When the criminals made the wicked decision to kill the Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), Jibreel (May peace be upon him!) was sent down to Muhammad to reveal the plot of the Quraish and give him his Lord’s Permission to leave Makkah.
`Aishah said: “We were sitting in Abu Bakr’s house at noon, when someone said to Abu Bakr (May Allah be Pleased with him), `Here comes Allah’s Messenger with his head covered at a time in which he has never come before.’ Abu Bakr (May Allah be Pleased with him) said, `May my father and mother be sacrificed for him! By Allah! He is not coming at this hour except for something important.’’’ She continued:
“Allah’s Messenger came and sought permission to enter after which he was permitted. He entered and said to Abu Bakr (May Allah be Pleased with him):
‘Tell those with you to leave.’
`Only your people are here, may my father be sacrificed for you, O Messenger of Allah!’ said Abu Bakr (May Allah be Pleased with him). He said:
‘I have been given permission to emigrate.’
Abu Bakr (May Allah be Pleased with him) said, `May my father be sacrificed for you. May I accompany you, O Messenger of Allah?’ He said, “Yes.’’
After concluding the plans for the emigration, Allah’s Messenger returned to his house to await nightfall.
Monitoring the Home of Allah’s Messenger (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
To make preparations for the implementation of their devilish plan, the chiefs of Makkah had chosen eleven men: Abu Jahl bin Hisham, Hakam bin Abul-`As, `Uqbah bin Abi Mu’ait, An-Nadr bin Al-Harith, Umaiyah bin Khalaf, Zam’ah bin Al-Aswad, Tu`aimah bin `Adi, Abu Lahab, Ubai bin Khalaf, Nabih bin Al-Hajjaj and his brother Munbih bin Al-Hajjaj.
Ibn Ishaq narrated: All were on the alert. As night advanced, they posted assassins around the Prophet’s house. Thus, they kept watch all night long, waiting to kill him the moment he left his house early in the morning, as the Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to rise early and go to Al-Masjid Al-Haram to offer prayer; peeping now and then through a hole in the door to make sure that he was still lying in his bed. Abu Jahl, the great enemy of Islam, used to walk about proudly and arrogantly mocking at Muhammad’s words, telling the people around him: “Muhammad claims that if you follow him, he will appoint you rulers over the Arabs and non-Arabs and in the Hereafter your reward will be Gardens similar to those in Jordan, otherwise, he will slaughter you, and after death you will be burnt in fire.’’
He was too confident of the success of his devilish plan. Allah the AllMighty, however, in Whose Hand lie the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, does what He wills; He gives help and can never be overpowered. He did exactly what He later said to His Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):
``And (remember) when the disbelievers plotted against you (O Muhammad) to imprison you, or to kill you, or to get you out (from your home, i.e., Makkah); they were plotting and Allah too was planning, and Allah is the Best of the planners.’’ [8:30]
The Messenger Escapes From the House
At this critical juncture, the plans of the Quraish failed completely. Despite the tight blockade they laid to the Prophet’s house, the Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and `Ali (May Allah be Pleased with him) were inside the house. The Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told `Ali (May Allah be Pleased with him) to sleep in his bed and cover himself with his green garment and assured him full security under Allah’s protection and told him that no harm would come to him. The Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) then came out of the room and cast a handful of dust on the assassins and managed to work his way through them reciting Verses of the Noble Qur’an:
``And We have put a barrier before them, and a barrier behind them, and We have covered them up, so that they cannot see.’’ [36:9]
He proceeded directly to the house of Abu Bakr (May Allah be Pleased with him) before Fajr, who immediately accompanied him and both set out southwards, climbed up the lofty peak of Mountain Thawr, and decided to take refuge in a cave.
The assassins who laid siege to the house were waiting for the appointed hour when someone came and informed them that the Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had already left. Those at the door peeked in and saw `Ali (May Allah be Pleased with him) sleeping, thinking that it was the Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). In the morning when `Ali (May Allah be Pleased with him) arose they asked him where the Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was, but he informed them that he had no idea. This created a stir in the whole town.
The Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) thus left his house during the night on the 27th of Safar, during the fourteenth year of Prophethood; corresponding to the 12th or the 13th of September 622
C.E. Knowing that the Quraish would mobilize all of their forces to find him, he used a clever ploy on them and instead of taking the road to Madinah on the north side of Makkah as the polytheists would expect, he walked along a road least expected, lying south of Makkah and leading to Yemen. He walked for 5 miles until he reached a rough rocky mountain called Thawr. There his shoes were worn out, some said he walked on tiptoe in order not to leave a trail behind him. Abu Bakr(May Allah be Pleased with him) carried him up the mountain to a cave named after the mountain, Thawr.
The Events at the Cave
Abu Bakr(May Allah be Pleased with him) entered the cave first, exploring it to ensure that it was safe, closed all holes in it with pieces torn off from his clothes, cleaned it and then asked the Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to step in. The Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) went in and immediately laid his head in Abu Bakr’s lap and fell asleep. Suddenly Abu Bakr’s foot was stung by a poisonous insect. It hurt so much that his tears fell on the Prophet’s face. The Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) immediately applied his saliva on Abu Bakr’s foot and the pain left immediately.
They confined themselves to this cave for three nights: Friday, Saturday and Sunday. `Abdullah (May Allah be Pleased with him), the son of Abu Bakr(May Allah be Pleased with him) would go to see them after sunset, stay the night there, inform them of the latest situation in Makkah, and then leave in the early morning to mix with the Makkans as usual and not to draw the least attention to his secret activities. `Amir bin Fuhairah, while in the company of other shepherds of Makkah tending his master Abu Bakr’s flock, used to slip away unobserved every evening with a few goats to the cave and furnished its inmates with a plentiful supply of milk.
The Quraish, on the other hand, were bewildered and annoyed when the news of the escape of the two companions was confirmed. They brought `Ali (May Allah be Pleased with him) to Al-Ka`bah, beat him brutally and confined him there for an hour attempting desperately to make him reveal the secret of the disappearance of the two `fugitives’, but to no avail. They then went to see Asma’(May Allah be Pleased with her), Abu Bakr’s daughter, but here too their attempts went in vain. While at her door Abu Jahl slapped the girl so severely that her earring broke.
The notables of Makkah summoned an emergency meeting to determine the future course of action and explore all the avenues that could help arrest the two men. They decided to block all the routes leading out of Makkah and imposed heavily armed guards over all potential exits. A price of 100 camels was set upon the head of each one. Horsemen, infantry and tracers of tracks searched the country. Once they even reached the mouth of the cave where the Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and Abu Bakr (May Allah be Pleased with him) were hiding, but Allah (Might and majesty belong to Him!) prevented them from being seen. AlBukhari recorded Anas bin Malik (May Allah be Pleased with him) narrating from Abu Bakr(May Allah be Pleased with him) that he said, “I said, ‘O Prophet of Allah (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! If some of them look down they will see us.’’ The Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied:
``Silence Abu Bakr! What do you think of those two with whom the Third is Allah.’’
It was really a Divine miracle, since the pursuers were only a few steps from the cave.
On the Road to Madinah
For three days Muhammad and Abu Bakr(May Allah be Pleased with him) lived in the cave and the Quraish continued their frantic efforts to capture them.
A man called `Abdullah bin Uraiqit, who had not embraced Islam, but was trusted by Abu Bakr (May Allah be Pleased with him) and had been hired by him as a guide, reached the cave after three nights according to the plan, bringing with him two of Abu Bakr’s camels. His report satisfied the noble `fugitives’ that the search had slowed. The opportunity to depart had arrived. Abu Bakr (May Allah be Pleased with him) offered the Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) the faster animal to ride on and the latter agreed, provided that he would pay its price, They took with them the food provisions that Asma’ daughter had brought and tied in a bundle of her waistband, after tearing it into two parts, hence she was given the title: “Asma’(May Allah be Pleased with her) of the two waistbands.’’
The Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), Abu Bakr (May Allah be Pleased with him) and `Amir bin Fuhairah departed, and their guide `Abdullah bin Uraiqit led them through the seldom-used ways along the coastal route. This was in Rabi`ul-Awwal, the first year of the Hijrah i.e., September 16, 622 C.E. The party travelled through many villages on their way to Quba’. There were some interesting incidents that characterized their journey, which may be recalled here:
- Al-Bukhari reported that Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (May Allah be Pleasedwith him) said, “We travelled the whole night and also the next day till midday, when nobody could be seen on the way (because of the severe heat). Then there appeared a long rock with shade beneath it, where the sunshine had not reached yet. So, we dismounted there and I levelled a place and covered it with an animal hide or dry grass for the Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to sleep on (for a while). I then said, `Sleep, O Allah’s Messenger (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and I will guard you.’ So, he slept and I went out to guard him. Suddenly, I saw a shepherd coming with his sheep to that rock with the same intention we had. When he came to it, I asked (him), `To whom do you belong, O boy?’ He replied, ‘I belong to a man from Madinah or Makkah.’ I said, `Do your sheep have milk?’ He said, `Yes.’ I said, `Will you milk them for us?’ He said, `Yes.’ He caught hold of an ewe and I asked him to clean its teat from dust, hair and dirt. (The subnarrator said that he saw Al-Bara’ striking one of his hands with the other, demonstrating how the shepherd removed the dust.) The shepherd milked a little milk in a wooden container and I had a leather container which I carried for the Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to drink and perform the ablution from. I went to the Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) hating to wake him up, but when I reached there, the Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had already woken up, so I poured water over the middle part of the milk container, till the milk was cold. Then I said, `Drink, O Allah’s Messenger (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)!’ He drank till I was pleased. Then he asked, `Has the time for our departure come?’ I said, `Yes.’ So, we departed after midday.’’
- Whoever asked Abu Bakr (May Allah be Pleased with him) about theidentity of his honorable companion, he would reply that he was a man who guided him on his way. The questioner would think that Muhammad (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was a guide, in terms of roads, whereas Abu Bakr(May Allah be Pleased with him) meant that he was a guide to the way of righteousness.
- They were pursued by Suraqah bin Malik. Suraqah said: “While I wassitting in one of the gatherings of my tribe Banu Mudlij, a man from them came to us and stood up while we were sitting, and said, ‘O Suraqah! No doubt, I have just seen some people far away on the seashore, and I think they are Muhammad (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his Companions.’’’ Suraqah added, “I too realized that it must have been them. But I said, `No, it is not them, but you have seen so-and-so, and so-and-so whom we saw set out.’ I stayed in the gathering for a while and then got up and left for my home, and ordered my slave-girl to get my horse which was behind a hillock, and get it ready for me. Then I took my spear and left by the back door of my house dragging the lower end of the spear on the ground and keeping it low. Then I reached my horse, mounted it and made it gallop. When I approached them, my horse stumbled and I fell off. Then I stood up, took hold of my quiver and took out the divining arrows and drew lots as to whether I should harm them or not, and the lot which I disliked came out.
But I remounted my horse and let it gallop, giving no importance to the divining arrows.
When I heard the recitation of the Qur’an by Allah’s Messenger (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) who did not look hither and thither while Abu Bakr(May Allah be Pleased with him) was doing it often, suddenly the forelegs of my horse sank into the ground up to its knees, and I fell down from it. Then I rebuked it and it got up but could hardly take out its forelegs from the ground, and when it stood up straight again, its forelegs caused dust to rise up in the sky like smoke. Then again, I drew lots with the divining arrows, and the lot which I disliked, came out. So I called upon them to feel secure. They stopped and I remounted my horse and went to them. When I saw how I had been stopped from harming them, it came to my mind that the cause of Allah’s Messenger (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) (i.e., Islam) will become victorious. So I said to him, `Your people have announced a reward equal to the blood money for your head.’ Then I told them all the plans the people of Makkah had made concerning them. Then I offered them some provision for the journey and goods but they refused to take anything and did not ask for anything, but the Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, `Do not tell others about us.’ Then I requested him to write for me a statement of security and peace. He ordered `Amir bin Fuhairah who wrote it for me on a piece of skin, and then Allah’s Messenger proceeded on his way.’’
In a version by Abu Bakr(May Allah be Pleased with him), he said: We emigrated while the Makkans were in pursuit of us. None caught up with us except Suraqah bin Malik bin Ju’sham on a horse. I said: “O Messenger of Allah, this one has caught up with us.’’ The Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied:
``Don’t grieve, verily, Allah is with us.’’ [9:40]
- The party continued its journey until it reached two isolated tents belonging to a woman called Umm Ma`bad Al-Khuza`iyah. She was a gracious lady who sat at her tent-door with a mat spread out for any chance traveller that might pass by the way. Fatigued and thirsty, the Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his companions wanted to refresh themselves with food and some milk. The lady told them that the herd was out in the pasture and the goat standing nearby was almost dry since it was a rainless year. The Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) touched its udders, reciting over them the Name of Allah, supplicated, and to their great joy, plenty of milk flowed out of them. The Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) first offered it to the lady of the house, and he shared what was left with the members of the party. Before he left, he milked the goat, filled the container and gave it to Umm Ma`bad. Later on, her husband arrived with slender goats hardly having any milk in their udders. He was astonished to see milk in the house. His wife told him that a blessed man had passed by, and then she described his physical appearance and manner of speech.
Abu Ma`bad immediately realized that the man was the one whom the Quraish were searching for and asked her to give a full description of him. She gave a wonderful account of him, which we will describe later when talking about his attributes and merits.
After listening to his wife’s account, Abu Ma’bad expressed a sincere wish to accompany the Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) whenever that was possible, and composed his admiration in verses of poetry that echoed all over Makkah, to such an extent that the people therein thought it was a Jinn repeating words in their ears.
Asma’(May Allah be Pleased with her), on hearing those lines, got to know that the two companions were heading for Madinah. The short poem opened with thanksgiving to Allah having given them (the couple) the chance to host the Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) for a while. It then gave an account of the delight that would settle in the heart of the Prophet’s companion whosoever he was; it closed with an invitation to all mankind to come and see for themselves Umm Ma`bad, her goat and the container of milk that would testify to the truthfulness of the Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
- On his way to Madinah, the Prophet (May the peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) met Buraidah bin Al-Husaib Al-Aslami and about eighty others. He and those with him had accepted Islam. The Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed the Night prayer and they prayed behind him. Buraidah remained in the land of his people until the Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) arrived after the battle of Uhud.
`Abdullah bin Buraidah reported that the Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to be optimistic without counting on omens, so when Buraidah and about seventy people of his tribe Sahm, met up with him while riding, he asked him, “From which people are you?’’ He replied, “From Aslam.’’ So he said to Abu Bakr (May Allah be Pleased with him), “Then we are safe.’’ Then he asked him, “From which branch?’’ He replied, “From Banu Sahm.’’ So he said to Abu Bakr (May Allah be Pleased with him), “Your victory has come.’’
- Allah’s Messenger passed by Abu Aws Tamim bin Hajar or Abu TamimAws bin Hajar Al-Aslami at Quhdawat between Al-Juhafah and Harsha in Al-`Arj. He was dragging some of their provisions behind the camel that was slowing them down. So, Aws carried the goods on his camel and sent a boy named Mas’ud to help them. He accompanied them to be sure that the route was safe until they entered Madinah. Then Allah’s Messenger returned Mas`ud to his master and told him to tell Aws to rein his camel as that of a horse and he did so. When the pagans came on the Day of Uhud, Aws sent Mas’ud bin Hunaidah from Al-’Arj to Allah’s Messenger to inform him about their movements. This was mentioned by Makula according to At-Tabari. He accepted Islam after Allah’s Messenger arrived at Madinah while he remained in Al-`Arj.
- It was during this time that they met Az-Zubair at the head of a caravanof Muslims returning from Syria. Az-Zubair presented to them two white garments which they accepted.
Quba’
On Monday, 8th Rabi`ul-Awwal, the fourteenth year of Prophethood, i.e., 23 September, 622 C.E., Allah’s Messenger arrived at Quba’.1
`Urwah bin Az-Zubair said: “When the Muslims of Madinah heard the news of the departure of Allah’s Messenger from Makkah, they started going to Harrah every morning. They would wait for him until the heat of the noon forced them to return. One day after waiting for a long time, they returned home, and when they were going into their houses, a Jew climbed up the roof of one of the forts of his people to look for something. He saw Allah’s Messenger and his companions dressed in white clothes, emerging out of the desert. The Jew could not help shouting at the top of his voice, ‘O you Arabs! Here is your man whom you have been waiting for.’ So the Muslims rushed to their arms and received Allah’s Messenger at the summit of Harrah.’’
Ibn Al-Qaiyim said: “The shouts of Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Most Great) resounded among Banu `Amr bin `Auf and the Muslims from their joy at his arrival, and they went out to meet him. They and their animals came out to pay him respects, he was surrounded by them and tranquility enveloped him while Allah revealed to him:
``...then verily, Allah is his Maula (Lord, Master or Protector), and Jibreel (May peace be upon him), and the righteous among the believers, and furthermore, the angels are his helpers.’’ [66:4]
‘Urwah bin Az-Zubair said: “The Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) turned with them to the right and went to the quarters of Banu `Amr bin `Awf, and this was a Monday during the month of Rabi`ulAwwal. Abu Bakr(May Allah be Pleased with him) stood receiving the people while Allah’s Messenger sat and was silent. Some of the Ansar who had not yet seen Allah’s Messenger, began greeting Abu Bakr (May Allah be Pleased with him). But when the sunlight fell on Allah’s Messenger, and Abu Bakr (May Allah be Pleased with him) came forward to shade him with his sheet, only then did the people come to know Allah’s Messenger.’’ It was an unprecedented day in Madinah. The Jews could easily perceive the truth of their prophecy in the Book of Habakkuk: “God came from Teman and the Holy One from mount Faran.’’
Muhammad stayed in Quba’ with Kulthum bin Al-Hadm, a hospitable chief of the tribe of `Amr bin `Awf. Some say he stayed with Sa`d bin Khaithamah, but the first view is correct. `Ali (May Allah be Pleased with him) stayed in Makkah for three days to return the trusts on behalf of the Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), to their respective owners. After that he started his journey of emigration to catch up with him at Quba’.
Allah’s Messenger stayed in Quba’ for four days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. He built the Masjid in Quba’ and prayed in it. This was the first Masjid founded upon piety to be built after his Prophethood began. On the fifth day, Friday, he mounted by the Order of Allah, along with Abu Bakr (May Allah be Pleased with him). He sent a message to Bani An-Najjar, his maternal uncles, to come and accompany him and Abu Bakr(May Allah be Pleased with him) to Madinah. He rode towards the new headquarters amidst the cordial greetings of his Madinese followers who had lined his path. He halted at a place in the valley of Banu Salim bin `Awf and there he performed his Friday prayer with a hundred others.