The immigration of Prophet Muhammad, otherwise known as the Hijrah, was not about running away from being killed, nor was it about fear, or a retreat from bidding the lawful or forbidding the unlawful. The Hijrah was done in obedience to what Allah had ordered. During the Hajj season, when the people gathered, the Prophet peace be upon him used to call them to Islam and say to them: “say no one is God except Allah and then you will succeed”.
The patience of Prophet Muhammad peace be on him
The Prophet was very patient with what the blasphemers had done to him. His companions tolerated many types of torture including whipping, hitting, imprisonment, burning, and execution. Yet when they gained the support and aid from Allah, it was as if they had turned into a solid rock that could not be scratched. Their pious heartbeats and their silent supplications shook the hearts and thrones of the disbelievers.
Consider the words of our master Muhammad after the people had come to his uncle Abu Talib and asked: “what does your nephew want out of his call to Islam? If he wants status we shall give him it and we will not do anything without his consultation. If he wants money, we will collect it for him until he becomes the richest amongst us. If he wants to rule us, we shall give him the position of a king”. But the Prophet peace be upon him said to his uncle: “if they were to place the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left, I would not leave this call to Islam”.
There is not a single prophet that left the call to Islam, nor is there a prophet who neglected the call to Islam due to hardships or calamities that had overcome him. The blasphemers agreed to kill the Prophet peace be upon him. They encouraged one man from each tribe to hit the Prophet with their swords simultaneously so that his murder could be seen as done by all those tribes and so that no one from the Prophet’s family could seek revenge. Angel Jibril came to the Prophet peace be upon him telling him about their evil plan. Angel Jibril ordered the Prophet not to sleep in the same place he used to.
Protecting Prophet Muhammad peace be on him
The Prophet then called upon ^Aliyy Ibn Abi Talib and instructed him to sleep on the same bed that the Prophet used to sleep on and to cover himself with the same green cloak that the Prophet used to cover himself with. ^Aliyy did this. A group of young blasphemers surrounded the Prophet’s house. On his way out, the Prophet peace be upon him picked up a handful of dirt. He sprinkled it on their heads, as he recited Ayahs 1-9 from Surat Yasin.
Dear brothers in Islam, Ayah 40 of Surat At-Tawbah means: “And he (the Prophet) would say to his companion not to be saddened, for they had support from Allah.” The companion mentioned in this Ayah is Abu Bakr as–Siddiq. This Ayah does not mean that Allah is physically present with them in the cave because Islam states that Allah exists without a place. Rather the actual meaning of this Ayah is that Allah is supporting and giving victory to them over their enemies.
Allah the Almighty saved the Prophet with the weakest spider’s web. A spider spun its web around the entrance of the cave where the Prophet was. Nearby two doves had laid eggs, and by the Will of Allah, the Prophet was not seen by the blasphemers. The believers waited patiently in Madinah for the arrival of their beloved Prophet to their land. Some would go to the outskirts of Madinah every day waiting for him, others climbed trees to see if they could see him coming in the distance.
On midday of a very warm day, the Ansar went out in many groups to the outskirts of Madinah as usual, expecting the arrival of the Prophet. They heard one of them yelling loudly and saying: “the one you have been waiting for has arrived”. Enthusiastically, hundreds rushed out to welcome and greet their master, Prophet Muhammad, while chanting.
May Allah returns this holy occasion to us filled with blessings and peace, Amin.