Sacrifice During the Hijra [Migration] (Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib’s (ra) Narration)
In relation to the aforementioned incident which took place during the time of migration, it is written in Sirat Khatam-ul-Nabiyyin:
“In the darkness of the night, the cruel Quraish from various tribes had besieged the home of the Holy Prophet (sa) with their bloodthirsty intentions. They were waiting for dawn, or for the Holy Prophet (sa) to come out of his home, so as to launch a sudden assault and assassinate him.
“Various trusts belonging to the disbelievers were still with the Holy Prophet (sa), for despite their extreme enmity, many people would often entrust their belongings to the Holy Prophet (sa) on account of his truthfulness and trustworthiness. Therefore, the Holy Prophet (sa) explained the accounts of these trusts to Hazrat Ali (ra), and instructed him not to leave Mecca until these trusts were returned. Then he instructed, ‘You lie on my bed,’and assured him that no harm would come to him. He lay down and the Holy Prophet (sa) covered him with his red-coloured mantle. After this, the Holy Prophet (sa) invoked the name of Allah, and left his home.
“At that time, the besiegers were present in front of the Holy Prophet’s (sa) door. However, since they did not anticipate that the Holy Prophet (sa) would leave his home so early in the night, at that time, they were in such a state of unawareness that the Holy Prophet (sa) left right through their midst, leaving them in their ignorance, and they had not a clue.
“Now, the Holy Prophet (sa) was silently, but quickly, passing through the streets of Mecca, and it was not long before he reached the outskirts of the town and started towards the Cave of Thaur. The entire matter had been pre-settled with Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra), who also met the Holy Prophet (sa) en-route.
“The Cave of Thaur, which is remembered as a sacred memorial, due to this very occurrence, is situated to the south of Mecca. In other words, to the other side of Medina, at a distance of about three miles atop a wild and abandoned mountain, the Cave of Thaur is situated at a substantial height. Its trail is also very difficult to cross.” It is not in the direction of Medina, but is in the opposite direction. “Arriving there, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) squeezed in first and cleaned the area, and then the Holy Prophet (sa) also entered.
“On the other hand, the Quraish, who had besieged the home of the Holy Prophet (sa), would peer through after short intervals and upon seeing Hazrat Ali (ra), who was in fact lying in the place of the Holy Prophet (sa), they would find comfort.
“But the next morning, they found out that their prey had slipped their hands. Upon this, they franticly ran here and there, searched the streets of Mecca, looked in the homes of Companions, but nothing was to be found. In their rage, they took hold of Hazrat Ali (ra) and beat him somewhat.”
(Sirat Khatamun-Nabiyyin, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra), pp. 236-237)