IN
THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE BENEFICENT, THE MERCIFUL
THE
IMPORTANCE OF HIJRAH
[Shamim
A Siddiqi,
INTRODUCTION: The New Year of Muslims around the world starts
from the First of Muharram, 1421 Hijrah. It corresponds with the sixth of April
2000. The Judeo-Christian world celebrates their New Year with great pomp and
shows and with great festivities. But most of the Muslims even do not know when
that day comes and goes. They do not realize what significance it carries in
its wake? What made that day so important that it became a landmark of the
history of Islam? Our Calendar Year of Hijrah starts from that day. Let us dig
into it and find out that what made khalifa Omar Bin Khattab ® to start our
Calendar from that day in the 16th year of Hijrah after due consultation with
the companions of Prophet (S)? It is known as Hijrah Calendar.
THE HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF HIJRAH: Hijrah [migration for the sake of Allah] is a
corner stone or the turning point of the process of the Islamic Movement for
the establishment of Allah's Deen. It has six important phases towards
development or formation of an Islamic society or state. Four stages come
before Hijrah, [i.e. Dawah, Tarbiyah, Jamaah and peaceful resistance] and one
after Hijrah, i.e. Qital. Hijrah is the turning point of the process of Islamic
revolution and as such it has natural impact on the struggle towards
Iqamatuddeen. These stages can be categorized into following major headings: *
Expansion; * Consolidation; * Hijrah; *Qital
1. EXPANSION through the process of
Dawah Ilallah: It has two clear
dimensions:
i. Extensive Dawah Ilallah [DI]: To introduce and spread the Deen of Allah to the
people of the land with whatever means are available to the human ingenuity. It
is to be carried out to such an extent that the people accept it as a way of
life and express their willful determination to apply its directives on the
socio-cultural-economic-political system of the day. They express their
willingness to change the prevailing system with that of Islamic order of life.
ii. Intensive Dawah work: With the expansion of Dawah work, it is essential
that those brothers and sisters who respond to the call of DI are developed and
groomed into the requisite team of devoted, dedicated and committed Da'ees
through the process of Tarbiyah and Tazkiyah on person to person basis. They
are absorbed into the Jamaah and motivated to carry out the mission till the
last breath of their life. In that pursuit either they succeed in establishing
the Deen of Allah or gave up their lives for its sake. For these efforts, they
go through the process of trial and tribulations but remain constantly involved
in the Dawah process/activities, come what may. They are to carry out the
struggle for Iqamatuddeen peacefully with no resistance, in spite of stiff
opposition and constant provocations from the vested interests of the time.
2. CONSOLIDATION: Those who respond to the call of Dawah
Ilallah are brought into the fold of the Islami Jamaah. A strong urge is
created in the masses towards demand for the Islamic order of life. Through
mass education, people are oriented towards Islam and Islamic way of life.
People are motivated towards demand for Islamic State so much so that it
becomes a public demand or a mass movement. The extensive and intensive Dawah
efforts and the team of Da'ees play a dominant role in creating the
revolutionary atmosphere for the mass movement. The process of expansion and
consolidation goes together along with doing evaluation of their entire process
and projects as frequently as possible. This covers the four stages of Dawah
Ilallah - Dawah, Tarbiyah, Jamaah and peaceful resistance against the
onslaughts of the vested interests of the time.
3. HIJRAH: In the wake of these developments comes Hijrah.
While the onerous task of Dawah Ilallah was going on in the society of Makkah
all around and the opposition was getting momentum in its wake day by day,
Rasulullah (S) started his human efforts to find out a headquarter for the
Islamic Movement. This was the need of the time. He (S) was interested to find
out a place from where he could carry out his mission of DI and Dawah expansion
work in somewhat peaceful environment. He was constantly in search of such a
place. His first effort was to get a place in
However, Allah (SWT) prepared Madinah for
Rasulullah (S) and his companions to migrate. Madinah was inhabited by two Arab
tribes, Aus and Khazraj and the three tribes of Jewish origin were situated at
its outskirts. The Arab used to hear form the Jews of Madinah that a Prophet is
to come and when he comes, they will take revenge from others under his
command. On the eleventh year of Prophethood, some Arab brothers from Madinah
came to Makkah for Hajj. They heard about Prophethood of Rasulullah (S). They
realized that he (S) is the same Prophet of Allah about whom the Jews are in
waiting, They meet Rasulullah (S) and entered into Islam. They took the lead
over Jews. On return, Musa'b bin Umair ® accompanied them to Madinah to teach
them about Islam and the Qur'an. Through the magnificent Dawah efforts of
Musa'b bin Umair, Madinah was conquered for Islam. Next year 72 person came
from Madinah. They made a covenant with Rasulullah (S) and invited him to come
to Madinah. This was the Second Covenant of Aqabah.
This was the turning point in the history
of Islamic Movement. As stated earlier, Rasulullah (S) was in search of a HQ
for the Islamic Movement, and he got it through the Second Covenant of Aqabah.
He grabbed the opportunity and directed his beloved companions, who were
tortured and butchered in Makkah like anything, to migrate to Madinah. He
himself left for Madinah within a couple of months of the aforesaid Ba'it on
the First of Muharram, 13th year of Prophethood.
THE CRITICAL JUNCTURE: At this juncture, it is to be noted with clear
understanding that through Extensive Dawah efforts, Islam had a wide spread
introduction throughout
"And say [in the prayer]: " O my
Sustainer! Cause me to enter in a manner true and sincere, and cause me to
leave [it] in a manner true and sincere, and grant me, out of Thy grace,
sustaining strength!"
[The
Qur'an. 15: 80]
The emphasis on Hijrah was so great that
it became the criterion of Iman and Kufr. Allah (SWT) categorically declares in
Verse 72 of Al-Anfal:
"… And those who believe but did not
leave their homes [did not migrate], ye have no duty to protect them till they
leave their homes [migrate]….."
Thus, Hijrah was the process to
consolidate the Islamic forces scattered throughout the country. It was
essential to assimilate all the available manpower and material resources at
the center of Madinah to transform the Islamic Movement into an organized state
and counteract the onslaughts of the Batil which were inevitable. The idolaters
never liked that Islamic Movement should get a place to consolidate its
position and march ahead on a continuous basis. The evil forces of the time
could not tolerate this situation and as such, it culminated into the battles
of Badr, Uhad, Trenches and so on.
The foregone discussion confirms that
Hijrah is an important milestone of the process of Dawah Ilallah for
Iqamatuddeen. It is a fundamental step towards consolidation of the strength
gained through the extensive and intensive Dawah activities. Before Hijrah
Muslims were not allowed to take up arms even in their defense while at Makkah
[Reference: Verse 119 of Al-Tawbah] but after Hijrah they were permitted to pay
the idolaters back in their own coins. [Reference: Verse 39 of Surah Al-Hajj]
The Islamic movements around the world will encounter the same situation,
provided their Dawah efforts reach to the same stage as that of Rasulullah's
(S). The situation in American perspective is somewhat different. Brothers and
sisters who are interested to study the concept of Hijrah and Qital [the final
stage] in American situation in detail are requested to go through Chapter IV
of the writer's book, " Methodology of Dawah", pages 63-69, [A Forum
Publication].
4. CONCLUSION: Before conclusion, I would like to quote from
"Farooq-e-Azam" by Mohammad Hussain Haikal, Page 580 [Urdu Version]:
" Caliph Umar ® took Hijrah as the
greatest event of the Islamic history when Rasulullah (S) migrated from Makkah
to Madinah. Because of the fact that after Hijrah [even during Hijrah] Allah's
help and Nusrah started showering on Rasulullah (S) and his companions. Thus
Hijrah became the source of the success of Allah's Deen and its dominance. Its
culminating point came in the 16th year of Hijrah when Islamic forces were
successfully penetrating deep into the Persian and Roman Empires and the doors
of Baitul Muqdas were wide open for Islam and Muslim's conquest. It inspired
Amirul Mumineen Umar ® to take Hijrah of Rasulullah (S) on the first of
Muharram as the beginning of the Hijrah Calendar of the Muslim era" What
an ominous date it was, full of vigor and success after success for Islam and
Muslim Ummah.
Before Hijrah, it was all trial and
tribulation and after Hijrah, Allah (SWT) shower His blessings on Muslims all
around. Muslims should observe the first of Muharram as a unique day of the
Islamic History, which opened the gates of success for the Ummah 1400 years
ago. If we, the Muslims, follow the same path of Dawah Ilallah, expansion and
consolidation, we will encounter our Hijrah as a culminating point where all
the forces fighting for the cause of Allah's Deen may concentrate at one place
to transform themselves into an Islamic state. It may happen in their own
country or somewhere on the surface of the earth. May Allah give us Tawfeeq to
bring the IM to the point of Hijrah, as it is the turning point in our march
towards Iqamatuddeen.
Shamim
A Siddiqi
April
5, 2000