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Hijrah
has played a significant role in Islamic history. It might be
described as an uninterrupted process, beginning in the very early
days of Islam, and continuing right up to the present day. Hijrah
means, literally, to leave one’s homeland and settle in another
place. In Islam, this self-exile is not just a matter of moving
from one place to another. And it is not meant to serve any
material interests; it is meant rather to be undertaken for the
sake of Allah: in other words, for some higher purpose.
Hijrah
has always had, and still has a great role to play in the process
of da`wah. Some examples from Islamic history will
demonstrate this.
The
first incident took place
during the life of the Prophet. As is well known, the Prophet
migrated from Makkah to Madinah, a move which had a far-reaching
effect upon Islamic history, for it gave Muslims the opportunity
to establish an important center there for Islam. There the work
of da`wah entered upon a new and better phase, and where
Makkah had been the arena for its early struggles, Madinah now
became a great field of victory for Islam.
The
second incident took
place after the death of the Prophet. In his well-known sermon -
“The Farewell Sermon” - which he preached near the Mount of
`Arafah, the Prophet addressed all the Companions present, saying:
“I am the final Prophet. Allah has sent me to mankind till the
Day of Judgment: therefore, convey my message on my behalf to all
the nations of the world.” After the death of the Prophet, most
of the Companions, left their homeland and settled in adjacent
countries. There, and wherever else they went, they engaged in da`wah
work, and that is why there are now more than one billion Muslims
spread across the globe. They intensified their activities to such
an extent that they were able to transform entire societies.
Eventually, whole nations changed their faith, their culture and
even their languages. For example, before the coming of Islam, the
Egyptians spoke the Coptic language, but now their mother tongue
is Arabic.
It
was this Hijrah of the Companions after the Prophet’s death
which brought into existence this vast Islamic domain, now
commonly referred to as the Arab world. This process of da`wah,
of which there are many outstanding examples, took place
everywhere.
The
fourth example is that of
the Indian subcontinent, to which, as is well known, there came
many Muslims who had left their own countries -- Arabia, Iran,
Afghanistan, etc. Once there, they engaged themselves, sometimes
directly and sometimes indirectly, in da`wah work. It is
thanks to their great efforts that approximately half of the total
world Muslim population lives on the subcontinent.
The
fifth example of Hijrah
refers to the exodus from most of the Muslim countries to the
U.S.A., Australia and the European countries. It has been
estimated that there are at present about 20 million Muslim
migrants. A whole new phase in da`wah work has been started
by this universal migration.
Access
has been gained to Western countries by the large-scale settlement
of Muslims there. Thousands and thousands of Mosques and Islamic
centers are being built by these migrant Muslims. Every day there
are meetings and conferences on Islamic subjects. There is
widespread interaction between Muslims and non-Muslims, so that
wittingly or unwittingly, Islam is being introduced into these
non-Muslim host countries.
One
further point is to be made in this discussion. The Muslims of the
early period had to face the difficulties and hardships created
for them by their contemporaries, both at the individual and the
national level. At that time, in addition to other kinds of
adversity, religious persecution was rife. But present day Muslims
are living in an age of religious freedom in which there is no
hint of religious persecution. Moreover, there have been many
favorable developments, like the revolution in technology, which
has so speeded up communications that it is now possible to reach
a much vaster audience than ever before. Now, there is nothing to
hinder them from doing da`wah work: the facilities are there, and
the opportunities are endless.
Source: www.alrisala.org
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