Emigration of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) to Madina

When the infidels of Makkah learnt that people from Madina were coming and embracing Islam, their anger knew no bounds.  Now they pulled out all stops in persecuting and torturing Muslims, but these bravehearts of Islam stayed put in the shade of Islam and at the door of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and willfully bore everything for the pleasure and approval of Allah Most High and His Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  When the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) saw that Muslims could live in peace in Madina, He ordered the Companions to emigrate to Madina.  Thus, first of all Hadhrat Abu Salma emigrated.  Then gradually other Companions also emigrated secretly.

 

The evil plan of the infidels

 

When the infidels saw that the supporters of Muslims are increasing day by day, that Muslims are under the protection of the natives of Madina and the strength of Muslims is increasing day by day, they became worried lest the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) Himself emigrate to Madina.  They wanted to stop the mission of Islam in some way or the other.  A big meeting was held about this in Dar Un Nadwa.  All the chiefs of the Quraish participated in this.  Satan himself came to this meeting covered in a cloak in the guise of a Shaykh from Najd.  Everybody gave their suggestion about the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  Somebody said that the blessed hands and feet of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) should be chained and He should be imprisoned in a dungeon and starved to death (May Allah protect us).  The old man (Satan) said:  By the Lord Almighty!  Wherever you imprison Him, His Companions will risk their lives and free Him.  Somebody else said that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) should be forced to leave the city.  At least, they would be free of Him.  Satan rebuked that person:  What kind of suggestion is this?  Do you not know the power of the blessed tongue of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)?  If you make Him leave the city, then that day will not be far when He will invite the whole of Arabia to Islam, recite to them the verses of the Holy Quran and make people embrace Islam and will one day attack you with a great army and you will have no other choice but humiliation and disgrace.  Abu Jahl said: My suggestion is that one brave warrior from every clan should be selected and all of them should attack at once.  In this way, the responsibility of this will be on all the clans.  The clan of Hashim is not so strong that it can face off all the clans.  Thus, they will be forced to accept blood money in return.  We all can easily give the blood money.  Everybody agreed to the suggestion of Abu Jahl and returned home with this evil plan.

 

Almighty Allah revealed to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) the plan of the infidels.

 

The emigration of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)

 

Hadhrat Jibreel (May peace be upon him) came to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and conveyed the message and order of Almighty Allah: O Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)!  This night, you please don’t sleep in your bed. Instead emigrate to Madina.  Hence, at noon the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) went to the house of Hadhrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (May Allah be well pleased with him) and told him that Allah Most High has ordered Him to emigrate.  Hadhrat Abu Bakr (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  May my father and mother be sacrificed for you!  Please grant me the honor of accompanying you.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) permitted him to come with Him.

 

The infidels would still accept the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) as truthful and trustworthy

 

The people of Makkah were against the religion, which the Holy Prophet brought and were opposed to Islam.  In spite of all this, they accepted the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) as the truthful and the trustworthy and would hand over their wealth and belongings to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) for safekeeping.  Thus, even at the time of emigration many people’s things were with the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) handed over all of them to Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) and ordered him: O ‘Ali!  Tonight you sleep in my bed.  When morning comes, hand over all these things to their owners and you also come to Madina.

 

The infidels had surrounded the house of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  The Leader of all Prophets, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) ordered the Leader of all Saints, Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) to sleep in His bed and stepped out of His house.  He saw that the infidels had surrounded the house.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) took a handful of sand, recited the beginning verses of Surah Yaseen over it and threw it at them.  Then the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) calmly walked away from there.  The next morning when the infidels saw that it was Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) in the bed of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), all they had was regret and remorse.

 

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) left His native place Makkah with Hadhrat Abu Bakr (May Allah be well pleased with him) and reached the Cave of Thaur the same night.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) resolved to rest in the cave.  Hadhrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  O Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)!  Let me first enter the cave.  He entered the cave, cleaned it and tore away bits of his tunic and stopped all the holes of the cave, but one hole was still left open.  Then he requested the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) to come in.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) entered the cave and lay down with His head in the lap of Hadhrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (May Allah be well pleased with him).

 

Hadhrat Abu Bakr (May Allah be well pleased with him) placed his foot on the single remaining hole.  A poisonous snake that had been waiting for 1000 years to see the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) tried to come out.  Finding no opening, it repeatedly bit the foot of Hadhrat Abu Bakr (May Allah be well pleased with him).  Hadhrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (May Allah be well pleased with him) didn’t even move out of the fear that the rest of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) would be disturbed.  However, because of the agony of the bite tears came to his eyes.  When some teardrops fell on the blessed face of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) opened His eyes.

 

On seeing tears in the eyes of Hadhrat Abu Bakr (May Allah be well pleased with him), the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) asked him what had happened.  He said:  O Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)!  A snake has bitten me.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) applied His saliva to that spot and there was immediate absolute relief.  For 3 days, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) stayed in this cave.  Hadhrat Abu Bakr’s son, Hadhrat ‘Abdullah (May Allah be well pleased with them) would come at night and tell them the condition of Makkah and the plans of Quraish.  The slave of Hadhrat Abu Bakr, Hadhrat A’amir bin Fuhairah (May Allah be well pleased with them) would come there on the pretext of grazing sheep, offer them fresh milk of goats and return.

 

In Makkah, when the infidels entered the house of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and saw Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) sleeping in the bed of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), they were dismayed.  A huge search was started.  They searched the outskirts and nearby places of Makkah.  They sent their scouts in all directions.  At last, guided by the footsteps of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), they reached the Cave of Thaur.  Listening to the footsteps of the infidels, Hadhrat Abu Bakr (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  O Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)!  The enemy is very close to us.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) calmly answered:  Don’t be sad.  Surely Allah is with us.

 

Allah Most High made such an arrangement that a spider wove its web on the mouth of the cave and a pigeon laid its egg on it.  On seeing this, the infidels thought that nobody must have entered this cave for years and returned dejectedly.

 

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) resided in the cave for 3 days and on the fourth day on the 1^st of Rab’ee Ul Awal, Monday, started towards Madina.

 

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) reached Quba on 12^th Rab’ee Ul Awwal and Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) also joined them there.  At this place, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) laid the foundation of Masjid Al Quba, which is famous with the same name today.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) Himself would carry stones along with the Companions.  The Companions would request Him:  O Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)!  Let it be.  We will carry it.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) would rejoin:  Carry another one similar to this.  He Himself would set the stones in place in the structure of the Masjid.

 

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) stayed in Quba for 14 days.  In this period, He constructed Masjid Quba there.  On Friday, He started for Madina from there.  (Subul Ul Huda War Rashad, Vol. 3, Pg. No. 331)