MUHAMMAD, however, received a revelation, which warned him of the danger, and he was commanded by God to flee. A substitution had to be made, so his cousin Ali volunteered to lie down upon his master’s bed. Ali fully appreciated the danger of lying in the Prophet’s bed at such a critical juncture, but if he could give his lie for is beloved master, it would be a noble and glorious thing for him to do.

In spite of their fanatical antagonism, the. people of Mecca (Makkah) trusted the honesty of the Prophet to the utmost, hence they would take their valuables and belongings to him for protection. When the Prophet left he gave all these goods to Ali with the instructions to deliver them to their owners.

When the Prophet informed Abu Bakr of his intended departure from Mecca (Makkah), the latter volunteered to be his master’s companion and offered one of his camels for the journey. The Prophet acceded to the wishes of his devoted friend and follower, and took him as a companion, but paid the price of the camel.

The Meccans (Makkans) besieged the Prophet’s house, but in the dead of night they fell fast asleep. While his foes were sleeping, the Prophet departed. With tears in his eyes he gazed at the Ka’aba and said, “Oh, Mecca, thou hast been to me the dearest spot in all the world, but thy sons would not let me live.”

Then, the Prophet and his companion went to the famous Hill of Thaur, which is about three miles from Mecca (Makkah). They took refuge in what is known as the Cave of Thaur, where they remained for three days.

Early in the morning, the Prophet’s enemies awakened and, to their surprise, found Ali in his master’s bed. They were so angry that they put Ali in confinement, but finding such a procedure useless, they soon released him.

A desperate search for the fugitive was made. Scouts were sent in all directions. A trailing party even reached the mouth of the cave. It was natural for them to peep into the cave, but something unknown caused the pursuers to hesitate. At last they retraced their steps, and did not return to the cave.

While they were hesitating whether to peep into the cavern or not, Abu Bakr’s heart sank and he showed signs of fear. Just one glance and their lives would be lost. It was at this critical moment that the Prophet calmly spoke, “Fear not. God is with us.” Such was the implicit trust he had in God. He felt perfectly sure of the protection of God.

On the fourth day they departed for Medina (Madinah). After a continuous journey of a day and a night, followed by a short rest, when they were about to resume their journey, they were seen by a Meccan, Suraqa, who, tempted by a fat reward of one hundred camels, had pursued the fugitives.

When he came near the Prophet his horse stumbled and fell. According to the Arab custom he drew lots to divine whether to continue the chase or not. He received an answer in the negative; but the reward of one hundred camels was too tempting for him to give up the adventure, so he remounted and pursued the Prophet; but when the horse stumbled the second time and the feet of the animal sank very deeply into the sand, he feared to continue the attempt on the life of the Prophet. Something within him told him that the Prophet’s cause was ordained to triumph, and that endeavor to retard such a mission was to bring about his own destruction. A terrible fear paralyzed his whole being. He then went to the Prophet and begged his forgiveness. The Prophet complied with his request and the man departed in peace.

While the Prophet and Abu Bakr were on their way to Medina (Madinah) they met Zubair, a gallant Moslem (Muslim), returning from a commercial expedition to Syria, who presented the Prophet with some clothes and assured him that he would also come and live with his master in Medina (Madinah).

After a wearisome journey of eight days, the party reached Medina (Madinah), on the twelfth of Rabiual Awal. They were accorded a warm reception by the people of Medina, whose joy knew no bounds, and who moved heaven and earth by their thunderous shouts of greeting. “Allah! O, Akbar! God is the greatest of all!”

This migration or Hegira (Hijra) introduced a new epoch in the life of the Prophet. It was upon this event that the Moslem (Muslim) chronological system was based.