Islamic New year begins. Islamic history is full of days and great occasions that are good to remember - taking from them that which guides us to the right path in difficult times. The noble Hijrah from Makkah to Madinah is one of the grandest events in the history of Islam. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) gives us through the two migrations - the first Hijrah of the Muslims to Ethiopia and his own to Madinah, then called Yathrib - many lessons and examples. He teaches us that change requires hard work and sacrifice.
When the followers of the Prophet were harmed in Makkah and could find no one to champion them and feared sedition, the Prophet reviewed all the countries of the neighboring world for a place to command them to migrate to. If they went any region in the Arabian Peninsula they would be returned to Quraysh. Persia was overlooked because the Persians were idolaters, and the Romans, though people of the book, were known for being tough and tyrannical. The Prophet thought Ethiopia would be the best. He ordered the companions to migrate to Ethiopia. “Go to Ethiopia,” he told them, “there is a king there who is just.” This Hijrah was termed the migration to the abode of safety, while the migration to Madinah was termed the migration to the abode of belief.
We thus learn from the Prophet that when we plan for something we should make our plans considering all aspects of the situation. He planned for the method of travel, the provisions and who would lead the way. When everything was meticulously planned, he put his faith in Allah.
In the grand welcome the Prophet received upon arriving in Madinah we find lessons and examples. For the people of Madinah welcomed him and the immigrants with great hospitality, knowing that they would have to share with the immigrants their money and homes and become their family - for the im
migrants had left their families behind in Makkah - and asked rewards only from Allah. In this way, the Prophet achieved brotherhood between the Ansar (helpers of the Prophet) and the Muhajirun (migrants), and they became an example of the depth of belief.
The lessons and examples in the life of the Prophet and the Hijrah to Madinah should not simply be seen as a historical story to enjoy reading or hearing but one that we should consider a model for our own actions, so that we may truly be one of his followers.
In the grand welcome the Prophet received upon arriving in Madinah we find lessons and examples. For the people of Madinah welcomed him and the immigrants with great hospitality, knowing that they would have to share with the immigrants their money and homes and become their family - for the im
migrants had left their families behind in Makkah - and asked rewards only from Allah. In this way, the Prophet achieved brotherhood between the Ansar (helpers of the Prophet) and the Muhajirun (migrants), and they became an example of the depth of belief.The lessons and examples in the life of the Prophet and the Hijrah to Madinah should not simply be seen as a historical story to enjoy reading or hearing but one that we should consider a model for our own actions, so that we may truly be one of his followers.
O! Lord, do not deny us the joy of looking upon Your noble face for our failings or the intercession of the Prophet or Heaven.
Even the critics of Islam do understand the importance of hijrah, Bernard Lewis. He says:
“Muhhammad’s Emigration (hijrah) to Medina marked the beginning of Islamic history. Islam’s calendar started with the Hijarah, because it was through Muhammad’s enhanced role as a political leader in Medina that Islam first fulfilled its destiny as a polity. It was as though Islam had not yet fully existed in Mecca, where the nascent ideal ummah, political community, could never have been realized. (…)
Every sincere Muslim with intellect and understanding will see that the Hijrah is the main turning point in the history of Islam. Every year, with the coming of the early days of Muharram, the reminiscences of the Hijrah generate new lessons for Muslims and remind them of the sufferings their ancestors endured for the sake of this religion.
Shedding more light on this issue, here are the words of Sheikh Usamah Al-Khayyat, the Imam of Al-Masjid Al-Haram, Makkah:
"The major events in the lives of nations and communities need to be studied for lessons and benefits. Indeed, there are in the life of the Messenger of Allah events that changed the course of human history and left great impacts on the history of mankind. Among these events, the Prophet’s Hijrah (emigration) from Makkah to Madinah occupied the highest position, for through this emigration Islam won a decisive victory, started its consolidation, and the disbelievers started suffering defeat and humiliation.
In fact, there are uncountable lessons to be learned from the Prophet’s Hijrah. There are, however, two main lessons which are:
First, Islam is greater than the land, home, and town in which one is born; it is greater than all the beauties, allurements, and pleasures of this world.
This concept showed up vividly when the Messenger of Allah, along with his companion Abu Bakr, set out from Makkah, the sacred city. Addressing the city, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said with tears in the eyes: “By Allah! You are the most pleasant city and the dearest place to me. Had my people not expelled me out of you, I would not have lived elsewhere” (At-Tirmidhi).
Makkah was his birthplace and the very place where he spent his childhood and youth. But the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) left this blessed city to seek the pleasure of his Lord in the interest of His religion and in order to spread the belief and guidance and deliver His Message. The Messenger of Allah removed all obstacles that impeded the deliverance of da`wah so that mankind could have the right of choice between guidance and error. Allah says: “And say: ‘The truth is from your Lord.’ Then whosoever wills, let him believe; and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve” (Al-Kahf : 29).
Second, We should have perfect certainty that Allah is always with His truthful and believing slaves. This deep-rooted certainty, which was unshaken by the threat of the enemy, manifested itself in these two emigrating men. When the situation became tense and the disbelievers almost came to know the cave in which they were hiding, Abu Bakr said, “By Allah, Messenger of Allah, had anyone of them looked at his feet he would have seen us.” The Messenger of Allah replied, “O Abu Bakr! What do you think of two people who are accompanied by (the support and protection of) Allah?” Allah confirms this incidence in the Glorious Qur'an when He says: “If ye help him not, still Allah helped him when those who disbelieve drove him forth, the second of two; when they two were in the cave, when he said unto his comrade: Grieve not. Lo! Allah is with us. Then Allah caused His peace of reassurance to descend upon him and supported him with hosts ye cannot see, and made the word of those who disbelieved the nethermost, while Allah's word it was that became the uppermost. Allah is Mighty, Wise” (At-Tawbah :40).
What support is greater than this Divine support and what power can overcome this power? The support of Allah is the greatest protection against all calamities. It is the provision in times of difficulty and the protecting shield from all evils. But this special support that entails protection and victory is only given to the righteous and pious slaves of Allah, those who fulfill their obligation to Allah by believing in His Oneness, worshiping Him alone without ascribing any partner to Him, abiding by His commandments and abstaining from all His prohibitions.
Let us put the lessons of the Prophet’s Hijrah into practice in order to reclaim our glory and our position in the world. Allah says: “Lo! Allah is with those who keep their duty unto Him and those who are doers of good” (An-Nahl :128).
If the Hijrah means abandoning a non-Muslim land for that of Islam, it also means abandoning sins and rushing to obedience. The Messenger of Allah said: “The Muslim is the one from whose hand and tongue all Muslims are safe. And the muhajir (emigrant) is the one who abandons what Allah forbids” (Al-Bukhari)."
“Muhhammad’s Emigration (hijrah) to Medina marked the beginning of Islamic history. Islam’s calendar started with the Hijarah, because it was through Muhammad’s enhanced role as a political leader in Medina that Islam first fulfilled its destiny as a polity. It was as though Islam had not yet fully existed in Mecca, where the nascent ideal ummah, political community, could never have been realized. (…)
Every sincere Muslim with intellect and understanding will see that the Hijrah is the main turning point in the history of Islam. Every year, with the coming of the early days of Muharram, the reminiscences of the Hijrah generate new lessons for Muslims and remind them of the sufferings their ancestors endured for the sake of this religion.
Shedding more light on this issue, here are the words of Sheikh Usamah Al-Khayyat, the Imam of Al-Masjid Al-Haram, Makkah:
"The major events in the lives of nations and communities need to be studied for lessons and benefits. Indeed, there are in the life of the Messenger of Allah events that changed the course of human history and left great impacts on the history of mankind. Among these events, the Prophet’s Hijrah (emigration) from Makkah to Madinah occupied the highest position, for through this emigration Islam won a decisive victory, started its consolidation, and the disbelievers started suffering defeat and humiliation.
In fact, there are uncountable lessons to be learned from the Prophet’s Hijrah. There are, however, two main lessons which are:
First, Islam is greater than the land, home, and town in which one is born; it is greater than all the beauties, allurements, and pleasures of this world.
This concept showed up vividly when the Messenger of Allah, along with his companion Abu Bakr, set out from Makkah, the sacred city. Addressing the city, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said with tears in the eyes: “By Allah! You are the most pleasant city and the dearest place to me. Had my people not expelled me out of you, I would not have lived elsewhere” (At-Tirmidhi).
Makkah was his birthplace and the very place where he spent his childhood and youth. But the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) left this blessed city to seek the pleasure of his Lord in the interest of His religion and in order to spread the belief and guidance and deliver His Message. The Messenger of Allah removed all obstacles that impeded the deliverance of da`wah so that mankind could have the right of choice between guidance and error. Allah says: “And say: ‘The truth is from your Lord.’ Then whosoever wills, let him believe; and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve” (Al-Kahf : 29).
Second, We should have perfect certainty that Allah is always with His truthful and believing slaves. This deep-rooted certainty, which was unshaken by the threat of the enemy, manifested itself in these two emigrating men. When the situation became tense and the disbelievers almost came to know the cave in which they were hiding, Abu Bakr said, “By Allah, Messenger of Allah, had anyone of them looked at his feet he would have seen us.” The Messenger of Allah replied, “O Abu Bakr! What do you think of two people who are accompanied by (the support and protection of) Allah?” Allah confirms this incidence in the Glorious Qur'an when He says: “If ye help him not, still Allah helped him when those who disbelieve drove him forth, the second of two; when they two were in the cave, when he said unto his comrade: Grieve not. Lo! Allah is with us. Then Allah caused His peace of reassurance to descend upon him and supported him with hosts ye cannot see, and made the word of those who disbelieved the nethermost, while Allah's word it was that became the uppermost. Allah is Mighty, Wise” (At-Tawbah :40).
What support is greater than this Divine support and what power can overcome this power? The support of Allah is the greatest protection against all calamities. It is the provision in times of difficulty and the protecting shield from all evils. But this special support that entails protection and victory is only given to the righteous and pious slaves of Allah, those who fulfill their obligation to Allah by believing in His Oneness, worshiping Him alone without ascribing any partner to Him, abiding by His commandments and abstaining from all His prohibitions.
Let us put the lessons of the Prophet’s Hijrah into practice in order to reclaim our glory and our position in the world. Allah says: “Lo! Allah is with those who keep their duty unto Him and those who are doers of good” (An-Nahl :128).
If the Hijrah means abandoning a non-Muslim land for that of Islam, it also means abandoning sins and rushing to obedience. The Messenger of Allah said: “The Muslim is the one from whose hand and tongue all Muslims are safe. And the muhajir (emigrant) is the one who abandons what Allah forbids” (Al-Bukhari)."
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