In the name of Allah The Most Merciful and The Most Beneficent.
May the peace and blessin be with us.
I am probably not the right person to talk about religion or Islam in detail, so I try to make it simple as per my shallow understanding about Islam and this Arabic word, simple but has a great deep meaning representing a historical journey did by Rasulullah hundreds of years before. - "Hijri/Hijrah" (Origin: Arabic).
What is Hijrah? Literal meaning of Hijrah is the flight of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) from Makkah to Madinah, for purposes of Islam and also to avoid more muslims being prosecuted by the Quraish people who opposed against Islam during the early stage of dakwah. In my simple understanding, it is a migration during that took place hundreds years ago.
There were great suffers and dangers for Hijrah Rasullah to happen. Despite the hardships, Allah returns them with rewards - in the form of Islamic brotherhood, prosper the Madinah, and they have a better life in there. Itulah kuasa ALLAH, no doubt. He works in His mysterious way, no one knows what will happened in future except Him.
It was a remarkable journey made by Rasulullah.
Muslims around the world celebrate the Hijri New Year, everyone is focused on remembering and telling the story of Prophet Muhammad’s migration from Makkah to Madinah and the hardships he had to endure in the preparations and on the way. But now within a modern setting where we have cars, planes and internet, a trip in the desert on camel-back to reach a distant oasis with sword-wielding infidel thugs in pursuit becomes more of a folktale than a true-life experience rich with lessons we could all learn and practice until the end of time, no matter how modern or educated we are.Today, people immigrate to other countries to make a better living: find better jobs, education, or marriage opportunities, yet, by Islamic standards, the scope is much wider
The reasons behind the move have to comply with Islam. Seeking a better living for self and family is indeed a great cause and it is actually encouraged in Islam, but it becomes greater if one leaves a place where he is restricted in practicing Islam or pressured into destructive beliefs and habits, and migrates to a new place where he and his loved ones could enjoy more freedom to practice Islam in a more supportive environment.
In parallel, another dimension of Hijrah happens discreetly in the heart, and eventually reflects on one’s behavior and relationship with the rest of the world. This is the type of Hijrah mentioned in the Prophet’s statement: migrating “away from what God has forbidden” not just physically by moving to a new place, but also spiritually and ethically, by choosing good over evil and ethics over corruption, and pledging to withstand the tribulations of struggling to stay on that path for life.
So let's make a Hijrah, Together we're trying to be a better muslim. May be our hijrah this time worth us Jannah, Who knows la kan? I tried and it's not as easy as I once imagined but I will never stop trying. Hidayh tu kan milik ALLAH, why not if we have that azam utk berubah demi kebaikan sejagat.
Till then, Wassalam.
Hafiz Al-Muslim
