Hijrat-e-Madina (Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) arrival in Madina)

The arrival of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ in Medina was a moment of profound significance in the history of Islam. With that, the historically most important journey of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ and his followers, commonly known as “Hijrat-e-Medina," was successfully completed. It marked the end of a phase of extreme hardship, which the Prophet and his followers had to face for more than a decade in Mecca. The migration from Mecca and arrival in Medina was the beginning of a new era in Islamic history. It was the starting point of the dominance of Islam, which soon engulfed the entire Arabian Peninsula and even beyond that.

The highlight of the Hijrat-e-Medina and the Prophet's arrival in Medina was the establishment of a new Islamic State, led by the Prophet himself. Later on, the year of his arrival in Medina was taken as a reference and starting point of the new Islamic Calendar, commonly known as the Hijri Calendar. 

The Prophet’s arrival in Medina was a miraculous achievement under the most hostile conditions. Many close allies and family members of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ had played their role in the successful accomplishment of this task, including Hazrat Abu Bakr رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ and his family, and Hazrat Ali رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ.

Historical Context

The Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ, on receiving the first revelation in the cave of Hira, in 610 CE, initially invited his close family members and friends to the Message of Islam. But when he started preaching publicly, the Quraysh of Mecca saw it as a threat to their dominant role in the Meccan society. Initially, they tried to reach a sort of agreement with the Prophet by offering him certain incentives. On the refusal of the Prophet, they started threatening the new converts, especially the poor and weak. The poor and slaves were being treated harshly to force them to return to their old religion. They were tortured so brutally that some of them even lost their lives.

On the other hand, they even started harassing the Prophet as well. They used to throw dirt on him and spread thorns in his way. Sometimes they would put filth on him as well. Despite all these hardships, faced by the Prophet himself, as well as by his followers, he remained firmly committed to spreading the Divine Message. At a later stage, the Banu Hashim Clan, to which the Prophet belonged, also had to face a social and financial boycott by the Quraysh.

Over the years, the persecution by Quraysh of Mecca reached a point where Allah, سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ, commanded the Prophet to allow his followers to migrate to a place where they could live peacefully and perform their religious rituals without any fear. Meanwhile, some of the Medinan tribes had already met the Prophet and accepted Islam, which at that point in time was known as Yathrib. Resultantly, quite a good number of people of Yathrib had already converted to Islam, and they invited the Prophet to migrate to Yathrib, along with his followers.

So, the Prophet advised his followers to start migrating to Yathrib, secretly, without letting the Quraysh know about any such development. The plan worked quite well. The majority of the Muslims slowly and secretly left Mecca and reached Medina. Only a few of them, mostly the close friends and family members of the Prophet, were left in Mecca, including Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat Ali رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُمَا.

The Prophet, however, was waiting for the express permission by Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ to leave his station, as the Prophets cannot leave their place without the explicit Divine Permission. When the permission was granted by Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ, the Prophet, accompanied by Hazrat Abu Bakr رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ, secretly left Mecca in the night. On the other hand, Hazrat Ali رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ was left behind to sleep in the Prophet’s bed so that the Quraysh, who had already deputed teams to assassinate the Prophet, could not know his departure from Mecca. Later on, Hazrat Ali رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ also left Mecca and joined the Prophet in Medina. So, the migration of the Prophet and his followers was completed secretly in the year 622 CE.   

Journey Highlights

• The Prophet, along with his close friend Hazrat Abu Bakr رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ, left their homes during the night and reached Mount Thawr, south of Mecca. They hid themselves in a cave on this mountain and remained there for three days and nights. This was important because the Quraysh was pursuing them.
• After three days, when the possibilities of being tracked by the Quraysh diminished, they started the next phase of their journey by taking an unconventional route as suggested by their guide. This was done as a safety precaution so the Quraysh could not track them.
• Under normal circumstances, it would take around eleven days to travel from Mount Thawr to Yathrib. However, they covered this distance in eight days. They used to travel during the night and take rest during the day, as a safety measure.
• The journey was completed when they reached the outskirts of Yathrib, known as Quba. The people of Yathrib had been anxiously waiting for the arrival of the Prophet. When they heard the news of his arrival, they gathered in huge numbers to welcome the Prophet.
• The Prophet stayed at Quba for around two weeks. Here, the Prophet founded the first ever Mosque in Islam, currently known as Masjid Quba.
• After that, the Prophet moved from Quba to finally enter Yathrib (Medina)

Reception in Medina

The reception in Medina, after a long and tiresome journey from Mecca, was an unprecedented event in the history of Islam. After staying at Quba for around two weeks, the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ decided to move into the city of Medina. The city of Medina was around 3.5 miles away from this place. The Prophet mounted his She-Camel and started the journey into Medina. When he reached Medina (then Yathrib), he was warmly and enthusiastically welcomed by the people.

The children, women, and adults of Medina were joyfully reciting the poem, "Tala‘al-Badru ‘Alayna”, which translates to “the full moon is shining on us”. Everyone wanted to host him in their home, but the Prophet let the She-Camel move freely. Eventually, the camel stopped at the house of Hazrat Ayub Ansari رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ. The Prophet decided to stay there. Near his house, a vacant yard was situated, which was used for storing and drying dates. It was owned by two Orphan brothers. The Prophet asked them to sell this piece of land to him.

The brothers initially refused to take any amount for it, but the Prophet insisted and paid the cost of this piece of land. The Prophet later founded a mosque at this place, which is currently known as Masjid Nabavi (the Prophet’s Mosque). Alongside this mosque, small rooms were also built for the residence of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ and his family.

Significance of the Arrival

The arrival of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ in Medina was not just a physical migration; it was a complete social, political, and administrative transformation that paved the way for a new and first-ever Islamic State. The Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ introduced many revolutionary reforms to transform the ancient tribal system of the Arabs into an organized and unified State. Some of the reforms are summarized here:

The Constitution of Medina (صحیفة المدينة)

In order to create a united community, commonly known as “Ummah”, a document was drafted by the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ, namely, Sahifat al-Medina, or the Constitution of Medina. The Constitution of Medina (also referred to as Methaq al-Medina) is considered to be the first ever written constitution in the history of the Arabian Peninsula.

The local community of Medina at that time comprised many factions, like local Muslims (Ansaar), Migrated Muslims (Muharirun), different clans of Jews, and some pagan tribes. The document was meant to create harmony among all these groups.

The main features of the Constitution of Medina can be summarized as follows:

1. All groups, such as Muslims, Jews, and other pagan tribes, would be considered as one community.
2. All groups would enjoy their religious freedom.
3. Defense of Medina, as a State, against external enemies would be the joint responsibility of the entire community, including Muslims and Jews.
4. All blood conflicts, tribal revenge, and killings are abolished.
5. All disputes would be referred to the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ, who would be the final authority to adjudicate and resolve the conflicts.

Religious Reforms

Apart from the implementation of the Constitution of Medina, the following religious reforms were also initiated by the Prophet after arriving in Medina:

1. Initiation of congregational prayers in the Mosque, led by the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ.
2. The Call to Prayer (Athan) was introduced to call the general public to join the congregational prayers.
3. Jumma (Friday) Prayer was initiated, which would be performed in a congregation in the Mosque.
4. The most important thing was the change of Qibla. Previously, Muslims used to pray while facing Masjid Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem. Later on, on the Divine Command, as narrated in the 144^th Verse of Surah Al-Baqarah, the Qibla was changed to Masjid Al-Haram in Mecca.

Legal Reforms

1. The Islamic rules and regulations of marriages, trading, criminal proceedings, and matters related to inheritance were gradually introduced through various Quranic verses, revealed from time to time.
2. The use of alcohol was gradually prohibited.
3. Interest or Usury, referred to as Riba in Islamic terminology, was banned.

Socio-Economic Reforms

1. Initiation of Public Treasury (Bait al-Maal) for the welfare and financial assistance of the poor, widows, and orphans.
2. The Islamic way of Almsgiving (Zakat) was introduced and institutionalized at the State level.

Legacy of Hijrat-e-Medina

The Hijrat-e-Medina had left a deep impact on the social, economic, and political framework of an Islamic State, which would last for centuries to come.

Some of the legacies of Hijrat-e-Medina are as follows:

1. Hijri Calendar – The beginning of the Islamic Date System, commonly known as the Hijri Calendar. Previously, the Gregorian Calendar was widely used in the pre-Islamic Arab world as well. During the Caliphate of Hazrat Umar رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ, in the year 638/639 CE, the Hijri Calendar was initiated, based on the movement and positioning of the Moon. The start date of the Hijri Calendar was taken as reference from the year of the Prophet's migration (Hijrah) from Mecca to Medina. Hence, 1 AH corresponded to 622 CE.
2. Congregational Prayers – Prior to migration to Medina, Muslims used to perform religious rituals, such as prayers, separately, isolated, and individually. After the migration from Mecca to Medina, the congregational prayers were started. Muslims were commanded to perform prayers in congregation, in mosques. This included the most significant Jumma Prayer (Friday Congregational Prayer). The legacy continues till today and has transformed the individual prayers into a community affair. The Jumma Prayer, in particular, has been the main community event in many Islamic societies for centuries.
3. Spread of Islam – After the Hijrah (Migration), Islam started spreading at a fast pace. After a series of Ghazwat (Islamic Battles), the conquest of Mecca finally happened, after which almost the entire Arabian Peninsula came under the umbrella of the Islamic State. The jurisdiction of the Islamic State rapidly extended beyond the Arab world during the Rashidun Caliphate. Islam reached many parts of Asia and Africa and even penetrated into Europe in the later years.

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