Around 1.8 billion Muslims, the equivalent of more than 24% of the world's population, observe the Islamic New Year, marking the Prophet’s Hijrah from Mecca to Al-Madinah, which dates back to over 1400 years ago. This commemoration raises frequent questions from both Muslims and non-Muslims about how an ancient historical event may positively influence today’s world.
It is worthy of mention that the concept of hijrah (emigration) is not a novelty. Throughout the ages, many prophets migrated for the sake of religious preaching and reform, whether physically or spiritually. A good example to quote here is the case of Prophet Abraham (PBUH), as narrated in the Quran. Prophet Abraham sought the true religion, saying, “And then he said, ‘Indeed, I will go to [where I am ordered by] my Lord; He will guide me’.” (37, 99). Likewise, Prophet Moses migrated to Median, seeking security; Prophet Ishmael migrated to Mecca to establish the Holy House on its foundations; and Prophet Jacob migrated to Egypt to join Prophet Joseph and his brother. Thus, observing the circumstances of the Prophets’ migration reveals that migration may have many purposes, including livelihood, knowledge, security, faith, etc.
- The Extremist Approach vs. the Real Approach of Hijrah
Extremism is beyond a specific group or community; it is about a delusive ideology that is spreading strife, violence, and destruction. Not all terrorism acts depend on armed violence but on intellectual distortion instead of confronting, including disinforming the public and commanding their deluded followers to discredit scholars and authoritative institutions in the eyes of the public. For instance, extremist groups propagated Hijrah as moving from anywhere to their homeland, calling it “Hijrah from hypocrisy to sincerity.” They manipulate people, taking the religious texts and events out of their context, alleging that hijrah means escaping from the lands of qu’ūd (abandonment of jihād) to the lands of jihād, or from dārul-kufr (geographies of disblief) to dārul-Islām (the geography of the only accepted divine belief), as they described, even if to live only as a soldier in constant wait for the opportunity to battle! They distort the concept of hijrah, limiting it to the physical one, to recruit more misled followers.
In fact, the prophetic hijrah demolished the stereotypes of dārul-kufr and dārul-Islām. Migration was from Mecca, where the House of Allah (Ka'aba) is, to a non-Muslim town called Medina. It implies that Allah is the Creator of the universe, and wherever you live, it belongs to Allah. After hijrah, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) created the first document on human fraternity that humans have ever known, called the “Constitution of Medina.” It established the concepts of equity, dignity, diversity, human rights, and coexistence among citizens of various affiliations, faiths, and tribes. Medina became an ideal city, blessed with an unprecedented society free from tribal and religious bias.
Islam unequivocally considers hijrah an ongoing, precious concept - valid anywhere and anytime. Hijrah instills many lessons that we urgently need to adopt. It implies a turning from anxiety to peaceful certainty. For instance, it crystallizes that loving your homeland is an integral part of faith. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, “I swear by God that you are the best part of God’s earth and the part dearest to Him. Had I not been expelled from you, I would not have gone out.” While extremists do resist the concept of belonging to a homeland, alleging that it contradicts religious loyalty, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) declares his love and appreciation for his homeland.
Further, if you recite, “And when you see those who engage in [offensive] discourse concerning Our verses, then turn away from them until they enter into another conversation. And if Satan should cause you to forget, then do not remain after the reminder with the wrongdoing people” (6; 68), you find that the quoted Qur’anic verse implies another philosophical form of hijrah. It reveals a systematic approach to combating corruption, bias, or extremism that copies the concept of promotion of virtue and suppression of vice developed in the past (the Hisbah System) and more recently in regulatory institutions and, more broadly, the executive power. It seems to be a call to respect the public order and the rule of law that never contradicts the moderate teachings of Islam.
In a nutshell, it is a duty and a mission for institutional bodies, researches, and governments to combat extremism, but the inner self-imposed considerable progress can achieve more. Hijrah grants us an opportunity to build up a good relationship with Allah, oneself, and people. Allah said, “Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. And when Allah intends for a people ill, there is no repelling it. And there is not for them besides Him any patron” (13: 11). The renewal concept behind Hijrah in the contemporary life consistently reflects the calling for inclusive and sustainable development that reflects the Higher Objectives of Shariha, including the preservation if faith, souls, families, money, minds, homelands, and interests of humanity.