Lessons from the Hijrah Reflection

Sami Dakhel

Br. Osama Salihya

Islamic Studies

10/16/2016

Lessons from the Hijrah Reflection

The Hijrah is a very crucial part of the life of the Prophet (S) as well as had a large impact on Islam. I learned from very small stories such as that of Umm Ma3bad of how even when the Prophet (S) is in the middle of the desert trying to escape a bounty placed on his head, her still manages to give dawah through his miraculous actions. I also learned from the Prophet (S) how we must first do our part when trying to accomplish some task then to have trust and put our faith in Allah (SWT). To not put trust in our preparations rather put our trust in Allah. Such is evident as the prophet (S) left for medina at night and kept his journey a secret and even made sure that Ali was in his bed in case anyone checked on him. When it came time that he was walking in the desert and suraqa ibn malik was chasing him, the Prophet (S) wasn’t worried as he had full reliance in Allah. Also when the prophet (S) was in the cave of thour and they were about to get caught, the prophet (S) told Abu Bakr to not get worried because Allah would protect them. It is evident to me that when the two men did their part by running and hiding from their chasers, Allah (SWT) protected them. I also learned that the Prophet (S) was looked after by an army that couldn’t be seen such as the spider covering the entrance of the cave so that the Prophet (S) and Abu Bakr weren’t found. Moving on, it never really dawned on me why Allah (SWT) chose Medina out of all the places in the world the Prophet (S) could have went to. I learned the geographical necessities that Medina provided such as being surrounded by volcanic rock from almost all sides. Also having an underlying river flowing beneath the city which allowed the earth to become fertile and also allowed palm trees and dates to become plentiful. Medina was once called Yathrib however the prophet (S) changed the name because he didn’t like bad names. Yathrib according to a majority of scholars comes from a word meaning evil and corrupt. So that’s why the Prophet (S) changed it. In a hadith the prophet (S) said that whomever amongst you says Yathrib to say astagfuralllah because it is taba. The munafiqoon and the nonbelievers were the ones who called Medina Yathrib. This is another piece of evidence to that proves that we must distance ourselves from saying Yathrib. Medina was also called taba or teeba. Yet I learned that the Arab people had over 100 names for medina which is a result of the culture because if something was loved very much, it was given many names. So that is proof that Medina was special not only to the Prophet (S) but also to the people of the Arabian Peninsula. I learned that Medina had many blessings given to it. The Prophet (S) made dua’a to Allah (SWT) to make Medina beloved to him. As a result, the Prophet (S) loved medina so much so that when he could see it in the distance, he would tell his camel to go faster out of sheer excitement of returning to Medina. Also mountain of Uhud is there in Medina and I learned that it is one of the mountains of Jannah. The prophet (S) said about Uhud that it is a mountain that we love and it loves us back. Also another blessing of Medina is that the Dajjal won’t be able to enter inside Medina. At the entrance of Medina would be two angels who will deny him access into the city. That is why the prophet (S) instructed us that if we hear news of the Dajjal, we should go to Medina because he cannot enter it. I also learned that Medina is protected from plagues and that no plague will ever wipe out all of Medina. This is really interesting to me because I think of the major diseases such as the bubonic plague that killed millions in the 15 and 16 century as well as the Spanish Flu which only a 100 years ago wiped out a third of the world’s population. This especially is a miracle to me because I love medicine and I see the clear miracle in this blessing of Medina. Also how the Prophet (S) had made dua’a so that Medina can become a haram just like Mecca. So that is why Medina is considered the second haram in Islam. I also learned that Medina is very hard to live in because of many hardships such as the hot weather as well as the seasonal availability of food and the occasional famines. The Prophet (S) said that whoever is patient in Medina, I will intercede on their behalf during the day of Judgement.  This incredible blessing is part of living in Medina. Yet Medina isn’t also blessed if you live there, it is also blessed place to die in. Going into more reasons as to why Medina was chosen is its strategic location. It is at a perfect distance to Mecca so much so that it isn’t too close but also not too far at the same time. Medina is also a militarily strategically positioned because it is naturally protected on 3 fronts. There is natural lava like land on the east and west of Medina which is diffiuclt for an army to march across. Then there is the south side that is naturally dense with palm trees which makes it impossible for soldiers to get through the thick vegetation. It is for these reasons I learned that the Prophet (S) was able to construct the trench for the Battle of Al Khandaq that was crucial in the defending of Medina from the non-believers. What I found fascinating was how it was a blessing that Medina was in a civil war that lasted for generations. The youth of Medina were tired of bloodshed and ready to embrace change of every aspect of life. So it is a blessing that the Prophet (S) comes at a time of confusion and violence and introduces them to Islam a religion of peace. What also helped was that the Prophet (S) was the second cousin to the khazraj tribe. Hathim married a woman named salma and together they had a son, after Hathim died salma raised the child with her. So when the brother of Hathim, Mutalib, came and told the boy to return with him and persuaded the boy. So when people asked who the boy was Mutalib said nothing so everyone assumed he was his slave and named him Abd Al mutalib who is the grandfather of the Prophet (S). I look at this as an example of the beautiful planning of Allah (SWT) and how he knows who everyone marries and ends up with. Another reason the people of Medina were so open to the idea of a new religion was because of the presences of Jewish people in Medina. The Jews are known to be arrogant and to not allow converts in the religions. For years and years, the jewish people had been rubbing it in the Aws and Khazraj’s face that they are better than them because they were given a book, a code of law and a designated prophet. So this influenced the non-Jewish people of Medina to convert to Islam and helped further spread the influence of Islam in the region. I learned a lot from the video on Hijrah that was very new and enlightening to the way I view and practice my religion. I hope to maintain and apply this knowledge in my every day practices of Islam and inshallah this knowledge will benefit me on the Day of Judgement. Ameen.