The Migration to Madinah

The Prophet’s Mosque The next most important task for the Prophet was to build a mosque. This mosque was built on the land he had bought from two orphans. It had mud walls and a roof of palm leaves. The Prophet himself contributed to building the mosque by carrying bricks and stones while reciting the following verses: “Oh God! no bliss is there but that of the Hereafter, I beseech You to forgive the Emigrants and the Helpers.” The qiblah (the direction in which Muslims turn their faces in prayer), was constructed to face Jerusalem. It was later changed by divine command to Makkah, the home of the Kabah. Huts were built adjacent to the mosque for the Prophet’s family. The mosque was not only a place for prayer, it was also the administrative headquarters where consultations were held and decisions taken. A platform with a thatched roof was built in one corner of the mosque. Poor people who had no home or family lived here. They spent their time in worship and prayer. They were fed by those Muslims who could afford to do so. They also sometimes earned their living by collecting wood from the jungle and selling it in the market. These people came to be known as Ashabus-Suffa, people of the bench. The number of the Ashabus-Suffa used to vary but as many as seventy in number have been recorded. Abu Hurayrah, a constant attendant of the Prophet, and one of the Ashabus-Suffa, related more hadiths (traditions of the sayings and doings of the Prophet) than any other. Abu Hurayrah himself narrated how this had become possible. He said that the Muhajir were traders whose occupation kept them busy—buying and selling. The Ansar had orchards of date palms to look after and they were occupied with that. Abu Hurayrah who, had none of these preoccupations was present when others were not and he had once complained to the Prophet about his forgetfulness. The Prophet Muhammad asked him to spread out his sheet of cloth, then he recited some duas and asked him to fold up the sheet. Abu Hurayrah folded the sheet and pressed it to his chest. He says that he never forgot anything after that day. Makkan Opposition The Prophet was a man of peace and reconciliation. He urged his companions to ask God for peace. For the Prophet’s main task was the communication of the divine message to the people. And an atmosphere of peace and goodwill was essential to perform this duty. But the Quraysh did not allow him to work in peaceful conditions. When they saw that the Muslims were becoming increasingly stronger, they resolved to wage war and crush them altogether. Badr The Quraysh marched to Madinah with a thousand strong army. They camped at Badr, about eighty miles from Madinah. It was the month of Ramadan, two years after the Hijrah. On hearing the news of the enemy camping at Badr, the Prophet marched out of Madinah at the head of an army of 313 Muslims. They had few horses and no armour. The Makkans, on the other hand, were well armed and had 300 horses and 700 camels. The battle, in which the Muslims were seriously outnumbered, began on Friday, the 17th of Ramadan. The fighting lasted only a few hours, during which the Prophet prayed