who say, “We believe in Allah,” but when one [of them] is harmed for [the cause of] Allah, they consider the trial of the people as [if it were] the punishment of Allah. But if victory comes from your Lord, they say, “Indeed, We were with you.” Is not Allah most knowing of what is within the breasts of all creatures?
(Quran 29:10)
These people get frustrated at the slightest thing. They are not willing to suffer a little for Islam. They are not willing to give up comfort at all.
Allah did not forgive those Muslims for not migrating from Mecca to Medina, and how can we expect to escape Allah’s punishment by being Muslims in name only?
When this verse reached the Muslims of Mecca, they were completely disheartened and thought that they had no hope left.
Allah Almighty says about them in the Quran:
Then, indeed your Lord, to those who emigrated after they had been compelled [to renounce their religion] and thereafter fought [for the cause of Allah] and were patient – indeed, your Lord, after that, is Forgiving and Merciful.
(Quran 16:110)
This verse was referring to all the Muslims who remained in Mecca and later fled Mecca and participated in the war. God has forgiven them.
After this message of Allah was revealed, some of the companions became upset.
One such companion was a Samrah. When he heard this message, he set out for Medina, although he was very old and fell on his deathbed on the way. When his death approached, he said, “O Allah, one hand is for You and the other hand is for Your Messenger.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “If only he had died in Medina.” Then Allah revealed this verse:
And whoever emigrates for the cause of Allah will find on the earth many [alternative] locations and abundance. And whoever leaves his home as an emigrant to Allah and His Messenger and then death overtakes him – his reward has already become incumbent upon Allah. And Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful.
(Quran 4:100)
Even though the Samrah could not go to Medina, Allah will forgive him for making the intention.
From this incident, we understand that the companions made mistakes, but after making a mistake, they did not repeat the same mistake, but rather they followed the command of Allah.
Allah Almighty revealed this verse for those who had a valid excuse for not migrating.
Except for the oppressed among men, women and children who cannot devise a plan nor are they directed to a way. For those it is expected that Allah will pardon them, and Allah is ever Pardoning and Forgiving.
(Quran 4:98-99)
Now we are going to enter the main discussion, which is the establishment of an Islamic state.
The state that the Prophet (peace be upon him) established was in Medina, and the state that was later established during the reign of Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) had its capital in Kufa.
Later the capital was moved to various places. These include Damascus in Syria, Baghdad in Iraq, and finally Turkey.
And throughout this entire period, there is a history of victories and defeats. For almost twelve hundred years, Muslims were the world’s superpower. Overall, it can be said that this is the most prosperous time for Muslims. However, the situation began to change from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries onwards. From the hands of Muslims. After World War I, Türkiye, the central power of the Muslims, fell into the hands of the infidels.
And as a consequence, the entire Caliphate system was abolished in 1924. The end of this caliphate was the saddest chapter in Muslim history. Scholars and mujahideen in various places are continuing to strive to establish Islam.
However, from a hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), we learn that the Caliphate will be re-established in the end times. As soon as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) arrived in Medina, he tried to establish an Islamic state there. He began working to maintain peace and order in Medina.
Generally, a newly formed state has various problems, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) identified those problems and took measures to solve them.
This state had internal problems as well as external enemy attacks. Medina had not yet reached a strong position militarily. Overall, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) undertook four projects:
The first task is to build a mosque because the mosque is the center of faith. Number two: Creating friendship between the Muhajirin and the Ansar. Thirdly, to enact a law regarding the relationship between the tribes of Medina. And creating four Muslim armies.
In today’s episode, we will discuss the first task that we will do, which is to build a mosque. The first thing the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did when he arrived in Medina was to build a mosque. He even started building a mosque before he built his own residence. He did the same thing while he was in Quba because the mosque is the center of learning for Muslims.
He did the same thing while he was in Quba because the mosque is the center of learning for Muslims. He used to teach through Darul Aqam in Mecca and in Medina he started teaching through mosques.
But in Mecca, Muslims used to come to pray secretly during the great akam, but since Islam had been established in Medina, everyone would go to the mosque there and pray openly.
And the name of this mosque is Masjid-e-Nabawi. The Prophet entered Medina riding a camel and everyone was walking with him. Everyone was pulling the camel towards them, when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Leave it alone, it is going according to the command of Allah.”
The camel started walking along the road of Medina and stopped in a dry date palm grove. That garden belonged to two brothers who had lost their parents. When the camel stopped there, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “This is the place of our mosque.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) wanted to buy the land from the two boys, but they wanted to give it to the Prophet (peace be upon him) for free.
But the Prophet (peace be upon him) bought the land from them with money. The place was chosen for the mosque and for the residence of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The foundation of this mosque was made of stone and the walls were made of clay. And the roof was made of palm leaves. When it rained, water would fall on their heads and there would be only sand underneath.
The mosque was very simple. But this is the most blessed mosque in the history of Islam. The residence of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was built alongside the mosque. The house of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was very simple, made of mud and palm leaves. There was no furniture in the house.
When the construction of the Prophet’s Mosque was completed, everyone sat down to discuss how to invite everyone to Islam.
Someone said to raise the flag. Someone said to ring the bell like Christians. Or use something like the horns the Jews used in Medina. None of the proposals pleased the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
One day, the companion Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) learned the rules for giving the call to prayer in a dream, and after he told the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about the dream, he said that he should teach this rule to Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him).
Hearing the call to prayer, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) came running and said that he had heard the call to prayer in a dream.
If more than one person sees the same dream, it means that the dream is true. Since then, the custom of giving the call to prayer has been introduced. Wherever the call to prayer is given, it is assumed that there are Muslims there.
Now let’s see what lessons we can learn from the construction of this mosque.
Allah says that:
[And they are] those who, if We give them authority in the land, establish prayer and give zakah and enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. And to Allah belongs the outcome of [all] matters.
(Quran 22:41)
That is, after Allah gave power to Muslims, the first thing they did was to establish prayer. This work of prayer began with the construction of a mosque. When the construction of the mosque began, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) worked with his own hands. One lesson we learn from this is that it is more acceptable to show someone how to do something than to order them to do it themselves.
Now, through a few points, what is the role of the mosque?
First, peace will prevail in a society only when the Islamic Sharia is established in that society. And in Islam, the establishment of law is done in the mosque. The mosque is the center of Islam.
Allah Almighty says in this regard:
Do not stand [for prayer] within it – ever. A mosque founded on righteousness from the first day is more worthy for you to stand in. Within it are men who love to purify themselves; and Allah loves those who purify themselves.
(Quran 9:108)
Allah also says:
[Such niches are] in mosques which Allah has ordered to be raised and that His name be mentioned therein; exalting Him within them in the morning and the evenings. [Are] men whom neither commerce nor sale distracts from the remembrance of Allah and performance of prayer and giving of zakah. They fear a Day in which the hearts and eyes will [fearfully] turn about. That Allah may reward them [according to] the best of what they did and increase them from His bounty. And Allah gives provision to whom He wills without account.
(Quran 24:36-38)
Although mosques are considered to be places of worship only in modern times, during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), mosques were the center of social life. The mosque was the busiest center of society.
Point number two: The mosque is not just made of bricks, its soul is the people who travel inside it. The Quran praises those people who stay in the House of Allah, the Mosque.
Point number three: The mosque is the educational center of Muslims. Darul Aqam in Mecca was the educational center of Muslims, and the mosque in Medina is the educational center of Muslims.
Here, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught Muslims and his companions studied various books. Non-Muslims would come to the mosque to learn about Islam and then return to teach Islamic knowledge to their tribes. The mosque was a place of learning.
Point number 4: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that whoever sits in the mosque and reads the Book of Allah and discusses it, Allah will give him four rewards. Point number five: Mosques are places where Muslims meet each other.
Muslims who pray five times a day in the mosque get the opportunity to meet each other.
Point number five: The mosque was a place of shelter for the poor and passersby. Those who lived in this mosque were called Suffa.
Point number seven: At that time, armies would set out for war from the mosque. Point number 8: The mosque is a place of invitation to Islam.
We discussed the Ahl al-Suffa a little while ago, let’s find out who these Ahl al-Suffa are.
When the Qiblah was towards Jerusalem, a tent was built next to the Prophet’s Mosque. This camp was known as Ashraffa. It was originally created for people who had no place to live. Those who lived there were called Ahl al-Suffa. But it’s not like everyone was there because of economic problems. Some decided to stay voluntarily. However, it cannot be thought that those who lived with Abu Sufyan did not do any work. They had a lot of knowledge about Islam.
The population of Sufan was about 70 people and they always lived behind the Prophet’s Mosque. They were very advanced in their studies because they lived near the educational center, the Prophet’s Mosque.
Nowadays, there are some people who are comfortable only. These groups set super examples to Ahl al-Suffa their laziness. But Abu Sufyan’s men did not sit idle. They studied and fought.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) came to Medina and focused on establishing an Islamic state because through it, Islam would spread throughout the world.
