8. His offering himself as a sacrifice for the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam)
When the tribe of Quraysh met in Dar an-Nadwah, they agreed to kill the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and to be rid of him, but Allah (Subhanau wa Ta’ala) told His Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) about that. The Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) was the wisest of Allah’s creation. He wanted those who sought to kill him to keep looking at his bed, waiting for him to come out to them, so he told ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (radhyAllahu ‘anhu) to sleep in his bed that night. Who could dare to stay in the bed-of the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) when his enemies were surrounding the house, lying in wait in order to kill him? Who would be able to stay in that house, knowing that the enemies would not see the difference between him and the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) in his bed? No one except the most heroic of men, and the most courageous, by the grace of Allah.
The Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) told him to stay in Makkah for a few days in order to return the trusts, and items that had been deposited with him for safekeeping, to their owners among his enemies, without subtracting anything. This is the greatest justice and fulfilment of trusts. According to one report, the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said to ‘Ali (radhyAllahu ‘anhu): “Sleep in my bed; wrap yourself in this green cloak of mine and sleep in it, and no harm will befall you from them.” Ibn Hajar said: Moosa ibn ‘Uqbah narrated that Ibn Shihab said: So ‘Ali lay down on the bed of the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) in order to distract the enemies from him. All night, Quraysh were coming and going and discussing which of them would attack the occupant of the bed and tie him up. In the morning, when they saw ‘Ali, they asked him where the Prophet was, and he said: I don’t know. Then they realised that the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) had fled? It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas that ‘Ali sold himself that night, when he put on the garment of the Prophet and then slept in his place. Concerning ‘Ali and his fellow Companions who strove to attain the pleasure of Allah (Subhanahu a Ta’ala) and the home of the hereafter, Allah (Subhanahu a Ta’ala) revealed the words:
“And of mankind is he who would sell himself, seeking the pleasure of Allah. And Allah is full of kindness to [His] slaves.” (Qur’an, Surah Al-Baqarah, 2: 207)
From this event we learn a number of lessons:
1. The plan of migration, as drawn up by the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), dictated that his place in the house should be taken by a man whose movements inside the house would trick the polytheists and distract them for a while from the departure of the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), until he and his Companion Abu Bakr (radhyAllahu ‘anhu) bad gone beyond the danger zone.
2. Ali’s response to the command of the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) was an example of a dedicated soldier who is sincere to the call of Islam, as he offered himself as a sacrifice for his leader. If the leader is safe, then the call is safe, but if he dies, then the call will he weakened and will slow down. What ‘Ali (radhyAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) did on the night of the hijrah, spending that night in the bed of the Messenger (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), is to he regarded as a great sacrifice because it was highly possible that the swords of the young men of Quraysh might have fallen upon the head of ‘Ali (radhyAllahu ‘anhu). But ‘Ali did not pay any attention to that. It was more important for him that the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), the Prophet of the Ummah and the leader of Islam, should be safe.
3. The fact that the polytheists had deposited items for safekeeping with the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), even though they were fighting him and were determined to kill him, is a clear indication of the strange contradiction into which they bad fallen. At the same time that they disbelieved him and claimed that he was a sorcerer, madman or liar, they could not find anyone among the people around them who was better than him in terms of honesty and trustworthiness. Therefore, they did not deposit their property or wealth that they feared for with anyone else but him for safekeeping. This indicates that their disbelief was not due to any doubt on their part concerning his sincerity; rather the reason was that they were too proud and arrogant to accept the truth that he brought, out of fear for their leadership and tyranny. Allah the Almighty indeed spoke the truth: “We how indeed the grief which their words cause you [O Muhammad]: it is not you that they deny, but it is the Verses [the Qur’an] of Allah that the Dhalimoon [polytheists and wrongdoers] deny.” (Qur’an, Surah al-An’am 6: 33).
4. The Messenger (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) commanded ‘Ali (radhyAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) to return these trusts to their owners in Makkah. Normally, in such extreme circumstances, one might focus all thoughts on nothing but making the plan of migration succeed. Yet the Messenger (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) did not forget and was not distracted from returning the trusts to their owners, even in these most difficult of circumstances, in which any person might forget himself, let alone anyone else.
He refused to betray those who had trusted him, even if they were enemies who were inciting people against him and harming him, because betraying the trust is one of the attributes of the hypocrites, and the believers are above that.
5. This great hadith clearly points to the courage of ‘Ali (radhyAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam). He knew, when he was doing as commanded, that he would be exposed to great danger. They might have invaded the house and killed him without verifying his identity. They might have ambushed him as he was leaving in the morning, without finding out who he was. The people were lying in wait all night waiting for their chance, but they became extremely exhausted, and in the morning, they were unable to verify the identity of the person who was leaving the house. Was he Muhammad (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) or someone else? All of this must have gone through ‘Ali’s mind, hut he hastened and was happy to obey the command. First of all, he loved Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) and His Messenger (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) with a love that dominated his heart, so he made the safety of the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) his main goal even if it cost him his life. Secondly, this was an essential operation in order for the Messenger (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) to escape safely from the plots of his enemies so that he would be able to spread Islam in all places. So the matter had to do with the interests of Islam, first and last. ‘Ali (radhyAllahu ‘anhu) slept in the bed of the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) in spite of all these perils. This points to the depth of his faith in the will and decree of Allah. Indeed, he firmly believed in the words of Allah: “Say: ‘Nothing shall ever happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us. He is our Mawla [Lord, Helper and Protector].’ And in Allah let the believers put their trust.” (Qur’un, Surah At-Tawbah, 9: 51)
In the fact that the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) chose ‘Ali (radhyAllahu ‘anhu) to play this important role, we can see complete and unparalleled trust and confidence in the special capabilities with which ‘Ali (radhyAllahu ‘anhu) was distinguished, which may not be found in anyone else. He did not hesitate when the Messenger (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) called him to sleep in his bed, although he knew that there might be nothing else beyond that hut death, since the polytheists were preparing the bravest young men of Quraysh to murder the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam). ‘Ali (radhyAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) did not let himself think about the consequences because he knew that if he sacrificed his life for the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), he would attain a high honour that could not be obtained in any other way.
9. His Hijrah (migration from Makkah to Madinah)
The next morning, ‘Ali (radhyAllahu ‘anhu) got up. The people recognized him and realised that the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) had escaped. They said to ‘Ali (radhyAllahu ‘anhu): “Where is your companion?” He said: “I do not know; was I watching over him? You told him to leave, and he left.”
The people were upset with this daring answer and were annoyed that the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) had departed from among them and that they had been blinded and did not see him. So they rebuked ‘Ali (radhyAllahu ‘anhu) and beat him; they took him to the mosque and detained him there for a while, then they let him go. ‘Ali bore what befell him for the sake of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala). His joy at the escape of the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) was more important to him than any harm that could befall him, so he did not weaken and he did not tell them where the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) was. ‘Ali started going around the streets of Makkah, looking for the owners of the entrusted items that the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) had left him behind to deal with, and he kept on returning these entrusted items until he had given them all back to their owners. Mer spending three days in Makkah, he prepared to set out and catch up with the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam).
During his migration journey, ‘Ali hid by day and traveled by night, until he reached Madinah with his feet swollen and the skin broken. Thus ‘Ali endured hardships during his migration. He had no mount to ride, and he could not travel during the day because of the severe heat, but walking at night in the intense darkness was very lonely and frightening. If we add to that the fact that he (radhyAllahu ‘anhu) covered the distance on foot, with no companion to cheer him up and keep him company, we will realise the extent of the hardship that he endured because of the roughness of the route and the hardships of travel, seeking the good pleasure of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala). At the end of the journey, he would meet the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and enjoy his company, safe and secure in Madinah. When ‘Ali (radhyAllahu ‘anhu) reached Madinah, he stayed among Banu ‘Amr ibn ‘Awf, with Kulthoom ibn al-Hadam, where the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) was staying. This was the Hijrah of Amir al-Mu’mineen ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (radhyAllahu ‘anhu), filled with sacrifice, patience and courage.
During his stay in Quba’, ‘Ali noticed a Muslim woman who had no husband. He saw that a man would come and knock on her door in the middle of the night; she would come out to him, and he would give her something that he was carrying. In the words of ‘Ali (radhyAllahu ‘anhu): “I became suspicious about this man, and I said to her: ‘O slave woman of Allah, who is this man who knocks at your door every night, and you come out to him, and he gives you something that I do not know what it is, and you are a Muslim woman and have no husband?’ She said: ‘This is Sahl ibn Haneef ibn Wahb. He knows that I am a woman who has nobody. When evening comes, he attacks the idols of his people and breaks them and says: Use this for firewood.'” ‘Ali liked Sahl because of that. Later on, Sahl joined ‘Ali (radhyAllahu ‘anhu) in Iraq and died there. We may note how alert the Muslim has to be, and he should not ignore what is going on around him.