Surah Al-Anfaal (8) — Ayah 30

(Ayah 30) {وَ اِذْ يَمْكُرُ بِكَ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا … :} When almost all the Companions had migrated to Madinah and only the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), Abu Bakr, Ali (may Allah be pleased with them), and a few scattered Muslims remained in Makkah, the disbelievers became concerned that if Muhammad (peace be upon him) also escaped from their grasp, he would become such a danger to them that would be beyond their control. Thus, a meeting was held in their Dar al-Nadwah, in which suggestions and opinions were sought. Allah Almighty has summarized their discussion: one opinion was to imprison him and not let him leave until death; to this, the possibility was raised that his companions might take action and free him. Another suggestion was to kill him; to this, the danger of fighting with his clan, Banu Abd Manaf, was raised. Another suggestion was that they themselves should expel him from Makkah, wherever he wished to go, at least they would be rid of him; to this, the danger was raised that with his truthfulness, trustworthiness, good character, and eloquence, he would gather people and attack them. Finally, it was decided that a young man from each tribe should be chosen, and all of them should besiege his house at night; as soon as he came out, they would all attack together and finish him off. Whom would Banu Abd Manaf fight? In the end, they would agree to blood money. Jibreel (peace be upon him), by Allah’s command, informed him of their plot and also told him that Allah had granted him permission to migrate. That night, he did not sleep in his bed, but instead had Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) sleep in his place. The disbelievers waited all night, but Allah, with His secret plan, foiled the disbelievers’ plot and brought him out safely. The next day, he migrated in the company of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). This story is mentioned in all the books of Seerah, and this is its summary according to the Noble Qur’an.

Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) narrates: “On the night of migration, Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) risked his life; he wore the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) cloak and slept in his place.” [ أحمد : 330/1، ۳۳۱، ح : ۳۰۶۲۔ مستدرک حاکم : 4/3، ح ۴۲۶۴۔ وصححہ الحاکم و وافقہ الذھبی ] For details of the migration incident, see Surah At-Tawbah (40).

30. 1 This refers to the conspiracy that the chiefs of Makkah devised one night in Dar al-Nadwah, and eventually it was decided that young men from different tribes would be assigned to kill you, so that no single tribe could be targeted for retaliation, but rather their lives would be spared by paying blood money.

30. 2 Accordingly, under this conspiracy, one night these young men stood outside your house waiting for you ﷺ to come out so they could finish you off. Allah Almighty informed you ﷺ of the conspiracy, and they did not even realize when you ﷺ left, until you reached the Cave of Thawr. This was Allah’s plan against the disbelievers, and no one can devise a better plan than this.

30. And (O Prophet, remember) when the disbelievers were plotting against you to imprison you, kill you, or expel you. They were planning, and Allah was planning [31], and Allah is the best of planners.

[31]
The Consultation to Imprison, Exile, or Kill the Prophet ﷺ:

When some Muslims migrated to Madinah, the disbelievers of Makkah became alarmed that if Muhammad ﷺ escaped from our hands here in Makkah, then this danger would slip out of our control. Therefore, whatever the means, a solution should be thought of immediately. For this purpose, they held a meeting in Dar al-Nadwah and sought suggestions and opinions from the participants. Someone said that he should be shackled and imprisoned. Satan, who himself attended this meeting in human form, said: This suggestion is not correct. Because his followers are so devoted to him that they will risk their lives and eventually succeed in freeing him at some point. Another said he should be exiled from here. The benefit of this would be that at least we would be rid of his daily talk. Satan said this suggestion is also not correct. Because there is so much magic in this man's speech and words that wherever he goes, his devoted followers will arise there. Then, taking them, he could attack you at any time. Later, Abu Jahl spoke and said that we should take one young man from each tribe, and all of them together should attack Muhammad ﷺ at once and finish him off. Now, it is obvious that Banu Abd Manaf cannot risk fighting all the tribes. Inevitably, the matter will be settled with blood money, which all the tribes will jointly pay their share of. Hearing this opinion, a gleam appeared in Satan's eyes and he liked this opinion very much. Then, the time for this task was also set in that very meeting: on such-and-such night, all these young men would surround Muhammad ﷺ' house, and when he came out, they would all attack him at once and finish him off.

The Immediate Cause of the Prophet’s ﷺ Migration:

While these consultations were taking place, on the other side Allah, through revelation, informed His Prophet of the proceedings of this meeting and also granted permission for migration. The Prophet ﷺ, in the blazing afternoon when people are usually resting, secretly went to the house of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ and informed him that permission for migration had been granted. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ was already waiting for this opportunity. Thus, together with Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ, he secretly reached the Cave of Thawr. (The details of this will come at another place.) That very night, the group of assassins had planned to besiege the Prophet’s house. They arrived at their duty on time. When the Prophet ﷺ did not come out of the house until morning, they themselves entered and saw that no one was present except Sayyiduna Ali ؓ, and when they found out that the Prophet ﷺ had already left, their anger knew no bounds. Because Allah had completely foiled the plan approved by their entire assembly.