The Madinan Period, Part 1: The Hijrah to Madīnah
Section 2 of 29 · The Life of the Prophet Muhammad: The Madinan Period
The Earth of Allah Is Spacious
The account starts with the hijrah of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). Allah (swt) revealed āyāt in Makkah talking about the hijrah.
قُلْ يَـٰعِبَادِ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ رَبَّكُمْ ۚ لِلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا۟ فِى هَـٰذِهِ ٱلدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةٌ ۗ وَأَرْضُ ٱللَّهِ وَٰسِعَةٌ ۗ إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى ٱلصَّـٰبِرُونَ أَجْرَهُم بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ
“Say (on My behalf) “O My servants who believe, fear your Lord. Those who do good deeds in this world will have a good return, and the earth of Allah is wide. Certainly those who observe patience will be given their reward in full without measure.” (39:10)
So Allah (swt) in this ayah says, wa arḍu Allāhi wāsiʿah — the earth of Allah is spacious — meaning that if one is suffering oppression in Makkah, then one can move somewhere else, where it will be possible to apply and live the religion of Allah (swt). Mujāhid, who is one of the mufassirūn, one of the imams of tafsīr, says, commenting on this ayah, fa-hjurū fīhā wa jāhidū wa iʿtazilū al-awthān — make hijrah in the land, and fight in the path of Allah (swt), and stay away from idol worship. And ʿAṭāʾ, one of the early scholars of this ummah, says that if invited to do a sin, then one should run away — sins should be run from. These two quotes are in the tafsīr of Ibn Kathīr.
وَٱلَّذِينَ هَاجَرُوا۟ فِى ٱللَّهِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا ظُلِمُوا۟ لَنُبَوِّئَنَّهُمْ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً ۖ وَلَأَجْرُ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا۟ يَعْلَمُونَ ٱلَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا۟ وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ
“Those who have migrated for the sake of Allah after they were oppressed, We shall give them a good place in the world, and of course, the reward of the Hereafter is much greater, if they only knew! - those who kept patient, and who place trust in their Lord.” (16:41–42)
Allah (swt) says that those who emigrated for Allah after they have been wronged, He will surely settle them in this world in a good place, but the reward of the hereafter is greater, if only they could know. So here Allah (swt) is promising those who make hijrah for His sake, the ones who have been oppressed, that He will settle them in this world in a good place. So what does this mean? What does it mean when Allah (swt) says He will settle them in this world in a good place? Some of the scholars of tafsīr said, looking at the Muhājirūn, the ones who moved out of Makkah and went to Madīnah — later, every one of them became the governor of a state or the leader of an army. So Allah (swt) gave them a better standing in this world than what they had in Makkah. That is in this world. And in the ākhirah, Allah (swt) says, the reward of the hereafter is greater. So ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, when he became Khalīfah, and he would give money or gifts to the Muhājirūn, he would tell them, "This is a gift from Allah for you in this world, but what Allah has reserved for you in the hereafter is even greater." And the scholars say whoever leaves something for the sake of Allah, Allah (swt) will give him something better.
And Allah (swt) says:
ثُمَّ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لِلَّذِينَ هَاجَرُوا۟ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا فُتِنُوا۟ ثُمَّ جَـٰهَدُوا۟ وَصَبَرُوٓا۟ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهَا لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
“Then, your Lord - for those who left their homes after being persecuted, then fought in the way of Allah and stood patient - surely your Lord is, after all that, Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful.” (16:110)