The Hijrah taught me Dr. Akram Kassab Praise be to Allah and May His Peace and Blessings be upon His Messenger. The Hijrah is one of the events that changed the course of history, and it contains many lessons and learnings, and here I will mention some of what I learned from this blessed migration: 1. The Hijrah taught me: That tawakkul (reliance) upon Allah does not negate taking practical steps. Rather, the first step of having Tawakkul is to be taking practical measures, and this was evident in going out at night and hiding in the cave. 2. The Hijrah taught me: That the [best] outcome is for the righteous. So no matter how much the falsehood rises it is defeated, but victory is not only a victory over an enemy, but your persistence in the truth is a victory, and your adherence to your principles is a victory. Mus'ab did not see the stabilization of the muslim community nor did Hamza see the religion of Islam becoming dominant but they were victorious by remaining steadfast upon their principles until they died. 3. The Hijrah taught me: that sincerity is the basic foundation. So whoever speaks for da'wah seeking fame or wealth has missed the goal. If Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, wanted that, he would not leave his homeland and would not leave his house. So make sincerity your guiding motto and the world and the hereafter will come to you. 4. The Hijrah taught me: Moderation is the companion of the Muslim. So he is not humiliated when he is weak, nor is he arrogant when he is victorious. We saw the Messenger, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, leaving [his homeland] alone to migrate honored by his religion and dawah saying, as narrated by Ahmad: 'If only your people did not force me to leave I would not have left.' We also saw when he returned after eight years after the conquest of Makkah, he was nothing but humble and grateful. 5. The Hijrah taught me: That, without a doubt, God’s preservation of the callers of Dawah is certain, but preservation is not only the protection of life. Rather, from it, and most importantly, is the preservation of the religion. And no one emigrated for the sake of God except that God preserves his religion for him. And ask about Suhayb, Bilal, Ammar and Abu Salamah and you will be informed of this with certainty. 6. The Hijrah taught me: Confidence appears in during circumstances of difficulty. And here is the example of Al-Sideeq submitting himself to his friend, May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him, on a journey filled with dangers. And what a most wonderful response of Al-Sideeq when he was asked: 'Who is this man in front of you?' He said: 'This man shows me the Way...' (Narrated by Al-Bukhari) 7. The Hijrah taught me: Victory comes with patience. There is no victory for the one who is frantic and hasty and no victory for the one who is quick to despair and lose hope. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said to Khabab and his brothers: By Allah, this religion (i.e. Islam) will prevail till a traveler from Sana (in Yemen) to Hadramaut fearing nobody except Allah and the wolf lest it should trouble his sheep, but you are impatient.' (Narrated by Al-Bukhari) 8. The Hijrah taught me: Whoever left something for the sake of God, God would compensate him with something better than it. When the Companions left Makkah, which was of the best places to live, God conquered the world with them and they traveled the earth and inhabited many different lands bringing goodness and virtue to its' people. 9. The Hijrah taught me: that the woman is the companion of the man, so neither the man alone builds a civilization, nor can the woman alone create glory. And that is why Asma and those before her such as Sameeah and Naseebah were not absent from the events of the Hijrah. 10. The Hijrah taught me: that victory is not with the enthusiasm of the youth alone nor with the wisdom of the elders alone. The lesson is in the abilities and qualities. What Ali did is not less than what Al-Sideeq did.And Al-Sideeq did not qualify for his companionship [in the journey] due to his age or friendship, nor did Ali qualify for his role due to his youth or kinship, but rather what nominated each of that was based on their capabilities and qualities. 11. The Hijrah taught me: that preaching and guidance does not build civilizations or bring glory, but rather what builds civilizations and glories is through determination and planning. And the prophethood of the Prophet, may Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him, did not prevent him from planning. So the role of Al-Sideeq was his companionship, the role of Ali was to take the place of the Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and the role of Asmaa was delivering food and sustenance, and the role of her brother was to bring news and to help keep their location hidden, and Ibn Areeqat's role was to show them the way. 12. The Hijrah taught me: That life has roles and everyone has a role in which he is fit and not everyone is fit for every role. He who does good work openly has a role model in the Al-Faruq, and whoever performs the work in secret has an example in the rest of his companions. And whoever God has endowed with money, then the giving of Al-Sideeq is a great example to be mentioned... So put yourself in what you have mastered and are effective, not what you love and desire. 13. The Hijrah taught me: that the leader does not deserve leadership if he takes it upon himself to act alone. Whoever leads alone will live alone and die alone. So the companionship of the leader is necessary. If someone was able to work alone, the Prophet, May the Peace and Blessing of Allah be upon him, would have done it. And in the Qur’an: {He said to his companion, 'Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us.' [At-Tawbah: 40]. 14. The Hijrah taught me: The good is always in what God has chosen not what the servant of God wishes. God may dispel from you what you wish because He wants for you better than what you desire. Al-Sideeq wanted to migrate alone but Allah wanted for him an unparalleled companionship in his journey. And according to al-Tabarani, the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, said: 'Do not hurry; Perhaps God facilitate for you a companion [in your journey]'. 15. The Hijrah taught me: That the Home of the Caller to Islam is his primary supporter. They believe in his idea, defend his cause, and carry out what his call requires. And how wonderful is the home of Al-Sideeq? The father is the companion [in the journey], the daughter brought them the food, and the son brought them the news. What a great and wonderful home. 16. The Hijrah taught me: Adversity strengthens the material of men. The men of Al-Arqam, the people of Abu Talib, and the people of the first and second bay'ah are the men of al-Hijrah, and they are the men of the da'wa and the state and how much has the intensity of the torture strengthened the resolve of Ammar, Bilal and Khabab. 17. The Hijrah taught me: That the man of the da'wah is not the man of the state, and there is good in each of them. Abu Dharr who was of the first of the Muhajireen, and he is the truest of the people in speech, but he is not fit for a statesman, even if he is a man of preaching at the highest and best degree. And therefore the abundance of worship does not qualify one for positions of leadership, and being from the first and foremost in the dawah does not necessarily qualify one for leadership. 18. The Hijrah has taught me: There are actions of the heart and actions of the body. For the heart is the worship through tawakkul (reliance), trust, tranquility, certainty, love and loyalty. And for the body are actions such as supplication, humbling oneself, reverence, striving, courage and generosity. So do not deprive yourself of either of these. 19. The Hijrah taught me: That brotherhood does not mean eating a brother’s money while he is under the duress of modesty. A person is more deserving of his own money. And according to Al-Bukhari, the Abu Bakr Al-Sideeq said: 'O Messenger of God! I have two she-camels I have prepared specially for migration, so I offer you one of them.' The Prophet said, 'I have accepted it on the condition that I will pay its price.' 20. The Hijrah taught me: The homeland of the Da'ee is where Allah opens the hearts of people for him and the Muslim’s homeland has no limits. If he is restricted in the place which he resides, even if it is the best of places, he must look for another place to reside. Allah says: And whoever emigrates for the cause of Allah will find on the earth many [alternative] locations and abundance. [Al-Nisaa: 100] -Dr. Akram Kassab