hijrah, in essence, is a process of transfer to a better situation. it is not meant to find a comfortable place where one would relax and stop endeavor. rather, it is a search for an environment more favorable to continuous and constructive effort. immediately after reaching madinah, the prophet undertook an all-embracing process to establish a faithful and strong society. this is a significant aspect and important lesson to learn from hijrah.
responding to this matter, dr. muzammil siddiqi, president of the fiqh council of north america, states the following:
in the glorious qur'an, allah, most high, says, (those who believe, and migrate and strive in allah’s cause, with their goods and their persons, have the highest rank in the sight of allah: they are indeed the successful people. their lord does give them glad tidings of a mercy from himself, of his good pleasure, and of gardens where enduring pleasure will be theirs: they will dwell therein forever. verily in allah’s presence is a reward, the greatest (of all). ) (al-tawbah 9: 20-22)
we are approaching the new year of hijrah. our religious calendar is the hijri calendar. it is important for us to keep in mind the meaning and significance of hijrah.
hijrah was one of the most important events in the history of islam. it is for this reason `umar (may allah be pleased with him) adopted hijrah date to calculate years. muslims chose hijrah as the focal point to reckon their chronology. in physical terms, hijrah was a journey between two cities about 300 miles apart, but in its grand significance it marked the beginning of an era, a civilization, a culture and a history for the whole mankind. islam progressed not only from the physical hijrah, but because muslims took hijrah seriously in all its aspects and dimensions.
when the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made the hijrah from makkah to madinah, he did not just transfer his residence or took shelter in another city, but as soon as he arrived in madinah he began the transformation of that city in every aspect.
it is important for us to study and reflect on the things that he did in madinah. there are many lessons for us in that history and we can learn many things for our life.
1. masjid (mosque): the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) first established a masjid for the worship of allah. he himself worked in carrying the stones and building that small, humble but most powerful structure. this was the beginning, but soon other masajid (mosques) were established in madinah.
2. madrasah( islamic school and educational institution for the community):. the first school under the supervision of the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was the school of suffah. later many other schools were opened. according to maulana shibli numani, there were nine schools opened in madinah alone in the time of the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
3. mu'akhah: he established brotherly relations between the muhajirun (muslims who migrated from makkah) and the ansar (residents of madinah who helped the prophet and his companions). masjid and madrasah were not enough; what was also important was to have good relations between muslims. they should have their brotherhood on the basis of faith, not on the basis of tribes as they used to have prior to islam.
4. intercommunity and interfaith relations: prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also established good relations with other communities living in madinah. there was a large jewish community as well as some other arab tribes who had not accepted islam. the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prepared a mithaq (a covenant or a constitution) for relations between these communities.
5. cleaning the city: yathrib (previous name of madinah) was a dirty city. when the sahabah (prophet's companions) came from makkah to madinah, many of them got sick and did not like that city. the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked them to clean the city and remove its dirt and filth. `aishah, may allah be pleased with her, said: “we came to madinah and it was the most polluted land of allah. the water there was most stinking. (al-bukhari, 1756)
6. water system in the city: the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked the sahabah to dig wells in different parts of the city. it is mentioned that more than 50 wells were opened in the city of madinah and there was enough clean water for every one.
7. agriculture and gardening: the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged the sahabah to cultivate the land and make gardens. he told them that any one who would cultivate any dead land, would own it. many people started working and cultivating and soon there was enough food for every one.
8. poverty eradication: in a short period of time it happened that there were no poor people in madinah. every one had enough and the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to give gifts to coming delegations.
9. safety, security, law and order: madinah became the safest city in the world. there were very few incidents of theft, rape, drunkenness or murder and they were immediately taken care of.
in short, hijrah teaches us that wherever muslims go, they should bring goodness to that land. muslims should work for both moral and material goodness of the society.
in these blessed days, muslims should derive fruitful lessons from the hijrah event that is full of lessons that are necessary to acquire and apply in today's modern world. muslims should also take special care of teaching the events of the hijrah and the lessons drawn from those remarkable events to the younger genrations.
as regards the question, we would like to cite for you the following words of sayed abul a`la al-maududi, who explains some reasons for which madinah was chosen to be the centre of da`wah at its very early days:
makkah elders devised a plot to assassinate the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in order to nip the islamic movement in the bud. when affairs reached that pitiful state, almighty allah ordered his messenger to leave makkah and migrate to madinah.
madinah, a city some 450 kilometers from makkah, was growing as a centre for islam. a number of people had already been converted to the new faith. islamic teachings were winning new supporters every day. leaders of the two major tribes of madinah had accepted islam and were ready to sacrifice their lives and property for the cause of islam. at this point, the prophet started planning to move to madinah.
in order to have a clear view of other reasons for choosing madinah to be the centre of the nascent muslim state, we would like to cite the following for you:
yathrib had been chosen by allah to shelter the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) after his migration and to bring forth not only the first islamic society but also to serve as a focal point for the universal call of islam. the great honor accorded to the city makes it necessary to know its distinctive features. such as its physical, social and cultural conditions, the arab tribes living there and their mutual relations, the economic and political manipulations of the jews and their fighting spirit as well as the way of life sustained by its fertile land. various religions, cultures and communities flourished in the city tremendously, contrary to makkah, which was dominated by one faith and one cultural pattern. the following details given here depict the state of affairs in madinah when the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made his debut in that city.
jews
three jewish tribes, banu qaynuqa`, banu an-nadir and banu quraydha, were settled in madinah. the number of adults belonging to these tribes was over two thousands; banu qaynuqa` was estimated to have seven hundred combatants, with banu an-nadir having almost the same number too, while the grown-ups of banu quraydha were reported to be between seven and nine hundred.
these tribes were not in good terms and very often they are caught in confrontations with one another. the qur’an makes a reference to the mutual discord between the jews: (and when we made with you a covenant (saying): shed not the blood of your people nor turn (party of) your people out of your dwellings. then ye ratified (our covenant) and ye were witnesses (thereto). yet it is you who slay each other and drive out party of your people from their homes, supporting one another against them by sin and transgression - and if they come to you as captives ye would ransom them, whereas their expulsion was itself unlawful for you.) (al-baqarah 2: 84-85)
the financial relationship of the madinan jews with the other tribes was mainly limited to lending money on interest or on security or sequestration of personal property upon payment failure. in an agricultural region like madinah, there was ample scope for money-lending business since the farmers very often needed capital for purposes of cultivation. (dr. muhammad sayyid tantawi, banu israel fil-qur’an was-sunnah, pp. 80-81)
the system of lending money was not limited merely to pledging personal property as security for repayment of the loan, for the lenders very often forced the borrowers to pledge even their women and children.
concentration of capital in the hands of the jews had given them power to exercise economic pressure on the social economy of the city. the stock markets were at their mercy. they rigged the market through hoarding, thereby creating artificial shortages and causing rise and fall in prices. most of the people in madinah detested the jews owing to such malpractices of usury and profiteering, which were against the substance of the common arabs. (banu israel fil-qur’an was-sunnah, p. 79)
the jews being driven by nothing but their haughty cupidity and selfishness in their social transactions with the arab tribes, aus and khazraj, spent lavishly, though judiciously, in creating a rift between the two tribes. on a number of occasions in the past, they had successfully pitted one tribe against the other, leaving both tribes worn out and economically ruined in the end. the only objective jews had set before themselves was how to maintain their economic dominion over madinah.
for many centuries, the jews had been waiting for a redeemer. this belief of the jews in the coming prophet, about which they used to talk with the arabs, had prepared the aus and the khazraj to give their faith readily to the prophet. (banu israel fil-qur’an was-sunnah, pp. 73-101)
within all these communal differences, it was necessary to place this growing muslim community so as to give muslims a good chance for better interaction and sufficient training that will help them in their coming days. madinah had many unique features that made her the due recipient of that honor. it was very important for muslims to receive training and establish their state amongst all these communities and different levels of thinking.
dealing with jews taught muslims how to argue with the people of the book in good words and how to know the wicked and cunning conspiracies being made for them behind their backs. it was very important for the growing muslim communities to be trained on the way of fighting those enemies who take refuge in their fortifications, a thing, which was practiced by jews.
it was also necessary for the islamic da`wah, at this very early age, to face hypocrites who apparently declare that they believe in islam but, in the meantime, help its enemies. all these are no more than some aspects of the divine wisdom behind choosing madinah to be the place where the first muslim state is established.
hijrah was not something special for prophet muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). rather, some of allah’s prophets emigrated before prophet muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). yet, the hijrah of prophet muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) differed from those of other prophets because it was not intended as a flight from torture but as the beginning of the islamic state.
responding to the question, the eminent muslim scholar, sheikh yusuf al-qaradawi, states the following:
most of allah’s messengers, if not all, emigrated. however, their emigrations differed from that of prophet muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). for example, prophet ibrahim (peace and blessing be upon him) emigrated, as related in the qur’an: (and lot believed him, and said: lo! i am a fugitive unto my lord. lo! he, only he, is the mighty, the wise) (al-`ankabut 29: 26). in another verse, he almighty says: (and he said: lo! i am going unto my lord who will guide me) (as-saffat 37: 99). so, prophet ibrahim (peace and blessings be upon him) migrated from place to place till he settled at a town in palestine, where he was then buried. that town, al-khalil ibrahim, is now named after him.
prophet musa (peace and blessings be upon him) also emigrated before he was assigned with the divine mission. he fled from egypt after he had mistakenly killed an egyptian. he sought allah’s forgiveness for that, and a man advised him to get out of egypt in order to escape people’s revenge. allah almighty says: (and a man came from the uttermost part of the city, running. he said: o moses! lo! the chiefs take counsel against thee to slay thee; therefore escape. lo! i am of those who give thee good advice. so he escaped from thence, fearing, vigilant. he said: my lord ! deliver me from the wrongdoing folk) (al-qasas 28: 20-21).
then prophet musa (peace and blessings be upon him) went to a country called madyan, where he married the daughter of a righteous old man (prophet shu`aib, peace be upon him) and stayed with him for ten years. throughout that period, musa had no divine mission. he lived as a righteous man, a good husband, and a generous son-in-law; however, he had no prominent role to perform.
that is to say, prophet musa (peace and blessings be upon him) emigrated for fear of revenge. he said, as related in the qur’an: (then i fled from you when i feared you, and my lord vouchsafed me a command and appointed me (of the number) of those sent (by him)) (ash-shu`ara’ 42: 21). on the other hand, the hijrah of prophet muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was not only to escape temptation and torture of his people. it was the starting point to establish the muslim ummah, a new muslim community based on islam, the universal divine message that calls for morality and human rights. that was the very purpose of prophet muhammad’s hijrah to madinah, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) performed his role as best as possible. he put the foundation of a sound muslim community and established the best ummah ever created.
Allah’s Protection over the Prophet from the Impure Pre-Islamic Paganism
almighty allah protected his beloved prophet muhammad (pbuh) from the impure pre-islamic paganism and from doing any fault since his very early years.
allah gave muhammad only good manners, and that’s why he was known as the “honest” (al ameen) for all his purity, honesty and truthfulness.
as an example for that, when quraish (muhammad’s tribe) was renewing the ka’ba they had a problem about who would put the “black stone” in its place. they decided to let the first one coming to be their judge. muhammad was that person who was at that time 35 of age. quraish was pleased of his coming, saying: “the honest is coming.” muhammad (pbuh) put a piece of cloth on the ground, placed the stone in the middle and told every tribe to carry a side of the cloth, so that all tribes carried the stone.
muhammad didn’t use to practice “haj” as all pagans did before islam, as the ka’ba was surrounded with their stone goods.
