The Welcome in Madinah
Baraa bin ‘Azib – a young companion whose father was also a companion – said: “AbooBakr as-Siddeeq came to my father in his residence and bought a packsaddle from him. So he said to ‘Azib (my father): ‘Send your son to carry it for me to my house.’ So my father said to me: ‘Carry it (for him)’; and I did. My father came out along with him to collect the price and then asked him, ‘O AbooBakr, give me an account of how you journeyed along with the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahualayhiwasallam).’”
AbooBakr – radiyaAllahuanhu - gave a detailed account of the Hijrah from Makkah to Madinah and then said: “We arrivedMadinah during the night and the people began to contend as to who the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahualayhiwasallam) will reside with. And so, he said, ‘I will stay with the tribe of Najjar, the maternal relatives of Abdul-Muttalib; I will honour therewith.”
AbooBakr as-Siddeeq – radiyaAllahuanhu – continued, “Then men and women climbed upon house-tops; the boys and servants scattered in the way, and they were all calling out: Muhammad! Messenger of Allah! Muhammad! Messenger of Allah!”[Muslim no. 7521 and 7522]. In the Mustadrak (no. 4339) of Imam al-Hakim, it says: “The people and the servants and young boys called out: ‘Muhammad has arrived! The Messenger of Allah has arrived! Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest), Muhammad has arrived! The Messenger of Allah has arrived!’ When it was morning, he went and stayed were he requested.’” [Authentic on the conditions of al-Bukhaaree and Muslim].
In his own report, Anas bin Malik – who served the Prophet (sallallaahualayhiwasallam) from that day till he died – narrated that, “...then the Prophet (sallallaahualayhiwasallam) arrived; I have never seen the People of Madinah so delighted as they were with the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahualayhiwasallam) to the extent that even the servants were calling out: ‘The Messenger of Allah has arrived!...’” [al-Bukhaaree no. 3925]. He – radiyaAllahuanhu - also said, “I ran amongst the young boys who were saying, ‘Muhammad has arrived!...’ The people of Madinah thronged out, even the young girls were at the roof-top of the houses struggling to see him, asking, ‘Which of them is he? Which of them is he?’ We’ve never had a more pleasant day!” [Saheeh: Ahmad 3/222 and others].
These reliable eye-witness accounts further show the unworthiness of the tales and porkies people have narrated – and still unfortunately narrate – of a welcome event, including singing and drumming, attended by men, women and children in Madinah on the event of the Prophet’s arrival in the city during the Hijrah. Quite worrisomely, many of the people know not other than these untruths, holding them to be authentic. It reminds of how the Jews (the accursed) and Christians (the misguided) have actually misrepresented and thereafter abandoned a good part of the life of the earlier Prophets – alayhim as-salam.
Worst still, based on those fibs and untruths, some of the people have thought that Islam allows singing accompanied with musical instruments. They sing, drum and dance calling it “Islamic” while Islam has actually prohibited what they are engrossed in. The Prophet (sallallaahualayhiwasallam) warned: “Two voices (or sounds) are accursed in this world and in the Hereafter: Musical instruments during the time of favour and shouts during trials.” [Saheeh: Musnad al-Bazzar 1/377, al-Hakim 4/40, at-Tirmidhee 1005 and many others].
In another report, the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahualayhiwasallam) said, “There will be expulsion in my Ummah, disfigurement and violent quakes.” It was asked, “O Messenger of Allah! When will that be?” He answered, “When musical instruments become widespread, and singing girls increase and intoxicants become widely consumed.” [Saheeh: kitab al-Fitan by at-Tirmidhee no. 2213].
“Verily, therein is indeed a reminder for him who has a heart or gives ear while he is heedful.” [Qaaf: 37]
