Migration to Madina
The Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon him, gave the green light for believers to start migrating to Yathrib, which was renamed to Madinatun-Nabi, meaning, city of the Prophet, or just Madina for short. The Quraysh tried to stop as many Muslims as they could from leaving. Within two months almost all the Muslims had already migrated, while the Prophet himself remained behind with only a few of his companions. Later he also left with his close companion, Abu Bakr. After several days of travel through the desert, Madina was in sight. The mission of Islam was about to enter a new phase.
Arrival in Madina
The people of Madina had heard the news that the Prophet had migrated and was on his way. The first place the Prophet stopped at was a little village called Quba. It was an elevated settlement about three miles from Madina. One of the first things the Muslims did here, was to build a mosque. After the mosque was complete, he headed towards the city. The people of Madina came out in crowds to meet him. It was the month of al-Rabi al-Awwal, thirteen years after the Prophet received the first revelation from Allah. This migration marked a new phase in the mission of the Prophet and later became the point at which Muslims would begin their calendar.
First Mosque of Madina
The first task which the Prophet performed was to build a mosque where all believers could assemble and perform their prayers. This mosque became known as the “Mosque of the Prophet”, but was merely a courtyard surrounded by mud walls and covered with palm tree branches.
In Mecca, the Muslims were not able to pray together in congregation because of the danger they faced. Now that that threat disappeared, the five daily prayers were established in congregation in the mosque. Bilal ibn Rabah, the former slave, was selected to have the honor of calling the Adhan. Every time his voice cried out, “Allah is great!” people would stop whatever they were doing and would come to the mosque for prayer.
While the mosque was being built, the Prophet stayed with Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, since he had no house of his own and refused to accept the extravagant gifts of his followers.
True Brotherhood
The Muslims who migrated assumed the respectful title of “The Emigrants” (al-Muhajirun), because they abandoned their homeland for the sake of Islam. The Muslims in Madina were called “The Helpers” (al-Ansar), because they helped the former to settle in their new homeland. The Prophet instituted a pact of brotherhood between the two groups by pairing one Emigrant with one Helper. The Helper would share his house and possessions with his Emigrant brother.
Continuation of Hostilities
The Muslims escaped the persecution in Mecca, but the Quraysh were still bent on destroying Islam and the Muslims. The Quraysh utilized their influence in Arabia to block several tribes from even visiting Madina. Since there was no central government in Arabia, tribes and communities related to one another through alliances and treaties. In the absence of either, it meant that they were potentially at war. A tribe would only enter into an agreement if there was some incentive for them. The Quraysh, being the mighty force that they were, had nothing to gain by making a treaty with the Muslims.
The Prophet understood the situation perfectly well but was unable to do anything until the verses were finally revealed: “Those who have been attacked are permitted to take up arms because they have been oppressed – God has the power to give them victory. [They are] those who have been expelled from their homes unjustly, for no other reason besides their statement, ‘Allah is our Lord.’” (Quran 22:39)
Before this, Muslims were not allowed to fight back at all, even in self-defense. This is why so many Muslims had been tortured and humiliated in Mecca. Now, the permission to fight back was given because the circumstances had changed.
Battle of Badr
The Muslims concluded a number of peace treaties with various tribes, but the army of Quraysh (1000 strong men) and the Muslims (little over 300) met, face to face, in their first battle, at Badr (a small village about 80 miles from Madina). The Muslims were physically outnumbered, but with the help of Allah, they managed to overcome the Quraysh army who began to retreat. Seventy idolaters were killed while another seventy were taken prisoner. Most of the leaders of the Quraysh were killed that day, including the notorious Abu Jahl. The Muslims only lost about fourteen men.
Treatment of Prisoners
The prisoners of war were handcuffed and put under the charge of different Muslim soldiers. The Prophet ordered that they be treated and fed well. Some companions took the words of the Prophet so seriously that they gave their prisoners bread to eat while they settled only for dates themselves. The rich prisoners were ransomed while the literate ones had to teach ten Muslims to read and write in order to secure their release. Meanwhile in Mecca, the Quraysh were mourning over their dead and vowed that they would take revenge.
New Enemies in Madina
In Madina, two new hostile forces arose, particularly after the Battle of Badr.
There were still several Arabs in Madina who clung to idol worship and detested Islam such as ʿAbdullah ibn Ubayy and his followers. However, after the victory at Badr, most of them professed to be Muslim, at least outwardly. It was clear from their behavior that true faith had not entered their hearts, but they saw a political advantage of pretending to be Muslim. Several verses of the Quran were revealed informing the true Muslims of the threat this group of hypocrites posed to the community. However, the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon him, never singled out anyone and taught his followers to judge people by their actions.
The second threat came from the Jewish tribes that had lived both inside and around Madina for centuries. Upon arriving in Madina, the Prophet had made a treaty with the Jewish tribes to clearly define relations between them and the Muslims. Among the main elements of the agreement were: both the Muslims and Jews were free to practice their own religion, they would mutually support one another in case a foreign enemy attacked and no treaty would be made with the Quraysh against the Muslims. Many of the Jews looked down upon the Prophet due to their ancestral pride. But the Prophet continued to teach the Muslims to behave respectfully with them. A revelation later came that Muslims are allowed to eat meat slaughtered by the People of the Book and even intermarry with them. Some of the Jews even accepted Islam. One of the leading Rabbis of Madina, ʿAbdullah ibn Salam, believed that the Messenger of Allah was mentioned in the Torah and accepted Islam.
Treachery of the Qaynuqa
A few months after Badr, the Prophet received intelligence that the Jews from the tribe of Qaynuqa, who lived inside Madina, were planning to break their covenant. The Qaynuqa prepared for war, hoping that some of the hypocrites would come to their aid as promised. After two weeks without receiving any supplies or outside help, they surrendered. They were asked to leave and took up residence with some other Jewish tribes around the area.
The Battle of Uhud
In 3 AH, the Prophet received intelligence that 3000 soldiers were on their way to attack Madinah. The Prophet assembled an army of 1000 soldiers and consulted his companions on whether to meet the army out in the open or remain in the city and defend. The Prophet gave in to their zeal and the army set out for Mount Uhud, about two miles from Madina, where they could meet the enemy. On the way, ʿAbdullah ibn Ubayy (the leader of the hypocrites) decided to abandon the Muslim army because they did not take his advice and stay in the city. He and his men, which comprised one-third of the army, withdrew.
The Prophet stationed 50 archers on a nearby hill to guard a small mountain pass that could be exploited by the enemy. The battle began and the Muslims began to overcome the Quraysh. The battle-flag of the Quraysh fell and they began to retreat, while the Muslim soldiers continued to pursue them. At that very moment, most of the archers who were positioned on the hill decided to leave their posts, eyeing the spoils of war which they were eager to collect. The mountain pass was now unprotected and the cavalry of the enemy rode through the gap and fell on the exultant Muslims. As a result, 70 Muslims lay dead on the battlefield while only 22 of the Quraysh were killed. The victory at Uhud turned into a bitter defeat. Verses were revealed to the Prophet making it clear that the calamity was a result of the spiritual disease of greed.
Expulsion of Nadir
In 4 AH, the Messenger of Allah received intelligence that the Jews of Nadir were planning to betray the Muslims. The Prophet went to visit them, but they made an attempt on his life. He fled the scene and gave them 10 days to leave. But they insisted on war and began to make alliances with some Arab leaders. A Muslim army was sent to besiege their fortress. After ten days, the Prophet ordered that some of their palm trees, their most valuable possession, be cut down. They finally surrendered and relocated to the heavily fortified city of Khaybar, a few hundred miles to the north. Again, rather than expressing any appreciation, they immediately began to plot against the Muslims.
Battle of the Trench
Huyayy, the chief of the Nadir, went to Mecca to incite a final attack against Madina. He easily managed to convince the Quraysh that it was time for one final assault against the Muslims. Abu Sufyan began to recruit allies from different parts of Arabia. The Quraysh managed to muster up 4000 soldiers themselves with another 6000 soldiers coming from the eastern part of Arabia. Salman Al-Farsi, who was a companion of the Prophet and originally from Persia, suggested a foreign war tactic of building a trench to join the defensive strong points formed by the lava fields and by fortified buildings. This was something unheard of in Arab warfare, but the Prophet immediately appreciated the merits of the plan and work began at once. The Prophet himself participated in carrying the rubble from the diggings on his back. When the coalition army arrived, they had never seen such a military strategy used before.
Huyyay, who accompanied the allied army, paid the only remaining Jewish tribe in Madina, the Qurayza, who lived in the south, and convinced them to defect from the treaty with the Muslims.
The siege of the Muslims lasted for almost a month. Abu Sufyan finally decided to give up and the allies returned, unsuccessful. With the help of Allah, not only were the Muslims saved from fighting but it was a symbolic victory for them.
Treaty of Hudaybiya
In 6 AH, the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon him, received a revelation from Allah, in the form of a dream, that he was visiting the Kabah with his head shaved. He set out with 1400 Muslims to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca. It was one of the sacred months.
Whenever any other tribe wished to visit Mecca, they would usually go during the sacred months in which fighting was prohibited, travelled without carrying any special weapons for war, and take with them animals intended to be sacrificed in Mecca.
As soon as the Quraysh found out about this, they faced a dilemma. They could not allow their sworn enemy to enter Mecca, but at the same time they couldn’t stop or harm them and risk losing their honor in Arabia.
The Muslims reached a plain known as Al-Hudaybiya, just outside Mecca. The Prophet dispatched a man to inform the leaders of Quraysh that they did not come to fight but to visit the Kabah only. He also indicated that they wished to sign a peace treaty. The Prophet decided to send Uthman ibn Affan, who still had many tribal connections in Mecca, to negotiate an agreement with the Quraysh. A rumor arose that Uthman was killed, which meant an open declaration to prepare for battle. The Prophet sat under a tree where every companion pledged that they would support the Prophet to the death. However, the rumor proved to be false.
The Meccans sent a delegate who made an agreement with the following conditions:
1. The Muslims and Quraysh would not fight each other for a period of ten years.
2. The Muslims would return to Madina and not be allowed to visit the Kabah this year. However, they would be allowed to visit the Kabah next year for three days only.
3. If any Muslim from Madina decided to leave Islam and return to Mecca, they would be allowed to do so. However, if anyone from Mecca decided to accept Islam and go to Madina, he would be returned to the Quraysh.
4. Both parties could make alliances with any tribes they wished, and they would also be bound by the treaty.
The Spread of Islam
After this treaty, Muslims and idolatrous Arabs began to interact freely and regularly meet each other. Within the next two years, more people would accept Islam than in the past eighteen years.
The following year, the Messenger of Allah sent envoys with letters addressed to the leaders of all the major powers in and around Arabia. Most of the letters were similar: they began in the name of Allah, declared that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, invited the leaders to accept Islam and warned them that if they rejected they would have to bear the responsibility of preventing the message from reaching their followers. The king of Abyssinia and the king of Bahrayn accepted Islam while Kisra, the emperor of Persia, angrily tore the letter to pieces and killed the Muslim envoy. The ruler of northern Arabia also responded with hostility and threatened to attack Madina.
The king of Egypt, Muqawqas, politely declined to accept Islam but sent gifts to the Prophet as a gesture of good will. The Prophet accepted such gifts and maintained friendly relations with him.
Expedition of Mu’tah
A group of Muslims traveling towards Syria were murdered by the Ghassan tribe, who were allied with the Romans. The Prophet had to respond, so he sent 3000 soldiers led by Zayd ibn Thabit. He knew that this was near Roman territory and was fully aware of the massive forces that the Romans had at their disposal. Therefore, he announced that if Zayd died, Jaʿfar ibn Abi Talib would be put in charge and, if he was killed, Abdullah ibn Rawaha would take over. Their army numbered over a hundred thousand fully equipped soldiers. The fighting began and all three leaders were killed. Afterwards, the Muslims appointed Khalid ibn al-Walid to take charge of the army who was able to retreat without much further loss of life. When they reached Madina, the Prophet was very sad that his own adopted son and cousin had been killed. But the Prophet was very proud of Khalid’s genius strategy and nicknamed him ‘the sword of Allah’.
Conquest of Mecca
In 8 AH, the tribe of Bakr attacked a tribe who was allied with the Muslims, a violation of the treaty of Hudaybiya. The tribe immediately asked the Prophet for help, since the Bakr were allied with the Quraysh. It later turned out that the Quraysh had supplied their ally with weapons to launch the attack. The Quraysh knew they were guilty so they sent Abu Sufyan to Madina to try and renegotiate a treaty. A few weeks later, the Prophet ordered the Muslim army to surround Mecca hoping they would surrender without a fight. He forgave all the people and many accepted Islam influenced by his leniency. The Prophet removed every idol from the Kabah and Bilal gave the Adhan from its roof.
Farewell Pilgrimage
Near the end of 9 AH, the Prophet informed the tribes around Arabia that he was planning to personally perform Hajj.
While performing the rituals associated with the pilgrimage, the Prophet stood on a mountain in the plains of Arafat and delivered a speech to an audience of about 150,000 Muslims, known as the ‘farewell sermon’. The speech consisted of the following revolutionary points:
· All interest on loans are cancelled.
· All tribal retaliation for past murders are cancelled.
· Women have rights over men, and men must be careful to fulfill those rights.
· The blood and property of a Muslim is sacred, so no one should violate that sanctity unjustly.
· No Arab has any superiority over a non-Arab, and vice versa.
· The color of your skin does not determine superiority.
Prophet’s Death
About two months after returning from Mecca, the Messenger of Allah was hit with high fever and headache. After a few days, he was too ill to even get up to go to the mosque. Every time he washed himself and tried to get up, he fainted. Therefore, upon waking up again, he signaled that Abu Bakr should lead the people in prayer, while he prayed in his room. This continued for several days until he finally passed away on the morning on the 12th of al-Rabi al-Awwal. His mission was complete. He had conveyed the message of Islam and uprooted idolatry and social vices from the entire Arabian Peninsula.
