THE GREAT MIGRATION - HIJRAH

1st Muharram 1435 Hijrah.

FIRSTLY, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MUSLIMS AROUND THE WORLD!! 

It is great to note that Islam is currently the largest religion in the world with 2.04 billion believers. And it is not stopping there, because Islam is also the fastest growing religion in the world. 

Read religion population Here.

It is humbling to know that it all started from that great migration by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and the Muslims from Mecca to Madinah 1435 years ago. That migration was a very significant event in the Islamic civilization because it marks the beginning of a Muslim government, led by non-other than the Prophet himself. That great migration is known as 'Hijrah'.

Hijrah was indeed the beginning of a great civilization. But I must say that outside of the Muslim community, little is actually known to the world about the story before the great migration. So to appreciate the Hijrah better, let us revisit some of the events leading to that great migration, shall we?

From the beginning, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was an orphan at a very young age. His father, Abdullah bin Abdul Muttalib, died before he was even born and his mother, Aminah, passed away not long after he was born. Muhammad (SAW) may be an orphan, but he is certainly NOT a nobody in the tribal community of Mecca. He is a member of an elite family, the well-respected Bani Hashim tribe, which is the leader of all tribes at that time and having a clear linage to Prophet Ismail.

His grandfather, Abdul Muttalib bin Hashim was a pious and well-respected public figure of his time. And when Abdul Muttalib passed away, the leadership baton was handed down to his sons, who were uncles to Muhammad (SAW) – Abu Talib, Abu Jahal, Abu Lahab, Abu Sufian and Hamzah to name a few. Among them, Abu Talib was selected to succeed Abdul Muttalib as the tribe's chief. They were the governing family of Mecca, which is the center of religious pilgrimage and idol worship at the time.

Mecca

Everyone loved Prophet Muhammad (SAW). His family protected him like a gem and people called him Al-Amin meaning "the one who never lie" for his trustworthiness attribute. But since he was young, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) felt that something was wrong with the world. Although he is a member of the elite, he just could not fit in that society.

Fast forward to his adulthood - Prophet Muhammad prefers to be alone and often retreated to the Hira' cave in mount Nur. It was in this cave that he first received a revelation, which marked the beginning of his Prophet-hood. And life was never the same again for Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as he started to preach about Islam. The first to embrace his message was his beloved wife, Siti Khadijah, who believed him immediately after he told her of his experience in Hira's cave. She became his strongest support - emotionally and financially.

Prophet Muhammad (SAW) started preaching to others. He started first with his close friends and family members, then to others in secret. He told them that there is no god but Allah and that he is a messenger and the last prophet of Allah. He told them to do good deeds - no stealing, no zina (adultery), no drinking and no cheating.

We may be wondering at this point...

Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was actually in a great position to take over the helm of leadership from his uncles. He is a member of the elite family! He just need to wait for his turn and once he is in power, he will be free to implement or abolish any rulings. But no, he chooses not to pretend to be someone he is not or pretended to accept the corrupted system and hoped to change it. He moved away from the system and rejected the offers he received from the leaders of Mecca. Perhaps this is a lesson that we should take heed of.

Within a short period of time, his message begin to pick up momentum and the number of his followers increased. This did not jell well with the leaders of Mecca, who happened to be his uncles. To the leaders, stealing, zina, drinking and cheating are simply part of their culture and also money-making channels for them. They hated him for threatening their livelihood. 

But they know that their chief, Abu Talib loved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) so very much and they dare not cross Abu Talib. They tried to persuade Abu Talib to take actions on Prophet Muhammad SAW to stop him from spreading this "new" religion. Abu Talib was torn in between. He was torn between his commitment to the leadership and his love for Prophet Muhammad SAW. He promised the leaders that he would speak to his nephew, which he did. But Prophet Muhammad SAW stood firm to his quest as commanded by Allah. Abu Talib respected the Prophet's decision and delivered that decision to the other leaders, with a warning "Muhammad is not to be harm!". Not long after that, Hamzah, a fearless warrior and also an uncle to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) also came forward with a similar but more stern warning that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is not to be harmed. Everyone knows Hamzah as the fierce army general and nobody dared to oppose him.

So, the leaders stayed clear of causing any physical harm to Prophet Muhammad (SAW), but that did not stop them from throwing insults after insults to the prophet and harm the Muslims. Muslim slaves suffered physical harm from their masters, the Muslim businessmen suffered isolation and ruins to their businesses and the others suffered verbal and physiological abuses on daily basis. And these abuses continued for the next 10 years, until Abu Talib passed away. Once Abu Talib passed away, the leader became more daring with their abuses.

Meanwhile in Yathrib...

Yathrib is a city northern to Mecca. It used to be a prosperous city, but that prosperity was destroyed by the on-going civil wars and power struggles between the two main tribes there, the Aus and the Khazraj. The people of Yathrib have actually grown tired of the infighting, but they just could not find a resolution to their problem.

(Illustration) On-going Infighting in Yathrib

There have been rumors spreading in Yathrib about a prophet in Mecca. The Jews there have been talking about a prophet who will be born in their lifetime and that this prophet will one day lead them to success. This rumors caught the attention of 6 men in Yathrib and they were given the description of this prophet, as well as when and where will he emerge. During a pilgrimage season in 620 AD, they went to Mecca searching for Prophet Muhammad (SAW). The information they have fits this man that they have heard so much about. One who is said to be preaching a "new" religion - the information fits Prophet Muhammad SAW perfectly. After meeting the prophet, they were convinced that this is the awaited prophet and they made a promise to follow his teachings. When the pilgrimage season was over, they went back to Yathrib and started to spread words about their meeting with the prophet in Mecca.

A year went by and it is pilgrimage season again. Those men who came to meet Prophet Muhammad (SAW) a year before, came to see him again. This time there were 12 of them. Remarkably, while Muslims continue to suffer insults after insults in Mecca, the teachings of Islam flourishes in Yathrib. Islam have become a uniting element between the two fighting tribes. The 12 men became Muslims and gave a baiah (pledge) to Prophet Muhammad (SAW). That pledge is now known as Baiatul Aqabah 1.

Once again, after the pilgrimage season that year, they went back home to Yathrib. But this time, two of the Prophet's companions, Mush'ab bin Umair and Amar bin Ummi Maktum, followed them back to Yathrib and became their referral points about Islam. Before long, there were hundreds of them who embraced Islam in Yathrib.

And the year after that in the year 622 AD, they came again to meet Prophet Muhammad (SAW). This time there were 73 men and 2 women. Once again they pledge support and loyalty to Prophet Muhammad (SAW). That pledge is now known as Baiatul Aqabah 2. Knowing how badly the Prophet and the Muslims were being treated in Mecca, they extended an invitation to the prophet to migrate to Yathrib and become their leader. They hungered for his leadership and Allah's guidance.

Masjid Aqabah

Not long after that, came a revelation for the Prophet and the Muslims to migrate to Yathrib. And the rest is history with the migration of the prophet and the Muslims to Yathrib and setting up the first Muslim government there. Yathrib is now known as the city of light - Madinah!

Hmm.. It saddened me actually to end the story like this. I have had to compress the story and missed out on some interesting stories in Mecca including these stories below. I feel that if I include these stories, it would have been too long. So, I would encourage that you look up these stories on your own. Insya-Allah, I will write those stories in a different entry.

• The Prophet's experience in Hira' Cave - The first revelation.
• The offer made by the leaders to Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
• The Prophet's visit to Thaif
• The Prophet's mukjizat of cutting the moon in half.
• The story of how Omar Al-Khattab embrace Islam.
• The story of how Bilal bin Rabbah was abused with a big stone put onto his chest.
• The great story of Isra' and Mi'raj.

But for now, perhaps this animation can fill in some of the stories that I have missed.
Enjoy watching and once again... Happy New Year!