What happened on the Hijra from Makkah to Madinah?
The Hijra is the pivot of the Prophet's ﷺ biography — the migration that began the Islamic calendar. Ibn Kathīr's <em>Sīrah al-Nabawiyyah</em> reconstructs it hour by hour: the plot in Makkah, the cave of Thawr, the camel, the arrival in Madinah.
10 passages from 6 books in the library
The cited passages frame the Hijra above all by the Prophet's ﷺ teaching that "actions are by intentions": whoever's migration was to Allah and His Messenger, his migration is to them, and whoever migrated for worldly gain has only that. The narrations note that he ﷺ later arrived in Madinah, "the abode of migration," and that the land sought through migration was the land of al-Sham. They also recall that he prayed toward Jerusalem for sixteen or seventeen months after the migration, and that pledging allegiance for migration was binding on the believers.
- Migration is judged by intention — for Allah and His Messenger, or for worldly gain
- The Prophet ﷺ arrived in Madinah, called "the abode of migration"
- Prayer continued toward Jerusalem for sixteen or seventeen months after the migration
Drawn from the classical sources below — in the scholars' own words.
The classical approach.
These passages are drawn from 6 books by Ibn Kathir, Imam al-Nawawī, Ibn al-Qayyim, and Imam al-Ghazali — part of the classical Sunni tradition that carries over a thousand years of reflection on the Qurʾān, the authentic Sunnah, and the consensus of the early community. Nothing below is a paraphrase. The words are the scholars' own, translated from the original Arabic manuscripts.
14th century · Bosra, Syria
Monumental history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, the world's most widely read Qurʾanic commentary, and the classical Stories of the Prophets.
More on Ibn Kathir →
· Provenance →
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"of Trustworthy and Weak Narrators. All praise and gratitude belong to Allah. Chapter. In the first year of the Hijra, Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr was born. He was the first child born in Islam after the Hijra. This is narrated by al-Bukhari from his mother, Asma, and his aunt, Aisha, the mother of the believers. May Allah be pleased with them both. Some say that Numan ibn Bashir was born six months before him, making Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr the first child born among the emigrants after the Hijra. Others claim both were born in the second year of the Hijra, but the first claim seems more accurate. All praise belongs to Allah and"
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"Yamama with the Muslims when Musaylimah was killed, returning with 12 wounds, may Allah be pleased with her. The other woman was Umm Mani Asma bint Amr, may Allah be pleased with her. Chapter the Migration. Chapter, the beginning of the migration from Makkah to Medina. Aisha reported that while in Makkah, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, informed the Muslims, I have been shown the place of your migration."
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"Those who were able to migrate did so towards Al-Madinah, while some who had migrated to Abyssinia returned to Al-Madinah. Abu Bakr prepared himself to migrate towards Al-Madinah. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said to him, Take your time, for I hope to be granted permission. Abu Bakr replied, Do you really hope for that, O Messenger of Allah?"
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"Mecca. That day in Mecca, the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said to the Muslims, I have been shown the place of your migration, which is a land of palm trees between two lava plains. These two plains are known as Al-Hara. Those who were able to migrate did so towards Al-Madinah, while some who had migrated to Abyssinia returned to Al-Madinah."
13th century · Nawā, Syria
The Forty Hadith, Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn, and the most widely read commentary on Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim — all produced in a life that lasted barely forty-four years.
More on Imam al-Nawawī →
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"I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, say, Indeed, actions are judged by intentions, and every person will have what they intended. So whoever's migration is for Allah and His Messenger, then their migration is for Allah and His Messenger. And whoever's migration is for worldly gain they hope to achieve, or for a woman they wish to marry, then their migration is for that which they migrated towards."
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"And whoever's migration is for worldly gain they hope to achieve, or for a woman they wish to marry, then their migration is for that which they migrated towards. This era of Islam before the migration highlights the resilience and dedication of the early Muslims who laid the groundwork for the spread of Islam across the Arabian Peninsula and beyond."
14th century · Damascus, Syria
Madārij al-Sālikīn — the classical map of the spiritual journey — and a vast body of work on the soul, love, the traps of the ego, and the nature of the heart.
More on Ibn al-Qayyim →
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"The meaning is: Whoever repents to اللّٰه with intention, resolve, and determination, his repentance to اللّٰه is through action and deed. This is similar to the saying of the Prophet, peace be upon him: "Whoever's migration is for اللّٰه and His Messenger, then his migration is for اللّٰه and His Messenger. And whoever's migration is for worldly gain or a woman to marry, then his migration is to what he migrated for.""
13th century · Nawā, Syria
The Forty Hadith, Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn, and the most widely read commentary on Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim — all produced in a life that lasted barely forty-four years.
More on Imam al-Nawawī →
· Provenance →
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"Our scholars and others have differed in the meaning of no migration after the conquest. Some say it means no migration from Mecca since it became the abode of Islam. Others interpret it as no migration after the conquest with complete merit. As for migration from the abode of disbelievers today, it is emphatically obligatory for those who are unable to manifest the religion of Islam there."
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
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"In this regard, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Actions are but by intentions, and for each person is what he intended. So whoever's migration was to Allah and His Messenger, his migration is to Allah and His Messenger, and whoever's migration was for worldly gains or to marry a woman, his migration is for what he migrated to.""
14th century · Bosra, Syria
Monumental history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, the world's most widely read Qurʾanic commentary, and the classical Stories of the Prophets.
More on Ibn Kathir →
· Provenance →
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"trees, hoping it was the town my companion had described, but it did not settle in my heart. While I was with him, a cousin of his from Banu Qurayza came from Al-Madinah, bought me, and took me to Al-Madinah. By Allah, it wasn't long before I saw it and recognized it by the description of my companion. I stayed there, and the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was sent and remained in Makkah for as long as he did. I did not hear anything of him due to my work as a slave. Then he migrated to Al-Madinah, and by Allah, I was at the top of a date palm belonging to my master, doing some work. My master was sitting"
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