The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 5
I - Early Establishment of Madīnah and Foundation of the Islāmic Government 5 Arrival in Qubā’ - 20 September 622 A. D. After presenting a brief account of the state of affairs prevalent in Madīnah and its inhabitants, we return to our actual subject. It has already been mentioned that when the Anṣār 1 heard of the arrival of the Holy Prophet sa , the plain of Madīnah began to echo with slogans proclaiming the Greatness of Allāh. People quickly began to arrange their weapons, and eagerly made haste to the direction from which the Holy Prophet sa was arriving. This was a wonderful time. The Chief of Mankind, the Holy Chosen One of God, in whose person the message of prophethood was to reach its perfection - distressed by the persecution of his friends and relatives - left his homeland for a city, which in terms of worldly relations, was a city of strangers. Yet, God instilled such love into the hearts of these very strangers, that the love of blood relations seemed absolutely worthless in comparison. From that day, the fate of the Aus and Khazraj became so closely intertwined with the destiny of Islām, that it is impossible for any historian of the world to mention one without the other. These Bedouins of Arabia spent most of their time indulging in alcohol, adultery, gambling, and violence. There is no doubt that Islām raised them from the depths of a dark abyss of disgrace, to a most brilliant summit of prosperity. None have done a favour upon Islām, rather, it is every single Muslim who is subject to the favour of Islām. Nonetheless, it is also a historical fact that the selfless dedication with which these pioneer devotees of Islām sacrificed their lives, and the fervent love and passion with which they irrigated the delicate and young plant of Islām with the water of their blood, is unparalleled in the history of the world. However, I should return to my subject matter. When the Anṣār laid eyes upon the Holy Prophet sa , their faces lit up with joy, and they felt as if they had attained all the rewards of this world and the next, in the person of the Holy Prophet sa. As such, there is a narration in Bukhārī related by Barā’ bin ‘Āzib ra that, “I have never seen the Anṣār as happy as they were at the arrival of the Holy Prophet sa to Madīnah, on any other occasion. ” Tirmidhī and Ibni Mājah have related from Anas bin Mālik ra that, “When the Holy Prophet sa arrived, we felt as if Madīnah had become illuminated; and on the day that the Holy Prophet sa passed away, the city of Madīnah never seemed darker. ” 2 After meeting the people who had come to receive him, the Holy 1 The Muslims of Madīnah who gave protection to the Muslim emmigrants of Makkah [Publishers] 2 Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 2, p. 165, Khātimatu Fī Waqā’i‘i Mutafarriqatin Ḥaṣalat Fil-Hijrati…. . , Dārul-Kutubil- ‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)