So we talked about the journey of the Hijrah, and the miraculous story of Suraqa ibn Malik, of how he was told he would be wearing the bracelets of Kisra.
As we said in the last episode, the story of the Hijrah has a number of small stories — and one of these is the story of Ummi Ma'bad:
This story is narrated from Ummi Ma'bad (أم معبد) directly:
It is also narrated that a caravan passed by the Prophet PBUH. Realize in those days, it was common that when two caravans met, they would stop to greet each other, pass news, find out what was happening, etc. Indeed, if you are in the middle of the desert and have not seen anyone for many days, it makes sense that you would meander towards any passerby and talk for a little while. So when the caravan saw two riders in the distance, they veered away to go greet them. And lo and behold, one of them recognized Abu Bakr. (The man was not a Qureshi. And they have not heard of the bounty.) So they greeted Abu Bakr, and asked, "Who is this man with you?" Abu Bakr responded in what we call tawriya (double meaning) — tawriya is not a lie, it is a double meaning, i.e., it does not give you an untruth — Abu Bakr said, "He (the Prophet PBUH) is my guide, guiding me to the path." Of course, what Abu Bakr meant was that he PBUH was guiding him to the path to Jannah — but the caravan understood "my guide" here to mean a normal travel guide who was guiding him to someplace. (And this, by the way, shows us Abdullah ibn Urayqit had left the Prophet PBUH and Abu Bakr at a certain time and place prior to this.)
1. The real meaning of tawakkul (توكل).
2. Another key lesson we learn from the incident of the Hijrah is that Abu Bakr RA is the ONLY sahabi whose Companionship has been testified for by Allah in the Quran.
The name Yathrib, some scholars say, comes from the word "tathrib (تثريب)" which means "to criticize," (as found in [Quran, 12:92]). Others say it comes from "tharb (ثرب)" which means "evil/corruption." And we know that the Prophet PBUH did not like bad names. E.g., when a number of people who converted to Islam had bad names, the Prophet PBUH would change them. In one example, a lady had the name 'sour' (in Arabic), so the Prophet PBUH changed it to 'sweet.' The jahili Arabs had a superstition that if Person-A says something good about Person-B, you must say something bad about Person-B in order to, allegedly, counter the nazar (evil eye). E.g., if someone says, "Your son is handsome," they would say, "No, no — he is ugly!" to, allegedly, counter the evil eye. But in Islam, this is not how we counter the evil eye. In any case, the point is we should not choose bad names.
There are only two Harams in the world: (i) Makkah, and (ii) Madinah — al-Haramayn al-Sharifayn (الحرمين الشريفين - the Two Sanctuaries). How about Bayt al-Maqdis (al-Aqsa)? As for al-Bayt al-Maqdis, no doubt, it is a blessed land —it was the first qibla, and it is a place where you get extra reward (250x) if you pray in— BUT it is not a Haram from a fiqh standpoint. Even though the people of Jerusalem call it al-Haram al-Sharif, still, it's not a Haram from a fiqh standpoint. You can hunt the animals of Jerusalem; you cannot of Makkah and Madinah. And none of the scholars or ulama ever said Jerusalem is a Haram. Yes, it's a land of large blessings, but it's not a Haram. Every Haram is a blessed land, but not every blessed land is a Haram.
Now why was Madinah chosen? Out of all the cities in the world, if Allah had wanted, he could have sent the Prophet PBUH to Abyssinia for example. So why Madinah? (Note: Obviously, when we answer this question, we need to put the disclaimer that these reasons we list below are derived from what we understand, i.e., from what our scholars have derived. And Allah knows the real reasons.)
1. Strategic location. Madinah is reasonably close to Makkah without being too close. From Makkah to Madinah, an average caravan would take 7-8 days, and a fast rider would take around 3 days. So it's a distance not threateningly close, and at the same time, not too far, unlike Abyssinia.
2. It's an amazing city from a military standpoint. It has natural protection from three sides around it. On the two sides (east and west), it has two volcanic foundations. The Prophet PBUH said, "Madinah is a Haram between its two labba (ما بين لابتيها حرام)," i.e., between its two volcanic foundations. There was volcanic activity in Madinah maybe a few thousand years ago —Allah knows when— and it formed a type of material that's neither sand nor rock nor gravel, i.e., it's not something you can walk on easily; and thus, the east and west of Madinah are naturally protected by these large labba. The southern side (facing Makkah) is generally a luscious cultivation of date palms. It's densely populated with date palms, and as such, you cannot take an army through the southern expanse of the city. Thus, the only part exposed is the northern side — which is why the Prophet PBUH only had to dig a trench to the north of the city in the Battle of Khandaq [5 AH] [see episode 57]. All that was needed was a trench a few miles long. And it was possible because of this geological structure.
3. The people of Madinah had never been conquered, thus, they had a strong determined spirit. They had always been independent since the beginning, so they had an izzah and a fighting spirit necessary to take Islam forward.
4. Aisha RA said the Civil War of Bu'ath that had been going on in Madinah —according to some scholars, for 100 years, and others, 40-50 years— was a gift that Allah gave to the Prophet PBUH. How so? The wars did many things: most importantly, it eliminated the stubborn, power-hungry senior members of the community. This left Madinah to the young blood who were tired of the bloodshed, who wanted change, who wanted a new leader from outside the bloodied tribes, i.e., they wanted a fresh, neutral leader — and they found this in the Prophet PBUH.
5. Another divine wisdom is that the Prophet PBUH had a blood connection with the people of Madinah (Khazraj). Allah chooses his place of Emigration to be a land where he is a second cousin to some of them. How so? As we have discussed in episode 5, a few decades ago, the Prophet's PBUH great-grandfather Hashim would go through Madinah (which of course was called Yathrib at the time) on his way from Makkah to Syria, and one time, he saw a very energetic, dynamic, beautiful lady called Salma (سلمى) who was a business lady, and he married her — he sent a proposal through her father, and she laid some conditions down: (i) She would stay in Madinah, (ii) she would keep all the children, and (iii) she would remain a businesswoman. The couple was only able to be together for a short time, but she was pregnant with his son Shayba (شيبة). And Shayba grows up. Initially, the Quraysh had no idea about this. But one day, the brother of Hashim, al-Muttalib, saw Shayba in the streets of Madinah, and he recognized him as one of his blood by the features of his face, so he asked him, "Who is your father?" and he proudly said, "My father is Hashim." And long story short, he took Shayba back to Makkah. And when the Quraysh saw Shayba, they assumed he was al-Muttalib's new slave, so they called him Abdul Muttalib (Muttalib's Slave) — and this is how Shayba got his new name Abdul Muttalib. And of course, as we know, Abdul Muttalib is the grandfather of the Prophet PBUH. So this is how the Prophet PBUH is related to the people of Madinah. Is this not a divine miracle? The very streets the Prophet PBUH will live in, his own grandfather was raised there. It's clearly Allah's plan. Salma is from the tribe of the Banu Adi ibn al-Najjar (بنو عدي بن النجار) from the Khazraj, thus the Prophet PBUH to them was not a stranger. (Side note: To be frank, however, somebody related through a female [akhwal/أخوال] is not the same as somebody related through a male [a'mam/أعمام] for the Arab culture [and even in Islamic law] — but it is a relation nonetheless.)
6. The Arabs of the Yathrib were the Aws and the Khazraj — and they were Qahtanis. Recall there were two Arabs: Qahtan and Adnan. And aside from the Aws and the Khazraj, all other surrounding Arab tribes were Adnanis. It's not a coincidence that Qahtanis and Adnanis will be merging together to form the new Islamic state. For the Adnanis and Qahtanis to come together to form the early Islamic state, nobody could oppose them on nationalistic grounds anymore. This is a sign of what is going to happen: Islam will come to obliterate ethnic differences and tribalism.
8. The unique combination of the Jews and the Arabs in Yathrib was very necessary. Of the greatest benefit: the Aws and the Khazraj had rubbed shoulders with monotheistic people for two centuries. So they were familiar with the concept of Books, prophets, shariah, etc. The Jews had always been flouting it in their face [as we discussed in episode 26]. So the Aws and the Khazraj learned about the truth of monotheism from this. And so when Islam —the real truth— came, they embraced it. (And those who were flouting it will end up rejecting it out of arrogance [as we will see in future episodes].)
Next time, we will discuss where the Jewish tribes came from. In the middle of the Arabian Peninsula, where did they come from?
5. The Story of Ummi Ma'bad
This story is narrated from Ummi Ma'bad (أم معبد) directly:
She narrated that she was an elderly lady, a complete Bedouin, living in a tent in the desert wandering, finding food and water. One day, when she was waiting for her husband to return, she heard the rustling of some travelers who asked her permission to come in, and she let them come in (because she was an elderly lady and very poor and had nothing to be stolen; she was not worried about anything). It turned out it was the Prophet PBUH and Abu Bakr RA. (But of course, she didn't recognize them.) The Prophet PBUH and Abu Bakr entered and said, "May we purchase any food from you?" (This is of course their adab — even though if they had asked for free food, it was also customarily acceptable.) Ummi Ma'bad apologized and replied she had nothing to give them, and that in fact, her husband had gone out in search of food. The Prophet PBUH saw in the tent an old goat in the corner, but it was apparent that it was too old to give milk or reproduce goatlings. Still, the Prophet PBUH asked permission to milk it. Ummi Ma'bad replied, "That day has long gone." The Prophet PBUH: "But do you allow me to?" In Ummi Ma'bad's mind, of course there was no question this was impossible — but looking at the insistence, she said, "If you want to, go ahead." So the Prophet PBUH made du'a, mentioned the name of Allah SWT, and moved his hand under the udder — and instantly, the udder filled up with milk. Of course, Ummi Ma'bad was shocked. Abu Bakr milked it, and he and the Prophet PBUH drank to their full. And they left the remainder for Ummi Ma'bad and her husband as well. When her husband returned, he was shocked to find the milk and asked her where the milk came from. She explained there were two travelers who came in, and so on. And this is where Ummi Ma'bad described the physical looks of the Prophet PBUH [as we discussed in episode 2]. Upon hearing this, her husband said, "Those are the two that the Quraysh are hunting. Do you not know one of them claims to be a prophet?" When she heard this, she realized this was not just a claim, she realized he must be a real prophet — and so they both accepted Islam.
This narration is significant because Ummi Ma'bad is one of the few sahabiyyat (صحابيات - female Companions of the Prophet) who actually describes the physical looks of the Prophet PBUH. She said he was handsome, had long hair, was neither short nor tall, etc. [see episode 2].
This incident happened outside of Madinah by around a 3-hour drive (in our time) — and the place is still called Qadid/Qudaid to this day.
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It is also narrated that the Prophet PBUH converted two or three more people along the way to Madinah. (But we don't know the details or their names.) Subhan'Allah, even when the Prophet PBUH was running for his life, he still paused to give dawah to people. Wherever he is going, he is spreading good. Any opportunity that he gets, he is giving dawah.
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6. Another Mini Story During the Hijrah
It is also narrated that a caravan passed by the Prophet PBUH. Realize in those days, it was common that when two caravans met, they would stop to greet each other, pass news, find out what was happening, etc. Indeed, if you are in the middle of the desert and have not seen anyone for many days, it makes sense that you would meander towards any passerby and talk for a little while. So when the caravan saw two riders in the distance, they veered away to go greet them. And lo and behold, one of them recognized Abu Bakr. (The man was not a Qureshi. And they have not heard of the bounty.) So they greeted Abu Bakr, and asked, "Who is this man with you?" Abu Bakr responded in what we call tawriya (double meaning) — tawriya is not a lie, it is a double meaning, i.e., it does not give you an untruth — Abu Bakr said, "He (the Prophet PBUH) is my guide, guiding me to the path." Of course, what Abu Bakr meant was that he PBUH was guiding him to the path to Jannah — but the caravan understood "my guide" here to mean a normal travel guide who was guiding him to someplace. (And this, by the way, shows us Abdullah ibn Urayqit had left the Prophet PBUH and Abu Bakr at a certain time and place prior to this.)
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What We Learn From the Incident of the Hijrah
1. The real meaning of tawakkul (توكل).
Look at the meticulous preparations for the Hijrah. The Prophet PBUH told Abu Bakr, "Don't travel — I need a companion, and insha'Allah, it will be you" — and upon hearing this, Abu Bakr prepared diligently: he fattened up two camels and prepared food for the journey; the Prophet PBUH then came to him when everyone was asleep/taking qaylulah (قيلولة - nap), i.e., midday, so that no one could see it was him. Also, when he came, he covered his face as an extra measure. On top of this, when he entered, he told everyone other than Abu Bakr to leave the house. And he left for Ghari Thawr in the middle of the night, leaving Ali RA in his bed, and he covered his tracks using the flocks of Amir ibn Fuhayra, and he found a trustworthy guide, and he told Asma to give them food, and he told Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr to listen in to conversations and news, so on and so forth. Now, these preparations are coming from someone who has ultimate tawakkul in Allah; he *is* the Messenger of Allah. Still, he takes precautions — and this manifests the reality of our religion: "TIE your camel, and THEN put your trust in Allah [that the camel won't run away]," i.e., we must make every effort within our means before putting our trust in Allah.
And what's beautiful is the Prophet PBUH on the journey is just walking straight in absolute peace reciting the Quran — because he knows he has done everything he can. And in the cave, he PBUH even reassured Abu Bakr who was palpitating. This is the essence of tawakkul. You do everything you can, but your heart is not attached to these preparations, but rather, to Allah AWJ.
Notice also, hiding in the cave doesn't go against tawakkul. In fact, it epitomizes it. Tawakkul is not coming out of the cave and saying, "Here we are, O Quraysh! Come for us — Allah will protect us!" No! Tawakkul is hiding in the cave, doing as much as you can, and then putting your trust in Allah — as the Prophet PBUH and Abu Bakr did. Allah will then make sure the Quraysh don't look down — Allah SWT will protect you once you have done your job. And the same applies to each and every element of our lives. Do everything in our capacity, then rely on Allah for the outcome. There is a beautiful verse in Surah al-Tawba, one of the last surahs revealed: At a time when the Muslims were at the peak of their power (after the Conquest of Makkah — 8 AH), Allah said to the sahaba:
i.e., "If you are not going to help the Prophet PBUH, don't worry, Allah has already helped him. When the kuffar expelled him from Makkah and he was only one of two people, when they were in the Cave of Thawr, when he said to his companion, "Don't worry, Allah SWT is with us," at that point, Allah sent his sakina (سكينة - peace/tranquility) upon him, and Allah helped him with an 'army that you did not see' (and a lot of mufassirun [مفسرون - Quranic exegetes] say the reference here is to the pigeon/spider/tree)."
إِلَّا تَنصُرُوهُ فَقَدْ نَصَرَهُ اللَّهُ إِذْ أَخْرَجَهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا ثَانِيَ اثْنَيْنِ إِذْ هُمَا فِي الْغَارِ إِذْ يَقُولُ لِصَاحِبِهِ لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَنَا ۖ فَأَنزَلَ اللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَيَّدَهُ بِجُنُودٍ لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا وَجَعَلَ كَلِمَةَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا السُّفْلَىٰ ۗ وَكَلِمَةُ اللَّهِ هِيَ الْعُلْيَا ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
"[It does not matter] if you [Believers] do not support him (the Prophet PBUH), for Allah did in fact support him when the disbelievers drove him out [of Makkah], and he was only one of two. While they both were in the cave, he reassured his companion, 'Do not worry; Allah is certainly with us.' So Allah sent down His serenity upon the Prophet, supported him with forces you did not see, and made the word of the disbelievers lowest, while the Word of Allah supreme. And Allah is Almighty, All-Wise" [9:40].i.e., "If you are not going to help the Prophet PBUH, don't worry, Allah has already helped him. When the kuffar expelled him from Makkah and he was only one of two people, when they were in the Cave of Thawr, when he said to his companion, "Don't worry, Allah SWT is with us," at that point, Allah sent his sakina (سكينة - peace/tranquility) upon him, and Allah helped him with an 'army that you did not see' (and a lot of mufassirun [مفسرون - Quranic exegetes] say the reference here is to the pigeon/spider/tree)."
2. Another key lesson we learn from the incident of the Hijrah is that Abu Bakr RA is the ONLY sahabi whose Companionship has been testified for by Allah in the Quran.
The rest of the sahaba are inferred indirectly, whereas Abu Bakr is direct. In the same [9:40], Allah says, "إِذْ يَقُولُ لِصَاحِبِهِ" i.e., Allah affirmed Abu Bakr as being a sahib/sahabi. So if anyone denies Abu Bakr RA as being a sahabi, he has gone against the Quran. And by unanimous consensus of all the groups of Islam (including even the non-Sunnis), it was indeed Abu Bakr RA who was in the cave with the Prophet PBUH. Not anybody else. So, anyone who denies the Companionship of Abu Bakr, he has gone against the Quran.
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The Name Madinah
So, right now, we are just outside the city of Madinah (or Yathrib as it was first known), and the Prophet PBUH is going to come in. But before we get there, let us discuss about the name Madinah.
Madinah of course was originally called Yathrib. It's an ancient city surrounded by volcanic rock and blessed with an undercurrent of water (groundwater) — and that allowed for fertile date palms to grow. Khaybar and Yathrib were the only two places in Hejaz with these large date palms. In fact, the Prophet PBUH was shown Madinah in his dream by its date palms. In the 10th or 11th year of the dawah (2 years before the Hijrah), when he was still in Makkah, he told the Muslims:
Madinah of course was originally called Yathrib. It's an ancient city surrounded by volcanic rock and blessed with an undercurrent of water (groundwater) — and that allowed for fertile date palms to grow. Khaybar and Yathrib were the only two places in Hejaz with these large date palms. In fact, the Prophet PBUH was shown Madinah in his dream by its date palms. In the 10th or 11th year of the dawah (2 years before the Hijrah), when he was still in Makkah, he told the Muslims:
رأيت في المنام أني أهاجر من مكة إلى أرض بها نخل فذهب وهلي إلى أنها اليمامة أو هجر فإذا هي المدينة يثرب
"I saw a dream, that I will emigrate to a land with a lot of date palms. So I thought it might be al-Yamamah or Hajar (two faraway cities in Yemen) — but it turned out to be Madinah." The Prophet PBUH found out it turned out to be Madinah when the Khazraj embraced Islam and invited him to come to their city. This hadith is found in Sahih Bukhari.
And in Sahih Bukhari as well, the Prophet PBUH said:
أمرت بقرية تأكل القرى يقولون يثرب وهي المدينة
"I have been commanded to emigrate to a city that shall devour all other cities. They call it Yathrib, but it is Madinah." From this hadith, we learn that Islamically, we are not allowed to call this city Yathrib anymore. The Prophet PBUH changed its name. And it's clear that the Quran also emphasizes this point. We see that whenever the Quran mentions the name Yathrib, it ONLY comes from the tongues of the munafiqun. E.g.:
وَإِذْ قَالَت طَّائِفَةٌ مِّنْهُمْ يَا أَهْلَ يَثْرِبَ لَا مُقَامَ لَكُمْ فَارْجِعُوا
"And when a faction of them said, 'O people of Yathrib, there is no stability for you [here], so return [home]'" [Quran, 33:13]. The munafiqun still called the city Yathrib even after the Prophet PBUH had changed its name, because they didn't like the name Madinah (as it was given by the Prophet PBUH).
In one hadith, the Prophet PBUH said, "Whoever calls Madinah Yathrib should say istighfar, because it is Tabah." (We will get to this name "Tabah" in a while.)
Allah and the Prophet PBUH always call the city Madinah. For example, in Surah al-Tawba:
وَمِمَّنْ حَوْلَكُم مِّنَ الْأَعْرَابِ مُنَافِقُونَ ۖ وَمِنْ أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ
"And among those around you of the Bedouins are hypocrites, and [also] from the people of Madinah" [Quran, 9:101].The name Yathrib, some scholars say, comes from the word "tathrib (تثريب)" which means "to criticize," (as found in [Quran, 12:92]). Others say it comes from "tharb (ثرب)" which means "evil/corruption." And we know that the Prophet PBUH did not like bad names. E.g., when a number of people who converted to Islam had bad names, the Prophet PBUH would change them. In one example, a lady had the name 'sour' (in Arabic), so the Prophet PBUH changed it to 'sweet.' The jahili Arabs had a superstition that if Person-A says something good about Person-B, you must say something bad about Person-B in order to, allegedly, counter the nazar (evil eye). E.g., if someone says, "Your son is handsome," they would say, "No, no — he is ugly!" to, allegedly, counter the evil eye. But in Islam, this is not how we counter the evil eye. In any case, the point is we should not choose bad names.
So the Prophet PBUH called the city "Al-Madinah," meaning "The City." And the longer name is "Madinatu Rasulillah SallAllahu Alayhi wa-Sallam (مدينة رسول الله ﷺ - The City of the Messenger of Allah Peace Be Upon Him)." But he primarily called it al-Madinah. And it has many other names; one scholar listed over 100 names for Madinah. However, our Prophet PBUH only called it Madinah (مدينة), Tabah (طَابَة), and Taybah (طَيْبَة). Tabah and Taybah both mean "the Pure," and "the Source of Purity." In one hadith, e.g., in Musnad Imam Ahmad, the Prophet PBUH said, "Whoever says Yathrib should say istighfar, because it is al-Tabah, because it is al-Tabah, because it is al-Tabah." And this actually shows that Yathrib meant evil and corruption, because the opposite of Taybah/Tabah is evil.
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Blessings of Madinah
The Prophet PBUH said Madinah has many blessings:
1. In Sahih Bukhari, it's narrated that the Prophet PBUH made du'a for Madinah: "اللهم حبب إلينا المدينة كحبنا مكة أو أشد (O Allah, cause us to love Madinah as much as we love Makkah, or even more)." And Ibn Abbas narrates that whenever the Prophet PBUH would come back from an expedition and see the silhouette of Madinah in the distance, he would become excited and tell his camel or horse to go faster.
2. It has the mountain of Uhud. The Prophet PBUH said about the mountain, "هذا جبل يحبنا ونحبه (This is a mountain we love it, and it loves us)." So we believe that the mountain of Uhud loves the Muslims. It's a blessed mountain. And further, the Prophet PBUH said, "Uhud is one of the mountains of Jannah."
3. The Prophet PBUH told us that Dajjal would not be able to enter Madinah. He will try to enter and corrupt the city, but he will not be able to, as it will be guarded by two large angels. (Side note: So in the early tradition, we are told that if we hear of Dajjal, we should go to Madinah.)
4. The Prophet PBUH said, "No plague shall ever infest Madinah." And indeed, there has never been a plague in Madinah. Even the infamous 1918 Spanish influenza which killed ⅓ of the population of the world did not touch Madinah. It's amazing because people come to Madinah from all over the world, but the plague did not enter. Subhan'Allah.
5. The Prophet PBUH made du'a that Madinah be blessed — he said, "اللهم بارك لنا ... في مدينتنا (O Allah, give us barakah ... in this city of ours)." And in Bukhari, he said, "O Allah, Your servant Ibrahim declared Makkah a Haram; and I too am Your servant, so I make du'a that You make Madinah a Haram." Henceforth, Madinah has become the second Haram in our religion.
6. Also in Sahih Bukhari, the Prophet PBUH said, "O Allah, bless us in our weights and measurements of Madinah." In those days, when you purchased grain, barley, dates, etc., you would weigh it. So the Prophet PBUH is saying, "Bless us in our units of measurement." What this means is the food that you buy in Madinah will be a blessed food. It will have barakah. Barakah means it will suffice more people. [See also: episode 58.]
7. In one hadith, the Prophet PBUH said, "اللهم اجعل بالمدينة ضعفي ما جعلت بمكة من البركة (O Allah, make Madinah double the blessings You have given to Makkah)." But, as a side note, this hadith has proven a little bit problematic for some scholars because does this mean Madinah is more blessed than Makkah? There has been a lot of discussions. Some of the classical scholars, e.g., Imam Malik, who was a Madani, considered Madinah to be the holiest land, even if Makkah has more reward for praying [Makkah = 100,000x reward. Whereas Madinah = 1,000x reward.] Still, for Imam Malik and others, they said the city of Madinah is more blessed because of this hadith. And other scholars have said each city is blessed in its own way — we don't compare the two. No doubt, Makkah has superiority in some angles; and of them is that (according to majority opinion) Makkah was blessed the day Allah created the heavens and earth, and Ibrahim AS announced its blessedness; whereas Madinah, it became blessed with the Emigration of the Prophet PBUH to it. Another superiority of Makkah is that it has the first house of worship meant for the worship of Allah (the Ka'bah) to ever be built on earth. So the scholars say it's not appropriate to compare; each one has its fadila (فضيلة - virtue) and blessings.
8. The Prophet PBUH said, "إن الإيمان يأرز إلى المدينة كما تأرز الحية إلى جحرها (Iman returns to Madinah like a desert animal returns to its hole)." It's a beautiful analogy. When the desert animal feels threatened, it immediately jumps into its hole. So subhan'Allah, when the people of Iman are attacked, or when Islam is facing a crisis, Madinah will be the place where Iman is protected. Madinah will be the bastion of Islam.
9. Madinah will be protected against the plots of its enemies. The Prophet PBUH said in Bukhari, "No one shall plot to harm Madinah except that Allah will dissolve him like salt is dissolved in water."
10. The Prophet PBUH said in Sahih Bukhari, "Whoever does a crime (i.e., a sin or Innovation) in Madinah, or helps a criminal in Madinah, he shall have the la'na (لعنة - curse) of Allah, the angels, and all of mankind; and Allah will not accept from him any obligatory or nafl (نفل - voluntary) deed." (This is a huge blessing of Madinah, but at the same time, a very dangerous warning for anybody who wishes to harm it.)
11. Madinah is a blessed place to live in. The Prophet PBUH said in Bukhari, "Madinah is better for them, if they only knew (المدينة خير لهم لو كانوا يعلمون). No one leaves Madinah not wanting to live there except that Allah replaces him with someone better. And he who is patient with the difficulties of Madinah (its climate, etc.), I will be an intercessor for him on the Day of Judgment."
12. Madinah is a blessed place to die in. The Prophet PBUH said in Musnad Imam Ahmad, "Whoever amongst you is able to die in Madinah, let him do so, because I will intercede for him on the Day of Judgment." (Du'a to die in Madinah: "أَللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ المَوْتَ فِي مَدِينَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَدَّفْنَا فِي بَقِيعِ الْغَرْقَدْ [O Allah, we ask You to cause us to die in The City of the Prophet PBUH, and cause us to be buried in Baqi' al-Gharqad].") It's a huge blessing to just die in Madinah. (And we all know Umar RA used to make a strange du'a, "O Allah, I want to die a shaheed, and I [also] want to die in Madinah." And his own son Ibn Umar would scoff at this and say, "O my father, how can you combine these two things?" — because Madinah at that time was no longer a land of jihad — there was no war. But subhan'Allah, Allah SWT accepted this du'a, and Umar RA died a shaheed IN Madinah.)
13. Baqi' al-Gharqad is in Madinah. It is the most blessed graveyard in the world. Ibn Hajar says, over 10,000 sahaba —including all the 9 wives of the Prophet PBUH— are buried there (except Khadija RA); the Prophet's PBUH son, grandson, great-grandson, the Prophet's PBUH aunt Safiyyah, Uthman ibn Affan, many scholars including Imam Malik and other tabi'is, are all buried in Baqi' al-Gharqad. One time, Aisha RA woke up in the middle of the night and found that the Prophet PBUH was nowhere to be seen — and when the Prophet PBUH came back, he told her, "Jibril came to me in the middle of the night and told me to go and pray for the people in Baqi' al-Gharqad." [See also: episode 101.]
1. In Sahih Bukhari, it's narrated that the Prophet PBUH made du'a for Madinah: "اللهم حبب إلينا المدينة كحبنا مكة أو أشد (O Allah, cause us to love Madinah as much as we love Makkah, or even more)." And Ibn Abbas narrates that whenever the Prophet PBUH would come back from an expedition and see the silhouette of Madinah in the distance, he would become excited and tell his camel or horse to go faster.
2. It has the mountain of Uhud. The Prophet PBUH said about the mountain, "هذا جبل يحبنا ونحبه (This is a mountain we love it, and it loves us)." So we believe that the mountain of Uhud loves the Muslims. It's a blessed mountain. And further, the Prophet PBUH said, "Uhud is one of the mountains of Jannah."
3. The Prophet PBUH told us that Dajjal would not be able to enter Madinah. He will try to enter and corrupt the city, but he will not be able to, as it will be guarded by two large angels. (Side note: So in the early tradition, we are told that if we hear of Dajjal, we should go to Madinah.)
4. The Prophet PBUH said, "No plague shall ever infest Madinah." And indeed, there has never been a plague in Madinah. Even the infamous 1918 Spanish influenza which killed ⅓ of the population of the world did not touch Madinah. It's amazing because people come to Madinah from all over the world, but the plague did not enter. Subhan'Allah.
5. The Prophet PBUH made du'a that Madinah be blessed — he said, "اللهم بارك لنا ... في مدينتنا (O Allah, give us barakah ... in this city of ours)." And in Bukhari, he said, "O Allah, Your servant Ibrahim declared Makkah a Haram; and I too am Your servant, so I make du'a that You make Madinah a Haram." Henceforth, Madinah has become the second Haram in our religion.
6. Also in Sahih Bukhari, the Prophet PBUH said, "O Allah, bless us in our weights and measurements of Madinah." In those days, when you purchased grain, barley, dates, etc., you would weigh it. So the Prophet PBUH is saying, "Bless us in our units of measurement." What this means is the food that you buy in Madinah will be a blessed food. It will have barakah. Barakah means it will suffice more people. [See also: episode 58.]
7. In one hadith, the Prophet PBUH said, "اللهم اجعل بالمدينة ضعفي ما جعلت بمكة من البركة (O Allah, make Madinah double the blessings You have given to Makkah)." But, as a side note, this hadith has proven a little bit problematic for some scholars because does this mean Madinah is more blessed than Makkah? There has been a lot of discussions. Some of the classical scholars, e.g., Imam Malik, who was a Madani, considered Madinah to be the holiest land, even if Makkah has more reward for praying [Makkah = 100,000x reward. Whereas Madinah = 1,000x reward.] Still, for Imam Malik and others, they said the city of Madinah is more blessed because of this hadith. And other scholars have said each city is blessed in its own way — we don't compare the two. No doubt, Makkah has superiority in some angles; and of them is that (according to majority opinion) Makkah was blessed the day Allah created the heavens and earth, and Ibrahim AS announced its blessedness; whereas Madinah, it became blessed with the Emigration of the Prophet PBUH to it. Another superiority of Makkah is that it has the first house of worship meant for the worship of Allah (the Ka'bah) to ever be built on earth. So the scholars say it's not appropriate to compare; each one has its fadila (فضيلة - virtue) and blessings.
8. The Prophet PBUH said, "إن الإيمان يأرز إلى المدينة كما تأرز الحية إلى جحرها (Iman returns to Madinah like a desert animal returns to its hole)." It's a beautiful analogy. When the desert animal feels threatened, it immediately jumps into its hole. So subhan'Allah, when the people of Iman are attacked, or when Islam is facing a crisis, Madinah will be the place where Iman is protected. Madinah will be the bastion of Islam.
9. Madinah will be protected against the plots of its enemies. The Prophet PBUH said in Bukhari, "No one shall plot to harm Madinah except that Allah will dissolve him like salt is dissolved in water."
10. The Prophet PBUH said in Sahih Bukhari, "Whoever does a crime (i.e., a sin or Innovation) in Madinah, or helps a criminal in Madinah, he shall have the la'na (لعنة - curse) of Allah, the angels, and all of mankind; and Allah will not accept from him any obligatory or nafl (نفل - voluntary) deed." (This is a huge blessing of Madinah, but at the same time, a very dangerous warning for anybody who wishes to harm it.)
11. Madinah is a blessed place to live in. The Prophet PBUH said in Bukhari, "Madinah is better for them, if they only knew (المدينة خير لهم لو كانوا يعلمون). No one leaves Madinah not wanting to live there except that Allah replaces him with someone better. And he who is patient with the difficulties of Madinah (its climate, etc.), I will be an intercessor for him on the Day of Judgment."
12. Madinah is a blessed place to die in. The Prophet PBUH said in Musnad Imam Ahmad, "Whoever amongst you is able to die in Madinah, let him do so, because I will intercede for him on the Day of Judgment." (Du'a to die in Madinah: "أَللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ المَوْتَ فِي مَدِينَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَدَّفْنَا فِي بَقِيعِ الْغَرْقَدْ [O Allah, we ask You to cause us to die in The City of the Prophet PBUH, and cause us to be buried in Baqi' al-Gharqad].") It's a huge blessing to just die in Madinah. (And we all know Umar RA used to make a strange du'a, "O Allah, I want to die a shaheed, and I [also] want to die in Madinah." And his own son Ibn Umar would scoff at this and say, "O my father, how can you combine these two things?" — because Madinah at that time was no longer a land of jihad — there was no war. But subhan'Allah, Allah SWT accepted this du'a, and Umar RA died a shaheed IN Madinah.)
13. Baqi' al-Gharqad is in Madinah. It is the most blessed graveyard in the world. Ibn Hajar says, over 10,000 sahaba —including all the 9 wives of the Prophet PBUH— are buried there (except Khadija RA); the Prophet's PBUH son, grandson, great-grandson, the Prophet's PBUH aunt Safiyyah, Uthman ibn Affan, many scholars including Imam Malik and other tabi'is, are all buried in Baqi' al-Gharqad. One time, Aisha RA woke up in the middle of the night and found that the Prophet PBUH was nowhere to be seen — and when the Prophet PBUH came back, he told her, "Jibril came to me in the middle of the night and told me to go and pray for the people in Baqi' al-Gharqad." [See also: episode 101.]
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Fiqh Tangent: What Exactly is a Haram?
From a fiqh perspective, Madinah is something we call a Haram, akin to Makkah in its sanctity. What exactly is a Haram? It comes from the word haram which of course means forbidden. And Haram is an area of land where certain things halal outside of it become haram inside. For example, carrying weapons is haram in the Haram (except for a necessity for the ummah, e.g., the armed guards that are protecting the imams in our times. But this is an exception). And armies are not allowed to come in. — Even when the Prophet PBUH conquered Makkah, he told us Allah had given him special permission to enter it with an army for a little bit of time in the day — otherwise, it is not allowed [see episode 79]. The Haram is such a haram (so sacred) that you cannot even pluck grass/leaves/fruits inside it. Any living object is protected. Everything is safe. Allah says in the Quran:
وَمَن دَخَلَهُ كَانَ آمِنًا
"Whoever enters it [i.e., the Haram] shall be safe" [3:97]. Ibn Umar says, "Therefore, in the days of Jahiliyyah, a man would see the murderer of his father doing tawaf around the Ka'bah and he wouldn't do anything to harm him." Why? Because Makkah was a Haram even from Ibrahim's AS time, and the Arabs knew this — and in a Haram, everyone and everything is protected. If you even find a lost item, you have to leave it.
And Allah says:
وَمَن يُرِدْ فِيهِ بِإِلْحَادٍ بِظُلْمٍ نُّذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ
"And whoever intends therein [in the Haram] [a deed] of deviation [in religion] or wrongdoing, We will make him taste of a painful punishment" [Quran, 22:25].
There are only two Harams in the world: (i) Makkah, and (ii) Madinah — al-Haramayn al-Sharifayn (الحرمين الشريفين - the Two Sanctuaries). How about Bayt al-Maqdis (al-Aqsa)? As for al-Bayt al-Maqdis, no doubt, it is a blessed land —it was the first qibla, and it is a place where you get extra reward (250x) if you pray in— BUT it is not a Haram from a fiqh standpoint. Even though the people of Jerusalem call it al-Haram al-Sharif, still, it's not a Haram from a fiqh standpoint. You can hunt the animals of Jerusalem; you cannot of Makkah and Madinah. And none of the scholars or ulama ever said Jerusalem is a Haram. Yes, it's a land of large blessings, but it's not a Haram. Every Haram is a blessed land, but not every blessed land is a Haram.
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Wisdoms Why Madinah Was Chosen
Now why was Madinah chosen? Out of all the cities in the world, if Allah had wanted, he could have sent the Prophet PBUH to Abyssinia for example. So why Madinah? (Note: Obviously, when we answer this question, we need to put the disclaimer that these reasons we list below are derived from what we understand, i.e., from what our scholars have derived. And Allah knows the real reasons.)
1. Strategic location. Madinah is reasonably close to Makkah without being too close. From Makkah to Madinah, an average caravan would take 7-8 days, and a fast rider would take around 3 days. So it's a distance not threateningly close, and at the same time, not too far, unlike Abyssinia.
2. It's an amazing city from a military standpoint. It has natural protection from three sides around it. On the two sides (east and west), it has two volcanic foundations. The Prophet PBUH said, "Madinah is a Haram between its two labba (ما بين لابتيها حرام)," i.e., between its two volcanic foundations. There was volcanic activity in Madinah maybe a few thousand years ago —Allah knows when— and it formed a type of material that's neither sand nor rock nor gravel, i.e., it's not something you can walk on easily; and thus, the east and west of Madinah are naturally protected by these large labba. The southern side (facing Makkah) is generally a luscious cultivation of date palms. It's densely populated with date palms, and as such, you cannot take an army through the southern expanse of the city. Thus, the only part exposed is the northern side — which is why the Prophet PBUH only had to dig a trench to the north of the city in the Battle of Khandaq [5 AH] [see episode 57]. All that was needed was a trench a few miles long. And it was possible because of this geological structure.
3. The people of Madinah had never been conquered, thus, they had a strong determined spirit. They had always been independent since the beginning, so they had an izzah and a fighting spirit necessary to take Islam forward.
4. Aisha RA said the Civil War of Bu'ath that had been going on in Madinah —according to some scholars, for 100 years, and others, 40-50 years— was a gift that Allah gave to the Prophet PBUH. How so? The wars did many things: most importantly, it eliminated the stubborn, power-hungry senior members of the community. This left Madinah to the young blood who were tired of the bloodshed, who wanted change, who wanted a new leader from outside the bloodied tribes, i.e., they wanted a fresh, neutral leader — and they found this in the Prophet PBUH.
5. Another divine wisdom is that the Prophet PBUH had a blood connection with the people of Madinah (Khazraj). Allah chooses his place of Emigration to be a land where he is a second cousin to some of them. How so? As we have discussed in episode 5, a few decades ago, the Prophet's PBUH great-grandfather Hashim would go through Madinah (which of course was called Yathrib at the time) on his way from Makkah to Syria, and one time, he saw a very energetic, dynamic, beautiful lady called Salma (سلمى) who was a business lady, and he married her — he sent a proposal through her father, and she laid some conditions down: (i) She would stay in Madinah, (ii) she would keep all the children, and (iii) she would remain a businesswoman. The couple was only able to be together for a short time, but she was pregnant with his son Shayba (شيبة). And Shayba grows up. Initially, the Quraysh had no idea about this. But one day, the brother of Hashim, al-Muttalib, saw Shayba in the streets of Madinah, and he recognized him as one of his blood by the features of his face, so he asked him, "Who is your father?" and he proudly said, "My father is Hashim." And long story short, he took Shayba back to Makkah. And when the Quraysh saw Shayba, they assumed he was al-Muttalib's new slave, so they called him Abdul Muttalib (Muttalib's Slave) — and this is how Shayba got his new name Abdul Muttalib. And of course, as we know, Abdul Muttalib is the grandfather of the Prophet PBUH. So this is how the Prophet PBUH is related to the people of Madinah. Is this not a divine miracle? The very streets the Prophet PBUH will live in, his own grandfather was raised there. It's clearly Allah's plan. Salma is from the tribe of the Banu Adi ibn al-Najjar (بنو عدي بن النجار) from the Khazraj, thus the Prophet PBUH to them was not a stranger. (Side note: To be frank, however, somebody related through a female [akhwal/أخوال] is not the same as somebody related through a male [a'mam/أعمام] for the Arab culture [and even in Islamic law] — but it is a relation nonetheless.)
6. The Arabs of the Yathrib were the Aws and the Khazraj — and they were Qahtanis. Recall there were two Arabs: Qahtan and Adnan. And aside from the Aws and the Khazraj, all other surrounding Arab tribes were Adnanis. It's not a coincidence that Qahtanis and Adnanis will be merging together to form the new Islamic state. For the Adnanis and Qahtanis to come together to form the early Islamic state, nobody could oppose them on nationalistic grounds anymore. This is a sign of what is going to happen: Islam will come to obliterate ethnic differences and tribalism.
7. Both the Aws and the Khazraj are Yemenite. And the people of Yemen have a special blessing. The Prophet PBUH praised them, "الإيمان يمان والحكمة يمانية (Iman is Yemeni, and wisdom is Yemenite)."
8. The unique combination of the Jews and the Arabs in Yathrib was very necessary. Of the greatest benefit: the Aws and the Khazraj had rubbed shoulders with monotheistic people for two centuries. So they were familiar with the concept of Books, prophets, shariah, etc. The Jews had always been flouting it in their face [as we discussed in episode 26]. So the Aws and the Khazraj learned about the truth of monotheism from this. And so when Islam —the real truth— came, they embraced it. (And those who were flouting it will end up rejecting it out of arrogance [as we will see in future episodes].)
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Next time, we will discuss where the Jewish tribes came from. In the middle of the Arabian Peninsula, where did they come from?
[Transcribed by Br. Safwan Khan & Faizan]
safwan-khan@hotmail.com
[Re-revised by Br. Syed Haq & MAR, November 2023]
safwan-khan@hotmail.com
[Re-revised by Br. Syed Haq & MAR, November 2023]
