Prophet Muhammad was about to arrive in the Medina. The people of Medina were looking forward to prophet Muhammad.
Before leaving Quba for Medina, the Messenger of Allah -upon him blessings and peace- summoned the Najjar Clan, among whom were his maternal uncles, for support. Armed, they quickly heeded the call, and greeting the Prophet -upon him blessings and peace-, they assuredly told him:
“Mount your camels for the journey. Your protection is assured.”[1]
With the Friday Salat completed, accompanied by Abu Bakr –Allah be well-pleased with him-, the notables of Najjar and other Muslims, the Noble Prophet -upon him blessings and peace- mounted his camel Qaswa to make his long awaited entrance into Medina.
The departure of the Prophet -upon him blessings and peace- and the pain of no longer being able to have him as guest slowly sinking in, the Qubans said in a heartfelt plea:
“Messenger of Allah! Are you leaving because you are tired of us or is it just that you’re leaving for a better place?”
“I have only been commanded to go to Medina”, the Prophet -upon him blessings and peace- replied, consoling them and assuring them of his contentment with their company. (Dyiarbakri, I, 339)
All the Medinan Muslims, without exception, wanted to lodge the Prophet -upon him blessings and peace- as guest. As that burning desire in each and every Muslim to take the noble guest home was threatening to turn into a dispute, the Blessed Prophet -upon him blessings and peace-, referring to his camel Qaswa, had to intervene:
“Better you stay out of the camel’s way; she has her instructions.” (Ibn Hisham, II, 112-113)
This was the only way to avoid heartbreak in determining where the Noble Messenger -upon him blessings and peace- would end up lodging.
After a couple of temporary pauses, the gifted camel indeed ended up crouching on the vacant land in front of the home of Khalid ibn Zayd, better known as Abu Ayyub al-Ansari –Allah be well-pleased with him-. The lucky companion was in an inexpressible bliss.
“Please, Messenger of Allah! Honor the house of your humble host!” said Abu Ayyub –Allah be well-pleased with him-, immediately inviting the Prophet -upon him blessings and peace- in.
Walking towards Abu Ayyub’s –Allah be well-pleased with him- house, the Noble Prophet -upon him blessings and peace- was met with the little girls of the Najjar clan, singing merrily with drums in their hands:
“The bliss of being the daughters of the sons of Najjar,
Compare little to being neighbors with the Messenger!”
The Beloved Messenger -upon him blessings and peace- then asked them:
“Tell me—do you love me?”
“Yes, we love you very much”, they replied.
Delighted to see their joy, the Prophet -upon him blessings and peace- replied:
“Only Allah knows how much I love you all! By Allah, I love you all, too. By Allah, I love you all, too!” (Ibn Majah, Nikah, 21; Diyarbakri, I, 341)
Bara ibn Azib –Allah be well-pleased with him- mentions the following:
“Never have I seen the Medinans happier than the day of the Prophet’s -upon him blessings and peace- arrival. All Medinans, young and old, male and female, had flocked to the streets, climbed on their rooftops, shouting ecstatically, ‘The Messenger of Allah has arrived! O Muhammad! O the Prophet of Allah!’” (Bukhari, Manaqib’ul-ansar, 45; Muslim, Zuhd, 75)
Anas ibn Malik –Allah be well-pleased with him- recalls similar memories:
“I do not remember a day more joyful, more beautiful and with greater light than the day the Messenger of Allah -upon him blessings and peace- honored Medina. It was as if the whole town was bathed in light.” (Ahmed, III, 122; Tirmidhi, Manaqib, 1/3618)
As a sign of their appreciation for the Prophet’s -upon him blessings and peace- coming to Medina, the Medinan Muslims sacrificed a camel.[2]
The love the Believers nurture for the Blessed Prophet -upon him blessings and peace- is expressed beautifully in the couplet below:
Aman is the same as your honorable name,
For a lover, O Prophet, your remembrance is aman…
Both the expression aman, which is a plea of help, and the name Muhammad have the same abjad value of 92, poetically hinted at above in expressing that a lover’s cry of aman is essentially a desire for none other than the Blessed Prophet -upon him blessings and peace-. A spectacular poetic insight indeed!
The Hegira marked the end of the Meccan era, signaling a brand new phase in Medina.
[1] Bukhari, Manaqıbu’l-Ansâr, 46.
[2] Ahmed, III, 301.
Source: Osman Nuri Topbaş, Sufism, Erkam Publications
