The month of Muharram is the first month of the Islamic Calendar. As we enter this blessed month we should remind ourselves about the Hijrah and the actions that RasulAllah (saw) took to make the Hijrah. More specifically, RasulAllah (saw) sought Nusrah from powerful tribes, so that they would believe in Islam and support him. This support came from the Ansar (ra) who saw the immense opportunity in serving in the cause of Allah (swt).
During the Khilafah of Umar bin al-Khattab (ra) the Sahabah (ra) agreed to start the Islamic calendar in the year that the Messenger of Allah (saw) made Hijrah (i.e. migration from Makkah) to Madinah and established the first Islamic State. According to the Seerah of ibn Hisham, he (saw) arrived in Madinah on the 12th of Rabi Al-Awwal. As we enter the blessed month of Muharram in the year 1431, we should remind ourselves of the Hijrah and its significance.
The Seerah of RasulAllah (saw) is dear to the hearts of all believers. It is part of our iman to love the Prophet (saw) and therefore we joyfully analyze each detail of his blessed life. However, it is important that we do not stop there. Allah (swt) has made it fard (obligatory) to follow the Sunnah of RasulAllah (saw). Therefore, when we look at the Seerah of the Prophet (saw) – and the Hijrah in particular – we should focus on what actions he undertook to achieve such a feat. As we know, RasulAllah (saw) did not do anything related to the Deen out of his own desires. Allah (swt) revealed:
“Nor does he speak out of desire. It is naught but revelation that is revealed.” [TMQ 53:3-4]
Consequently, the Prophet (saw) was guided by the Wahy (revelation) from Allah (swt) to undertake those actions necessary to make the Hijrah from dar-al kufr to dar-al Islam.
Hijrah: Its Relationship to Seeking Nusrah
The Seerah of RasulAllah (saw) is an integral part of the Sunnah, and is just as much a part of the revelation as is the Qur'an. More importantly, we are obligated to follow the Prophet (saw) – even in his method of Da’wah. As Allah (swt) revealed in the following ayat:
"Say (O Muhammad): If you love Allah then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." [TMQ 3:31]
"And whatever the Messenger gives you, accept it, and whatever he forbids you avoid it." [TMQ 59:7]
Consequently, when examining the amazing journey of RasulAllah (saw), it is important to recognize that the Hijrah did not just happen by accident. Rather, the Prophet (saw) undertook the action of seeking ‘Nusrah’ (i.e. seeking the support of the people of power in society who would believe in Islam and transfer authority to the Prophet (saw)). According to the Seerah, the Hijrah marks the transition from the phase in the Da'wah known as "Seeking the Nusrah" to the phase where Islam is implemented in the form of a state. The Hijrah of RasulAllah (saw) was a direct result of seeking, and subsequently receiving the Nusrah. As narrated in the following hadith, Allah (swt) ordered the Prophet (saw) to seek Nusrah:
It is narrated on the authority of Ibn Abbas (ra) in Ibn Hajar’s Fath ul Bari, Tuhaft ul Ahwadhi & al Kalam as well as Hakim, Abu Nua’im and Baihaqi in Dala’il with sound narrations, Ibn Abbas quotes Ali ibn Abi Talib (ra) who says:
“When Allah (swt) ordered the Prophet to approach the Arab tribes, I and Abu Bakr accompanied the Prophet (saw) to Mina until the court of the Arab tribes.”
Although the Muslims did enjoy safety in Madinah, it was not the main objective of the Hijrah. That is, the Hijrah to Madinah was not made to relieve the Muslims of persecution in Makkah, or to find them a safe haven. We see this clearly in fact that RasulAllah (saw) was seeking much more than safety for himself and the Sahabah (ra) when he refused the conditional offer of support from the tribe of Bani Shaiban, who offered to protect the Prophet (saw) from the Arabs but not the Persians. He replied to their offer by saying:
"Your reply is in no way bad, for you have spoken eloquently and truthfully. (But) God's religion can only be engaged in by those who encompass all sides."
[Abu Nu'aym, Al-Hakim and Al-Bayhaqi]
The Prophet (saw) continued to seek Nusrah despite the refusal of several tribes; he did not waver, nor despair or change his course. ‘Zaad al Ma’ad’ reports from al-Waqidi said:
“The tribes known to us whom the Prophet (saw) approached and called them are Banu ‘Aamer ibn Sa’sa’, Muharib ibn Hafsah, Fazarah, Ghassan, Murrah, Haneefah, Sulaym, ‘Abs, Banu Nadhar, Banu Bika’, Kindah, Kalb, Harith ibn Ka’ab, ‘Udrah and the Hadhramis.
None of them responded positively.”
The Prophet (saw) persisted in seeking Nusrah until Allah (swt) blessed His Deen with Nusrah from the Ansar. His persistence on seeking the Nusrah demonstrates that this action (of seeking Nusrah) is fard (obligatory) when seeking authority for Islam.
Allah (swt) Grants His Messenger (saw) the Support
When Mus'ab ibn Umair (ra) was sent to Madinah to spread the Message of Islam, it took him one year of tireless work in that city before its leaders journeyed to Makkah to transfer their authority over to the Prophet (saw) by giving him the Ba'yah. This Ba'yah was called Bayat-ul Harb (Allegiance of War). Although there was no war, it was called Bayat-ul Harb because it indicated the willingness of the Muslims to fight, when necessary, to protect the Da'wah and the newly established Islamic State. The Prophet (saw) had invested four years of Da'wah, towards most of the tribes in Najd (the large area between Makkah and Madinah) before he received the Nusrah.
The Quraysh understood the political importance of Nusrah. They understood that once RasulAllah (saw) was able to achieve the leadership in Madinah that he would challenge their dominance over the Arabs. Consequently, they became desperate and resorted to means that went completely against the laws of their tribal society: killing their own. As Allah (swt) has revealed:
“And when those who disbelieved devised plans against you that they might confine you or slay you or drive you away.” [TMQ 8:30]
It is critical for us, the Muslims, to realize that this event not only marks the beginning of our calendar, but more importantly it commemorates the establishment of the nucleus of the first Islamic State. For hundreds of years to come this nucleus would spread Islam to the neighboring lands, liberating one oppressed people after another and bringing them the Justice of the Islamic system.
Madinah: First Place in Islam ruled by Allah’s (swt) Law
Prior to the establishment of the first Islamic State, RasulAllah (saw) and the Sahabah (ra) formed a political party that advocated change from a society that ruled by other than what Allah (swt) revealed to a society that only ruled by what Allah (swt) revealed. After the Hijrah, the Prophet (saw) was the one who implemented this divine law. By attaining this leadership, RasulAllah (saw) established a societal structure where all matters would be referred back to Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw). No longer would humanity be held to the despotic rule of men. Rather, they would now enjoy the tranquility that can only be achieved from submitting the government and the courts to the Wahy (revelation) from Allah (swt). In other words, Madinah was the first patch on earth to experience the Justice of Islam. It was here that the solutions by Allah (swt) to humanity’s problems were first implemented, including those that relate to governing structures, social arrangements, and economic transactions.
Al-Ansar: Those Who gave Nusrah to RasulAllah (saw)
When recalling this journey of RasulAllah (saw), it is also important to remember the Ansar (ra). It was these Sahabah (ra) who saw the immense opportunity to support the Deen of Allah (swt) and His Messenger Muhammad (saw). In the Glorious Quran, Allah (swt) has described the Ansar with qualities that every true believer aspires to attain. Allah (swt) was pleased with them and they were pleased with Him. Allah (swt) has revealed:
"And the foremost to embrace Islam of the Muhajirun (those who migrated from Makkah to Al-Madinah) and the Ansar (the people of Madinah who gave Nusrah to Islam) and also those who followed them exactly (in Faith). Allah is well-pleased with them as they are well-pleased with Him. He has prepared for them Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise), to dwell therein forever. That is the supreme success."
[TMQ 9:100]
In the saheeh hadith, it is narrated that we are obligated to love the Ansar:
"Love for the Ansar is a sign of faith and hatred for the Ansar is a sign of hypocrisy." [Bukhari & Muslim]
"None but the believer loves them, none but the hypocrite hates them. He who loved them loved Allah and he who hated them hated Allah." [Tirmidhi]
Furthermore, the Messenger of Allah (saw) loved the Ansar:
"The Prophet saw the women and children (of the Ansar) coming forward. (The sub-narrator said, "I think that Anas said, 'They were returning from a wedding party.'") The Prophet stood up and said three times, "By Allah! You are from the most beloved people to me." [Bukhari]
Where are the Ansar of Today?
A year ago, we watched the streets of Gaza flowing with the blood of this noble Ummah. Today, the oppression still continues even though the cameras have been turned off. We are once again in need of leadership of the likes of the Ansar who were willing to follow the Prophet (saw) even if he led them into the ocean. The condition of the Muslims today is similar to the condition of the Muslims prior to the Hijrah – the Muslims have no security and the enemies of Islam have the upper hand. Just as Sumayiah (ra) and other Muslims were brutally killed in Makkah, we are slaughtered in Gaza, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Chechnya, and many other places. However, once RasulAllah (saw) got the Nusrah from the Ansar, he was able to provide sanctuary for the believers. Similarly, once the Ansar (i.e. the people of power and influence) of today rise up and see Islam as more important than their wealth, family, and lives – they, by the Will of Allah (swt), will provide protection to the Muslims from the war machines of the colonial powers.
The Muslims must work to convince these influential people to give Nusrah to Islam. We must convince the people of power and influence that attaining Jannah is more important than their military ranks and medals. We must make them aware that such things have no weight on the Day of Judgment – unless they were used for Allah’s (swt) cause.
May Allah (swt) help us to work as the Sahabah (ra) did and invite the people of power and influence to Islam. May Allah (swt) guide the influential people amongst the Muslims. May Allah (swt) change our state of fear to one of security.
“Call to mind how He gave you shelter when you were a few in number and were oppressed in the land, ever fearing lest the enemy would kidnap you. He made you strong with His help and provided you a safe asylum and gave you pure things for sustenance so that you may give thanks”. [TMQ 8:26] (Politically Aware Muslims)
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