The significance of Hijrah

Salam , Hello and Greetings to all.

Today I got a day off since the national public holiday of the Islamic New Year falls on Sunday. I suppose might as well I spend my time reading and browsing some of the sites on Hijra. I came across a few good ones , and one of them is written by Ibrahim B. Syed, Ph. D. President of Islamic Research Foundation International, Inc. and I want to share it with all of you.  His paper tells about the significance of Hijrah.

 

The significance of Hijrah (the migration of Prophet Muhammad to Madinah) is not limited to the Islamic history or to the Muslims. The Hijrah not only reshaped - socially and politically - the Arab Peninsula, but also had its impact on worldwide civilizations.

Throughout the history of Islam, the migration was a transitional line between the two major eras, regarding to the message of Islam; the era of Makkah and the era of Madinah. In its essence, this signified a transition from one phase to another, as follows:

Transition from the position of weakness, to the position of strength.

Transition from spreading Islam through individual, to the spreading of Islam through institutionalized, initiated by the state.

Transition from a position where Muslims represented a small group of people, to the position of a regional power with a strong central leadership.

Transition of Da'wah from regionalism, to the phase of universalism.

Transition from being a simple Islamic group of believers, to being the Islamic Ummah (nation).

Transition, which is most significantly for early Muslims, to the phase in which Islam was not only the act of worship, but a way of life. This was the first time when Islam was looked upon as a comprehensive religion.

There is no doubt whatsoever that the migration of Prophet Muhammad to Madinah was the crucial event, which established the Islamic civilization. This was a civilization that thrived for many centuries.

When the Prophet made the Hijrah from Makkah to Madinah, he did not just transfer his residence or took shelter in another city, but as soon as he arrived in Madinah he began the transformation of that city in every aspect.

Among the transformation that the Prophet did in Madinah as stated in the history are :

1. Mosque: The Prophet first established a Mosque for the worship of Allah..

2. Madrasah: The first school under the supervision of the Prophet was the school of Suffah.

3. Mu'akhah: He established brotherly relations between the Muhajirun (Muslims who migrated from Makkah) and the Ansar (residents of Madinah who helped the Prophet and his Companions).

4. Intercommunity and Interfaith Relations: Prophet also established good relations with other communities living in Madinah.

5. Cleaning the City: Yathrib (previous name of Madinah) was a dirty city. When the Sahabah (Prophet's Companions) came from Makkah to Madinah, many of them got sick and did not like that city. The Prophet asked them to clean the city and remove its dirt and filth. `

 
6. Water System in the City: The Prophet asked the Sahabah to dig wells in different parts of the city of Madinah and there was enough clean water for everyone.

7. Agriculture and Gardening: The Prophet encouraged the Sahabah to cultivate the land and make gardens.

8. Poverty Eradication: In a short period of time it happened that there were no poor people in Madinah.

9. Safety, Security, Law and Order: Madinah became the safest city in the world.

In short, Hijrah teaches us that wherever Muslims go, they should bring goodness to that land. Muslims should work for both moral and material goodness of the society.

In Malaysia , the celebration of the Islamic New Year is known as Maal Hijrah. Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin launched the national-level Maal Hijrah celebration at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre.

The national-level celebration carries the theme of "Persefahaman Asas Perpaduan Ummah" (Understanding the Basis for Unity of the Community) with the aim of strengthening ties within the multiracial society of Malaysia.

Here are some of the important messages delivered by Yang di-Pertuan Agong in his speech :

Always exercise moderation in all their practices.

People should act in a civil manner in anything, and not act rashly and cruelly towards anyone.

People should also not blow up small disagreements and instead resolve them amicably.

Noble values such as mutual love and respect being fostered and practised from the home so as to create a loving, united society with a high level of mutual understanding and strong sense of oneness.

The spirit of good neighbourliness and oneness will flourish again so that the people in this country can go through their daily lives in a state of increased harmony and love for one another.

Country's multiracial, multicultural and multireligious people have to understand each other's needs and to respect the dissimilarities. Country's peace is closely linked to unity of the ummah, as it's impossible for a country to be peaceful if there is chaos in its society.

As for me, there are still a lot of things that I need to change and I hope that I will be able to do so. 

That's all for now....thank you for spending your time reading.
Have a pleasant day.