Hijrah to Madinah
This chapter covers the command to migrate, the Muslims leaving Makkah, the Qurayshi plot, the trusts left behind, Ali رضي الله عنه, Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه, the cave of Thawr, Allah’s protection on the road, and the arrival near Madinah.
Where This Chapter Fits
The Pledges of Aqabah prepared Yathrib to receive the Prophet ﷺ. Now the believers began leaving Makkah, and Quraysh realized the message was escaping their grip.
Aqabah prepared Madinah
The Ansar pledged support, protection, and readiness to receive the Prophet ﷺ.
Hijrah begins
The Muslims left Makkah for Allah’s sake, and the Prophet ﷺ left by Allah’s permission with Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه.
Madinah receives him
The next stage covers arrival at Quba, building the first foundations, and entering Madinah.
The Command to Migrate
After the Second Pledge of Aqabah, Yathrib was no longer only a distant city. It had believers ready to receive the Muslims and protect the Prophet ﷺ. The oppressed believers in Makkah now had a place where Islam could be lived with greater safety.
The Prophet ﷺ allowed the Companions to migrate. They did not leave because Makkah was meaningless to them. They left because faith was more precious than homeland, wealth, and family comfort. One by one, groups and individuals began leaving Makkah for Allah’s sake.
This was the turning point between the Makkan stage and the Madinan stage. The message was moving from survival under persecution to community, worship, law, brotherhood, and public life.
Seerah reports in Ibn Hisham’s Al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah and Ibn Sa'd’s Al-Tabaqat al-KubraMigration for Allah After Being Wronged
وَالَّذِينَ هَاجَرُوا فِي اللَّهِ مِن بَعْدِ مَا ظُلِمُوا لَنُبَوِّئَنَّهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً
Meaning: “And those who emigrated for Allah after they had been wronged, We will surely settle them in this world in a good place.”
Qur'an 16:41The Muslims Leave Makkah
The Hijrah was not one parade. It happened through sacrifice, secrecy, family pain, and trust in Allah.
Leaving what they loved
Some Companions left quietly. Some faced pressure from family. Some lost property. Some were blocked or delayed. Makkah was not only a place on a map. It held homes, memories, lineage, trade, and the Ka'bah.
The Companions were not running from responsibility. They were obeying Allah and His Messenger ﷺ. Their migration showed that a believer’s real anchor is not soil, wealth, or tribe, but Allah.
Seerah reports preserve many personal migration stories. This page gives the main journey, while individual Companion details can be added in later companion-focused content if needed.
Seerah reports in Ibn Hisham and Ibn Sa'dQuraysh Realized the Danger
As Muslims left Makkah, Quraysh understood that Islam was gaining a protected base. If the Prophet ﷺ reached Yathrib, they would no longer be dealing with isolated believers under Makkan pressure. They would face a Messenger ﷺ with a community.
So Quraysh gathered and plotted. The Qur'an later mentioned their plotting against the Prophet ﷺ: to restrain him, kill him, or expel him. They planned, but Allah planned, and Allah is the best of planners.
This moment shows the difference between human plotting and divine decree. Quraysh saw a house to surround. Allah was opening the road to Madinah.
Qur'an 8:30; Seerah reports in Ibn Hisham and Ibn Sa'dQuraysh Plotted, and Allah Planned
وَإِذْ يَمْكُرُ بِكَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِيُثْبِتُوكَ أَوْ يَقْتُلُوكَ أَوْ يُخْرِجُوكَ ۚ وَيَمْكُرُونَ وَيَمْكُرُ اللَّهُ ۖ وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ الْمَاكِرِينَ
Meaning: “And when those who disbelieved plotted against you to restrain you or kill you or expel you. They plan, and Allah plans, and Allah is the best of planners.”
Qur'an 8:30Ali رضي الله عنه and the trusts
Seerah reports mention that the Prophet ﷺ left Ali ibn Abi Talib رضي الله عنه behind in Makkah to return trusts that people had deposited with him. Even those who opposed the Prophet ﷺ knew his honesty.
This detail is breathtaking. Quraysh plotted against him, yet the Prophet ﷺ did not betray their trusts. His migration was not a cover for injustice. He left with truth, and he left behind truthfulness.
Ali رضي الله عنه also stayed in the Prophet’s ﷺ bed according to Seerah reports, while the plotters waited outside. This is treated as Seerah report material, not Qur'an or hadith unless a specific hadith source is named.
Seerah reports in Ibn Hisham and Ibn Sa'dAbu Bakr رضي الله عنه was chosen as companion
Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه had long hoped to accompany the Prophet ﷺ. When the time came, the Prophet ﷺ came to him and informed him that Allah had given permission to leave.
The companionship of Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه in the Hijrah is established by the Qur'an itself. Allah mentions “the second of two” when they were in the cave, and the Prophet ﷺ said to his companion, “Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us.”
Qur'an 9:40; Sahih al-Bukhari 3653; Seerah reportsAllah Was With Them in the Cave
إِذْ هُمَا فِي الْغَارِ إِذْ يَقُولُ لِصَاحِبِهِ لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَنَا
Meaning: “When they were in the cave, when he said to his companion, ‘Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us.’”
Qur'an 9:40The Cave of Thawr
The road to Madinah began in the opposite direction. The Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه hid in the cave of Thawr while Quraysh searched for them.
Protection beyond human sight
Authentic hadith mention that Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه said to the Prophet ﷺ while they were in the cave that if one of the pursuers looked at his feet, he would see them. The Prophet ﷺ replied with certainty in Allah’s protection.
The Qur'an preserved the meaning of that moment forever: “Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us.” The cave was small, the danger was close, but Allah’s protection was greater than the eyes of the pursuers.
Popular stories sometimes mention a spider web or birds at the cave entrance. The strength of those reports is discussed by scholars, so this page does not use them as proof. The Qur'an and authentic hadith are enough to show Allah’s protection.
Qur'an 9:40; Sahih al-Bukhari 3653; Sahih Muslim 2381Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr رضي الله عنه
Seerah reports mention that he brought news from Makkah to the cave during the nights of hiding.
Asma bint Abi Bakr رضي الله عنها
Seerah reports mention her role in preparing provisions, and she is remembered with honour in the Hijrah story.
Amir ibn Fuhayrah رضي الله عنه
Seerah reports mention his role with the sheep, helping cover tracks and support the journey.
The Road to Madinah
After remaining in the cave for a few nights according to Seerah reports, the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه set out toward Madinah with a guide. They took a less expected route to avoid Quraysh.
The journey was not romantic scenery. It was heat, distance, danger, pursuit, and complete reliance upon Allah. Yet every step was moving the Ummah toward a new beginning.
The Prophet ﷺ left Makkah under threat, but he was not defeated. He was leaving by Allah’s command toward the city where Islam would become a visible community.
Seerah reports in Ibn Hisham and Ibn Sa'dSuraqah ibn Malik
Seerah and hadith reports mention that Suraqah ibn Malik pursued the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه, hoping for the reward Quraysh had offered. But Allah protected His Messenger ﷺ.
Reports mention that Suraqah’s horse stumbled and he realized that this matter was protected by Allah. The Prophet ﷺ continued on the road, and Suraqah turned back.
This incident shows that the Hijrah was guarded by Allah at every stage: in the house, in the cave, and on the road.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3906; Seerah reports in Ibn Hisham and Ibn Sa'dWhoever Relies Upon Allah
وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ
Meaning: “And whoever relies upon Allah, then He is sufficient for him.”
Qur'an 65:3Arriving Near Madinah
The people of Yathrib had been waiting. Reports mention that they would go out hoping to see the Prophet ﷺ arrive, then return when the day became too hot.
When he finally arrived near Madinah, the long Makkan struggle entered a new chapter. The Prophet ﷺ first stayed at Quba according to Seerah reports, and the Muslim community began gathering around him.
The Hijrah was not only a journey from one city to another. It became the beginning of the Islamic calendar and the birth of a community that would carry revelation into public life.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3906; Seerah reports in Ibn Hisham and Ibn Sa'dDo not skip the trusts
The Prophet ﷺ returned trusts even while leaving a city that had plotted against him. This shows the perfection of his honesty.
Do not rely on weak cave details
The Qur'an and authentic hadith are enough. Spider and bird details are not used here as proof because scholars discuss them.
Do not make Hijrah only travel
Hijrah was obedience, sacrifice, planning, trust in Allah, and the birth of the Madinan community.
Dua for a Truthful Entrance and Exit
رَّبِّ أَدْخِلْنِي مُدْخَلَ صِدْقٍ وَأَخْرِجْنِي مُخْرَجَ صِدْقٍ وَاجْعَل لِّي مِن لَّدُنكَ سُلْطَانًا نَّصِيرًا
Meaning: “My Lord, cause me to enter a sound entrance and to exit a sound exit, and grant me from Yourself a supporting authority.”
Qur'an 17:80What This Stage Led To
The Hijrah ended the Makkan period and opened the Madinan period: worship, brotherhood, the masjid, community, and law.
Believers migrated
The Muslims left Makkah for Allah’s sake after years of pressure and persecution.
Quraysh planned
Quraysh plotted against the Prophet ﷺ, but Allah protected him and opened the road.
Allah was with them
In the cave of Thawr, the Prophet ﷺ comforted Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه with trust in Allah.
Arrival in Madinah
The next page covers Quba, the first foundations, and the Prophet’s ﷺ entry into Madinah.
References Used in This Chapter
Major claims are tied to Qur'an, authentic hadith, or named Seerah reports.
- Qur'an 16:41: those who migrated for Allah after being wronged.
- Qur'an 8:30: Quraysh plotting against the Prophet ﷺ while Allah planned.
- Qur'an 9:40: the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه in the cave, and “Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us.”
- Qur'an 65:3: reliance upon Allah.
- Qur'an 17:80: dua for truthful entrance and exit and supporting authority.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 3653 and Sahih Muslim 2381: Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه with the Prophet ﷺ in the cave.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 3906: reports connected to the Hijrah journey, arrival, and Suraqah incident.
- Seerah reports: Ali رضي الله عنه returning trusts, sleeping in the Prophet’s ﷺ bed, Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr رضي الله عنه, Asma bint Abi Bakr رضي الله عنها, Amir ibn Fuhayrah رضي الله عنه, the route, and detailed travel arrangements are recorded in early Seerah works such as Ibn Hisham’s Al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah and Ibn Sa'd’s Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra.
- Content note: popular details about a spider web and birds at the cave are not used as proof because their strength is discussed by scholars.