Episode 32: The Prophet Reaches Madinah
Arrival in Madinah:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and Abu Bakr arrived in Madinah on a Monday, the 12th of Rabbi Al Awwal.
The residents of Madinah would wait from Fajr to Dhuhr to wait for the Prophet’s arrival every day.
One day, after Dhuhr, all the residents of the city left apart from a Jewish man, who waited around on that day and he saw the Prophet and Abu Bakr arrive.
He called out to the residents of Madinah, informing them that people they had been waiting for had arrived.
Hundreds of people ran to see the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in excitement but out of the two, they did not know which one was the Prophet.
Abu Bakr then provided shade for the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the Muslims realised that the person who was getting shaded was the Messenger of Allah.
They all started singing ‘Tala Al Badru Alayna’ and were excited to see the Prophet and he was happy to see all the people supporting him after thirteen years of torture in Makkah.
The Building of Masjid Quba:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ then ordered a Masjid to be built in Quba and this was called Masjid Quba, which was the first mosque ever to be built in Islam.
The Prophet said that the reward for just praying two rakats in Masjid Quba is as if you have completed Umrah.
Demographics of Madinah:
At that time, Madinah was full of a third of the people from the Khazraj tribe, a third from Aws and a third being the Jews.
Interaction with the Jewish Community:
Huyayy ibn Akhtab and his brother Abu Yasir were the leaders of the Jews.
Huyayy ibn Akhtab was also the father of Saffiyah, who eventually become one of the wives of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Abu Yasir then went to see the Prophet to see if he was as the man described in the Tawrah, which stated that a Messenger was going to come so he wanted to see if the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ had the signs of the prophethood as stated in their Holy Book.
Abu Yasir realised that this man was the Messenger that was stated in the Tawrah so he went back to the gathering of Jews and said: Wallahi this man is the Messenger of Allah as described in the Tawrah.
Huyayy ibn Akhtab wanted to see for himself so he went and saw the Prophet. He came back and told his brother Abu Yasir that this in fact was the Messenger of Allah that was stated in the Tawrah.
Abu Yasir then asked him: what are we going to do?
Enemy of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ:
Huyayy ibn Akhtab told his brother Abu Yasir: I am going to be his biggest enemy till the end of time.
Abu Yasir responded: how can you be an enemy of a Messenger that was stated in the Tawrah? You are going to be destroyed.
However, Huyayy remained firm with his decision and his brother Abu Yasir tried to plead with him but he remained ignorant.
Huyayy decided to disobey the Prophet and informed the Jewish community of this and they all accepted this decision and did not accept Islam.
Saffiyah heard this conversation between her father and her uncle and from that moment, she knew Islam was the truth, but she did not accept Islam at that time because she was still only 18 years old.
Huyayy ibn Akhtab decided to be the enemy of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ because of his arrogance and jealousy.
The Story of Suhayb Ar-Rumi:
Early Life of Suhayb Ar-Rumi:
Suhayb Ar-Rumi was one of the first Muslims in Makkah and his real name was actually Suhayb ibn Sinaan, and his father was the governor of an area called Al-Ubalah.
Captivity by the Roman Empire:
Twenty years before the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ received his first revelation, Suhayb was only five years old.
One day, his mother took him for a picnic and the city of At-Thani they were in got invaded by the Roman Empire.
The Soldiers raided At-Thani and they took many prisoners and among the prisoners was Suhayb Ar-Rumi.
For the next twenty years, he was a slave of the Roman Empire.
Escape to Makkah:
After twenty years, he escaped towards Makkah, where he became a well-renowned businessman in the city. This was around the time that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ started receiving revelations.
Suhayb ar-Rumi was one of the early Muslims to accept Islam and he did not have any family protection in Makkah, so he was greatly tortured by the disbelievers of the Quraysh.
Attempt to Leave Makkah:
Suhayb Ar-Rumi escaped Makkah and headed towards Madinah. However, the disbelievers of the Quraysh realised he had escaped so they caught up to him and told him: you came to Makkah and become very rich in Makkah so you think we are going to let you leave?
Suhayb said: Wallahi, I have forty arrows with me and you know how much of a good marksman I am. So I will kill forty of you with my arrows, and then I will continue fighting you with my sword until I die.
Giving Up Wealth for Islam:
The Quraysh then refused to let him go and Suhayb Ar-Rumi tried to reason with them by giving away his wealth. He said: if you let me go, I will tell you where I have hidden my wealth.
Suhayb informed the Quraysh of where his wealth was and they eventually agreed to let him migrate to Madinah.
Suhayb Ar-Rumi gave up all of his wealth in the search for the truth and to be close to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Arrival in Madinah and The Prophet’s Knowledge;
When Suhayb arrived in Madinah, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: you have made a very profitable transaction.
Suhayb was shocked that the Prophet had knowledge about the incident that occurred between him and the Quraysh.
Suhayb then said: Wallahi, there was nobody that could have given you this news but Allah.
Allah SWT revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ what had happened between the disbelievers of the Quraysh and Suhayb Ar-Rumi. (Quran, 2:207)