The Hijra – a journey that changed everything
By Abdussalam Nakua
“The she-camel moved onward with slackened rein, reached the site of the Prophetic Mosque, and knelt. He did not dismount until it rose again, went on forward, turned back, and then returned to kneel in the very former spot,” narrates Al-Raheeq Al-Makhtum, signalling the end of the beginning of the stunning journey of Hijra.
The "Tala' al-Badru 'Alayna" greeting was not just a welcome chant but signaled the dawn of a new era that will reshape human history in very fundamental ways
The next phase of the journey was to widen the circle of inclusion through building a new identity that transcended local associations of tribe and clan, where the parts gave birth to the Ummah.
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, spent the next 10 years weaving the fabric of the Ummah on strong moral foundations.
To mold a whole new crystallizing and compelling identity for his followers, he reframed the human perception of identity and place by redefining attachment and belonging from narrow tribal allegiances into a commitment to a pluralistic, inclusive, and open vision.
One that is defined not by race, lineage, or status, but in which nobility of character is a true measure of a person's fullness.
He grounded this community-building on firm ethical virtues of welcome, protection, brotherhood, inclusion, and economic sustainability.
As Lesley Hazleton, who identifies herself as an agnostic Jew, noted in her unorthodox biography of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, that “equality before God” became the essence of the message and the hope people sought.
She added that “its protest of inequity would be an integral part of the demand for inclusiveness, for unity and equality under the umbrella of the one god regardless of lineage, wealth, age, or gender”.
He balanced the scales of justice to level the playing field between the privileged and the underprivileged, and provided the legal context for the dignity of the human.
He infused spirituality with ethics. As spirituality stripped of ethics is a discourse that is meant to void Islam of its essence. He formulated a unique brotherhood/sisterhood ethic grounded on an equitable balance between the rights of women and men.
In order to expand the boundaries of the Ummah, he brought a new calculus to inter-group relationships and conflict management.
He was neither a pacifist giving the other cheek at the first opportunity nor a ruthless leader who cherished every opportunity to crush foes and opponents.
He stood against all forms of injustice and challenged oppressive systems and power structures.
He brought a sense of universal justice to the calculus of an equitable society where justice is always tempered by kindness and mercy.
Further, he made tolerance a value and created a space for different religions and cultures to co-exist and cooperate.
He tempered rationality with clarity of ends, which protected Islamic morality and ethics from arbitrariness and excessiveness.
He advanced an ethics framework whose purpose is to awaken in man the higher consciousness of his relation with God and his creations. “Ihsan” became a marker for virtuous living.
This journey continued after his passing. Out of this generation, the Umma was expanded immensely and advanced humanity to new heights.
After undergoing a few tumultuous years of internal strife, the promise of the Ummah overcame the elusive allure of tribalism and tribal patriotism which existed since the heydays of the Romans.
Consequently, Islam achieved a unique universal effect in the history of mankind.
It united the various civilizations that existed in the vast lands that lay between China and the Atlantic into one.
It abolished the barriers that had isolated these people from one another and integrated them into one organic body or the Ummah.
The Ummah became a medium of knowledge, ethics, and viceregency of man. As a result, every society that embraced Islam came into it with its structures, organizations, customs, and culture.
From the outset, the ideal was based not on conformity but pluralism.
Unity was established within the contours of diversity.
Soon after, Islamic civilization became a global, cultural, and educational force because of its ability to absorb, reinterpret, and transmit knowledge from one world region to another.
It served the unique and essential role of the bridge between antiquity and modern civilization.
Over time, the Ummah kept its vitality and vigor by an energetic pursuit of goodness.
Reformers over the centuries provided the Ummah with the zeal and dynamism to reinvent its essence and mission in the cosmos.
This continued until the Ummah lost its capacity to reinvent itself until the decadence in the true Islamic spirit was irreversible.
Ali Ezzat Izetbegovic, the first president of Bosnia, attributed this degeneration of the Ummah to the framing of Islam into an abstract religion or sort of Sufism that eventually destroyed the Muslims’ condition.
As we continue this journey of Hijrah, we need to build a spiritual order that revives the old and gives birth to the new.
An order that eliminates the spirit of imitation and obedience and replaces it with what Ali Shariati described as a “critical revolutionary, aggressive spirit of rationality and moral purpose”.
Our world today is in dire need of this spiritual guidance to overcome its divisions and avoid the path of destruction.
As a young community on a distant continent, the example of our Prophet should inspire us to join the struggles that are dear to those who are trying to build a more virtuous and equitable society. When we do, we may reserve a place in the long journey of Hijra.
[Abdussalam Nakua is an executive with the Muslim Association of Canada. He serves on the board of directors for the Ontario Nonprofit Network].