Summary of Sira
Narrated ‘Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit (may Allah be well pleased with him), one of the representatives at the night of al-‘Aqabah: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, whilst surrounded by his Companions: “Pledge allegiance to me promising that you shall not associate partners with Allah, nor will you steal, nor fornicate, nor will you kill your children, nor will you utter any false accusations that you have conjured up within yourselves, nor will you violate any good action. Whosoever amongst you shall remain faithful to this pledge, your reward is with Allah, and whoever falls short, then they shall be punished accordingly in this world, and it shall be an expiation for them. And whosever contravenes something here and Allah covers him, then he belongs to Allah: if He wants, He shall forgive him, and if He wants, He shall punish him.” Everyone then pledged their allegiance.
During this significant night, the Prophet ﷺ saw all the other prophets and At the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary, as well as many other great signs. On that night, the five daily prayers were made obligatory, as confirmed by all the reports [on this matter] in Saheeh al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim. However, Quraysh denied that the Night Journey to Jerusalem and ascending to the Heaven could have ever happened, as confirmed by the reported recorded in Saheeh al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “I found myself in Hijr and the people of Quraish were asking me about my Night Journey. I was asked about things pertaining to Bait-ul-Maqdis, which I could not preserve (in my mind). I was very much vexed, so vexed as I had never been before. Then Allah raised it (Bait-ul-Maqdis) before my eyes. I looked towards it, and I gave them the information with whatever they questioned me. I also saw myself among the group of prophets. I saw Moses standing in prayer and found him to be a well-built man as if he was a man of the tribe of Shanoo'a. I saw Jesus, the son of Mary (peace be upon him) offering prayer, of all of men he had the closest resemblance with 'Urwa ibn Mas’ood al-Thaqafee. I saw Ibraaheem (peace be upon him) offering prayer; he had the closest resemblance with your companion (the Prophet himself) amongst people. When the time of prayer came, I led them. When I completed the prayer, someone said: This is Maalik, the keeper of the Hell; pay him salutations. I turned to him, but he preceded me in salutation.”
Aboo Salamah, Abdullah ibn Abd al-Asad was the first man to migrate to al-Madeenah from amongst the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the first of the Emigrants from amongst Quraysh, from Banee Makhzoom. He migrated there after the first pledge of allegiance at al-Aqabah and before the second one, and after Quraysh had harassed him upon his return from Abyssinia. That made him determined to return there, but then it reached him that there are Muslims at al-Madeenah, thus, he became determined to go there instead.
Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) related: “When Aboo Salamah had gathered everything to leave to go to al-Madeenah, he put me on his camel and placed with me my son, Salamah ibn Abee Salamah, in my lap, and then he went to steer the camel. However, Banoo Abd al-Asad took him away from me, while Banoo al-Mugheerah detained me [against my will]. As for my husband, he left to go to al-Madeenah.” Then she added: “My husband and my son were separated from me! I used to go out every day to sit in the valley where I would cry all day until the evening. This lasted for about a year, until one day a man from my paternal cousins passed by me and felt sorry for me. He then said to Banoo al-Mugheerah: “Won’t someone help this poor woman? You’ve separated her from husband and her son.” They said to me: “You are free to go and meet your husband, if you wish”. Upon that, Banoo ‘Abd al-Asad returned to me my son, then I left on my camel and placed my son on my lap, then I left to go meet my husband in al-Madeenah. I was on my own without having a single person with me. However, when I reached al-Tan’eem, I met ‘Uthmaan ibn Talhah ibn Abee Talhah, a brother of Banoo Abd al-Daar, and he said to me: “O daughter of Banee Umayyah! Where are you going?” I responded: “I am going to my husband in al-Madeenah,” then he asked: “Do not you have anyone with you (to protect and guide you)?” I said: “I have none but Allah and my son here.” He said: “By Allah! I am not leaving you alone,” and he grabbed the reins of my camel guiding me. And by Allah, I have never met a man from amongst the Arabs more generous than he. When he would reach a place to spend the night, he would cause the camel to kneel, then move away until I got off, and then he would go and tie the camel to a tree. He would then take cover under a tree and lie beneath it to rest. When it came time to leave, he would fetch my camel and get it ready for me, then he would distance himself from me and would tell me to get on. When I would get on and stabilize myself on my camel, he would grab the reins and guide me until we reached the next point to rest. He did this repeatedly until we reached al-Madeenah. When he looked towards the village of Banee ‘Amr Ibn Awf, in Qubaa’, he said: “Your husband is in this village.” Aboo Salamah was there resting, completing his journey. He said to me: “So enter it, with the blessings of Allah.” Then he left heading back to Makkah.”
Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) used to say: “I do not know of a family amongst the Muslims to whom happened the likes of which happened to the family of Aboo Salamah, and I never saw a companion, more generous and noble than ‘Uthmaan ibn Talhah.” He (‘Uthmaan ibn Talhah) accepted Islam after the Hudaybiyyah.
The Ansaar wrote to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ after the first pledge of allegiance at al-Aqabah, asking him to send to them someone to teach them how to pray and to recite to them the Quran. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent to them Mus’ab ibn Umayr, who was hosted by As’ad ibn Zuraarah whilst staying in Yathrib. When he arrived, he began calling people to Islam. Islam then spread amongst the people of Yathrib until there was not a single house except that it contained Muslims. Amongst those who embraced Islam at the hands of Mus’ab, the leaders of the tribe of Al-Aws: Sa’d ibn Mu’aadh and Usayd ibn al-Hudayr
Narrated Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him): “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ stayed in Makkah for 10 years, following people around to their homes, at ‘Ukaadh and Majannah, as well as during the pilgrimage seasons at Mina. He would ask people: “Who shall protect and support me so that I may deliver the message of my Lord, and Paradise will be granted to him?” He did not find anyone to support him and shelter him, even men coming from Yemen and Mudar would be approached by their tribesmen and be warned against the young man from Quraysh saying: “Watch out for that boy from Quraysh lest he bewitches you.” He ﷺ would walk amongst the throngs of men, and people would point at him with their fingers, until Allah sent us to him from Yathrib, and we protected him and believed in him. A man leaves from amongst us and believes in the Prophet ﷺ and hears the recitation of the Quran, he then goes to this people, and they become Muslims through his Islam, until there was no household from the Ansaar except that it has Muslims manifesting their Islam. Then, all of them gathered and said: “How much longer shall people banish the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to the mountains of Makkah, and he lives in fear?” A group of seventy men from amongst us went to him and met him during the pilgrimage season, and we promised him at al-Aqabah. We met him one-by-one and two-by-two, until we had all sworn allegiance to him. We then said: “O Messenger of Allah! We pledge allegiance to you.” So he said: “You pledge allegiance to me that you shall hear and obey me through strength and languor; and that you shall support me in ease and difficulty; and that you will command the good and forbid the wrong; and that you shall speak regarding Allah to others, and not fear any chastisement from anyone; and that you shall support me and that you shall protect me from whatever you would protect your own selves, your wives, and your children; and if you do all this, then Paradise is yours.” Jaabir continues: “So we stood, and we all pledged our fealty to him, and he took with his hand As’ad ibn Zuraarah, and he was the youngest amongst us and said: “O people of Yathrib! Take it easy, for verily we have exerted ourselves in coming here, except that we were convinced that he is the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his expulsion shall signal the division of all of the Arabs, and the slaying of the best from amongst you, and that swords shall soon assail you. Therefore, you shall either bare all of this patiently and your reward shall be with Allah, or you shall be fearful for yourselves, out of cowardice, then be honest now and clear, and that shall be an excuse in your favor in front of Allah.” Then the people responded: “O As’ad! Do not say such words, for by Allah, we will never leave this pledge, nor will we ever renege it, ever!” Jaabir then said: “so we went to him ﷺ and we gave him our fealty and allegiance, which he took from us, and gave us the conditions, and promised us that we would enter Paradise, (if we followed it to the letter).”
Narrated ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him): The moon was split into two pieces during the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ. He ﷺ said: “Be witnesses to this.” Narrated Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him): “The people of Mecca asked Allah's Messenger ﷺ to show them a miracle. He ﷺ showed them the moon split in two halves between which they saw the Hiraa’ mountain.” It is recorded in Saheeh Muslim on the authority of 'Abdullah b. Mas'ood (may Allah be pleased with him) that the moon was split up in two parts during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger ﷺ. The mountain covered one of its parts and one part of it was above the mountain and Allah's Messenger ﷺ said: “Bear witness to this.”
The famous view is that the splitting of the moon occurred only once. As for the report in Saheeh Muslims wherein it reads: “he showed twice the splitting of the moon.”, the scholars have already addressed it and explained it. From the scholars who held the view that it only occurred once include Ibn al-Qayyim and Ibn Hajar.
Abdullah ibn Salaam (may Allah be well pleased with him) used to be a scholar and a rabbi from amongst the Jews. He related: “When I heard [the news of the appearance of] the Messenger of Allah ﷺ I [already] knew his characteristics, his name, and the time which we expected him to appear; but I had kept all of this secret until the Messenger of Allah ﷺ arrived at al-Madeenah. When he stopped at Qubaa’ amongst the people of Banoo ‘Amr ibn ‘Awf, a man came to announce his arrival. At the time, I was at the top of a palm tree, busy with some work, while my paternal aunt, Khaalidah bint al-Haarith was down below sitting. When I heard the news of his arrival ﷺ I said “Allahu Akbar!” and then my aunt said to me when she heard me say it: “may Allah disappoint you! Had you heard that Moses ibn ‘Imraan had arrived, you would have never made such a noise!” I said to her: “O aunt! By Allah, he is the brother of [Prophet] Moses ibn ‘Imraan, and upon his religion he has been sent.” She then responded to me: “O my nephew! Is this the Prophet that we were being informed about his arrival close to the Final Hour?” I said: “Yes” then she said: “That’s what it is then…”. Abdullah continues: “then I went out to meet the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and I accepted Islam; then I went back to my family and ordered them to do the same, and they did.”
He added: “I hid my Islam from the Jews, then I went to see the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and I said to him: “O Messenger of Allah! Verily the Jews are a slanderous people, and I would appreciate if you could hide me in your house and then ask them about me without them knowing that I am present, until they tell you how I am amongst them before they find out about my Islam. If they were to find out about it now, they would accuse me of all sorts of things and denigrate me.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then did as I asked and then the Jews came to meet him; they spoke to him and asked him questions. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to them: “Tell me about Abdullah ibn Salaam, how is he considered amongst yourselves?” They said: “Our master and the son of our master, he is our rabbi and a scholar from amongst us.”
Abdullah continues his story: “When they had finished describing me, I came out to where they were then I said to them: “Oh Jews! Fear Allah and accept that which I have come to you with. By Allah, you all know that this is the Messenger of Allah, whose name and description we have found written in the Torah. I therefore bear witness that he is the Messenger of Allah and I believe in what he says, and confirm it, and I know who he truly is.” But then the Jews who had gathered there all said: “You have lied!” and then they all started to accuse and slander me. I said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ “Did I not tell you that they were a people given to false accusations? A lying, treacherous, and wicked people?” After that incident, I announced my Islam and the Islam of my family; my paternal aunt, Khaalidah bint al-Haarith also accepted Islam, and she was a good Muslim.”
Ibn Ishaaq related: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ penned a pact between the Emigrants, the Ansaar, and the Jews. The terms of the agreement were to make peace with the Jews, let them be upon their religion, and safeguard their wealth. In this pact, he ﷺ established conditions for them and established conditions upon the Muslims towards them.” i.e., this happened when the Jews refused to follow him, namely before he was given permission to fight back and to take the Jizyah from those who refused to accept Islam; and the majority of them refused to accept Islam.
The Jews were organized into three tribes: “Banoo Qaynuqaa’, Banoo al-Nadeer, and Banoo al-Quraydhhah. All of them warred against him ﷺ; he ﷺ gave amnesty to Banoo al-Qaynuqaa’, he ﷺ banished Banoo Nadeer, and he executed Banoo Quraydhha, and took their womenfolk and children as captives.
The Surah of al-Hashr was revealed concerning Banoo al-Nadeer, and Surah al-Ahzaab was revealed concerning Banoo Quraydhhaa.
Narrated Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): “When the Muslims arrived at al-Madeenah, they would gather and wait for the right moment to offer their prayers, as there was no one to call them to it. One day, they discussed the matter; some of them said: “let us use a bell like the Christians do,” while others said: “Let us use a horn like the Jews do.””
Abdullah ibn Zayd said: “When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ordered that we use the bell to call people to all of the prayers, a man came to me in my dream whilst I was sleeping carrying a bell in his hand, and I said to him: “Hey you! (lit. oh slave of Allah), do you sell bells?” He responded: “and what will you do with it?” I said: “We shall call people with it to the prayer.” He said: “Shall I not show you a better way to call people?” I said: “Of course…” He said: “Say: Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, I testify that there is no god but Allah; I testify that there is no god but Allah; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Come to pray, come to pray; come to salvation; come to salvation. Allahu Akar, Allahu Akbar. I testify that there is no god but Allah.” He then moved backward a few steps and said: when you announce the start of the prayer (i.e., iqaamah), you should say: Allah is most great, Allah is most great. I testify that there is no god but Allah, I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Come to prayer, come to salvation. The time for prayer has come, the time for prayer has come: Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar. There is no god but Allah.”
When I awoke, I went to see the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and I told him what I saw. He ﷺ said: “Indeed, this is a true dream, if Allah wills. Go to Bilaal and recite this to him so that he can use it to call people with it; he has the loudest voice from amongst you.” I went to Bilal and recited to him that which I had heard in my dream and he began calling people with it.”
Ibn Umar continues: “Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allah be pleased with him) was in his house when he heard the call to prayer, and he came out putting on his cape saying: “O Messenger of Allah! By the One who has sent with you with the Truth, I saw the same thing that (Abdullah) saw in his dream.” Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “All Praise is due to Allah.”
When the pledge of allegiance was completed at al-Aqabah, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ordered his Companions to migrate to al-Madeenah. Following his order, they all went out in groups, one group after another. The first of the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ to have gone out was Mus’ab ibn Umayr, then ‘Aamir ibn Rabee’ah, the ally of the sons of Banoo Adee ibn K’ab, and with him was his wife Laylah bint Abee Hatmah ibn Ghaanim, then Abdullah ibn Jahsh with his family and his brother, ‘Abd ibn Jahash Aboo Ahmad who was blind. Their home and the home of Aboo Salamah was in Qubaa’ amongst the people of Banoo ‘Amr ibn Awf. When all of the people of Banoo Jahsh migrated with their womenfolk, Aboo Sufyaan took over possession of their houses wrongfully. When news of this had reached Abdullah ibn Jahsh, he told the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about it, who then said to him: “O Abdullah! would you not be pleased with that through accepting that loss, Allah gives you a house in Paradise better than it?” To which Abdullah replied: “Of course…” The Prophet ﷺ then responded: “that is what is waiting for you then…”
When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ conquered Makkah, Aboo Ahmad spoke to him about their home, but the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not respond to him. The people said to Aboo Ahmad: “O Aboo Ahmed! the Messenger of Allah ﷺ hates that you would take back (change your mind) about something that you have left for Allah’s sake. So, refrain from speaking with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about it.
The people of Banoo Ghanam ibn Doodaan entered Islam, and all of them had emigrated to al-Madeenah. Afterwards, Umar ibn al-Khattaab emigrated, then Ayyaash ibn Abee Rabee’ah amongst a group of 20 riders emigrated to al-Madeenah. At that time, Hishaam ibn al-‘Aas ibn Waa’il had accepted Islam as well, and he agreed with Umar ibn al-Khattaab to migrate together with him. He said: “Either you will find me, or I will find you at the flatlands of the people of Banoo Ghiffaar.” But his kinfolk found out about his plan, so they imprisoned him and kept him from migrating.
Afterwards, Aboo Jahl and al-Harth ibn Hishaam both went to al-Madeenah while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was still in Makkah. There, they spoke to Ayyaash ibn Abee Rabee’ah; who was their maternal half-brother and their parental cousins as well. They informed him that his mother had sworn an oath that she would not wash her hair nor seek any shade until she sees him again. Ayyaash’s heart then softened and he believed them, so he departed to make his way back to Makkah with them. On their way, after they departed al-Madeenah, they tied him up and detained him until they reached Makkah in the middle of the day. When they reached Makkah, Aboo Jahl and al-Harth said: “O people of Makkah! This is how you must deal with those fools from amongst yourself (who left to al-Madeenah and became Muslims)! You should do the same way we have dealt with this fool!” They then locked him up until he was freed by the supplications of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ during the Qunoot of his prayer, when he said: “Oh Allah, free al-Waleed ibn al-Waleed, Salamah ibn Hishaam, and Ayaash ibn Rabee’ah.”
When Suhayb ibn Sinaan (may Allah be pleased with him) intended to migrate, the disbelievers of Quraysh said to him: “You came to us poor and wretch, and you became wealthy while you are amongst us, and you have become who you are today! Now, you want to leave and take all the wealth [that you have made from us] with you! By Allah! You will not!” Suhayb said to them: “If I were to give you all of my wealth, will you then let me go freely?” They said: “Yes”. So, he said: “Then verily I have given you all of my wealth.” When the news of that reached the Messenger of Allah ﷺ he said: “Verily Suhayb has profited, verily Suhayb has profited…” Then the Emigrants continued their migration to al-Madeenah until the Messenger of Allah ﷺ migrated to al-Madeenah himself.
The polytheists of Makkah became very saddened and depressed; and their worries and anxiety increased when they saw the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ preparing themselves to depart and leave Makkah while taking with them their wives and children, as well all their wealth to the Aws and Khazraj of Yathrib.
The wicked and vice people of Makkah had a meeting in Daar al-Nidwah to take a categorical decision on the subject matter. The meeting, which occurred approximately two and a half months after the pledge at al-Aqabah, was attended by the heads of the tribes of Quraysh. The purpose of the meeting was to devise a plan to swiftly eliminate the Prophet ﷺ and his mission. All of them arrived at Daar al-Nidwah according to the agreed upon day and time. While they were there, Satan appeared in the form of an esteemed elder, he stood at the door, waiting. The attendees asked: “Who are you?” He responded: “An elder from the people of Najd, I heard what you were planning to do, so I came to listen to what you have to say for I can give you the best advice and opinion.” They approved it and allowed him to enter and attend the meeting with them. After long discussions and arguing, Aboo al-Aswad stood and said: “Let us expel him from amongst ourselves and our lands! We shall not care where he goes nor where he ends up. By this, we will rectify our affairs and reunite once again.” But the elder from Najd (Satan) interjected, saying: “No! This is not a correct opinion. Do you not see how good his speech is, and the sweetness of his elocution, and the effect he is having on the hearts of men? By Allah if you do what you have just suggested, you will find him going to other Arab tribes, follow him and then bring them all back to fight you here in your land, and then they shall do with you as they please. You should think of another solution.
Aboo al-Bahtaree then suggested: “Let us shackle him in chains and lock him up, and then let him taste the death that happened to the poets before him-Zuhayr and al-Naabighah.” However, the elder from Najd said: “No, by Allah, this is not a good idea either. By Allah, if you were to lock him up just as you say, then the news will reach his Companions and they would gather themselves and attack you to set him free and then he will slip from your grasp, then they shall increase in number against you and overpower you. No, this is not a good idea, so think of another idea.
Thereafter, the wickedest man in Makkah, Aboo Jahl ibn Hishaam, put forth a heinous suggestion to which all those present agreed to. Aboo Jahl said: “By Allah, I have thought of something not one of you has ever thought of before.” Those present said: “O Aboo al-Hakam! What is it?” He said: “We should nominate from every tribe a young strong man, with a good lineage, and who is well known amongst us. Then we shall equip everyone with a strong and sharp sword, then they should all attack him at the same time and hit him with the strike of a single man and slay him; then we shall be rid of him. Should we do this, then we shall be able to spread his blood, the responsibility of his murder upon every tribe, and Banoo Abdoo Manaaf will not be able to war with all of us at the same time. They will be pleased with us paying them the blood money, and then we shall pay it.” The elder from Najd said: “What this man has just said is the correct way of going about things, and nothing else.” Accordingly, all those present agreed to Aboo Jahl’s suggestion.”
Narrated ‘Aaishah (may Allah be well pleased with her): “The Prophet ﷺ said to the Muslims: “I have been shown the land where you shall make your final migration, a place filled with palm trees between the two tracts of black stones.”
Then, the Muslims who were able to, migrated to al-Madeenah, while those who had gone to Abyssinia migrated to al-Madeenah once they came back. Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), as well, prepared himself to go to al-Madeenah. However, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to him: “Wait! I am waiting to be given permission (to go as well).” Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) then replied: “May my father be your ransom! are you hoping that I come with you?” The Prophet ﷺ said: “Yes”. This made Aboo Bakr to postpone his emigration so that he be in the company of the Prophet ﷺ in his journey. He maintained two mounts (for the journey) for four months, feeding them leaves from the Acacia tree.
Ibn Shihaab related that ‘Urwah said that ‘Aa’ishah said: “One day, whilst we were sitting in the house of Aboo Bakr, in the middle of the afternoon, someone came and said to Aboo Bakr: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ with his face covered is at the door, and it was a time in which he ﷺ would not come and visit us.” Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “May my mother and father be his ransom! I swear by Allah that nothing except a momentous thing has come to him in this moment.” ‘Aaishah then said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then came and asked permission to enter, and he was given permission to do so. When he ﷺ entered, he ﷺ said to Aboo Bakr: “Ask the people here to leave.” To which Aboo Bakr replied: “O Messenger of Allah! These are your family; may my mother and father be your ransom.” The Prophet ﷺ then continued: “I have been given permission to leave.” Aboo Bakr then said: “May my mother and father be your ransom! Am I allowed to accompany you in this trip?” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Yes”. Aboo Bakr then said: “May my mother and father be your ransom! Take one of my two mounts.” But the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “only if you allow me to pay its price”” ‘Aaishah continues: “so we prepared for them all they would need for their journey in the best and quickest of ways, and we also made for them a meal for the journey and placed it in a pouch. Asmaa’ bint Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with her) then ripped her waist-wrapper in two in order to close the mouth of the pouch; and this is why she was given the name “The woman of the two waist-wrappers” (Araabic: Dhaat al-Nitaaqayn). Then, we caught up with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) at a cave in Mount Thawr wherein we stayed there for three days. Abdullah ibn Aboo Bakr would spend the night with them as he was a young strong boy, skilled, and who did as he was told. He would leave them a little before dawn so that he could appear in Makkah by the break of dawn as if he had never left. He did not hear any news from Makkah in which they were plotting against the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and Aboo Bakr, except that he would carry it back to them, at night fall. Keeping a watch out for them was ‘Aamir ibn Fuhayrah, the slave of Aboo Bakr, whom he had hired to watch over his sheep. He would take the sheep to them and let them drink from its fresh milk. He would keep them there until an hour or so of the night had passed, then he would call the sheep to move to return to its pasture when the last part of the night was near. ‘Aamir ibn Fuhayrah did this every night of those three nights.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ and Aboo Bakr hired a skilled guide from Banoo Ad-Deel, who was from the people of Banoo Abd ibn Adee, who had recently ended an alliance with the tribe of al-‘Aaas ibn Waa’il As-Sahmee. He was a disbeliever upon the faith of Quraysh. They trusted him and they gave him their mounts and agreed with him to meet again at the cave on Mount Thawr on the morning of the third day, with their mounts. When the guide came at the appointed time, they all left, along with Aamir ibn Fuhayrah, and he led them to al-Madeenah through the coast route.
Suraaqah ibn Ju’shum said: “Quraysh sent their messengers to announce that they placed a bounty on the heads of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and Aboo Bakr, for whosoever would capture or kill them. Whilst I was sitting in one of the gatherings of my people, the Banoo Mudlij, one the messengers from Quraysh approached us until he was standing over our gathering. He said: “O Suraaqah, I have just seen tracks on the coastal route, I believe they belong to Muhammad and his Companion.” I knew that what he said was true (that it was their tracks) but I said to him, in response: “That track is not theirs, you saw the tracks of so-and-so, we saw them go ourselves.” I stayed a while at the gathering for a while, then I got up and went into my dwelling and I ordered my bondswoman that she prepare my horse that was behind a small mound. She brought it to me and tied it while I grabbed my spear, and I left with it from behind the house. Then I planted my spearhead into the ground and placed it low to the ground (so no one can see me) until I reached my horse. I drew it near me so that I could mount it, but it stumbled into me and then I fell onto it. At that moment, I got up and reached for my quiver and took out the divination arrows and threw them: “will this venture harm them or not?” But the arrows fell on what I disliked (it showed that it would harm them if I proceeded) but I got on my horse and paid no mind to the arrows. (Then I rode) until I heard the recitation of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and he was not paying any mind to what was going on around him, but Aboo Bakr was; he was constantly looking around. My horse’s feet then sunk into the ground until it reached its knees, throwing me off, but I scolded it and it stood right back up. It was almost unable to get its feet free. But when it finally stood straight, its hooves sent dust flying into the air. I consulted the divination arrows, and the outcome was distasteful to me. So, I called out to them both, promising to them safety, and so they stopped; then I proceeded to ride over to them. A feeling came over me, when I was withheld from them after my horse’s feet sucked into the ground that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would prevail. I said: “Your people have placed a bounty upon your head,” and I informed them about what the people wanted to do; I also offered them what I had of provisions, but they did not try to take anything from me, nor they did they ask for anything. All he ﷺ said to me was: “Conceal our tacks and do not inform people of our route”. I asked them to give me a letter promising my safety. He ﷺ ordered ‘Aamir ibn Fuhayrah to do so, and so he wrote me a guarantee of safety message on a piece of animal skin. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ continued on his way.”
Narrated Urwah ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him): “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ met al-Zubayr in a caravan of Merchant Muslims who were on their way back from al-Shaam. Al-Zubayr gave the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and Aboo Bakr white garments to wear. The Muslims in al-Madeenah heard of the departure of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ from Makkah, thus, they would wait for him every morning at the Hurrah until the mid-afternoon heat would send them back to al-Madeenah. One day, after returning to their homes from having waited for a long time, one of the Jews who was standing upon the walls of one of their citadels looking for a personal thing. While he was there, he sighted the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his Companion both clad in white all the while the effects of the heat causing mirages are fading away. The Jew could not hold himself but yelled out as loud as he could: “O Arabs! Here is the one whom you have been waiting for.” Upon hearing his announcement, the Muslims sprang for their weapons, and they met the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at the top of the Harrah, and he turned with them to the right and continued with them until the had descended upon the quarters of the people of Banee ‘Amr ibn ‘Awf. That occurred on a Monday, in the month of Rabee al-Awwal.
Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) stood to receive the people and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sat down and remained quiet. The Ansaar began to arrive and were welcoming Aboo Bakr, thinking that he was the Prophet ﷺ because they had never seen him before, until the sun started to hit the Messenger of Allah ﷺ upon which Aboo Bakr hastened to shade him. Only then, they knew that he was Aboo Bakr and that the man he was shading was the Prophet ﷺ.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ stayed amongst the people of Banoo ‘Amr ibn ‘Awf in Qubaa’ for more than ten nights. He built there the Mosque that was built upon fearing Allah and piety, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ then prayed in it.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ mounted his ride from Qubaa’ and progressed, while people are walking with him, until his she-camel alighted where his Mosque would eventually be built in al-Madeenah. The place was already used by several Muslims as a place of prayer. It was a place to dry dates, which belonged to Sahl and Suhayl, two orphans under the care of As’ad ibn Zuraarah. Upon the alighting of his camel, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “This place, by Allah’s willing, will be where will be the house (i.e., the mosque).” Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ called the two boys and spoke to them about purchasing the piece of land where he ﷺ wanted to build a mosque, but they said: “O Messenger of Allah! We do not wish to sell it because we want to gift it to you!”. But he ﷺ refused to accept it as a gift and instead pressed them until they agreed to sell it to him.
Then he ﷺ gave the order for the mosque to be built and he ﷺ began carrying with them bricks and blocks and he ﷺ would say as he worked: “O Lord! This weight that we carry is the one, there is none better; this is purer and more pious,” and the Prophet ﷺ would say: “O Allah! The reward is the reward of the Hereafter; [I beseech You to] have mercy upon the Ansaar and the Emigrants.”
Narrated Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be well pleased with him): The Messenger of Allah ﷺ arrived in al-Madeenah and descended upon the quarters of the Banoo ‘Amr ibn Awf. The Prophet ﷺ stayed there for 14 nights, then he ﷺ called the people of Banee al-Najjaar to see him, and they all came carrying their swords….It was as if I am [now] looking at the Prophet ﷺ riding his camel, and Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was riding behind him on its hindquarters, and the people of Banoo al-Najjaar are surrounding him, until the Prophet ﷺ arrived at the yard of Aboo Ayyoob. It was the habit of the Prophet ﷺ to like to pray at the place where the prayer’s time came; he ﷺ would pray in the enclosures of sheep. He ﷺ then gave the order for the building of the Mosque; thus, he ﷺ called a group from the people of Banoo al-Najjaar and he ﷺ said to them: “Oh Banee al-Najjaar, name your price for this piece of land of yours.” They said: “By Allah, we do not want anything for it except for the good pleasure of Allah.” Then Anas said: “In that land, there were graves of polytheists, trees, and other ruins.” The Prophet ﷺ ordered that the graves be dug up, that the ruins be removed, and that the trees be cut; then the trees were placed in a line facing the Qiblah. Then, they placed stones for the steps. As they worked, they sang poetry and the Prophet ﷺ was with them. And he ﷺ would say: “O Allah! There is no good like the good of Paradise; forgive the Ansaar and the Emigrants.”
Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The mosque at the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was built out of mud-brick, its roof was thatched with palm-leaves, and its pillars were the trunks of palm trees.”
Amongst the fruits of the migration of the Prophet ﷺ and that of his Companions (may Allah be pleased with him) to al-Madeenah was the brotherhood that was created between the Emigrants and the Ansaar (may Allah be well pleased with all of them). The bond of brotherhood that was created was to the extent that it even allowed for them to inherit each other at the beginning [until Allah revealed how inheritance should be divided].
Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "In the ayah: {To every one We have appointed Muwaliya}. Muwaliya means one's heirs (4.33).' (And regarding the ayah) {And those with whom your right hands have made a pledge.} Ibn `Abbas said, "When the emigrants came to the Prophet (ﷺ) in Medina, the emigrant would inherit the Ansari while the latter's relatives would not inherit him because of the bond of brotherhood which the Prophet established between them (i.e., the emigrants and the Ansaar). When the ayah: {And to everyone We have appointed heirs} (4.33) was revealed, it canceled (the bond (the pledge) of brotherhood regarding inheritance)." Then he said, "The ayah: {To those also to whom your right hands have pledged} remained valid regarding cooperation and mutual advice, while the matter of inheritance was excluded, and it became permissible to assign something in one's testament to the person who had the right of inheriting before.”
Narrated Anas (may Allah be well pleased with him): “When the Prophet ﷺ came to al-Madeenah, the Emigrants came to him and said: “O Messenger of Allah! We have never seen people more liberal out of abundance or better in giving help when they have little than a people among whom we have settled. They have removed our trouble and shared with us their pleasant things so that we are afraid they will get the whole reward." He replied, ‘No, as long as you make supplication to God for them and express commendation of them [i.e., They have no reason to fear that the Ansar will get all the reward from God so long as due expression of thanks is made.].
Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf (may Allah be well pleased with him) said: “When we came to Medina as emigrants, Allah's Messenger ﷺ established a bond of brotherhood between me and Sa`d ibn Ar-Rabee`. Sa`d ibn Ar-Rabee` said (to me), 'I am the wealthiest among the Ansaar, so I will give you half of my wealth and you may look at my two wives and whichever of the two you may choose, I will divorce her, and when she has completed the prescribed period (before marriage) you may marry her.' `Abd al-Rahmaan replied, "I am not in need of all that. Is there any marketplace where trade is practiced?' He replied, "The market of Qaynuqaa." `So, he went to that market the following day and brought some dried buttermilk and butter, and then he continued going there regularly. Few days later, `Abd al-Rahmaan came having traces of yellow (scent) on his body. Allah's Messenger ﷺ asked him whether he had got married. He replied in the affirmative. The Prophet ﷺ said, 'Whom have you married?' He replied, 'A woman from the Ansaar.' The Prophet ﷺ asked, 'How much did you pay her?' He replied, '(I gave her) a gold piece equal in weigh to a date stone (or a date stone of gold)! The Prophet ﷺ said, 'Make a wedding banquet even if with one sheep."
