Understanding the meaning of Hijrah

0 comments Posted by القيسية (Al Qaysiyya)‏ at Friday, December 18, 2009


Bismillahirrahmanirrahim,..
I begin with the name of Allah SWT the Most Beneficient, the Most Merciful, peace and blessing upon beloved Prophet SAW. All praise is for Allah SWT.
Literally speaking, Hijrah indicates moving from one place to another to live there. Taking it symbolically, Hijrah denotes shunning bad habits, traditions and so on, or abandoning a certain culture to adopt another. The symbolic meaning of this word is referred to in Almighty Allah's words:
"And bear patiently what they say and avoid them with a becoming avoidance" [Al-Muzammil 73:10]
In this figurative sense Hijrah refers to reviewing one's entire cultural and traditional heritage to find what is wrong with it, and where therein corruption of ideas and misunderstanding lie.

In other words, Hijrah is identical to seeking repentance and purification of one's soul. The Prophet SAW (peace and blessings be upon him) said,

"Hijrah will not cease until repeatance becomes useless and repentance will not become useless until the sun rises from the west" (Abu Dawud)

HIJRAH AND PROPHET MUHAMMAD SAW

It was the titghtest and heaviest of times. After the death of the Prophet's uncle and protector, Abu Talib, the Quraysh council decided to scatter the blood of the beloved Prophet among the Arab tribes by getting a knight from every tribe to kill him. Even Banu Hashim, his clan, could not protect the Prophet anymore. The Muslims were experiencing the hardest of times. Then the Angel Gabriel went at an unusual time to relay diien guidance, to tell the Prophet SAW what to do.

The Quran describes how Allah SWT helped the Prophet SAW escape from his murderers as a blocking of light:

And We have made before them a barrier and a barrier behind them, then We have covered them over so that they do not see [Yasin 36:9]

From imminent physical danger to the Prophet's life and the darkest moments, Allah SWT guided his Messenger to the nucleus of the everlasting radiance of the Islamic being and civilisation in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, the Luminous City.

HIJRAH OF HEARTS, GREATEST KIND OF HIJRAH

We should follow the example of the Prophet SAW by modelling ourselves after his guidance and course of life and following in his footsteps in terms of talking and behaving. Allah SWT has ordered us to do this, saying :

"Verily in the messenger of Allah ye have a good example for him who looketh unto Allah and the last Day, and remembereth Allah much"[Al-Ahzab 33:21]

Wallahualam..

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