Every sincere Muslim with intellect and understanding will see that the Hijrah is the main turning point in the history of Islam. Every year, with the coming of the early days of Muharram, the reminiscences of the Hijrah generate new lessons for Muslims and remind them of the sufferings their ancestors endured for the sake of this religion.

Shedding more light on this issue, here are the words of Sheikh Usamah Al-Khayyat:

The major events in the lives of nations and communities need to be studied for lessons and benefits. Indeed, there are in the life of the Messenger of Allah events that changed the course of human history and left great impacts on the history of mankind. Among these events, the Prophet’s Hijrah (emigration) from Makkah to Madinah occupied the highest position, for through this emigration Islam won a decisive victory, started its consolidation, and the disbelievers started suffering defeat and humiliation.

In fact, there are uncountable lessons to be learned from the Prophet’s Hijrah. There are, however, two main lessons which are:

First, Islam is greater than the land, home, and town in which one is born; it is greater than all the beauties, allurements, and pleasures of this world.

This concept showed up vividly when the Messenger of Allah, along with his companion Abu Bakr, set out from Makkah, the sacred city. Addressing the city, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said with tears in the eyes: “By Allah! You are the most pleasant city and the dearest place to me. Had my people not expelled me out of you, I would not have lived elsewhere” (At-Tirmidhi).

Makkah was his birthplace and the very place where he spent his childhood and youth. But the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) left this blessed city to seek the pleasure of His Lord in the interest of His religion and in order to spread the belief and guidance and deliver His Message. The Messenger of Allah removed all obstacles that impeded the deliverance of da`wah so that mankind could have the right of choice between guidance and error. Allah says: (And say: ‘The truth is from your Lord.’ Then whosoever wills, let him believe; and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve) (Al-Kahf 18: 29).

Second, We should have perfect certainty that Allah is always with His truthful and believing slaves. This deep-rooted certainty, which was unshaken by the threat of the enemy, manifested itself in these two emigrating men. When the situation became tense and the disbelievers almost came to know the cave in which they were hiding, Abu Bakr said, “By Allah, Messenger of Allah, had anyone of them looked at his feet he would have seen us.” The Messenger of Allah replied, “O Abu Bakr! What do you think of two people who are accompanied by (the support and protection of) Allah?” Allah confirms this incidence in the Glorious Qur’an when He says: (If you help him not, still Allah helped him when those who disbelieve drove him forth, the second of two; when they two were in the cave, when he said unto his comrade: Grieve not. Lo! Allah is with us. Then Allah caused His peace of reassurance to descend upon him and supported him with hosts you cannot see, and made the word of those who disbelieved the nethermost, while Allah’s word it was that became the uppermost. Allah is Mighty, Wise) (At-Tawbah 9 :40).

What support is greater than this Divine support and what power can overcome this power! The support of Allah is the greatest protection against all calamities. It is the provision in times of difficulty and the protecting shield from all evils. But this special support that entails protection and victory is only given to the righteous and pious slaves of Allah, those who fulfill their obligation to Allah by believing in His Oneness, worshiping Him alone without ascribing any partner to Him, abiding by His commandments and abstaining from all His prohibitions.

Let us put the lessons of the Prophet’s Hijrah into practice in order to reclaim our glory and our position in the world. Allah says: (Lo! Allah is with those who keep their duty unto Him and those who are doers of good) (An-Nahl 16: 128).

If the Hijrah means abandoning a non-Muslim land for that of Islam, it also means abandoning sins and rushing to obedience. The Messenger of Allah said: “The Muslim is the one from whose hand and tongue all Muslims are safe. And the muhajir (emigrant) is the one who abandons what Allah forbids” (Al-Bukhari).