The Hijrah

The Prophet now decided that the time had come for the Muslims of Makkah to migrate to Madinah, where they could live as true Muslims and preach Islam. He instructed them to leave for Madinah in small groups. The Prophet would leave when his followers were safely in Madinah.

When the Quraish of Makkah realized that most of those who had accepted Islam had migrated to Madinah, they were very angry. They decided to kill the Prophet. He was to be murdered by a group of young men, who would be chosen from different tribes so that no one tribe could be blamed for the murder.

While they plotted, Abu Bakr hired two camels and a guide for their journey to Madinah. The unbelievers knew that the Prophet was soon to leave Makkah. The young men who were to murder him surrounded his house during the darkest hours of the night and settled down to wait for the dawn, when they would carry out their evil plan.

In fact, the Prophet had been ordered by Allah to leave for Madinah that very night. He asked 'Ali to sleep in his bed and told him that, in the morning, he should hand over to their owners all the belongings that he was taking care of for them. Although the unbelievers of Makkah did not follow the Prophet's religion, and they hated Islam enough to want to kill him, they had never found him to be dishonest and they would leave their precious belongings in his safe-keeping. Now, despite all their persecution and murderous plans, the Prophet's main concern was that their property should be returned to them.

So, the Prophet left his house at midnight and, by the grace of Allah, all the young men who were surrounding the house intending to kill him did not see him leave.

In the morning when the young men rushed into the Prophet's house they were amazed to find 'Ali in the Prophet's bed. They could not understand how Muhammad had left the house without being seen. They set off to search for him in Makkah.

By this time the Prophet had met Abu Bakr outside Makkah and they had begun their journey to Madinah. After a time they needed to rest and sought refuge in a cave known as Thaur. While they were in the cave, a miracle happened. A pigeon built its nest in a bush overhanging the mouth of the cave and a spider wove its web over the entrance. They did this so quickly that nobody would believe that the Prophet and Abu Bakr had entered the cave only a short time before.

The men from Makkah who were searching for the Prophet once passed close to the cave. But, seeing the pigeon's nest and the spider's web covering the entrance, they did not look inside. The Prophet and Abu Bakr decided to stay in the safety of the cave for a few days in the hope that the young men of Makkah would tire of searching for them. Asma', the eldest daughter of Abu Bakr, brought them food and a servant grazed his herd of goats dose by and supplied them with milk.

In fact, the family of Abu Bakr made numerous sacrifices in the name of Allah and for the sake of Islam.

Once, one of the richest families in Makkah, they became one of the poorest, but they never once thought of giving up Islam. Abu Bakr later became the first Caliph of Islam.

After the Prophet and Abu Bakr had spent three days in the cave, the two camels were brought there and the small party set off for Madinah. The Prophet and Abu Bakr rode on one camel and the guide and Abu Bakr's servant rode on the other.

Back in Makkah, the non-Muslims were angry that the Prophet had escaped. They offered a reward of one hundred camels for his capture. Many people set out to win the reward. One of these was Suraqa ibn Ju'sham. He hired a speedy horse and travelled so fast that he soon came within sight of the Prophet's party. But, by a miracle, when he tried to ride up to them his horse slipped and its legs became half buried in the sand. He tried a second time, and the horse stumbled again and Suraqa was hurt. He knew then that Allah was protecting the Prophet's party.

Having witnessed the power of Allah, Suraqa apologised to the Prophet for pursuing him. When he was returning to Makkah, he came upon some other people heading the same way in the search. Suraqa told them to go back as he had found no trace of the Prophet.