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Incidents en route to Medina during the Migration
From the life of Hazrat Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (ra)
From the life of Hazrat Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (ra)
The Muslims in Medina heard about the Holy Prophet’s (sa) departure from Mecca and every morning they would go up to Harrah and wait for him. Medina is situated between two Harrahs. A Harrah is a dark stony terrain. Harrah Waqim is situated to the east of Medina and is also known as Harrah Banu Quraizah and the other one is called Harratul Waburah, which is situated to the west of Medina at a distance of three miles. They would wait until the intense heat of the afternoon would compel them to leave. They would go in the morning and wait and then return in the afternoon. One day, the people of Medina waited for quite a while before returning. As they reached their homes, a Jew climbed onto one of their forts in order to do some work and saw the Holy Prophet (sa) and his companions who were wearing white clothes. The mirage was moving away from them. Upon seeing this, the Jew could not hold back and loudly cried, “O Arabs! Here comes your leader who you were waiting for!” The Muslims rushed for their weapons and then met the Holy Prophet (sa) in the plains of Harrah. The Holy Prophet (sa) along with the rest of the companions turned to his right and reached the village of the Banu Amr bin Auf. This took place on a Monday in the month of Rabi-ul-Awal. Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) stood up for the people whilst the Holy Prophet (sa) quietly remained seated. Those Ansar who had not previously met the Holy Prophet (sa) came and offered their greetings of peace to Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra). When the sun began to shine upon the Holy Prophet (sa), Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) stepped forward and created a shade for him with his mantle. It was then that people realised who the Holy Prophet (sa) was. The Holy Prophet (sa) spent more than 10 nights in the village of Banu Amr bin Auf and, according to a narration of Bukhari, he spent 14 nights and laid the foundation for the mosque regarding which it is stated that its foundation have been established upon taqwa [righteousness] and the Holy Prophet (sa) prayed inside it.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab Manaqib al-Ansar, Bab Hijrat al-Nabisa wa Ashabih ila al-Medina, Hadith 3906) (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Salah, Hadith 428) (Sayyid Fadl al-Rahman, Farhang-e-Sirat [Karachi, Pakistan: Zawwar Academy Publications, 2003], pp. 101-102)
According to this narration of Bukhari, the Holy Prophet (sa) spent more than 10 nights in Quba. According to another narration, the Holy Prophet (sa) spent four days in Banu Amr bin Auf, i.e. Quba, that is Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, the Holy Prophet (sa) left for Medina. According to another narration, it is said that the Holy Prophet (sa) spent 22 nights [in Quba].
(Ali bin Burhan al-Din al-Halabi, Al-Sirah al-Halabiyyah, Vol. 2, Bab Ard Rasul (sa) Allah Nafsah … [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 2002], p. 75)
With regard to the Holy Prophet’s (sa) arrival in Quba, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) states:
“After seeing off Suraqah and having travelled some distance, the Holy Prophet (sa) arrived in Medina. The people of Medina were eagerly awaiting his arrival. A more auspicious day could not have dawned for them. For, the sun which had risen for Mecca had come instead to shine on Medina.
“The moment (the people of Medina) heard the news that the Holy Prophet (sa) was no longer in Mecca, they were expecting his arrival. Parties of them would travel miles out of Medina to look for him every morning and they would return disappointed in the evening. When the Holy Prophet (sa) reached near Medina, he decided to stop for a while in Quba, a nearby village. A Jew saw their camels and realised that this was the caravan of the Holy Prophet (sa). He climbed a hillock and shouted, ‘O progeny of Qaila’” – Qaila was the name of one of the grandmothers of the people of Medina and hence they were also known as the progeny of Qaila, “‘he for whom you waited has come.’ Everyone in Medina who heard this cry rushed to Quba, while the people of Quba were overjoyed at the arrival of the Holy Prophet (sa) in their midst.
The Holy Prophet (sa) was still en route when he met Hazrat Zubair (ra), who was returning along with a Muslim caravan of merchants from Syria. Hazrat Zubair (ra) presented the Holy Prophet (sa) and Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) with white clothes.
*(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Manaqib, Bab Hijrat al-Nabisa wa Ashabih ila al-Medina, Hadith 3906) *
In reference to this meeting, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmed Sahib (ra) writes:
“On the way, he met Zubair bin Al-Awam (ra), who was returning to Mecca with a small party of Muslims from a trading expedition in Syria. Zubair (ra) gifted a white set of clothing to the Holy Prophet (sa) and one to Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra), and said, ‘After my return to Mecca, I too shall soon join you in Medina.’”
(Sirat Khatamun-Nabiyyin, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra), p. 242)
The greed of the reward made a lot of people pursue the Holy Prophet (sa). There is an incident mentioned in books of history: Buraidah bin Husaib states, “When the Quraish announced a reward of 100 camels for whoever goes after the Holy Prophet (sa) and brings them back dead or alive, I was also tempted by greed. Subsequently, I set out with 70 riders from the Banu Sahm and met with the Holy Prophet (sa). The Holy Prophet (sa) asked me who I was, to which I replied, ‘Buraidah’. Upon this, the Holy Prophet (sa) turned towards Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) and said, ‘O Abu Bakr! We have been granted relief and our matter has eased.’ The Holy Prophet (sa) then said, ‘Which tribe do you belong to?’ I replied, ‘The tribe of Aslam’. The Holy Prophet (sa) said, ‘May peace be with them.’ He then asked, ‘From which progeny?’ to which I replied, ‘From among the Banu Sahm.’ The Holy Prophet (sa) said, ‘O Abu Bakr! You are very fortunate.’”
Buraidah then asked the Holy Prophet (sa), “Who are you?” The Holy Prophet (sa) replied, “I am Muhammad (sa), son of Abdullah, the Messenger of Allah.” Upon this Buraidah said, “I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and Muhammad (sa) is His servant and messenger.” Buraidah accepted Islam and also all those who were with him. Buraidah then said, “All praise belongs to Allah, the Banu Sahm accepted Islam wholeheartedly without any compulsion.” The following morning, Buraidah said, “O Messenger (sa) of Allah! You ought to enter Medina with a flag.” He then took off his turban and tied it to a spear and began walking ahead of the Holy Prophet (sa) and the Muslims then entered Medina.
(Sharh al-Zurqani ala al-Mawahib al-Laduniyyah, Vol. 2 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 1996], p. 148) (Ali bin Burhan al-Din al-Halabi, Al-Sirah al-Halabiyyah, Vol. 2, Bab al-Hijrah ila al-Medina [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 2002], p. 71)