Hijra: Story and Significance

by Zakaria Bashier

This account of the Hijra - the departure of the Prophet from Makkah (Mecca) to Yathrib (now Medina) - is a story of endurance and triumph in the face of seemingly insuperable adversity.

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Rasydan Fitri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very concise and clear. It contains not only stories but analysis of the event itself - the reasons, significance, and impact that it gives towards the society and Islam as a whole. Not only it stops by retelling stories until the Prophet pbuh arrived, but it tells about the instant change of the landscape of the Arabian society that the Hijrah brought e.g. the Hypocrites and later on how it affected the first few wars. Short book, but filled with appropriate details. Looking forward to read other works by Zakaria Bashier.

[Adil Hussain · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second in a series of four books written by Zakaria Bashier on the life of the Prophet (ﷺ) and the second in the series that I've read (the one I read before this one was Sunshine at Madinah). The first part of the book covers the story of the Hijra (i.e. the people and events involved in the Muslim exodus from Makkah to Yathrib). The story is told pretty well but there's nothing really new or fresh here for someone who's already vaguely familiar with the events of the Hijra. The second part of the book covers the events in Yathrib following the Hijra. There is considerable overlap here with the third book in the series but useful I guess for anyone who doesn't own the third book. The third and final part of the book sets out to cover the meaning, significance and implications of the Hijra. I was looking forward to this part the most and hoping that it would provide some fresh insights and lessons into the Hijra. But in the end it was a bit underwhelming and not much more than a textbook jurisprudential discussion on Dar al-Islam vs Dar al-Harb.