Allah (swt) commands for immigration, which is a fundamental event in Islam, as Islamic history began with the immigration. But is the migration after the conquest of Mecca the same as before the conquest? Is the meaning of migration here the same as when the Prophet (saws) migrated from Mecca to Medina, disguised in the dark with Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (May Allah be pleased with him) and Imam Ali (May Allah honour his face) was in his bed, then the Prophet (saws) left for the cave of Thawr, where spiders spun and pigeons put eggs? Is this migration remaining after the Prophet (saws) migrated? No, the Prophet specified:

“There is no emigration after the conquest (of Makkah) but only Jihad [(striving and fighting in the cause of Allah) will continue] and good intention.”[1]

The meaning of (jihad) means exerting effort for the sake of civilization, for the sake of progress, and for the sake of spreading mercy and knowledge among the peoples of the earth. We note the civilizational dimension that we must always adhere to and to teach people Islam as Allah (swt) has revealed it, away from human failings and deviations and from the beliefs of the enemies of the Master of mankind (saws), the Prophet, who stated:

“The Muslim is he from whose tongue and hand the Muslims are safe; the believer is he whom men trust with their lives and their property, the mujahid is he who strives with himself regarding obedience to God, and the muhajir is he who abandons transgressions and sins.”[2]

Although as we know that the Muslim is he who witnesses that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah and who he who establishes the prayers, fasting Ramadan, gives zakat and performs the Hajj, on the other hand, the believer is he who believes in Allah (swt), His angels, His Books, His Messengers and the Last Day and the decree both bad and good, and we know that the Muhajir is he who migrated from Mecca to Madinah or the one who moved from his home to another, albeit of these definitions, here the Prophet (saws) in this Hadith gives the civilized required dimension that the Islam, Iman and the migration achieve. For Islam establishes the peace, safety and the pleasure of people. So it is not permissible for you to lie, backbite, or insult anyone with your tongue, and the same applies to the hand; it is not permissible to steal or commit any bad act with it. In the mentioned Hadith, what is meant by the tongue is the sayings, and what is meant by the hand is the doings. It is true that the believer is whoever believes in Allah (swt) and is trusted by people in their money and honor, but what is more important is to trust him for their blood, existence, future and homeland. This is the definition of faith and Islam. Additionally, the definition of migration after the conquest: that a person abandons what Allah (swt) forbade him, so the migration with its civilizational meanings, its concept, its extension and its aftermath, was not only the time dimension but also the dimension of thought. For that, the king of Uman used to say about the Prophet (saws) that he has not seen anyone like him (saws); if he ordered his companions to do something, he was the first to do it, and if he forbade them from something, he was the first to refrain from it.

So what is to be considered is the actions, not words, and the problem of the preachers nowadays lies in their abundance of sayings and exhortations, lengthening sermons without translating words into actions whereas these actions are what give Islam its essence, and they are the reason that made Muslims at the top of human civilization when the Muslim indeed had known that if he relieves a Muslim believer from one of the hardships of this worldly life, Allah (swt) will relieve him of one of the hardships of the Day of Resurrection and if he assists a brother in humanity it would be better than a forty days-private devotion in a mosque of the Prophet (saws).

The Islamic concept was the concept of charity, mercy, love, familiarity and cooperation, and it differed greatly from the prevailing concept after more than 1400 years of Islam. The Prophet (saws) said:

“The similitude of believers in regard to mutual love, affection, fellow-feeling is that of one body; when any limb of it aches, the whole body aches, because of sleeplessness and fever.”[3]

These moral values and virtues that the Prophet (saws) planted in the souls of the Companions and Muslims are an actual translation of what was mentioned in the Book of Allah (swt) and what Allah (swt) commanded of calling for good to others. The migration of the Prophet (saws) from Mecca to Medina was not intended as a geographical or spatial transition, but rather as a cultural shift. So what are we required to do nowadays? We need to learn from the lessons and wisdoms of the migration of the Prophet (saws), which prompted Omar Ibn Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) to make the migration date is the beginning of Hijri calendar. These lessons that we need today in order to be faithful to the religion of Islam and so that we can give a bright image of it. We have to rise to the level of Islam and not draw it to the level of backwardness, as it is not possible for the backward, culturally or scientifically, to give a bright picture of this great religion. Also, the one who applies Islam, the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (saws) must be the source of knowledge, goodness and human civilization.

Hence, when we interpret and reflect on the Book of Allah (swt), we must raise the level of our thinking, -especially the preachers who work in the religious field-, to the level of bestowments of the Book of Allah (swt) so that we can derive the lights and bring science, knowledge, civilization and thought to the top of humanity.

[1] Sahih al-Bukhari: Book of Jihad, Chapter of Jihad and Intentions, Hadith No. 2670.

[2] Musnad al-Baz-zar: Vol.2, Musnad Fudalah ibn ‘ubayd, Hadith No. 3752.

[3] Sahih al-Bukhari: Book of Virtue, Enjoining Good Manners, and Joining of the Ties of Kinship, Hadith No. 2586.