The Arabic noun Hijrah literally refers to the act of abandoning or relinquishing. Hence, the derived word Muhaajir, as mentioned in a Hadeeth, is a person who renounces what Allah The Almighty prohibited. This is not confined to a certain time or place; anyone who abides by the commands of Allah the Almighty and abandons sins, is considered a Muhaajir.





However, the Hijrah of the Prophet  has a different dimension to it; it refers to his emigration, seeking the satisfaction of Allah The Almighty, despite his attachment to his homeland and affinity to its natural and social environment. That longing for Makkah was also fervently expressed by the Muhaajiroon – those who emigrated with him  – particularly during the first melancholy days.





That was so, because Hijrah required adapting to the new atmosphere of Madeenah, in terms of a differing climate, which caused some of the Muhaajiroon to suffer from fever; as well as economy, since it was agriculture-based here, whereas it was commerce-based back home in Makkah, where they had left behind property and wealth.





However, Hijrah was a Divine obligation to be obeyed and all difficulties endured in its undertaking. When it began, processions of the Muhaajiroon successively set out to the new land – the abode of emigration. Women also took part in this blessed event, such as Umm Salamah Hind bint Abu Umayyah, may Allah be pleased with her, who was exposed to great harm at the hands of the disbelievers in Makkah. In an effort to prevent her from Hijrah, they had pulled her newborn from her until his hand was dislocated; but she persisted and succeeded in emigrating, despite the danger and hardship.





Another woman was Asmaa' bint Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with her, who immortalized her name in history, earning the title, Thaat An-Nitaaqayn (the one with two waistbands), because she tore her waistband in half, in order to carry provisions for the two pursued emigrants, i.e., the Prophet  and Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him. Later, the sporadic Hijrah of women continued until it became an obligation; Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {O you who have believed, when the believing women come to you as emigrants, examine them.} [Quran 60:10]





The commandment was general for all believers, as Quranic verses were intermittently revealed, pointing out the merits for performing the Hijrah; this occurred since the beginning of emigration,well until the year 8 AH, when it was revoked after the conquest of Makkah. This was in accordance with the declaration of the Prophet, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam: "There is no Hijrah after the conquest of Makkah; but, [there is] Jihaad and good intention [to perform good deeds]. So, when you are commanded to set forth [for Jihad], you must immediately."





As for Madeenah being the destination of Hijrah, Allah The Almighty Himself had specified it, revealing it to the Prophet  who said: "I have seen in my vision that I am migrating from Makkah to a land with palm-trees. At first, I thought it was Al-Yamaamah or Hajar, but it was Madeenah (Yathrib)."





It would later become clear that this city, already burgeoning with faith, had required the mass arrival of Muslims, to safeguard it from the lurking enemies among Quraysh, the Jews and the Bedouins, against whom Jihaad was ordained. Thus, Allah The Almighty revealed motivational verses for emigrants, Saying (what means):

• {Indeed, those who have believed and those who have emigrated and fought in the cause of Allah - those expect the mercy of Allah.} [Quran 2:218]


• {And those who emigrated for [the cause of] Allah after they had been wronged - We will surely settle them in this world in a good place.} [Quran 16:41]


• {And whoever emigrates for the cause of Allah will find on the earth many [alternative] locations and abundance.} [Quran 4:100]





True to His noble Promise, the Muhaajiroon attained great honor in this life, apart from reward from Him. By being the first people to establish a Muslim state, they gained the Pleasure of Allah The Almighty and closeness to Him, as He Says (what means): {And the first forerunners [in the faith] among the Muhaajiroon and the Ansaar and those who followed them with good conduct - Allah is pleased with them.} [Quran 9:100]





Thus, Allah The Almighty memorialized them in the Quran, which is, and will be, recited by Muslims as worship to Him until the end of time.





Hijrah: a norm of the Prophets, may Allah exalt their mention





The Prophet  was not the first to emigrate for the cause of Allah The Almighty. Many prophets, may Allah exalt their mention, underwent such a trial. Allah The Almighty informed us that Ibraaheem (Abraham) emigrated from his homeland to Egypt and other countries, preaching Tawheed (monotheism); Ya‘qoob (Jacob) and Yoosuf (Joseph), may Allah exalt their mention, went from Palestine to Egypt; Loote, may Allah exalt his mention, abandoned his valley because of its corruption and disregard of his message; and Moosa (Moses), may Allah exalt his mention, emigrated with his people from Egypt to Sinai in order to escape with their religion from the tyranny of Fir‘awn (Pharaoh).





Thus, Hijrah is a custom of the prophets, with the emigration of the Prophet Muhammad  being the last and most significant in its impact.





Hijrah: A Turning Point in History





The Hijrah brought about the establishment of a Muslim state in Madeenah, that consolidated the society on the basis of solidarity, love, brotherhood, freedom, equality and guaranteeing of rights.





The Prophet  was the head of government, the commander in chief, the supreme judge and the foremost mentor. He  gradually implemented the Islamic Sharee’ah, as it was revealed to him, verse by verse. The Companions would study it and apply it to themselves, after learning its interpretation from the Prophet .





Hence, they formed a God-conscious generation that was able to merge the worship of Allah The Almighty with inhabiting this worldly life. They worked under the motto: work for your life as if you will live forever and for your Hereafter as if you will die tomorrow.





Within a decade, most of the Arabian Peninsula united under this banner of Islam that swathed large areas of land, extending from As-Sind in the east, to the Atlantic in the west, with most of the people embracing Islam and its Sharee‘ah. They formed a flourishing civilization that produced its fruit for many centuries in the fields of legislation, education, cosmography and physics.

 

1st year of Hijrah

1. As soon as the Prophet  reached Madinah, he built a Mosque for prayers. The walls were made of mud and the roof was made of leafy stalks of date trees.

2. Up until then there were only two compulsory Rak'ahs (units of prayer) for the noon (Dhuhr), afternoon (‘Asr) and night (‘Isha) prayers; but from then on four Rak'ahs were made compulsory for these three times of prayers.

3. Agreements were made with the Jews and the neighboring tribes for peace and friendliness.

4. Bonds of brotherhood developed between the Muhajireen (the emigrant Muslims) of Makkah and those of Madina, called Ansar (helpers). The Ansar loved the Makkans more than their brothers and permitted them to share in their properties on equal terms.

2nd year of Hijrah

1. Regular calls for the prayer began to be observed.

2. Allah Almighty commanded the Muslims to change their direction of prayer from Jerusalem to the Ka'bah in Makkah.

3. Fasting in the month of Ramadan was made compulsory.

4. Battle of Badr took place.

3rd year of Hijrah

1. Zakat (the poor due) was made compulsory, i.e., every rich Muslim was required to give 1/40 of his wealth every year for distribution among the poor.

2. Battle of Uhud took place.

4th year of Hijrah

- Wine was strictly forbidden.

5th year of Hjjrah

1. Women were required to wear the Hijab (veil).

2. Battle of Khandaq took place.

3. Battle of Khaibar took place.

6th year of Hijrah

The Prophet  proceeded towards Makkah for 'Umrah, but when he reached a point where he was 14 miles away from Makkah the Quraysh would not allow him to go further. The Prophet  stopped there, and during his stay there, an agreement was made between the Quraysh and the Muslims on the following points:

1. Peace be maintained for ten years and travel and transactions should be freely operated. Every tribe is to be allowed to join hands with the Muslims or the Quraysh.

2. The Muslims were allowed to offer their prayers at the Ka'bah the following year.

3. If a person from the Quraysh accepted Islam and reached the Prophet  he or she would be sent back to the Quraysh, but if a Muslim gives up Islam and goes to the Quraysh, he would not be sent back. The Muslims did not like this point, but the Prophet  accepted this condition as well.

The Quraysh thought that no person would accept Islam in view of this condition.

When the agreement was being drafted, Abu Jandal, son of Suhail (who came to negotiate the agreement for the Makkans) was already a Muslim, but he was kept in confinement by the tribe. However, as soon as he got the opportunity, he fled while his feet were still chained.

Suhail demanded the Muslims to hand over his son according to the terms of the agreement.

The Muslims refused to act upon the terms of the agreement as it had not been signed by them at that time. Suhail became angry and told the Muslims that they would not enter into an agreement.

The Prophet  handed Abu Jandal over to them. Abu Jandal was returned to confinement. While he was held captive in Makkah, he taught people the basic principles of Islam. As a result of the teachings, one hundred people embraced Islam within a year in Makkah itself.

Everyone who has some sense could understand from this fact how the sincerity of the Prophet  and the goodness of the religion of Islam were captivating hearts, despite the many difficulties that people had to face when accepting Islam. They suffered separation from near and dear ones, distances from their native land, fear of torture and imprisonment. Yet, all of this could not deter people from accepting Islam.