CHAPTER 38: PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S ENTRY INTO MADINAH
PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S ENTRY INTO MADINAH, WHERE HE ESTABLISHED HIS RESIDENCE, AND RELATED ISSUES
Al-Bukhari related from Az-Zuhri from Urwah that the Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) entered Madinah in the mid-day.
I said that perhaps his arrival was after the midday because of what is established in the two saheehs from the Hadith of Isra’eel from Ishaq from Al-Bara’ Ibn ‘Azib from Abu Bakr concerning the Hadith of the Hijrah. He said: We arrived in the night and the people began to contend as to with whom the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) should reside. Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said: “I will encamp with the tribe of Najjar, the maternal uncles of Abdul Muttalib as a mark of honor for them.”
This, Allah knows best, perhaps occurred on the day of his arrival at Quba. Thus, it means that his arrival close to Madinah was in the heat of the midday and stayed under the shade of that palm tree. Then he proceeded with the Muslims and alighted at Quba that night.
Al-Bukhari related through Az-Zuhri from Urwah that Allah’s Messenger stayed with Banu Amr Ibn ‘Awf at Quba for about ten nights. He founded a mosque at Quba within those days and then the people rode with him until his camel knelt at the spot where his
mosque (in Madinah) was eventually built. At the time, the spot was used as a drying place for dates and it belonged to orphan boys, Sahl and Suhail. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) bought it from them and turned it into a mosque. All the while he was at the residence of Banu Najjar, Allah be pleased with them.
Imam Ahmad related from Anas Ibn Malik that: I was among the young children yelling: “Muhammad has come!” I ran but saw nothing. Then they shouted: “Muhammad has come!” I ran but still I did not see anything.
He continued: until Allah’s Messenger and his Companion came and we went to hide behind one of the volcanic rocks of Madinah. Thereafter, they sent two men from the desert tribes to announce their arrival to the Ansar. About five hundred Ansars came to meet them and they said: “Proceed (both of you) in security and in being obeyed.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) and his Companion came to meet them. The people of Madinah came out en masse in such a way that even the maidens above rooftops struggled to catch a glimpse of him saying: “Which one of them is him?” We never saw a similitude of the spectacle of that day. Anas Ibn Malik said: “I saw him the day he came to us and the day he was taken (in death) and I never saw anything similar to the two days.”
It is related in the two saheehs that Abu Bakr narrated concerning the Hadith of Hijrah that: The people trooped out en masse when they both (Allah’s Messenger and Abu Bakr) arrived at Madinah and lined the streets while young boys and slaves perched on rooftops yelling: “Allahu Akbar, Allah’s Messenger has arrived! Allahu Akbar Muhammad has come!! Allahu Akbar Muhammad has come!!!” in the morning, they proceeded and he went to where he was commanded.”
Ibn Ishaq related: Ali remained in Makkah for three days and night returning the deposits which the Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) had been entrusted with. Then he joined the Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) and lived with Kulthoom Ibn Al-Hidm. Ali had also stopped over in Quba for one or two days. He used to say: There was a Muslim woman at Quba who had no husband. I used to see a man come to her in the middle of night, knock at her door and when she comes out, he would give her something he has brought and she would take it from him. I became suspicious of her so I said to her: “O female servant of Allah, who is this man that always knock at your door every night and you would come out and who would give you something I do not know? And you are a Muslim woman who has no husband?” she replied: “The man who comes to me is Sahl Ibn Hunaif. He was aware of my predicament as a lonely woman, in the night, he would attack the idols of his people, break them into pieces and the he would bring them to me saying: ‘use this as your firewood, ‘ Ali recounted this exploit of Sahl Ibn Hunaif after he died in Iraq while he was with him.
Ibn Ishaq related: Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) witnessed the day of Jumu’ah while he was with the Banu Salim Ibn ‘Awf and he offered it in a mosque in the middle of the valley of Ranoonaa. That was the first Jumu’ah ever established in Madinah. Then Uthman Ibn Malik and Abbas Ibn Ubadah Ibn Nadlah led others from the Banu Salim to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him). They said to him: “O Messenger of Allah, stay with us for we are (great numbers) of men, material and efficient protection.” Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said: “Let it go (i.e. his camel) for it is under (Divine) command.” So let the camel go and it proceeded until it was parallel to the quarters of Banu Bayadah. Ziyad Ibn Labeed and Farwah Ibn Amr among some of men from the Banu Bayadah met him and said:
“O Messenger of Allah, come and benefit from our (great numbers) of men, material and efficient protection.” Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said: “Let it go (i.e. his camel) for it is under (Divine) command.” They did so and the camel went further until it got to the residence of Banu Harith Ibn Khazraj when Sa’d Ibn ar-Rabee’, Kharijah Ibn Zaid and Abdullah Ibn Rawahah among their tribesmen interrupted its course and invited him saying: “O Messenger of Allah, come and benefit from our (great numbers) of men, material and efficient protection.” Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said: “Let it go (i.e. his camel) for it is under (Divine) command.” They did so and the camel went ahead until it passed by the residence of Adiyy Ibn An-Najjar who were the Messenger of Allah’s maternal relatives as the mother of Abdul-Muttalib, Salma Bint Amr was one of their women. Saleet Ibn Qais, Abu Saleet, Usairah Ibn Abi Kharijah among men of their tribes interrupted the course of the camel and made a similar appeal as the other clans inviting the Messenger of Allah to stay with them. They said: “O Messenger of Allah, come over to your maternal relatives to enjoy our (great numbers) of men, material and efficient protection.” Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said: “Let it go (i.e. his camel) for it is under (divine) command.” They did so. The camel continued in its course until it got to the residence of Banu Malik Ibn An-Najjar, then it knelt down at the spot where the door of his mosque is located today. At the time, the land belonged to the two orphan boys – Sahl and Suhail, the two sons of Amr who were in the quarter of Mu’adh Ibn Afra’.
Moosa Ibn ‘’Uqbah said: Before Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) rode from Banu Amr Ibn ‘Awf, the Ansar had gathered swarming round the Messenger of Allah’s camel each person contending with the others to hold the rein of the camel as a mark of honor and esteem for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him). Each time it passed by a house of the Ansar, their occupants would invite him to stay with them and he would say to them repeatedly: “Let it go (i.e. his camel) for it is under (divine) command. I will stay where Allah wants me to stay.” When it got to the house of Abu Ayyoob Al-Ansari, the camel knelt down at his door. So he alighted and stayed in his house until his mosque and residence was built.
Al-Baihaqi related from Anas that: Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) passed by a group of Bani Najar and beating drum while saying:
We are neighbors from Banu An-Najjar
Supporters of Muhammad from among his neighbor
Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah knows that I love you with my heart.” It is related by Ibn Majah from Hisham Ibn Ammar from Eesa Ibn Yoonus.
In saheeh Al-Bukhari, Anas Ibn Malik said: The Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) saw the women and children (of the Ansar) coming forward. (The sub-narrator said), “I think that Anas said, ‘they were returning from a wedding party.” The Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) stood up and said thrice,
“By Allah! You are from the most beloved people to me.”
Imam Ahmad related that Anas Ibn Malik said: Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) came to Madinah while Abu Bakr was riding behind him. Abu Bakr was well known (among the Arab tribes) while the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) was not. A man met Abu Bakr and said to him: “O Abu Bakr, who is this man in your front?” Abu Bakr responded: “This is the man guiding me.” One would think that Abu Bakr meant someone showing him the way (on his journey) not knowing that Abu Bakr meant someone guiding him to path of goodness. Abu Bakr turned and he saw a horseman who had caught up with them. He said: “O Prophet of Allah, a horseman has caught up with us.” Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) turn to look and then prayed: “O Allah throw him.” Then his horse tripped and threw him off. It neighed and got up again. Seeing his fate, the man said: “O Prophet of Allah, give me your command as you may wish.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said, “Remain where you are and prevent anyone from catching up with us.” The man started out the day warring against Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) and ended up becoming his reconnoiter.
He continued: Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) alighted by a volcanic field and then sent for the Ansar. They came, greeted him and said: “Ride on in security and in being obeyed.” Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) and Abu Bakr rode on while they scattered around him with their weapons.
It is also said that this incident occurred in Madinah. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) came and the people raised their glance to look at him saying: “The Prophet of Allah has come!” He proceeded slightly till he alighted beside Abu Ayyoob’s house. While the Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) was speaking with the family members of Abu Ayyoob, ‘Abdullah Ibn Salam heard the news of his arrival while he himself was picking the dates for his family from his family garden. He hurried to the Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) carrying the dates which he had collected for his family from the garden. He listened to Allah’s Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) and then went home.
The Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) asked: “Whose house is the closest?” Abu Ayyoob said: “Mine, O Prophet of Allah. This is my house and this is my door.” He said: “Go ahead and prepare for us an accommodation.” He went and prepared a place for both of them and then he returned and said: “O Messenger of Allah, I have prepared for both of you an accommodation.
It is also narrated that when the Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) arrived, Abdullah Ibn Salam came to him and declared: “I bear witness that you are truly a Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) of Allah and that you have come with the truth. The Jews are well aware that I am their leader and son of their leader, the most knowledgeable of them and the son of the most knowledgeable amongst them invite and ask them about my status amongst them. When the Jews came, the Messenger of Allah said to them: “O Jews, woe to you, fear Allah for by Allah beside Whom there no other god, you know that I am truly a Messenger of Allah and that I have with the truth so accept Islam.” They responded, “We do not know him.” thrice.
Al-Baihaqi related from Abu Ayyoob that Allah’s Messenger had alighted in his house and he occupied the lower storey, whereas Abu Ayyoob Ansari lived in the upper storey. One night, Abu Ayyoob Ansari got up and said (to himself): (How unfortunate it is) that we walk above the head of Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him), so they went aside and spent the night in a corner and then told Allah’s Messenger about it whereupon Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said: “The lower storey is more comfortable (for us).” However, he (Abu Ayyoob Al-Ansari) insisted: “We (would not live) over the roof under which you live.” So Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) shifted to the upper storey, while Abu Ayyoob Al-Ansari shifted to the lower storey; and he (Abu Ayyoob Ansari) used to prepare food for Allah’s Messenger; and when it was brought (back) to him he would ask (to be shown) the part, where the Prophet’s fingers had touched (on the food), and he followed his fingers on that part where his fingers (those of the Prophet) had touched. (One day) he prepared food which contained garlic, and when it was returned to him he asked (to be shown) the part which the fingers of Allah’s Messenger had touched. It was said to him that he had not eaten (the food). He (Abu Ayyoob Al-Ansari) was distressed and went up to him (to the Prophet) and said: “Is it forbidden?” Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said: “No, (it is not forbidden), but I do not like it,” and he (Abu Ayyoob Al-Ansari) said: “I also do not like what you do not like or which you did not like.” He (Abu Ayyoob Al-Ansari) said: (The Prophet did not eat garlic) as Allah’s Messenger was visited (by angels) and brought him the message of Allah.”
It is recorded in the Saheehain from Anas Ibn Malik that Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said: “The worthiest clans of the Ansar are Banu Najjar, thereafter Banu Abdul-Ashhal; thereafter Banul-Harith Ibn Al-Khazraj; thereafter Banu
Sa’idah and there is goodness in all clans of the Ansar.” Sa’d Ibn Ubadah said: “I see that he (the Prophet) has placed others above us.” It was said to (him): “He has placed you above many others.” This is Bukhaari’s wordings.
Rather, honor and eminence have been confirmed for all of those who accepted Islam from the people of Madinah who are the Ansar. Allah says:
“And the first to embrace Islam of the Muhajirooon (those who migrated from Makkah to Madinah) and the Ansar (the citizens of Madinah who helped and gave aid to the Muhajiroon) and also those who followed them exactly (in Faith). Allah is well-pleased with them as they are well-pleased with Him. He has prepared for them Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise), to dwell therein forever. That is the supreme success.” (Soorah At-Tawbah [9]:100)
Allah (SWT) also says:
“And those who, before them, had homes (in Madinah) and had adopted the Faith, love those who emigrate to them, and have no jealousy in their breasts for that which they have been given (from the booty of Bani An-Nadir), and give them (emigrants) preference over themselves, even though they were in need of that. And whosoever is saved from his own covetousness, such are they who will be the successful.” (Al-Hashr [59]:9)
Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said: “But for the emigration, I would have been one of the Ansar: and if the people took their way in a valley (or a mountain pass), I would take the Ansar’s valley or the mountain pass. The Ansar are my Karsh and my ‘Aibah.”
Al-Bukhari related that Al-Bara’ Ibn ‘Azib narrated: I heard Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) (or he said): “None loves the Ansar but a believer, and none hates them but a hypocrite. So Allah will love him who loves them, and He will hate him who hates them.”
Al-Bukhari also related that Anas Ibn Malik narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) that: “ Love for the Ansar is a sign of faith and hatred for the Ansar is a sign of hypocrisy.”
The city of Madinah was also honored with the migration of Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him). It became a haven for the friends of Allah and his righteous servants, a bastion, a stronghold and a fortress for the believers and a centre of guidance for the entire world. Ahadeeth enumerating the excellence of Madinah are quite numerous. There is another section in which we shall enumerate some of them insha’Allah.
It is recorded in the Saheehain that Abu Hurairah said: “Certainly, Belief returns and goes back to Madinah as a snake returns and goes back to its hole (when in danger).”
In the two saheehs also, from the Hadith of Sa’eed Ibn Yasar who narrated that he heard from Abu Hurairah that Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said: “I was ordered to migrate to a town which will swallow (conquer) other towns and is called Yathrib and that is Madinah, and it turns out (bad) persons as a furnace removes the impurities of iron.”
Al-Baihaqi also related that Abu Hurairah narrated that Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said: “O Allah, You brought me out from the most beloved city to me so grant me residence in the most beloved city to You.” So Allah granted him residence in Madinah. This Hadith is extremely odd (ghareeb).
The popular report from the majority (of scholar) is that Makkah is preferred over Madinah in excellence except for the fact that the soil of Madinah encloses the dead body of Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him). The majority of scholars have argued this out with evidences too long to mention all of them here. The proper place is in the Book of the Rulings of Pilgrimage, insha’Allah. The most prominent of their evidences is what is related by Imam Ahmad from Abu Salamah Ibn Abdur Rahman that Abdullah Ibn Adiyy Ibn Al-Hamara’ informed him that he heard the Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) saying while he was standing at
Hazwarah in a Market in Makkah: “By Allah, I know you are the best place on Allah’s earth and the most beloved of it to Allah. If not that your inhabitants expelled me from you I would not have left.”
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