al-Hijra al-Nabawiya - Dirasa wa Tahlil

al-Hijra al-Nabawiya: Dirasa wa-Tahlil (The Prophetic Migration: A Study and Analysis) is a scholarly treatise by the Egyptian scholar and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Hadith at the Islamic University of Madinah, Muhammad al-Sayyid al-Wakil, examining the historical events, strategic preparation, and theological lessons of the Prophet Muhammad's ﷺ migration (Hijra) from Mecca to Medina al-Hijra al-Nabawiya - Di…+1. The study was published in the Journal of the Islamic University of Madinah (Issue 45) Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl….

Themes and Scope

The work reframes the Hijra not as an escape from persecution or a leisurely journey, but as an arduous undertaking involving personal sacrifice, estrangement, and the pain of leaving one's homeland al-Hijra al-Nabawiya - Di…. Al-Wakil highlights that love of one's homeland is innate (fitra), illustrating this through the longing experienced by the Companions—such as Bilal ibn Rabah reciting poetry yearning for Mecca's valleys—and the Prophet's ﷺ prayer asking God to make Medina as beloved to them as Mecca or even more al-Hijra al-Nabawiya - Di…+1.

The author establishes that migration in the cause of faith is a continuous Sunnah exemplified by earlier prophets, including Ibrahim (who left Kutha for Harran and the Levant), Lut, and Musa escaping Pharaoh al-Hijra al-Nabawiya - Di…. He discusses the sacred inviolability of Mecca (al-Balad al-Amin), surveying historical transgressions against the Sanctuary—from the ancient tribe of Jurhum and Abraha's campaign, to the Qarmatians under Abu Tahir al-Qarmati in 317 AH—and drawing reflections on contemporary events that touched the Grand Mosque al-Hijra al-Nabawiya - Di…+2.

Narrative and Analysis

The treatise traces the chronological events of the Hijra, focusing on the interplay between material planning (al-akhdh bi-l-asbab) and divine reliance (tawakkul):

• The Dar al-Nadwa Conspiracy: Following the pledges of the Ansar and the migration of Muslim families, Quraysh convened at Dar al-Nadwa. Rejecting proposals of imprisonment or exile, they adopted Abu Jahl's plot to enlist a youth from each clan to strike the Prophet ﷺ simultaneously, dispersing his blood across all tribes al-Hijra al-Nabawiya - Di…+1.
• The Departure and the Cave of Thawr: Divine revelation alerted the Prophet ﷺ, who instructed Ali ibn Abi Talib to sleep in his bed covered by his green Hadrami cloak to deceive the assassins al-Hijra al-Nabawiya - Di…+1. The Prophet ﷺ slipped past the encirclement, casting dust over their heads while reciting verses from Surah Ya-Sin al-Hijra al-Nabawiya - Di…. He then retreated with Abu Bakr al-Siddiq to the Cave of Thawr for three days, operating a structured support network: Asma bint Abi Bakr brought food by night, Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr gathered intelligence, and 'Amir ibn Fuhayra grazed sheep over their tracks to conceal footprints al-Hijra al-Nabawiya - Di…+1. When Qurayshi pursuers reached the cave mouth, they were diverted by the spider's web and nesting pigeons, as the Prophet ﷺ reassured Abu Bakr: يا أبا بكر ما ظنك باثنين الله ثالثهما؟ لا تحزن إن الله معنا ("O Abu Bakr, what do you think of two, where God is their third? Do not grieve, indeed Allah is with us") al-Hijra al-Nabawiya - Di…+1.
• The Journey and Arrival: Guided by the hired non-Muslim navigator Abdullah ibn Urayqit along an unconventional coastal route, the party evaded search parties al-Hijra al-Nabawiya - Di…+1. The text recounts the encounter with Suraqa ibn Malik, whose horse sank into the earth, prompting his surrender and the Prophet's ﷺ promise that Suraqa would one day wear the bracelets of Chosroes; the miraculous blessing of milk at the tent of Umm Ma'bad al-Khuza'iyya; and their meeting with al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, who provided them with white garments al-Hijra al-Nabawiya - Di…+2.

The narrative concludes with the arrival of the Prophet ﷺ at Quba among Banu 'Amr ibn 'Awf on Monday, the 12th of Rabi' al-Awwal, where the armed Ansar came out to receive him at Harrah al-Wabra al-Hijra al-Nabawiya - Di….