The Migration to Madinah and the Building of the Community

The Hijra to Madinah in the thirteenth year of the prophetic mission marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar and represents one of the most consequential events in human history. Al-Suhayli's commentary on this section of Ibn Hisham's Sira is extensive. He examines the preparations for the migration, the threats from Quraysh who learned of the plan, the Prophet's departure from his house while those who sought to kill him waited outside, and the celebrated journey through the desert accompanied only by Abu Bakr al-Siddiq. The cave of Thawr, where the two rested for three days while Quraysh searched for them, receives detailed annotation, including the famous exchange between Abu Bakr, who feared for their safety, and the Prophet's response: 'What do you think of two whose third is Allah?'

The building of the mosque in Madinah upon the Prophet's arrival stands at the center of al-Suhayli's commentary on the Madinan period. The site was chosen on the basis of where the Prophet's camel knelt, a device that removed the decision from human preference and potential factional competition among the Ansar. Al-Suhayli discusses the legal questions arising from the mosque's construction, including the status of the mosque as a communal space for prayer, learning, dispute resolution, and communal consultation. He notes that the Prophet himself participated in the physical labor of construction, carrying bricks alongside his Companions, and he draws the relevant lessons about the equality of the Prophet with his community in shared practical endeavor.

The Constitution of Madinah, a document establishing the terms of coexistence between the Muslim emigrants, the Ansar, and the Jewish tribes of Madinah, is one of the earliest state documents in Islamic history. Al-Suhayli annotates its provisions with legal and historical precision. The document established mutual defense obligations, defined the nature of the political community (ummah) being formed, assigned responsibilities in times of war, and set out procedures for resolving disputes. Al-Suhayli notes that the agreement acknowledged the distinct religious identities of the parties while establishing a framework of political cooperation, and that its breakdown came through the violations of specific Jewish tribal leaders rather than any inherent incompatibility of the arrangement.

The brotherhood (mu'akha) established between the Muhajirin (emigrants from Makkah) and the Ansar (helpers of Madinah) is presented as a social and economic institution of remarkable effectiveness. Each emigrant was paired with an Ansari host, who shared his property, his home, and in some cases his social standing. Al-Suhayli cites the famous example of Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, who was offered half of everything by his Ansari brother Sa'd ibn al-Rabi', and who gratefully declined in order to establish his own livelihood. The mu'akha replaced the blood and tribal ties that the Muhajirin had left behind in Makkah with bonds of faith and shared commitment, and al-Suhayli sees in it a model of what the Islamic community aspires to be in every generation.