Migration of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him
Sheikh Mohammed bin Uthaymeen
First Sermon:
Praise be to Allah, Who sent His Messenger with guidance and
the religion of truth, to proclaim it over all religion, and thanks to Him for
giving us of His wide generosity and grace. And I bear witness that there is no
God but Allah alone, with no partner or associate. He guided whom He guided out
of His grace, and led astray whom He led astray by His wisdom and justice. And I
bear witness that Mohammed is His servant and His Messenger, the chosen one over
the children of Adam. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, his
family, his companions and followers until the Day of Judgment.
In what is to follow:
In this the month; the month of Rabee’ Al-Awwal of the
thirteenth year of the mission, the Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him and his family, arrived at Medina as a migrant from Makkah; the first
city for revelation and most beloved to Allah and His Prophet. He got out of
Makkah as a migrant with the permission of his Lord, after he had resided in
Makkah for thirteen years; fulfilling the duties of Allah’s mission and inviting
unto Allah on evidence clear. He got from most of the Qureish and their gentry
nothing but rejection to his call, turning away from it, causing of grievous
harm to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his
family, and to those who believed in him. They even resorted to implementing the
plan of cunning and deceit to kill the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him and his family, where their gentry gathered in the conference hall and
debated what to do with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him, when they saw his companions migrating to Medina, and that he would
certainly catch up with them and find help and support from the Ansar (the
Supporters), who pledged allegiance to him to defend him as they would defend
their sons and their wives, and then he will have dominion over the Qureish.
Allah's arch enemy, Abu Jahl, said: I see that we should pick from each tribe a
young enduring man, give each one a rigid sword. They would then proceed to
Mohammed and strike him collectively, thus slaying him. His blood would be
dispersed among the tribes. This way, the Banu Abd Manaf, meaning the clan of
the Prophet, peace be upon him, would not be able to fight all of their own
people. They would then accept compensation, which we would then give it to
them. Allah is the Greatest! Allah is the Greatest! Thus plot the enemies of
Allah to eliminate the Messenger of Allah and the law of Allah, and with such a
level of cunning and deception. But, they plot and Allah plots, as Allah the
Almighty and Majestic said: (Remember how the unbelievers plotted against you,
to keep you in bonds, or slay you, or get you out of your home. They plot and
plan, and Allah too plans; but the best of planners is Allah). To keep you in
bonds: means to incarcerate you, or kill you or expel you out from Makkah. But
Allah Almighty is the best of plotters. So, Allah informed His Prophet, peace be
upon him, about what the polytheists wanted and permitted him to emigrate from
Makkah, which is the most beloved of cities to him. But, he emigrated in order
to establish the religion of Allah. Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, had
prepared beforehand to emigrate to Medina. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
Hold on! For I hope I am granted permission. So, Abu Bakr held back in order to
accompany the Prophet, peace be upon him. Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her,
said: (While we were in the house of Abu Bakr, at the peak of the sun at
mid-day, when the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, showed at the door
wearing a veil. Abu Bakr said: may my father and mother be a sacrifice for him!
By Allah, what brought him at this hour is but a serious matter. The Prophet,
peace be upon him, entered the house and said to Abu Bakr: let those who are
with you out! He said: O Messenger of Allah, they are merely your relatives, may
my father and mother be your sacrifice! The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: I
was given permission to leave off. Abu Bakr said: companionship it is, O
Messenger of Allah? He said: Yes. Then Abu Bakr said: O Messenger of Allah! So,
take one of these two camels of mine. The Prophet of Allah, peace be upon him,
said: with a price, meaning: I will take it with a price). Then the Messenger of
Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, left off with
his companion Abu Bakr. They stayed in the cave of Thawr for three nights.
Abdullah, the son of Abu Bakr, who was an intelligent and conscious young man,
used to spend the night by their side. He used to set off towards the end of
night to Makkah, to mix with the Qureish in the morning; he hears not of news
about the Prophet, peace be upon him, and his companion but grasps, until he
brings it to them at dusk. The Qureish started to search for the Prophet, peace
be upon him, in every way and seek every possible means to apprehend the
Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family. They even put up a
reward of one hundred camels to those who bring him and Abu Bakr in, or either
of them. But, Allah the Almighty and Majestic, was with them, safeguarding them
with His care and protecting them with His favour. Even that the Qureishites
stand by the entrance of the cave, but do not see them. Abu Bakr, may Allah be
pleased with him, said: I said to the Prophet, peace be upon him, while we were
in the cave: if someone looked at his feet, he would have seen us. The Prophet,
peace be upon him, then said: (Have no fear, for Allah is with. What do you
think, O Abu Bakr, of two with whom the third is Allah). When the quest for them
subsided a little, they came out of the cave after three nights, heading to
Medina along the coastal route. They were followed by Suraqah bin Maalik
Almadlafi on a mare. Abu Bakr turned and said: O Messenger of Allah, this is the
search party catching up with us. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: have no
fear, for Allah is with us. So, Suraqah approached them; and when he heard the
recitation of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, the forelegs of his
mare sunk in the ground to the extent that her belly touched the ground, which
was firm, but Allah the Almighty does what He wills in His creation. Suraqah
then dismounted and rebuffed her; she stood up. When she got her forelegs out,
smoke-like fumes glowing in the sky rose up from the marks they left. Suraqah
said: my heart was convinced that the ordinance of the Messenger of Allah, peace
be upon him, will prevail. So, I hailed them with safety. The Messenger of
Allah, peace be upon him, and the one with him stood up. So, I mounted my mare,
got to them, informed them about what people want to do with them and offered
them provisions and goods. He said to the Prophet, peace be upon him: you will
pass by my camels and sheep at such and such place; so take from them what you
require. Te Prophet said: I have no need for that, and said: screen off our
departure. Suraqah retreated, and whenever he met someone from the search party,
he sent him away and said: you have been spared to cover this side. Glory be to
Allah, and praise be to Him! There is no God but Allah and Allah is the
Greatest! A man makes off on his mare, seeking the Prophet, peace be upon him,
and his companion, to capture them and rejoice in handing them over to their
enemies among the infidels, but he did not turn back until he reverted into a
supporting helper and defender, offering them goods and provisions and whatever
they needed of his camels and sheep, and defending them against the side to
which he belonged. And so, brothers, whoever had Allah as his aim, Allah
Almighty will not abandon him ever, and whoever was with Allah, Allah was with
him (Allah is with those who restrain themselves, and those who do good). When
the people of Medina, among the immigrants and supporters, heard of the exodus
of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, to them, they got out every
morning to an elevated ground overlooking the main route to Medina, waiting for
the arrival of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his family, until
the heat of the sun drives them off. When the day in which the Messenger of
Allah, peace be upon him, was due to arrive, the sun rose up and the heat
intensified, they returned to their homes. While a man from the Jews was
observing from above one of the forts of Medina was scouring for his own
purpose, he saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and his companions
emerge out of the hazy mirage. He could not help but hail as loud as his could:
"O Assembly of Arabs! Here comes your prestige; meaning your fortune and glory,
which you have been expecting. The Muslims rushed to meet the Messenger of
Allah, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, brandishing
their weapons in respect and honour of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon
him, and in a show of willingness to strive and defend him, may Allah be pleased
with them. They welcomed him, peace be upon him,
at the exposed area of Al-Harrah. He led them to the right and dismounted in the
hospice of Banu Amr bin Awf at Quba, where he stayed for a few nights and lead
the foundations for the mosque; the mosque of Quba. He then left for Medina in
the company of people, while others met him in the alleyways. Abu Bakr, may
Allah be pleased with him, said: people turned up, when we arrived at Medina, in
the streets and on roof tops, and young boys and servants uttering: Allah is the
Greatest! The Messenger of Allah has arrived. Allah is the greatest! Mohammed
has come. Anas bin Maalik, may Allah be pleased with him, said: (I was running
amongst boys, while I was then a boy, and the people saying: Mohammed has come!
Mohammed has come). Thus were the people reiterating these words out of joy for
the arrival of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, who is the most
beloved of people to them. What a coming! It filled the hearts with joy and
gladness, and filled the horizons with joy and light. The Messenger of Allah,
peace be upon him, arrived in Medina and every tribe from the supporters was
contesting against its rival for the reins of his camel, to make him dismount.
All were saying: At our place, O Messenger of Allah! (We are greater) in
numbers, equipment and strength. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
said: leave her, for she is under instruction. I will surely dismount where
Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, wanted me to. When she finally reached with him
the location of his mosque, she adopted the sitting position. As soon as the
Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, dismounted from her, she sprung up. The
Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, had released her reins. She walked not
far and then turned back and returned back to her first place and came down. The
Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, then said: (this will be, by the will of
Allah the house). The place belonged to two orphan boys. He called them up and
offered to buy it from them and take it as a mosque. They said: we rather make a
gift of it to you, O Messenger of Allah. He declined to accept it from them as a
gift, and bought it from them. He said, peace be upon him: which of the homes is
closer to us? Abu Ayoub replied: Mine, O Messenger of Allah; this is my home and
that is my door. He said: go forth and manage a slumbering retreat for the
siesta for us, and so he did then came back and said: let us go with the
blessing of Allah. Then came Abdullah bin Salam, who was one of the Jewish
priests, i:e: one of their scholars, and said: I testify that you are the
Messenger of Allah, and that you came with truth. The Jews know that I am their
lord and the son of their lord, their most learned and son of their most
learned, so call them and ask them about me before they know that I embraced
Islam; for if they knew that I reverted to Islam, they would say about me that
which is not in me. The Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, sent for the
Jews. They came to the Prophet, peace be upon him. He said: (O assembly of Jews,
wow to you! Fear Allah, for I swear by Allah, than whom there is no other god!
You know that I am truly the Messenger of Allah and that I have come to you with
truth. They said: we do not know that. He said: what is the status of Abdullah
bin Salam among you? They said: he is our lord and the son of our lord, and our
most learned and son of our most learned. He said: how would you see him if he
embraced Islam? They said: Allah forbids! He would not do it! He repeated his
question to them, and they replied with the same. Abdullah bin Salam, may Allah
be pleased with him, had gone into hiding to see what they say. The Prophet,
peace be upon him, then said: O bin Salam, show yourself to them. He showed up
and said: "O assembly of Jews, fear Allah, for by Allah, than whom there is no
other god! You know that he is the Messenger of Allah and has come with the
truth. They told him: you lied! The Prophet, peace be upon him, sent them out.
Abdullah said to the Prophet, peace be upon him, did not I inform you O
Messenger of Allah, that the Jews are a people of slander, akin to treachery,
lies and immorality? This, O Muslims, is the migration of the Prophet of Allah,
peace be upon him. He got out of his city, which is the most beloved of cities
to Allah and most beloved city to the Messenger of Allah.
He left Makkah to take up residence in Medina and reform the
servants of Allah therein. Among his reforms and concerns, the establishment of
mosques before homes. He built, peace be upon him, his mosque prior to building
the houses of his family; may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, his
family, his companions and those who followed them in truth to the Day of
Judgement. So, fear Allah, O servants of Allah, and take from this migration a
moral lesson, and remain firm on your religion and stick to it, and the end is
best for the righteous. May Allah bless me and you in the Glorious Quran, and
benefit me and you from what is therein of verses and message of wisdom. I say
this and ask Allah for forgiveness for me and you from every sin, so seek His
forgiveness; He is Oft-Forgiving, Oft- Merciful.
The second Sermon
Praise is due to Allah for His goodness, and thanks are due
to Him for granting His success and favours. I testify that there is no god but
Allah alone with no partner in His divinity, Lordship and authority, and I
testify that Mohammed is His servant and Messenger, whom Allah endorsed with His
evidence, may blessings of Allah be upon him, his family, his companions, his
followers and his Aids, and bestow upon them much peace.
In what is to follow:
O people! The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him, said: (do not envy one another); meaning: let not some of you envy some
others. Envy is that the person hates the blessings that Allah bestows on other
than him, and envy is a blameworthy comportment, which consumes good deeds as
the fire consumes firewood. Envy is a blameworthy comportment in which the
envier is likened to the envious Jews; for it is the Jews who envy people for
what Allah bestowed of His bounty upon them. Envy is a blameworthy comportment
involving objection to Allah in His will and decree, for the one who favours
this person with His bounty is Allah, the Almighty and Majestic. If a person
envied him, it is as if he objects to Allah’s decree. Envy is a blameworthy
behaviour because it burns the heart of the envier; every blessing Allah bestows
upon one of His servants, the heart of the envier is consumed with pain, grief
and sadness. Envy is a vilified comportment, for it is a means for a person to
seek to assault the envied, in order to deny him of the favours of Allah, owner
of might and majesty. Envy is a blameworthy comportment because it preoccupies
the person from worship Allah the Almighty, so that the person is always
preoccupied with the conditions of people, by which Allah favours them with. You
find him always in a state of thinking, turning away from the remembrance of
Allah the Almighty. Allah said: (do not obey any whose heart We have permitted
to neglect the remembrance of Us, one who follows his own desires, whose case
has gone beyond all bounds). That is why you do not find anybody more at loss of
time than the one whose heart is heedless from remembrance of Allah the
Almighty. His case is gone beyond all bounds, and at a loss to him. Envy is from
the vilified attitudes, which is not from the attitudes of the Muslims, O
Muslims. Every one of you is proud to be a Muslim; and if so, then let him take
pride in conforming to the attitudes of Muslims. Every one of you hates to be
told he is like the Jews, and if so, then let him keep away from envy, for it is
pure evil; may Allah accord me and you refuge from envy and aggression on our
Muslim brothers. If you see Allah's grace on a person, Allah the Almighty has
opened for you a great source, in which there is good. He, Exalted in Majesty,
said: (And in no wise covet those things in which Allah has bestowed His gifts
more freely on some of you than on others: To men is allotted what they earn,
and to women what they earn: But ask Allah of His bounty. For Allah has full
knowledge of all things). When you see that Allah has bestowed grace on others
than yourself, which you consider as a favour and a source of envy, ask Allah of
His grace to bless you with bounties like it, for Allah is the Lord of the
highest bounty. Brothers, the best of speech is the book of Allah and the best
of guidance is that of Mohammed, peace be upon him. I ask Allah the Almighty to
provide me and you with sticking to it, and suffer us to die as such; He has
power over all things. The best guidance is the guidance of Mohammed, peace be
upon him, and the worst of things are those novelties, and every newfangled
matter in the religion of Allah is an innovation; everything that a person
invents with the aim of coming closer to Allah, and which Allah the Almighty had
not decreed, is a heresy. Thus said our Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, and
every innovation is misguidance and every misguidance in the Hell fire. So, you
are required, brethren, to gather around the religion of Allah and do not show
vanity towards those who perished, for those who are doomed destroy only
themselves. Concur and do not be parted, help one another in righteousness and
piety. If one of you sees that his brethren had neglected a duty, let him advise
him; and if he sees him engaging in a sin, then let him admonish him, for the
believer is to another believer like a building whose different parts mutually
enforce each other. Allah the Almighty says: (By the Token of Time (through the
ages) (1). Verily Man is in loss (2). Except such as have Faith, and do
righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of
Patience and Constancy (3).) Imam Ash-Shaafi’i, may Allah have mercy on him,
said: If Allah has revealed not to His servant a Surah except this one, it would
have been sufficient for them; he means in terms of incitement to belief,
righteous deeds, joining in mutual teaching of truth and of patience. O Muslims!
Do more often send blessings and peace upon your Prophet! This way, your faith
will increase and your good deeds will be abound, and you fulfil a little of the
rights of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, over you, and you come
closer to your Lord; and whoever did send more often blessings on the Prophet,
peace be upon him, his worries are obviated and his sin forgiven. Do more often
send blessings and peace upon your Prophet, Allah will thus magnify for you a
reward. Whoever sends his blessing on him once, Allah sends blessings on him
tenfold. O Allah! Send your blessings and peace upon your servant and Messenger
Mohammed. O Allah! Grant us his love and his following, both inwardly and
outwardly. O Allah! Suffer us to die thereupon his religion. O Allah! Gather us
in his party. O Allah! Give us a drink from his Cistern. O Allah! Allow us in
his intercession. O Allah! Unite us with him in the gardens of bliss, with those
on whom you bestowed blessings from among the prophets, the saints, the martyrs
and the righteous. O Allah! Be pleased with his rightly guided successors; Abu
Bakr, Omar, Othman and Ali: the best of followers of the messengers. O Allah! Be
pleased with his wives, the mothers of the believers, with all of his companions
and with those who follow them in sincerity until the Day of Judgement. O Allah!
Gather us with them, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah! Set us with them in heaven,
on couches facing one another, O Most Merciful! O Allah! Cherish Islam and the
Muslims everywhere. O Allah! Whoever is an enemy to the Muslims, destroy him, O
Lord of the worlds sooner rather than later; you are powerful over all things. O
Allah! Destroy the Jews, the Christians, the infidels, the apostates and the
hypocrites, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah! Make our faith sincere and make our
Unitarianism pure and unadulterated. Protect us from heresies and idolatry, O
Lord of the worlds. Servants of Allah, Allah enjoins justice and kindness and
giving to kinsfolk, and forbids lewdness and abomination and wickedness. He
admonishes you that you may recall, and fulfil the covenant of Allah when you do
so, and break not your oaths after you have ascertained them, whence you have
made Allah your surety; for Allah knows what you do. And remember Allah the
Almighty, He will remember you, and thank Him for his bounties, He will give you
more. Verily, the remembrance of Allah is greatest, and Allah knows what you
make.