stories of prophets - 9 (1)

8/12/2019 Stories of Prophets - 9 (1)

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TOPIC 9

AL AQABA HOMAGE

THE IMMIGRATION TO MADINAH MUNAWARA


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Learning Outcomes

After you finish this chapter, you will be able to:

Explain the circumstances surrounding the first and second Aqaba .

Realize the wisdom of Madinah people who accepted Islam based on their knowledge

from their Jews neighbors of an upcoming Prophet.

Understand how important it is for the Muslims to be an example of good and noble

character for other people and civilizations to follow.

Explain the circumstances surrounding the immigration of the Prophet (pbuh) from

Mecca to Madinah.

Realize the importance of strategic planning for Muslims through the immigration of the

Prophet.

Realize how much the companions loved the Prophet through the example of Ali ibn

Abi Talib and Abu Bakr As-sideeq.


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1. Introduction

In his efforts to present Islam to the different Arab tribes during the annual Hajj , the Prophet

Mohammed (pbuh) met few people from Madinah who accepted Islam and they promised him to

call their people to the new religion. This was the beginning of a series of meetings and pledges

between the Prophet (pbuh) and the people of Madinah. The first took place the following year

when those people who accepted Islam came to Mecca with others who had followed them and

met the prophet in what was later on called in Islamic history as the first Aqaba.

The Prophet sent one of the companions to teach them Qur`anic recitation and the

fundamentals of Islamic teachings and also as his ambassador to them. People of Madinah weremore and more accepting Islam. Even their leaders were the first to welcome the new religion in

total contrast with the leaders of Quraysh. The following year, the Prophet s ambassador came to

Mecca with more than seventy Muslims of Madinah who met the Prophet and made the second

pledge known as the second Aqaba. Among the clauses of the pledge was their invitation to

the Prophet to migrate to Madinah and that they will protect him as they protect their wives and

families.

The Quraysh people knew about the conversion of the people of Madinah to Islam and

they were afraid that the Prophet may leave secretly and reach Madinah. They met to discuss the

issue and they decided to assassinate him. But Allah saved His Prophet from their plot and he

finally reached Madinah in a historical journey known today as Hijrah that changed the whole

world.

This chapter covers the first and second Aqaba homages, the conspiracy of Dar Al

Nadwa , the arrival of the Prophet to Madinah, and the period after the immigration.


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2. Al Aqaba Homage

2.1 The first Aqaba homage

The Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) was at Aqaba during the festival when he met a group of the

Khazraj of Yathrib (Madinah). Those people had Jews neighbors in Madinah and they have

heard of them that there is a Prophet who is about to come. The Jews were telling them that if

this prophet comes, we will follow him and fight you and all the other tribes and we will

dominate you. Thus, when the Prophet called these Khazraj people of Madinah to Allah and

offered them Islam and recited the Quran to them, they said to one another, Listen fellows! You

know that he must be the Prophet whom the Jews have promised you. So don t let them get tohim before us .

They accepted Islam without any second thought. They informed the Prophet that their

people back home are enemies and doing evil to each other and they hope that Allah may unite

them through the Prophet. They promised him that they will call their people to Islam as soon as

they reach home. They actually mentioned the Messenger of Allah and Islam to their brothers

who accepted the new religion too. The news spread about the new religion and people were

embracing Islam by groups, families, and clans.

The next following year, twelve men from Madinah attended the festival in Mecca. They

met the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) at Aqaba which is a hill on the north of Mecca. They took an

oath of fidelity to the Prophet which was kno wn as the first Aqaba. The clauses of the oath

were as follows: We will not associate anything with All ah; we will not steal nor commit


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adultery or fornication, nor kill our children, nor forge calumnies; we will obey the Prophet in

everything that is r easonable, and we will be faithful to him in well and sorrow 1.

When they were ready to return to Madinah after the festival, the Prophet sent t one of the

companions to teach Quran recitation and the fundamentals of Islamic teachings and also as his

amb assador to them. This companion was Mus ab ibn Umayr, one of the most handsome young

men of Mecca who accepted Islam and left all the luxuries of his rich family to leave with the

weak and poor Muslims. Mus ab arrived at Madinah with the assistance of the new Muslims

there and he was also leading them in prayers. The people of Madinah were calling him the

reader. He stayed with As a d ibn zurarah and he continued calling people to Islam and gainingnew converts day after day including the chief of the city Usaid ibn Khudair and the prince of the

tribe of Aws, Sa d ibn Mu adh. People were convinced by the kindness and wisdom of the new

Muslims and by the excellent presentation of Islam by the ambassador of the Prophet to

Madinah, Mus ab ibn Umayr.

This was an historical fact that the Muslims have lost today. The fact is that whenever

and wherever people entered Islam by groups and entire families or cities, it was because of the

kindness and good character of the Muslims. The human intellect recognizes and accepts the

truth and good manners when it sees them. Thus, the early Muslims (may Allah have Mercy on

them) were not talking much, shouting at people, maltreating or oppressing them but they were

practicing and living Islam day-in and day-out and people were much more convinced to accept

it by their actions and good example than by their speeches. The exact opposite of what is

witnessed nowadays when people are refusing and resisting Islam because of the bad behavior

1 Ibn Kathir, Imam Abi al-Fidaa Ismail. Stories of the Prophets = Qissasul anbiya. Trans. Muhammad Mustapha,Azhar Unversity. P. 203, From: www.islambasics.com
http://www.islambasics.com/http://www.islambasics.com/http://www.islambasics.com/http://www.islambasics.com/


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and practice of the Muslims. May Allah assist us and make us the right-guided people who will

be a source of guidance for others, amen.

2.2 The second Aqaba homage

In the thirteenth year of the mission of the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh), Mus ab ibn Umayr

returned from Madinah in a company of more than seventy men and two women who had

accepted Islam and others who were still idol-worshippers for making Hajj. After finishing their

rituals of pilgrimage, they sent for the Prophet and arranged a meeting with him. The Prophet

met them at Aqaba late at night in order to avoid being noticed by the people of Quraysh whowere still warning the Arab tribes about the Prophet and his new religion. He was with his uncle

al-Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib who was at that time idol-worshipper but was on the side of his

nephew.

They invited the Prophet to migrate and join them at Madinah. The Prophet s Uncle Al

Abbas made a speech and remind them about their responsibility in protecting his nephew and

not deceiving him if he leaves his native city and joins them in Madinah as they requested. Then

the Messenger of Allah spoke to them and recited the Quran to them. He asked them to worship

none but Allah, observe the principles of Islam, obey the Prophet in all that was right, and protect

him against all insults as heartily as they would protect their wives and children. On their turn,

they asked him to promise that he would not leave them and return to his people and to tell them

what they would get if they happen to be killed in the cause of Allah. The Prophet gave them his

promise and told them that he is from them and they are from him and that he will fight those

they fight and will be at peace with those with whom they are at peace and that those of them

who would happen to be killed in the cause of Allah will get the Paradise.


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On this, they gave him their pledge. This is known as the second Aqaba and it was a

great success for the weak Muslims of Mecca because the Prophet ordered them to leave for

Madinah and join their brothers Muslims in that city. However, the emigration of the Muslims

from Mecca to Madinah was made extremely difficult by the Quraysh people. Many Muslims

were forced to travel alone and leave behind their wives and children as well as their lifetime

earning. They preferred to lose all what they had than to stay in Mecca among the idol-

worshippers and the enemies of Allah and His religion. They left their beloved native city and

their homes which were then occupied by the disbelievers. Almost all the Muslims joined

Madinah except Ali ibn Abi Talib and Abu Bakr ibn Abi Quhafah who waiting to see what theProphet would decide.

The Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) on the other hand stayed in Mecca waiting for Allah s

permission to emigrate to Madinah. In fact, a Prophet could not leave a city to which he was sent

to another city for stay without Allah s permission. Moreover, the Prophet had also some

deposits for the Quraysh people with him because despite their refusal of following his religion,

they still recognized him as the truthful he was before he received Divine Revelation. If the

Prophet returned their deposits to them, they would ask him about the reason and would know

that he was planning to leave the city and they would prevent him from that, especially now that

he was alone with all the Muslims already in Madinah. Therefore, the Prophet retained Ali with

him so that he would assign him to return the deposits to their right owners after the departure of

the Prophet to Madinah.

Allahu Akbar ! This is our beloved Prophet, Allah s peace and blessings be upon him.

Those idol-worshippers have tortured the Muslims and even himself, have expropriated the

properties of the Muslims who have migrated, but he still had their belongings with him and he


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was planning to return these amanaat to their owners. This is Islam in its beauty! Do not return

an evil act by an evil one.

3. The Immigration to Madinah Munawara

3.1 The conspiracy of Dar Al Nadwa

The Quraysh knew that the Messenger of Allah and his companions had now brothers and

helpers in Madinah which has become a safe place for any Muslim wanting to worship Allah

alone peacefully. They felt powerless because they have no power over the people of Madinah

and they could not use any pressures on them. They were afraid that the Prophet would leaveincognito and they decided to meet and discuss about the course of actions to take. They

assembled in the Dar Al Nadwa which was the house of their ancestor Qusayy ibn Kilab and in

which they used to meet for decision-making. They were determined to prevent the Prophet from

escaping to Yathrib , but how?

After many give and takes, several suggestions were discarded and they finally decided to

kill the Prophet. They have now all agreed that they should kill him and they don t know how to

proceed. If they assigned the task to one of them, the clan of the Prophet would ask for retaliation

and kill the assassin. Then Abu Jahl came up with an evil suggestion: that each clan of Quraysh

should provide a strong young man, and those young men should together, as one man, kill the

Prophet. This way, the Prophet s clan the Banu Abdu Manaaf could not be a ble to fight all the

tribes and clans and they would have no options than to accept the blood money ( Diyyah ). And

all the clans would contribute in order to pay this Diyyah .

Allah said in the Holy Quran referring to this conspiracy:


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Remember how the unbelievers plotted against thee, to keep thee in bonds, or slay thee,

or get thee (of thy home). They plot and plan and Allah too plans. But the best of planners is

Allah. Ch 8: 30).

Allah sent Gabriel to inform the Prophet (pbuh) about the conspiracy against him and to advise

him not to sleep on his bed that night. The Prophet told Ali ibn Abi Talib to sleep in his bed

wrapped up in his cover and assured him that nothing unpleasant will happen to him. Ali

courageously accepted the task assigned to him by the Prophet (pbuh).

The Prophet went to Abu Bakr s house and informed him that Allah allowed him to

emigrate. Abu Bakr asked, together with me? Together with you, the Prophet answe red him.Abu Bakr has prepared two camels for the journey and they hired Abdullah ibn Urayqit, who

was not Muslim yet, to guide them in their way to Madinah. The Prophet returned to his house

and informed Ali that he was about to leave Mecca for Madinah and instructed him to stay in

Mecca so that he would return goods which people had entrusted the Prophet.

At night, the assassins gathered and besieged the house of the Prophet. They waited the

early dawn to murder the Prophet when he should leave his house. The Prophet of Allah

miraculously escaped and took a handful of dust while Allah instantly removed their sight and

the Prophet put the dust over their heads and reciting a verse from Surah Yasin ,

We have covered them so that they do not see . (Ch 36: 9). When the assassins looked through

the door and saw Ali sleeping on the Prophet s bed, they kept waiting for him to leave and

hitting him together as he passed by them.

They remained there waiting till morning with dust on their heads and someone came

and asked them what are they waiting there? When they answered that they were waiting for

Mohammed (pbuh), they were told that he came out earlier. When Ali got up from the bed in the


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morning and they recognized him, they had no options except to leave, full of shame. The

Quraysh people were very furious when they heard that their young men have failed to kill

Mohammed (pbuh) who had escaped. They immediately announced the escape of the Prophet

and they offered a price of one hundred camels as a reward for whoever brought the Prophet

Mohammed (pbuh) live or dead.

3.2 The arrival of the Prophet Mohamed may Allahs peace and blessings be upon

him to Madinah

With the two camels prepared by Abu Bakr and the guide he hired (Abdullah ibn Urayqit), theProphet Mohammed (pbuh) left Mecca. When they went beyond the buildings of Mecca, the

Prophet (pbuh) looked back and said: Of Allah s earth, you are the dearest pl ace unto me and

the dearest unto Allah, and had not my people driven me out of you, I would not have left you 2.

They planned their journey very carefully. First, they took a road opposite to the direction of

Madinah. They were aware that the first thing the Quraysh people would do after noticing their

departure was to follow them on the direction of Madinah which would be their ultimate

destination. Second, they knew that the Quraysh people will follow them and search for them, so

instead of traveling they found a cave on the mountain of Thawr and stayed there for three

nights. Third, Abu Bakr instructed hi son Abdullah to find out what the Quraysh people were

saying about and what they were doing or planning to do and report it to them. Fourth, Asma

2 Ibn Kathir, Imam Abi al-Fidaa Ismail. Stories of the Prophets = Qissasul anbiya. 2001. Trans. Sayed, G, Tamir, Abu

A.,& Muhammad, A. M. Al-Mansoura: Dar Al-Manarah. P. 401.


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bint Abi Bakr would bring them food to the cave. Finally, a freed slave of Abu Bakr, Amir ibn

Fuhayrah, would come with his milking sheep not only to bring them the milk but also to

confound the tracks of Abdullah and Asma so that the Quraysh people could no t follow them.

On their way to the cave, Abu Bakr was very afraid for the Prophet (pbuh). He would at

one time walk in front of the Prophet, behind him at another time, on the right or left side at

another moment. When the Prophet asked him why he was doi ng that, he answered: O

Messenger of Allah, I would walk in front of you and then remember that the Quraysh people

may come and harm you from behind, so I immediately go behind you. When I am behind, I

remember that they may attack you form the right side and I spontaneously go to your right andso on.

Allahu Akbar! This was Abu Bakr and those were the companions of the Prophet (may

Allah be pleased with all of them)! They followed him, believed in his message, and loved him

more than their wealth, their wives, their children, and more than their own souls. They were

ready to die in order to protect the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh). This led one of the idol-

worshippers to confess, after they sent him to meet the Prophet that he had visited many

emperors and kings but he had never seen a people loving their leader like the way the

companions of the Prophet loved the Prophet. It was even reported that when they reached the

cave of Thawr , Abu Bakr told the Prophet to wait and he went in first to make sure that the cave

is safe and to clean it for the Prophet (pbuh) so that nothing could harm the Messenger of Allah.

Once they were inside the cave, Allah ordered a spider to spin its web across the entrance

of the cave. Allah commanded also two wild doves to make a nest there with their eggs. Glory to

Allah, to whom belong the armies of the heavens and the earth. The Quraysh people and even

other people from the neighboring Arab tribes followed the footsteps of the Messenger of Allah


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and Abu Bakr. Because beyond the ideological motivation, there was now material consideration

since a reward of one hundred camels was put for whoever bring the head of the Prophet. They

reached the mountain and found the cave but they became confused: the Prophet s and Abu

Bakr s tracks stopped right there at the entrance of the cave but when they saw the spider s web

they were more than sure that no one entered that cave recently.

So they rode around searching. When Abu Bakr heard them coming, he said to the

Prophet, Messenger of Alla h, if one of them looked at the level of his feet, he will see us. We

are unarmed down here in a cave. The Prophet told him What do you think of two when Allah

is their third?; Have no fear, for Allah is with us. (Ch 9: 40). And Allah the Almighty informedus about this dialogue between these two holy men in the Quran that will be read and mentioned

till the Day of Judgment when He said: the second of the two; when the two were in the

Cave, when he said to his companion, Grieve not. Allah is with us. (Ch 9: 40).

Among all the trackers who followed and searched for the Prophet and Abu Bakr, the

story of one of them was recorded in almost all the books about the bibliography of the Prophet:

this was Suraqah ibn Malik ibn Ju sham. He was, as all the other trackers, e ager to win the

reward put by the Quraysh people and he wanted it all for himself only. So he secretly mounted

his horse and followed the costal route which may be taken by the Prophet and his companions

in order to mislead their trackers. When Suraqah began to see them from afar, his horse slipped

and he was thrown off. Determined and more eager to win the reward now that he was quite

close of them, he mounted his horse again but this scene happened to him thrice.

Suraqah finally realized that what was happening to him was from Allah Who was

protecting His Messenger against him and that the Prophet would defeat his enemies one day. So

he called the Prophet, introduced himself, told him that he wanted to speak to him and that he


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will not harm them. The Messenger of Allah told Abu Bakr to ask what he wanted. Suraqah

asked the Prophet to write a document as a warrant of security for him because he realized that

the Prophet will become victorious over his enemies sooner or later. The Prophet asked their

guide Amir ibn Fuhayrah to write the document for Suraqah who kept it with him for years.

Moreover, the Prophet informed Suraqah about an event which was one of the miracles

of his prophethood. The Messenger of Allah was looking ahead to the day when the Persian

Empire would be conquered by the Muslims and he said to Suraqah, How will you feel when

you are wearing the bracelets of Chosroes? Now for a Bedouin man like Suraqah, wearing the

bracelets of the emperor of one of the most powerful and civilized empire of that time wasalmost unthinkable, especially that the promise came from a man whose head was put for price

and who was escaping from his own people. But the promise was from the one who would not

speak following his passion and would say only what was revealed to him.

And indeed what the Prophet has foreseen came to happen long after the death of the

Prophet during the Khilaafah of Omar ibn al -Khattab when Persia was conquered by the

Muslims and the bracelets of Chosroes were brought to Omar. The Calife Omar wanted to fulfill

the promise of the Prophet and called upon Suraqah and put the royal insignia on him. Suraqah

went proudly between the lines of the Muslims gathered for this great victory wearing the

bracelets of one of the once powerful Emperor of that time.

Then Suraqah offered some food and goods to them but the Prophet refused to take

anything from him and he just asked him not to tell other trackers about them. Suraqah went

back to Mecca and he tried whenever he found the opportunity to fail the attempts of those

trackers who went out to search for the Prophet and Abu Bakr.


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The Messenger of Allah pursued his journey till he reached Quba a place outside of

Madinah. On the other hand, the Ansar (the Muslims of Madinah) who heard about the departure

of the beloved Prophet from Mecca to their city were more eager than before to welcome and

meet him. They used to go outside Madinah after Subh Prayer to wait for his arrival and stayed

there till noon. On Monday 12 of Rabi al -Awwal (which became the beginning of the Islamic

calendar later on), the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with

him) finally reached Madinah. The good news came that the Messenger of Allah arrived and

every one went to greet him. The Prophet and his companion were sitting under a palm-tree.

Since only few people had seen the Prophet before during the festival and the first and secondAqaba, the majority of people were not able to distinguish between the Prophet and Abu Bakr

who was only two years younger than him. To help them out, Abu Bakr stood up to shade the

Prophet with his coat from the sun and it thus became clear for everyone who of the two is the

Messenger of Allah.

The Madinah s population was over enjoyed with the arrival of the Messenger of Allah

among th em. The women and children were chanting, This is the Messenger of Allah who has

come! This is the Messenger of Allah who has come! On their side, the girls of the Ansar were

reciting a poem dedicated to the Messenger of Allah:

The full moon shines down upon us from Thaniyat al- Wada .

We must all give our thanksgiving

all the while praising Allah.

You whom Allah sends among us,

what you bring, we will obey.

Youve ennobled Madinah.


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Welcome now! Guide us to His way! 3

Anas ibn Malik al-Ansari was a boy at that time. He said that: I saw the Messenger of

Allah the day he entered Madinah. I have not seen a better or more radiant day than when he

came to us 4. The Prophet stayed four days and established a mosque there which is known today

as Masjid Qubah and it is encouraged that those visiting Madinah to visit and pray in it if they

could make it. The Messenger of Allah pursued his journey to Madinah on friday morning and at

noon he stopped at the Banu Salim ibn Awf where he prayed the first Jumu ah in Islam and in

Madinah.

3.3 After the immigration

The first task carried by the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) in Madinah was to erect a mosque. His

main concern was to build a house for Allah and in which He will be worship alone without any

associate and this before he even thought about building a house for him and his family. He

wanted to purchase the land from the owners who where two orphans from the Ansar but they

A place outside Madinah where people used to say their goodbyes to those going to Mecca for Hajj. It was also

by the way that they entered Madinah on their return from Mecca. Allah knows best.

3 Sayyed, Abul Hassan Ali Nadwi. 1993. Muhmmad, the last prophet: a model for all time. Leicester: UK Islamic

Academy. P. 67.

4 Sayyed, Abul Hassan Ali Nadwi. 1993. Muhmmad, the last prophet: a model for all time. Leicester: UK Islamic

Academy. P. 67.

Ansar: means the helpers; it refers to the Muslims of Madinah who helped the Prophet and his companions from

Mecca.

Muhajirin: means the immigrants; it refers to the Meccan Muslims who migrated from Mecca to Madinah.


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decided to give it free to the Messenger of Allah. He participated in building the mosque with the

other Muslims, carrying bricks on his noble shoulders. He was reciting while working:

There is no life but the life of the Hereafter

O Allah! Forgive the Ansar and the Muhajirin 5

The Prophet spent seven months in the house of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari till his mosque and the

rooms of his family were finished. Except those in prison, no single Muslim was left in Mecca.

Madinah or Yathrib was renamed Al-Madinah Al- Munawara , the Illuminated City with

the establishment of the Messenger of Allah and his companions. It was situated about eleven-

day s journey, at that time, to the north of Mecca 6. It was home for two Kahtanites Arab tribes

called Aws and Kharaj who were in constant quarrel with each other. But Islam united them

forever and the term Ansar , literally Helpers of the Prophet, became the common name for all the

people of Mddinah.

Now that the Messenger of Allah had settled in Madinah and the mosque had been built,

the next step will be the arrangement and organization of Madinah society based on new

principles, values, and agreements.

5 Ibn Kathir, Imam Abi al-Fidaa Ismail. Stories of the Prophets = Qissasul anbiya. 2001. Trans. Sayed, G, Tamir, Abu

A.,& Muhammad, A. M. Al-Mansoura: Dar Al-Manarah. P. 405.

6 Ibn Kathir, Imam Abi al-Fidaa Ismail. Stories of the Prophets = Qissasul anbiya. Trans. Muhammad Mustapha,Azhar Unversity. P. 208, From: www.islambasics.com


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REFERENCES

Ibn Kathir, Imam Abi al-Fidaa Ismail. Stories of the Prophets = Qissasul anbiya. Trans.Muhammad Mustapha, Azhar Unversity. From: www.islambasics.com

Ibn Kathir, Imam Abi al-Fidaa Ismail. Stories of the Prophets = Qissasul anbiya. 2001. Trans.Sayed, G, Tamir, Abu A.,& Muhammad, A. M. Al-Mansoura: Dar Al-Manarah.

Sayyed, Abul Hassan Ali Nadwi. 1993. Muhmmad, the last prophet: a model for all time.Leicester: UK Islamic Academy.

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