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A Quick Survey of Islam (part 2 of 5):

The Hijrah

After Hazrat Muhammad(P.B.U.H.) had preached publicly for more than a decade, the opposition to him reached such a high pitch that, fearful for their safety, he sent some of his adherents to Ethiopia. There, the Christian ruler extended protection to them, the memory of which has been cherished by Muslims ever since. But in Makkah the persecution worsened. Hazrat Muhammad's(P.B.U.H.)followers were harassed, abused, and even tortured. At last, seventy of Hazrat Muhammad(P.B.U.H.) ’s followers set off by his orders to the northern town of Yathrib, in the hope of establishing a news stage of the Islamic movement. This city which was later to be renamed Medina (“The City”). Later, in the early fall of 622, he, with his closest friend, Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq, set off to join the emigrants. This event coincided with the leaders in Makkah plotting, to kill him.

In Makkah, the plotters arrived at Hazrat Muhammad(P.B.U.H.)’s home to find that his cousin, ‘Ali, had taken his place in bed. Enraged, the Makkahns set a price on Hazrat Muhammad(P.B.U.H.)’s head and set off in pursuit. Hazrat Muhammad(P.B.U.H.) and Hazrat Abu Bakr(R.A), however, had taken refuge in a cave, where they hid from their pursuers. By the protection of God, the Makkahns passed by the cave without noticing it, and Hazrat Muhammad(P.B.U.H.) and Hazrat Abu Bakr(R.A) proceeded to Medina. There, they were joyously welcomed by a throng of Medinans, as well as the Makkahns who had gone ahead to prepare the way.

This was the Hijrah - anglicized as Hegira - usually, but inaccurately, translated as “Flight” - from which the Muslim era is dated. In fact, the Hijrah was not a flight, but a carefully planned migration that marks not only a break in history - the beginning of the Islamic era - but also, for Hazrat Muhammad(P.B.U.H.) and the Muslims, a new way of life. Henceforth, the organizational principle of the community was not to be mere blood kinship, but the greater brotherhood of all Muslims. The men who accompanied Hazrat Muhammad(P.B.U.H.) on the Hijrah were called the Muhajireen - “those that made the Hijrah” or the “Emigrants” - while those in Medina who became Muslims were called the Ansar, or “Helpers.”

Hazrat Muhammad(P.B.U.H) was well acquainted with the situation in Medina. Earlier, before the Hijrah, various of its inhabitants came to Makkah to offer the annual pilgrimage, and as the Prophet would take this opportunity to call visiting pilgrims to Islam, the group who came from Medina heard his call and accepted Islam.. They also invited Hazrat Muhammad(P.B.U.H.) to settle in Medina. After the Hijrah,Hazrat Muhammad(P.B.U.H.)’s exceptional qualities so impressed the Medinans that the rival tribes and their allies temporarily closed ranks as, on March 15, 624, Hazrat Muhammad(P.B.U.H.) and his supporters moved against the pagans of Makkah.

The first battle, which took place near Badr, now a small town southwest of Medina, had several important effects. In the first place, the Muslim forces, outnumbered three to one, routed the Makkahns. Secondly, the discipline displayed by the Muslims brought home to the Makkahns, perhaps for the first time, the abilities of the man they had driven from their city. Thirdly, one of the allied tribes which had pledged support to the Muslims in the Battle of Badr, but had then proved lukewarm when the fighting started, was expelled from Medina one month after the battle. Those who claimed to be allies of the Muslims, but tacitly opposed them, were thus served warning: membership in the community imposed the obligation of total support.

A year later the Makkahns struck back. Assembling an army of three thousand men, they met the Muslims at Uhud, a ridge outside Medina. After initial successes, the Muslims were driven back and the Prophet himself was wounded. As the Muslims were not completely defeated, the Makkahns, with an army of ten thousand, attacked Medina again two years later but with quite different results. At the Battle of the Trench, also known as the Battle of the Confederates, the Muslims scored a signal victory by introducing a new form of defense. On the side of Medina from which attack was expected, they dug a trench too deep for the Makkahn cavalry to clear without exposing itself to the archers posted behind earthworks on the Medina side. After an inconclusive siege, the Makkahns were forced to retire. Thereafter Medina was entirely in the hands of the Muslims.

Previous: A Quick Survey of Islam (part 1 of 5): The Prophet of Islam		Next: A Quick Survey of Islam (part 3 of 5): The Conquest of Makkah

Parts of This Article
A Quick Survey of Islam (part 1 of 5): The Prophet of Islam

A Quick Survey of Islam (part 2 of 5): The Hijrah

A Quick Survey of Islam (part 3 of 5): The Conquest of Makkah

A Quick Survey of Islam (part 4 of 5):Hazrat Abu Bakr and UmarA Quick Survey of Islam (part 5 of 5):Hazrat Usman ibn Affan

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