بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
The Hijrah
Migration to Madinah - A New Beginning
Seerah Series - Part 5 of 9
"Those who believed, emigrated, and strived with their wealth and lives in the cause of Allah, as well as those who gave them shelter and help — they are true allies of one another."
— Surah Al-Anfal 8:72
After thirteen years of persecution in Makkah, the Muslims faced a choice: remain and risk annihilation, or leave everything behind and migrate to safety. The Hijrah — the migration from Makkah to Madinah in 622 CE — was not just a journey across the desert. It was the moment that transformed Islam from a persecuted minority into a thriving community, marking the beginning of the Islamic calendar and changing the course of human history forever.
The Pledge of Aqabah - Invitation to Madinah
During the annual pilgrimage season, people from all over Arabia would come to Makkah. The Prophet ﷺ would use this opportunity to call people to Islam. In the year 620 CE, he met a group of six men from Yathrib (later renamed Madinah).
These men belonged to the Khazraj tribe, and they were searching for something. Their city was torn apart by tribal warfare, and they had heard of a prophet who would bring peace. When they met Muhammad ﷺ, they recognized the truth immediately and accepted Islam.
The First Pledge (621 CE)
The following year, twelve men from Yathrib returned during Hajj season. They met the Prophet ﷺ secretly at Aqabah, a valley outside Makkah, and pledged:
- To worship Allah alone and associate no partners with Him
- Not to steal, commit adultery, or kill their children
- Not to slander or disobey the Prophet in what is right
The Prophet ﷺ sent Mus'ab ibn Umayr with them to teach the Quran and Islam to their people in Yathrib.
The Second Pledge - A Promise of Protection (622 CE)
One year later, seventy-three men and two women from Yathrib came for Hajj. They were now Muslims, and they came with a life-changing offer.
Under cover of darkness, they met the Prophet ﷺ at Aqabah and made a pledge that would change history. They pledged not just to believe, but to protect the Prophet ﷺ as they would protect their own families.
"We pledge to fight for you as we fight for our own wives and children. What will we get in return, O Messenger of Allah?"
The Prophet ﷺ replied: "Paradise."
This was the Second Pledge of Aqabah, and it opened the door for the Muslims to migrate to Yathrib, where they would finally find safety and freedom to practice their faith.
The Muslims Begin to Migrate
After the Second Pledge of Aqabah, the Prophet ﷺ gave permission for the Muslims to migrate to Yathrib. In small groups, secretly and cautiously, they began to leave Makkah, abandoning their homes, businesses, and everything they owned.
The Sacrifice of Migration
The Muslims left behind everything: their homes, wealth, businesses, and families. Suhaib ar-Rumi had to give away all his wealth to the Quraysh just to be allowed to leave. Umm Salamah was separated from her husband and child for an entire year. But they all chose faith over comfort, the Hereafter over this world.
The Quraysh grew alarmed as they watched the Muslims slip away one by one. They tried to stop them, imprisoned some, and prevented others from leaving. But the migration could not be stopped. By the summer of 622 CE, almost all the Muslims had left Makkah. Only the Prophet ﷺ, Abu Bakr, Ali, and a few others remained.
The Plot to Assassinate the Prophet ﷺ
Realizing that Muhammad ﷺ would soon leave, the Quraysh leaders gathered at Dar an-Nadwah to devise a plan to stop him permanently.
🗡️ The Diabolical Plan
Abu Jahl proposed a cunning scheme:
"Select one young, strong man from each tribe. They will all attack Muhammad together at dawn while he sleeps. Each will strike a blow, and thus his blood will be on all tribes. Banu Hashim cannot fight all of Makkah and will be forced to accept blood money instead of revenge."
The Quraysh agreed. They chose their assassins and surrounded the Prophet's ﷺ house, waiting for dawn to strike.
Allah's Protection
But Allah revealed their plot to His messenger. That very night, Jibreel came with the command to migrate and informed him of the assassination plan.
وَإِذْ يَمْكُرُ بِكَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِيُثْبِتُوكَ أَوْ يَقْتُلُوكَ أَوْ يُخْرِجُوكَ
وَيَمْكُرُونَ وَيَمْكُرُ اللَّـهُ ۖ وَاللَّـهُ خَيْرُ الْمَاكِرِينَ
"And remember when the disbelievers plotted against you to imprison you, kill you, or exile you. They planned, but Allah also planned. And Allah is the best of planners."
— Surah Al-Anfal 8:30
The Night of the Hijrah
On the night of the migration, while assassins surrounded his house, the Prophet ﷺ executed a brilliant escape plan with complete trust in Allah.
🛡️ Ali's Sacrifice
The Prophet ﷺ asked his young cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib to sleep in his bed, wearing his green cloak, to deceive the assassins.
Ali, knowing that armed men surrounded the house intending murder, agreed without hesitation. "Will you be safe, O Messenger of Allah?" he asked. When assured the Prophet ﷺ would be protected by Allah, Ali lay down in the Prophet's bed, ready to face whatever came.
This act of supreme courage and sacrifice would never be forgotten in Islamic history.
🚪 The Miraculous Escape
As the assassins watched the house, waiting for dawn, the Prophet ﷺ stepped out through the midst of them. Allah had cast a veil over their eyes — they could not see him even as he walked between them.
As he passed, he recited verses from Surah Ya-Sin, and threw a handful of dust upon their heads. Not one of them stirred or noticed.
"We have placed a barrier before them and a barrier behind them, and covered them, so they cannot see."
— Surah Ya-Sin 36:9
The Prophet ﷺ walked to the house of Abu Bakr, who was waiting for him, and together they slipped out of Makkah under cover of darkness.
At dawn, the assassins rushed into the house, swords drawn — only to find Ali sleeping in the Prophet's bed. Their target had escaped. Their perfect plan had failed. Allah's plan had succeeded.
The Cave of Thawr - Three Days of Hiding
Instead of heading directly north toward Madinah (the obvious route), the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr went south, to Mount Thawr, where they hid in a small cave.
The Quraysh, discovering the escape at dawn, were furious. They offered a massive reward: 100 camels for anyone who could capture Muhammad dead or alive. Trackers, hunters, and bounty seekers spread across the desert in every direction.
Allah's Army - The Spider and the Dove
For three days and nights, the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr hid in the cave. During this time, Allah sent a spider to spin a web across the cave entrance, and a pair of doves to nest there.
When the Quraysh trackers followed footprints to the mountain, they reached the very cave where the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr were hiding. The trackers stood at the entrance, so close that Abu Bakr later said:
"O Messenger of Allah, if any one of them were to look down at his feet, he would see us!"
But one of the trackers said: "Why should we look in the cave? Look at this spider web — it was clearly here before anyone entered. And see the dove's nest — no one has disturbed it." They turned away, never knowing how close they were.
"Do Not Grieve, Allah is With Us"
When Abu Bakr expressed his fear in the cave, the Prophet ﷺ comforted him with words that would echo through history:
لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ مَعَنَا
"Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us."
— Surah At-Tawbah 9:40
These words — La tahzan innallaha ma'ana — became a source of comfort for Muslims throughout history whenever they faced fear and danger.
The Journey Across the Desert
After three days in the cave, the search parties had moved on. A guide named Abdullah ibn Urayqit arrived with two camels and provisions. Though he was not yet Muslim, he had been hired to guide them along secret routes to Madinah.
The journey was approximately 450 kilometers through harsh desert terrain, taking about 8-10 days. They traveled at night to avoid detection and rested during the scorching days.
🏇 The Pursuit of Suraqah ibn Malik
During the journey, a skilled horseman named Suraqah ibn Malik spotted them. Lured by the massive 100-camel reward, he galloped after them on his powerful horse.
As Suraqah drew near, ready to capture the Prophet ﷺ, something miraculous happened — his horse's legs sank deep into the hard ground, as if the earth had swallowed them. Three times he tried to approach, and three times his horse became stuck in the solid ground.
Terrified, Suraqah cried out: "O Muhammad! I know this is from your Lord! Ask Him to release me, and I swear I will return and mislead anyone who follows you!"
The Prophet ﷺ made du'a, and Suraqah's horse was freed. But instead of returning to harm them, Suraqah was transformed by what he witnessed. The Prophet ﷺ told him:
"How will you feel, O Suraqah, when you wear the bracelets of the Persian emperor Khosrow?"
This seemed impossible — a persecuted prophet fleeing for his life, predicting that this Arab tribesman would one day possess the crown jewels of Persia's mighty empire. But years later, after Persia fell to the Muslims, Suraqah (who became a Muslim) wore those exact bracelets, and the prophecy came true.
The Arrival in Madinah - A Hero's Welcome
For days, the Muslims in Yathrib had been climbing the hills outside the city, watching the horizon, waiting for the arrival of their beloved Prophet ﷺ.
On the 12th of Rabi' al-Awwal (September 622 CE), on a bright Monday morning, the lookouts spotted two riders approaching from the south. "He has come! The Messenger of Allah has come!"
The Welcome
The entire city poured out to welcome him. Men, women, and children lined the streets. They had never seen such joy. Young girls climbed to the rooftops, singing:
طَلَعَ الْبَدْرُ عَلَيْنَا
مِنْ ثَنِيَّاتِ الْوَدَاعِ
وَجَبَ الشُّكْرُ عَلَيْنَا
مَا دَعَا لِلَّهِ دَاعِ
"The full moon has risen over us
From the valley of Wada'
Gratitude is incumbent upon us
As long as there is one who calls to Allah"
This beautiful nasheed (song) is still sung by Muslims around the world today, commemorating that blessed day.
Every family wanted the honor of hosting the Prophet ﷺ. People held the reins of his camel, begging him to stay with them. But he let his camel walk freely, saying: "Let her go, for she is commanded by Allah." The camel walked until it stopped and knelt at a plot of land belonging to two orphans. There, the Prophet ﷺ would build Masjid an-Nabawi — the Prophet's Mosque.
A New Era Begins
The Hijrah was not just a physical journey. It marked the transformation of Islam from a persecuted minority into a thriving community with a homeland.
From this moment forward, Muslims had:
- A city where they could practice Islam freely
- A community united in faith, not tribe
- The freedom to establish Islamic law and governance
- A base from which Islam would spread to the world
The Islamic calendar begins with the Hijrah — not with the Prophet's ﷺ birth, nor the first revelation, but with this moment of migration and transformation.
Lessons from the Hijrah
1. Take the Means, Trust in Allah
The Prophet ﷺ didn't just pray and wait for a miracle. He planned carefully: hired a guide, took a hidden route, hid in the cave for three days. But he also trusted Allah completely. Islam teaches us to work hard AND have faith — not one without the other.
2. Sacrifice for What Matters
The Muslims left behind homes, wealth, families, and everything they knew. They chose faith over comfort. Sometimes following Allah's path means giving up what we love in this world for something far greater.
3. Allah's Help is Real
A spider's web, a dove's nest, a horse sinking into solid ground — Allah helped His messenger in ways no one expected. When you're doing what's right, Allah sends help in forms you never imagined.
4. True Friendship is Priceless
Abu Bakr risked his life to accompany the Prophet ﷺ. Ali slept in his bed ready to be killed. This is the meaning of true friendship — being there when it costs you something. Surround yourself with people who strengthen your faith, not weaken it.
5. Sometimes Leaving is Strength, Not Weakness
The Hijrah wasn't running away — it was strategic retreat to a position of strength. Sometimes the bravest thing is to walk away from a toxic situation to protect your faith and future. There's wisdom in knowing when to leave.
The Story Continues
The Prophet ﷺ had arrived in Madinah. But his mission was just beginning. He would now build a society based on justice, brotherhood, and submission to Allah — a community that would transform the world.
Coming Next: "Building the Ummah - The Madinah Period"
Peace and blessings be upon the one who migrated for Allah's sake ﷺ
May Allah grant us the courage to sacrifice for His sake and the wisdom to know when to act. Ameen.
Part 5 of 9 • Seerah Series • Islamic Messages