Emigration—From Makkah to Madinah

EMIGRATION—FROM MAKKAH TO MADINAH would unite against the Muslims proved only too true. This is how Ubayy ibn Ka’b, a companion of the Prophet, describes the situation: When the Prophet and his companions arrived in Madinah, and the Ansar gave them asylum, the Arabs united against them. The Muslims used to remain in their armour, night and day.142 The Quraysh declared economic sanctions against the people of Madinah. All Arab tribes, following the Quraysh’s lead, severed links with the city. Internal resources ran far short of providing for the considerably increased population of Madinah, and the expense of defending the town pushed the economy to its very limit. ‘Umar says that the Prophet was restless with hunger all day in Madinah. There were not even enough rejected dates for him to eat his fill. In later years, someone asked ‘Aisha if they had a lantern. “If we had had oil to burn a lantern,” she said, “we would have drunk it.” The Muslims used to go out on expeditions with hardly any provisions. Abu Musa tells of one expedition he made with the Prophet. “There was only one camel between the six of us. We used to take turns riding on it. The skin began peeling off our feet from incessant walking, and we used to bind them with rags. That was why the expedition came to be known as Dhat al-Riqa, (riqa meaning rags or patches).” Food rations used to run so low that people used to suck dates rather than eat them. Acacia leaves and locusts would