What Led the Prophet (PBUH) to Emigrate to Medina?
لماذا هاجر الرسول صلى الله عليه إلى المدينة؟
The Quraysh thought of getting rid of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), by choosing a young man from each tribe and waiting for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), to go out to pray and then they would beat him with the blow of one man and thus his blood would be dispersed among the tribes and the relatives of the Prophet could not ask for retribution. So Jibril came and ordered the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to migrate to Medina, so the Prophet went out after he had Ali ibn Abi Talib sleep in his bed, and then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) went out, penetrated their ranks and took a handful of the dust and he scattered it on their heads, and Allah took their eyes away from him so that they would not see him, and he recited: (and have placed a barrier before them and a barrier behind them and covered them ˹all˺ up, so they fail to see ˹the truth˺.) . The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and Abu Bakr rose and stayed in the cave of Thawr for three days hiding from the Quraysh that was sent in their wake, after which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) arrived in Medina and its people welcomed him and he built in it his mosque and house.
فكرت قريش في التخلص من النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، بأن يجمعوا شابًّا من كل قبيلة وينتظروا الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم، عند خروجه للصلاة ويضربوه ضربة رجل واحد وبذلك يتفرق دمه بين القبائل ولا يستطيع أهل الرسول طلب القصاص. لذا جاء جبريل وأمر الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم بالهجرة إلى المدينة، فخرج الرسول بعد أن جعل علي بن أبي طالب في فراشه، ثم خرج الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم، واخترق صفوفهم وأخذ حفنة من التراب وجعلها على رؤوسهم، وقد أخذ الله أبصارهم عنه فلا يرونه، وهو يتلو:(وجعلنا من بين أيديهم سدا ومن خلفهم سدا فأغشيناهم فهم لا يبصرون) يس:9. وقام الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم ومعه أبو بكر ومكثا في غار ثور لمدة ثلاثة أيام متخفين من قريش التي أرسلت في أعقابهم، بعد ذلك وصل الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم إلى المدينة فتلقاه أهلها بالرحب وبنى فيها مسجده ومنزله.
1. Total Blockade of the Message in Mecca | انسداد أفق الدعوة في مكة وبلوغ الاضطهاد ذروته
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said the Prophet ﷺ stayed in Mecca thirteen years receiving revelation before he was commanded to emigrate (Sahih al-Bukhari 3902). Ibn Ishaq reports that after Abu Talib died, Quraysh harmed him as they could never have hoped to in his uncle's lifetime. The Quran describes how he left: "Allah did in fact support him when the disbelievers drove him out ˹of Mecca˺" (9:40).
إِلَّا تَنصُرُوهُ فَقَدْ نَصَرَهُ اللَّـهُ (سورة التوبة: 40)
قال ابن عباس: «بعث رسول الله ﷺ لأربعين سنة، فمكث بمكة ثلاث عشرة سنة يوحى إليه، ثم أمر بالهجرة» (صحيح البخاري 3902). وذكر ابن إسحاق أنه لما هلك أبو طالب نالت قريش من رسول الله ﷺ من الأذى ما لم تكن تطمع به في حياة أبي طالب. ووصف القرآن خروجه: (إِلَّا تَنصُرُوهُ فَقَدْ نَصَرَهُ اللَّـهُ إِذْ أَخْرَجَهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا).
2. The Lethal Ultimatum: Dar an-Nadwah Assassination Plot | المؤامرة الحاسمة: خطة الاغتيال المجمع عليها في دار الندوة
The immediate cause was the plot agreed in Dar al-Nadwah: the scholar's answer relates that Quraysh planned for a young man from every clan to strike him with one blow so that his blood would be spread among the tribes, and that Jibril then commanded him to emigrate. Allah recalls it: "And ˹remember, O Prophet,˺ when the disbelievers conspired to capture, kill, or exile you" (8:30).
وَإِذْ يَمْكُرُ بِكَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِيُثْبِتُوكَ أَوْ يَقْتُلُوكَ أَوْ يُخْرِجُوكَ (سورة الأنفال: 30)
وكان السبب المباشر مؤامرة دار الندوة: يذكر الشيخ أن قريشا دبرت أن يضربه شاب من كل قبيلة ضربة رجل واحد فيتفرق دمه بين القبائل، فجاء جبريل وأمره بالهجرة إلى المدينة. وإليها يشير قوله تعالى: (وَإِذْ يَمْكُرُ بِكَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِيُثْبِتُوكَ أَوْ يَقْتُلُوكَ أَوْ يُخْرِجُوكَ).
3. The Pledges of Al-Aqabah: A Receptive New Homeland | بيعتا العقبة وتهيئة يثرب كحاضنة لدولة الإسلام
Medina had been prepared. Ibn Ishaq reports, as Ibn Kathir quotes him, that in the pilgrimage season twelve men of the Ansar met the Prophet ﷺ at al-Aqabah and pledged allegiance to him, the first pledge of al-Aqabah; a second pledge followed. Ubadah ibn al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him), one of their leaders, said: "We pledged to him that we would not associate anything with Allah, not steal, not commit adultery, and not kill a soul Allah has made sacred" (Sahih al-Bukhari 3893). Allah praises "those who gave ˹them˺ shelter and help" (8:74).
وَالَّذِينَ آوَوا وَّنَصَرُوا أُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ حَقًّا (سورة الأنفال: 74)
وكانت المدينة قد تهيأت: روى ابن إسحاق، كما نقل ابن كثير، أن اثني عشر رجلا من الأنصار وافوا الموسم فلقوا رسول الله ﷺ بالعقبة فبايعوه، وهي العقبة الأولى، ثم كانت بيعة العقبة الثانية. وقال عبادة بن الصامت، وهو من النقباء: بايعناه على أن لا نشرك بالله شيئا، ولا نسرق، ولا نزني، ولا نقتل النفس التي حرم الله (صحيح البخاري 3893). وأثنى الله على الأنصار بقوله: (وَالَّذِينَ آوَوا وَّنَصَرُوا أُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ حَقًّا).
4. Arrival in Medina | الوصول إلى المدينة
The scholar's answer says that when he reached Medina its people welcomed him and he built his mosque and his house there, beginning the Medinan stage, one of the stages of his mission. Ibn Kathir records that he had a document written between the Emigrants and the Ansar and joined them in brotherhood. Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The Prophet made the alliance between Quraysh and the Ansar in my house" (Sahih al-Bukhari 2294), and he paired Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf with Sa'd ibn al-Rabi' (may Allah be pleased with them both) as brothers (Sahih al-Bukhari 3780).
يذكر الشيخ أنه لما وصل المدينة تلقاه أهلها بالرحب وبنى فيها مسجده ومنزله. وذكر ابن كثير أنه كتب كتابا بين المهاجرين والأنصار وآخى بينهم، قال أنس: «قد حالف النبي ﷺ بين قريش والأنصار في داري» (صحيح البخاري 2294)، وآخى بين عبد الرحمن بن عوف وسعد بن الربيع (صحيح البخاري 3780).
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Why could the Prophet not remain in Mecca to spread Islam?
Quraysh's harm grew after Abu Talib died (Ibn Ishaq), and they finally plotted to kill him, so Jibril commanded him to emigrate, as the scholar's answer relates.
What role did the Pledges of Al-Aqabah play in the migration to Medina?
Men of the Ansar pledged allegiance to him at al-Aqabah (Ibn Ishaq, quoted by Ibn Kathir), so Medina was ready to receive him and the Emigrants.
How did the Hijrah change the nature of the Muslim community?
In Medina the Emigrants and the Ansar were joined in brotherhood and bound by a written document (Ibn Kathir; Sahih al-Bukhari 3780).
What did the Prophet do immediately upon arriving in Medina?
He built his mosque and his house, as the scholar's answer says, and joined the Emigrants and the Ansar in brotherhood (Sahih al-Bukhari 3780).