MIGRATION |
The Bayt-al-Harb took place in the month of Rajab in 622 AD. With its
culmination two new terms became added to the Arabian language, particularly to the
language of the Muslims, one "Ansar" and the other "Mohajir". Ansars
were those Muslims of Madinah who took Bayt during 621 and 622 AD. Later on this word was
used for all Muslim citizens of Madinah. The Mohajirs were those Muslims who, at the
directive of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace), migrated to Madinah to escape the wrath of the Quraysh. No one of these
two groups was superior to the other in Islamic history. Both parties bore enormous
sufferings and faced hardships for Islam. Bayt-al-Harb took place secretly. The Non-Muslim pilgrims of Madinah
were unaware of this treaty, therefore they expressed their ignorance about it when asked
by the Quraysh. Their ignorance was justified as those seventy five Muslims who had held
talks with the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) left for Madinah at dawn. They kept changing their course to avoid being
followed by the Quraysh. It was only after three days that the Quraysh came to know of this
treaty. They later decided to arrest and bring back all the Muslims who were migrating to
Madinah. Normally, caravans covered the distance between Makkah and Madinah in
eleven days, whereas the speedy white camels covered the same in three days. The Quraysh
arranged for white camels to bring migrants back before they entered Madinah. As the
Muslims had been changing their course, the Quraysh could not find them. One merchant who
somehow had got separated from the Muslim caravan fell into their hands. He was brought
back to Makkah and interrogated. He told about his presence in the caravan and of his
return to Madinah but showed ignorance of the other Muslims having held talks and signed
any treaty with the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace). He was telling the truth, as the Muslims did not let their secret out.
In addition, the merchant was quite well off and like the other Arabs belonged to a tribe.
If he had been pressed further by Quraysh, it would have resulted in tribal strife. He had
also many friends in Makkah and was therefore released. One can easily ask why the Quraysh did not arrest the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and get
whatever information they wanted. The Quraysh could not afford this since the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was under
the protégé of a tribe. They were helpless on account of this protection and therefore
could not arrest him or conduct investigation. When the Muslims of Madinah returned to
their homes, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) instructed the Muslims of Makkah to migrate to Madinah and reside in the
houses of Ansar. The Muslims of Makkah started leaving their city in small groups taking
care not to alert the Quraysh. In a city like Makkah, where the people recognised each
other well, the absence of some people was bound to come to the attention of the Quraysh.
They could see that the Muslims were gradually migrating to Madinah, therefore decided to
constrain and compel them to stay in Makkah. During that period, three Muslims, Abbas bin Rabiyah, and the two
brothers Umayyah and Hathim bin As, decided to leave Makkah. The night they were to
leave, Hashim bin As was missing. Since he had been arrested. The other two had to
leave for Madinah without him. The next day all the Makkans came to know of Hashims
arrest. In those days there was no jail in Makkah. The first prison of Arabia
was built in Kufa, many years after the death of the Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace). In those days whenever anyone was
arrested he was punished, chained and left on the hot sands. The same was done with
Hashim. After the Muslims had migrated to Madinah, the time came for the
Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
to leave. Here we should try to understand what migration would mean for the
Prophets (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
life. Apart from leaving his homeland it would mean severing completely all ties with his
family, tribe and ancestors. This further meant the loss of all social and economic
rights. Family ancestry and tribe were the same thing. Without the safety of tribal
allegiance and support it was impossible to survive in the fire breathing skies and vast
deserts of Arabia. The situation in Makkah had become intolerable for the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to continue
his mission. A divine message had also come to migrate. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) told this to his closest
friend Abu BakrR.A. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) knew that the
well-watered land between two tracts of black stones, which he had seen in a vision was
Yathrib. He also knew that this time he too would be one of the emigrants. He told Abu
BakrR.A that he hoped to live in Yathrib. As regards its
timing much depended on the delegation that was expected from the oasis for the coming
Pilgrimage". The Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) left Makkah along with Abu BakrR.A
and reached near the Cave of Thawr He once said, "The Mount of Thawr, of all Allahs earth, thou
art the dearest place unto me and the dearest unto Allah". Aamir Ibn Fuhayrah, the
shepherd whom Abu BakrR.A had bought as a slave and then
set free and put in charge of his sheep, had followed behind them with his flock to cover
up their tracks. When they reached the cave, Abu BakrR.A
sent his son home with the camels, telling him to listen to what was said in Makkah. Aamir
was to pasture his sheep as usual with the other shepherds during the day and to bring
them to the cave at night, always covering up the tracks of Abdullah between Thawr and
Makkah. The next night Abdullah returned to the cave accompanied by his sister Asma and
food for the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace). Abu BakrR.A was three years older than
the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).
He was among the rich of Makkah. He had sacrificed all his wealth and property in the
cause of Allah. He was now in penury. Though he was older and belonged to the elite of
Quraysh, he swept the cave clean with his hands. He stuffed the holes in the rocks of the
cave with pieces of cloth torn from his gown, so that poisonous snakes or scorpions may
not harm the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace). When he was satisfied, he invited the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to enter the cave. In the same cave Abu BakrR.A dressed
the wounds of the Prophets (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) feet. As nothing comfortable was available that could be used
for the Prophets (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) head rest, Abu BakrR.A asked the
Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
to rest his head on his lap. The Prophet (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace) on seeing him tired and in want of rest, did not
accept the offer and laid down on rocky earth to sleep. There were numerous holes in the cave of Thawr. Abu BakrR.A
covered one of them with his foot since he had run out of pieces of cloth. An irritated
snake inside that hole found no outlet to escape. The snake bit Abu BakrR.As
heel. He cried with pain and woke up. Drops of sweat rolled down his face and fell at the
Prophets (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
forehead who also woke up. He saw Abu BakrR.As face
turning pale. When the Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) knew about the snake bite, he immediately tied a cloth around
the wound and sucked the poison out. This offered great relief to Abu BakrR.A
who was then able to rest. The night Muhammad (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) was travelling towards the cave of Thawr, some people of
the Quraysh under a calculated plan entered the house of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to kill him. They had
decided to send for this job one representative from each of the 12 tribes of Makkah. All
the members of this group were to attack the Prophet (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) together so that the blame would be
divided. The Bani Hashim would not have been able to exact revenge from all the tribes and
thus they would be saved from a feud with them. The men entered the Prophets (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) house and
found AliR.A, on his bed. Quite astonished they asked him
whether the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) had gone out of Makkah. The Prophet (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) knowing that youth of Quraysh was outside
his house waiting to kill him, began to recite verses of Surah Ya-Sin and when he came to
the words; "and We have enshrouded them, so that they see not" the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) left the
house unseen. AliR.A who was a truthful person
answered affirmatively. On knowing this, the people of Quraysh spread around Makkah and
started to look for the Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) in the nearby desert. They also announced a prize of one
hundred camels to the person who would find the Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) or locate his place of refuge. The
night Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
left his house it was the month of Safar the waning moon had risen over the eastern hills. The Quraysh men passed by the entrance of the cave, but did not enter
inside. A spider had spun its web at the caves mouth during the night. When the
searchers found the strands of the web stretched across the entrance, they assumed that
the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
had not entered the cave. If he had entered the cave, the web would surely have been
broken. After the first group of Quraysh men, a second group reached there.
They noticed a nest of birds with eggs in it at the caves mouth. On seeing the eggs
they too did not enter inside. Abu BakrR.A who was tired
and suffering from the pain of snake-bite, became upset on seeing the Quraysh coming close
to finding their hide-out. The Prophet (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) consoled him and assured him of Allahs help. This
incident has been mentioned in the fortieth verse of the Ninth Surah Tauba of the Holy
Quran: 40. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) and Abu BakrR.A stayed in the
cave for three consecutive nights. On leaving it, they found the web and the nest intact.
They were convinced that Allahs help and Grace was with them. The Quraysh gave up their exhausting pursuit as they felt tired and
exhausted. Meanwhile Abu BakrR.As slave Aamir
bin Faheerah, brought two white dromedaries to the cave. According to pre-planned
arrangements the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) and Abu BakrR.A rode towards Madinah as
they found the way clear. They travelled along the coast to avoid being noticed. They had no gowns over them. As the Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had left in a hurry, he could not
bring adequate dress with him. Their dress was badly torn. Anyone seeing them with
torn cloths would have been bewildered as they were riding the best and the most expensive
dromedaries of Arabia. The Quraysh had announced a prize of one hundred camels for anyone
who would find the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace). One day when the chief of "Banu Madlej" tribe was busy
conversing with some people, a person entered his tent and said, "O Saqarah! I have
seen two camel-riders riding along the coast-line. I positively identified one of them as
Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)". On hearing how the person had identified Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), Saqarah was sure that
the person he saw was Muhammad (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace). To exclude this person from sharing the reward, he misled him
and said, "Oh no! you are mistaken, those two travellers were my guests the previous
night and had started off from my place in the morning". When that person left dis-hearted, Saqarah, along with some of his
tribesmen began a pursuit for Muhammad (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace). They soon caught up with Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and Abu BakrR.A. On reaching very close to them, Saqarah pulled the reins,
of his horse. The horse staggered and he fell down. He made three consistent attempts to
reach the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
but each time he failed. The Arabs of dark ages believed in superstition and fate, therefore
when his horse fell the third time, Saqarah decided to try to predict his fortune in the
venture. Whatever method he employed, the result pointed against the pursuit of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). In spite
of this the prize of one hundred camels was too much for him to ignore. He tried for the
fourth time to set off in pursuit of the Prophet (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace). This time again he failed. On seeing this line of events, he called out to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), "O
Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)!
stop.... I want to have some words with you". Saqarah handed over his horse to his
companions and went on foot towards the Prophet (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) and Abu BakrR.A.
He said, "O Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace)! I am in alliance with the Quraysh and I intended to arrest and
present you before the Quraysh to get the reward of one hundred camels. I have realised
now the truth of your Prophethood as my horse has fallen down four times and I could not
reach you, therefore I predict your dominance upon the Quraysh one day". The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) asked,
"What do you want?". He answered, "When you gain dominance over the
Quraysh, promise you will neither punish me nor seek revenge from my tribe for my alliance
with the Quraysh.". The Prophet (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) said that he would be under protection that day
and no one would harm him or his tribe. Afterwards Saqarah embraced Islam and was later noted among the leading
commanders of Islam. He also prohibited the Quraysh in pursuit of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to enter
the domains of his tribe. Whenever anyone came there, he used to misdirect him and say
that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
had not passed that way. In some books, it has also been mentioned that during the journey of
Hijrah, Abu BakrR.As servant Aamir bin Faheerah and
another slave, who had been freed, also accompanied the Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and Abu BakrR.A.
The authors of these books have written that Aamir bin Faheerah knew the routes well and
also served as guide. Two days later Muhammad (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace) and Abu BakrR.A met a
caravan. A cousin of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace), Zubayr bin Alawan was travelling with it. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was able to
get some clothes and food from his cousin and continue with his journey. After travelling
for two more days, they reached a tribe called "Aslem", whose chief "Aus
bin Hajir" suggested to the Prophet (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace) to take a member of his tribe as guide so that he
could reach the territories of Madinah safely. A guide named Masood accompanied the
Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). In the deserts of Arabia, guide is not only one who directs the way but
a human passport as well. His presence ensures the safety for the travellers with him. In
desert all people are well acquainted to the guide. When he calls out loud and introduces
himself, he is easily recognised and allowed to pass through. Masood told the Prophet (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace) that he could only take them up to the limits of his
tribal boundaries and not beyond. The Prophet (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) accepted this offer and with Abu BakrR.A resumed his journey guided by Masood. On reaching near Quba the Prophet (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) stopped and addressed Abu BakrR.A, "O Abu BakrR.A, let
the dromedary which I am riding be sold to me", Abu BakrR.A
replied in surprise, "O Prophet (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) why is she to be bought? I present this "Qaswa"
to you as such". Qaswa |
Some portions of the ears of such dromedaries were cut with the view
that by doing so they run faster. Such a dromedary with cut ears was called
"Qaswa" in Arabic. Afterwards, however, this name has been used in the Islamic
history as a proper noun. The Prophet (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) replied, "O Abu BakrR.A,
you have sacrificed all your wealth in the name of Allah and for the propagation of His
religion, but I want this dromedary for my personal use, therefore you should not donate
her. You tell the price and I will pay it". When Abu BakrR.A observed that the
Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
was insisting on paying the price, he sold her for four hundred Dirhams to him. The name
of this dromedary is well known in Islam. The reason for its significance will be
understood later. The valley of Quba was situated in the South of Madinah and was
included in the territory of the city. Western historians say that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) entered
Quba on 2 September 622 AD., but the Islamic historians state the date to be 16 July 622
AD. Since migration marked the beginning of the Islamic calendar and the day the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) reached
Quba came in the month of Muharram, Muslims declare the 1st of Muharram for the
commencement of the Islamic year. Even today Muslim nations use this date of Hijrah in
their daily practices. When the Prophet (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) entered Quba on 16 July, it was very hot due to summer.
The citizens of Quba had got the news of the Prophets
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) likely arrival, therefore they left
their houses at dawn to wait for. When the sun rose high and the heat increased, the
people could not bear it and returned to their houses. When the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and Abu BakrR.A entered Quba, the sun had risen its half course and the
earth was scorching enough to cause blisters on bare feet. No one was present in the streets to witness the arrival of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) except one
Jew named Shaloom. He was passing there the very moment the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was entering Quba. As
soon as he saw the white dromedaries and the two persons riding them, he ran to the
streets and called out aloud, "O Jews! Be aware! Your Deliverer has come". The
Jews of Madinah, as already stated, like Muslims, were waiting for the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to
eliminate their mutual differences that had made their lives miserable. The people of Quba which included men, women and children in spite of
severe heat, had gathered to have one glance at the Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace). The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and Abu BakrR.A made their dromedaries sit before the two date-palm trees
and climbed down to move under the shade. The people of Quba, including Muslims and Jews,
gathered around them. They did not know who the Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) of Islam was. Abu BakrR.A
was three years older than the Prophet (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace). He stepped back and took off his gown to spread over the
Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
like a canopy to protect him from the heat of the sun. The shade of the trees was quite
thin to protect the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace). The canopy protected him better. That very moment the people recognised the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and as the tradition
was, they began raising "Halhalah" to welcome him. Halhalah was an expression of
joy or welcome. Those who have lived in Arab countries are well acquainted to its style
and meaning, as the traditional method continues even today. The place where the Prophet (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) and Abu BakrR.A
had climbed off their dromedaries was called "Mohallah Bani Umro bin Auf".
The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
inquired, "Who owns this place?" A young man stepped forward to answer,
"This place is mine and I have sown these date-palm trees". The Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) said, "Since you own this place, I want to ask your
permission to stay for a while under the shade of these trees". The man replied earnestly, "Why not. You may stay here as long as
you wish". But at this instance, a Muslim woman, Umm-e-Kalsoom stepped forward and
requested the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) and Abu BakrR.A to stay at her house.
The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
declined saying they would be disturbing her, but she kept insisting. She said that she
had a chamber vacant in her house that was not in use by her, therefore he and his
companion could stay freely there. She herself would take care of the dromedaries. On her
insistence the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) accepted her invitation and went to her house to reside in that chamber. Meanwhile the people of Madinah came to know of his arrival. UmarR.A bin Khatab was the first person to reach Quba from Madinah,
eager for the sight of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace). Afterwards other Muslims also began arriving there. Their
number grew so much that small chamber could not provide enough accommodation to welcome
them all, therefore, a Muslim Saad bin Khaisman handed over his large house for the
Prophets (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
use. However when rest was required, he used to return to the small house of Umm-e-Kalsoom
and stay there for the night. On the third day after his arrival, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) decided to build a
mosque. One of the Muslims was ready to donate a piece of land for the purpose, but the
Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
said that he would prefer to buy it - which he did. The price of land is not mentioned in
the Islamic history but all the historians agree that this piece of land was bought by the
Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). The mosque of Quba is the first "Principal Mosque" of the
Muslims as all the Muslims shared in its construction. The nobles like UmarR.A
bin Khatab, Abu BakrR.A and Sahaib Roomi and other such
eminent people worked like labourers along with others. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) himself kept working
from morning to evening like the ordinary people. The Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) stayed at Quba for twenty days. When
the mosque was completed he showed his intention of going to Madinah, which was called
"Yathrib" those days. When the mosque of Quba was completed, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) decided to leave for
Madinah. He rode on "Qaswa" and left for Madinah. When the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) reached
Madinah, all the Muslims had gathered in the streets and markets of the city. Some of them
went to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace), held the bridle of the dromedary and requested him to stay in their
house. When the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) observed their fondness, he realised that if he stayed at any one of the
Muslims it might hurt the feelings of the others and they might begin to think he
discriminated among them. He thus said the bridle of his dromedary be left alone. Wherever
she sat as willed by Allah, would be the place where he would stay. The Prophets (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) dromedary passed through several alleys and finally
entered the alley of "Al-Najjar". A white building at the far end of the alley
was prominent in sight. The Prophet (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) recognised this house as it had belonged to Abdul
Muttalibs, mother - Hashims wife. The Muslims of Madinah also knew it,
therefore they thought that the dromedary would make a stop there, but she continued
walking. All the Muslims of Madinah were walking behind the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and were eager to know
where she would stop. After covering some distance she reached the grave of the
Prophets (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
father Abdullah. Some of them thought that she might stop there, but she still
continued. After some minutes she reached a place where situated was a house owned by a
lady named "Aneesa". In the days, when the Prophets
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) mother was still alive and living at
Madinah, Aneesa was a young child who used to play with him. Now she was a middle-aged
woman. The Prophets (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) dromedary did not stop at this place either. When the Prophet (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) saw his dromedary not leaving the alley, he recalled
memories of his mother and her tribe. Though he had broken away all the ties with his
ancestors in Makkah, he was still attached with his maternal relations. The Qaswa roamed about for some time in the alley of Al-Najjar and then
entered a piece of land that was unoccupied. She took few steps forward and then stopped
and bowed her knees on the ground. The Prophet (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) to confirm her stay as permanent, tried to raise
her up, but she did not move. The place, where she had made her stop, had no house and was used to
dry dates. However, at some distance from there, there was a house owned by a person named
"Abu Ayub". When the Muslims saw that she had stopped there, they expressed great
joy as they knew that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) would build a mosque and construct his house there; and that
piece of land would become, as we can call it today, the Head-Quarter for Islam. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) asked, "Whose place is this?" One of the Muslims stepped forward and said, "O Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)! This land
is owned by two orphan children and I, Asad bin Zararah, am their guardian, I donate this
land to you so that you can build a mosque and a house. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) replied, "If this place was owned by you and not by these
two orphan children, I still would not have accepted it without paying for it. O Asad! As
my childhood has been spent as an orphan, and I was deprived of the blessings of parents,
therefore I am well aware of what happens to an orphan and of how many grieves he has to
face. I am ready to accept this land on one condition that you demand from me twice the
price of the ordinary land". Asad bin Zararah said that the cost of land was seven Dinars. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) consulted other Muslims who verified the price demanded by
Asad bin Zararah. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) announced that he was buying the land for ten Dinars, so that
a better piece of land could be bought for the two orphan brothers. The treasurer of Islam, Abu BakrR.A,
who was standing behind the Prophet (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) opened the pouch of money instantaneously and paid the ten
gold coins to the owner of the land. It is to be remembered that in those days ten gold
Dinars were considered a huge sum of money. Those days neither Makkah, nor Madinah had
their currencies. Both the cities had either Roman or Persian coins. Dinar was a gold
"Khusravi" or "Dinar-e-Khusarwan". "Harkuli" was the Roman
coin named after the king of Harkul. It is to be noted that by Rome is meant
"Romat-Al-Sughar" (todays Turkey) whose capital was Byzantine, which is
known as Istanbul today. On climbing down the dromedary, the Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) unloaded the luggage with his hands
and then looked around to find a suitable place to live. That very moment "Ayub"
whose complete name was Abu Ayub Khalid bin Zayd , and
whose house was close bye, stepped forward and taking the luggage from the Prophets (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) hands
requested, "O Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) of Allah, I request you to stay at my house". The Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) asked whether his house had enough room to accommodate him.
Abu Ayub answered, "Definitely! O Prophet (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) of Allah". The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "I will stay
at your house only on one condition that it will not cause inconvenience to you". Abu
Ayub inquired in surprise, "Do you eat that much to be inconvenient for me?" The Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) answered, "Whatever little might I eat, it would still be
inconvenient to you". When Abu Ayub realised that the Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) insisted on not eating from his
house, he bowed his head in acceptance. The Prophet (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to go to his house only to sleep. He
kept busy along with the other Muslims in the construction of the Mosque. He knew he would
have to formulate and train the "Ummat" (the Islamic society) soon. On the second day after reaching Madinah, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) with the help of all the
Muslims began erecting the mosque at the place where his dromedary had sat. All men,
including the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) himself, carried soil and stones on their hands, kneaded clay and kept
themselves busy in its construction. The style of architecture of the said mosque became an example for
other mosques in the Islamic capital. The mosque was erected by the method; where stones
were placed at the depth of about three cubits which is equal to three forearms or 150cm,
while laying the foundations. The walls were erected by raw bricks. The roof of the mosque
was completed with the trunks of date-palm trees and covered by date-palm leaves, which
were called "Jareed". This mosque was built in seven months. The Muslims made it very strong
and durable as Madinah was a city that received much rainfall. If the Mosque had not been
built strong enough, the heavy rainfalls would have damaged it. Some Muslims who had
migrated from Makkah had no place to live. The Prophet (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) of Islam built a large platform
"Safah" of bricks and clay in the mosque for these people to rest at night. He
also built a canopy to protect them from the heat of the sun during the day. The canopy
was covered by date-palm leaves and branches. As the place was called "Safah" therefore the people who
stayed there were called as "Ahl-e-Safah". Whosoever belonged among them is
today recognised as an eminent personality of Islam. Safah, a place that was once the
refuge of the poor and the shelterless, became the centre of learning and excellence. It
was in Safah where the first University of Islam came into being. Majority of the Makkan migrants were in utter penury. They had left
their livelihoods and families behind. Their hearts were filled with gloom. In addition,
they were tormented by rumours propagated by Jews that the womenfolk of the migrants had
become sterile. Meanwhile, the wife of a Muslim Abdullah bin Zubayr gave birth to a
beautiful healthy boy. This incident washed away these fears. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) seeing the
worsening conditions of the migrants directed the Ansar to join themselves with the
Makkans in "Ahd-e-Akhuwat" and give them refuge in their houses and share their
livelihood so that the Makkans may be helped to revive and sustain themselves. The sayings of the Prophet (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) were so effective that all the Muslims of
Madinah accepted his advice. This way one hundred and eighty-six Makkan migrants bound
themselves in Ahd-e-Akhuwat (brotherhood) and moved into the homes of the Medinites. In the 74th Verse of Surah Anfal of the Holy Quran, those Muslims
of Madinah have been praised who gave refuge to the migrants from Makkah; 74. As the Muslims were to build the mosque, they decided that a Mohajir
staying at an Ansars place would labour one day without wages and on the other day
he would work somewhere else to provide living for himself and for his host. The Muslims
of Madinah exhibited the same, and each Medinite who had given shelter to a Makkan,
laboured for one day for himself and for his host, and on the next day worked without any
wages in the cause of Allah. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) did not bind himself with any person of Madinah. He understood
that it might hurt the feelings of those who had not engaged themselves in this bond.
Instead he bound himself with his paternal cousin AliR.A
bin Abi Talib and said, "O AliR.A, let us agree on
you doing work one day and on the next, I shall go to work". AliR.A
replied. "O Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) of Allah, your presence is imperative in supervising the construction of
the mosque". In addition, there is not a day passed when the Muslims do not come to
you to have their problems solved. You visit the mosque daily to supervise the work. I am
ready alone to work for your and my livelihood". The Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) accepted AliR.As
suggestion. AliR.A started carrying water for a rich
Medinite who wanted to mould clay into bricks for his house. The distance between the
water reservoir and the site where the house was being built was so that AliR.A
could fetch no more than sixteen buckets of water from dawn to dusk and he was given no
more then one grain of date as wages for each bucket of water. AliR.A
worked for sixteen grains of date daily, eight of which he used to give to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). They both
survived on eight grains of date daily for a long period. |