The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page 326
Seal of the Prophets - Volume I 326 a white set of clothing to the Holy Prophet sa and one to Ḥaḍrat Abū Bakr ra , 1 and said, “After my return to Makkah, I too shall soon join your in Madīnah. ” Many other people also met them on the way, and since the profession of Ḥaḍrat Abū Bakr ra was that of a businessman, he would travel this route to and fro continuously. Most people recognized him, but were not familiar with the Holy Prophet sa. As such, they would inquire of Ḥaḍrat Abū Bakr ra , “Who is the man ahead of you?” Ḥaḍrat Abū Bakr ra would respond, َ ھٰذَا یَھْدِیْنِی َ السَّبِیْل , “This is my guide”. They would think that he is a guide hired by Ḥaḍrat Abū Bakr ra to direct his route, but the actual intent of Ḥaḍrat Abū Bakr ra was something else. 2 End of the Journey and the Completion of Migration After a journey of eight days, stopping at different places en-route, the Holy Prophet sa reached near Madīnah on 12 Rabī‘ul-Awwal of 14 Nabawī , equivalent to the 20 th of September 622 A. D. 3 The people of Yathrib had received news of the departure of the Holy Prophet sa from Makkah, therefore, they would come to the outskirts of Madīnah on a daily basis to welcome him and would wait upon him for long periods of time. But when the sun would begin to intensify, they would return home disappointed. On that day, they had also come to welcome the Holy Prophet sa , but since the afternoon had grown long, they had returned to their homes. When they had just reached their homes, suddenly, a Jew who was standing at an eminent position in his small fort noticed the Holy Prophet sa and his companions shining in white clothes from afar. He loudly shouted, “O People of Arabia! The one you wait upon has come!” As soon as this voice reached the ears of this devout community, in the ecstasy of their joy and fervour, the Muslims quickly took their arms and dashed out of the city. 4 1 Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī, Kitābu Manāqibil-Anṣār, Bābu Hijratin-Nabiyyi sa wa Aṣḥābihī ilal-Madīnah, Ḥadīth No. 3906-3917 2 Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī, Kitābu Manāqibil-Anṣār, Bābu Hijratin-Nabī sa wa Aṣḥābihī ilal-Madīnah, Ḥadīth No. 3906-3917 3 * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Muḥammad bin ‘Abdul-Bāqī Az- Zarqānī, Volume 2, p. 152, Bābu Khātimati fī Waqā’i‘i Mutafarriqati Ḥuṣilat fil-Hijrah, Dārul- Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * Maḥmūd Pāshā Miṣrī * Taqwīmut-Tārīkhī, By ‘Abdul-Quddūs Hāshmī, p. 1, Idāra-e-Taḥqīqāt-e-Islāmī, Pakistan (1965) (Publishers) * Based on the investigation of some research scholars the date was 8 Rabī‘ul-Awwal 4 Among the Arabs, to go out and welcome someone in arms was thought of as an indication that the host is even prepared to sacrifice his life for the sake of his guest. (Author)