Migration to Medina and Hazrat Ali's Sleep on the Prophet's Bed

Authored by: Hafiz Muhammad Anwar Zahid (Hafidhahullah)

Migration to Medina: Day or Night? And Hazrat Ali's Sleep on the Prophet's Bed​

In his book Asah Al-Seer (p. 106), Hakim Abdul Rauf Dana Puri discusses the Prophet Muhammad's (ﷺ) migration to Medina. When the disbelievers realized that the companions had left, taking with them their belongings, families, and children, and that the powerful tribes of Aws and Khazraj were aligned with them, they grew deeply concerned about the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).

They convened a meeting at Dar al-Nadwa, the assembly hall. It was a significant gathering, attended by everyone influential in Mecca. Even their chief advisor, Iblis, attended in the guise of an elder. Numerous strategies were proposed to assassinate the Prophet (ﷺ), all of which the elderly advisor disapproved of. Eventually, Abu Jahl proposed that each tribe should provide a young man armed with a sword to strike and end the Prophet's (ﷺ) life simultaneously, ensuring his death would be distributed among various tribes, making it impossible for Banu Abd Manaf to avenge him. The elder approved this plan, and the decision was finalized.

The Command for Migration and the Prophet's Departure​

The angel Jibreel (AS) visited the Prophet (ﷺ) to inform him of the Quraysh's plan and commanded him to migrate, advising him not to sleep in his bed that night. The Prophet (ﷺ) conveyed this to Abu Bakr (RA) at midday, and during the night, the Quraysh gathered at his door, encircling the house. The Prophet (ﷺ) had Hazrat Ali (RA) lie on his bed and recited the verse:

"And We placed a barrier before them..."
With a handful of dust, he sprinkled it over the heads of the disbelievers, making his exit unnoticed. The Prophet (ﷺ) then went to Abu Bakr’s (RA) house and, along with him, left through a back window. Meanwhile, the Quraysh continued their vigil outside the house. When someone eventually pointed out that the Prophet (ﷺ) had already departed, they found dust on their heads and began to search. The Prophet (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr (RA) reached the Cave of Thawr, where they stayed for three days. A spider wove a web over the cave entrance, and birds laid eggs there. The Quraysh searched to the cave's mouth, but Allah protected the Prophet (ﷺ) from their harm.

This initial part of the migration describes events from Mecca to the Cave of Thawr, highlighting several aspects:

1. The companions had migrated to Medina before the Prophet (ﷺ), taking their families and possessions with them.
2. On the day of migration, the Prophet (ﷺ) visited Abu Bakr’s (RA) house twice—once at midday to inform him and again at night.
3. The Prophet (ﷺ) departed his house at night.
4. Hazrat Ali (RA) lay on the Prophet's (ﷺ) bed.
5. The Quraysh plotted to kill the Prophet (ﷺ), with all influential members of the Quraysh except Banu Abd Manaf involved.
6. They surrounded his house, but the Prophet (ﷺ) left after casting dust over their heads.
7. A spider spun a web at the cave’s entrance, and birds laid eggs there.
8. Hakim Abdul Rauf does not mention the events from Abu Bakr’s (RA) house to the Cave of Thawr.

The Verification of Hadith​

These incidents are narrated in Tabari and Ibn Saad, from Waqidi and Ibn Hisham through Muhammad ibn Ishaq. However, several intellectual objections arise:

1. Who witnessed these events? Ibn Ishaq and Waqidi do not provide an observer.
2. Some reports involving Abu Bakr (RA) and his household may have been disregarded to diminish the status of Abu Bakr (RA) and his family.
3. When the Prophet (ﷺ) departed, Hazrat Fatimah (RA), Hazrat Umm Kulthum (RA), Hazrat Umm Ayman (RA), Hazrat Saudah (RA), and Hazrat Usama bin Zaid (RA) were in the house; Hazrat Ali (RA) was not alone. Thus, portraying Hazrat Ali (RA) sleeping on the Prophet’s (ﷺ) bed appears fictional, as the Quraysh did not enter women's quarters.

Shibli Numani writes that three days before migration, the Prophet (ﷺ) visited Abu Bakr’s (RA) house at midday, knocked on the door, and, after everyone else left, confided in Abu Bakr (RA) about the command for migration. Abu Bakr (RA) was ecstatic and inquired if he could accompany the Prophet (ﷺ), to which he was granted permission. Abu Bakr (RA) offered one of the two camels he had prepared for the journey, and although he insisted, the Prophet (ﷺ) agreed only on the condition of paying for it.

The Prophet's (ﷺ) journey with Abu Bakr (RA) is narrated by Hazrat Aisha (RA), confirming that the migration began directly from Abu Bakr’s (RA) house. However, some additional stories, such as the dirt on the disbelievers' heads, stem from unverified narrations by figures like Ibn Ishaq and Waqidi.