During the Haj season, tribes from all over Arabia came to Makka to perform their pilgrimage. Although their worship was not anything like the Haj that Islam has taught us, they regarded the Holy Ka'ba as an important building. The Holy Prophet (S) took advantage of this time of the year by meeting the visitors and introducing the teachings of Islam to them.

The people of Madina, which was called Yathrib in those days, also used to come to Makka every year. The two main tribes in Madina were the Aws and the Khazraj. They were great enemies of each other and many battles had been fought between them.

In the eleventh year after the beginning of the Holy Prophet's (S) mission, he met 6 people from the tribe of Khazraj in Makka during the Haj season. When he spoke to them about Islam, they were very interested because they had heard from the Jews of Madina, that one day there would be a Prophet who would come from Arabia.

The Jews knew this because it was written in their Holy Book, the Tawrat, which had been revealed to Prophet Musa (A). The people of Khazraj believed that this was the very same Prophet and so they became Muslims. On their return to Madina they made efforts to teach people about Islam and soon many people wanted to know more about this new religion. 

The Tawrat (Torah)

In the following year, 12 people came to Makka to meet the Holy Prophet (S). The meeting took place at 'Aqabah and resulted in the first Islamic agreement. After embracing Islam, they took a pledge to:

This agreement is called the "First Pledge of 'Aqabah". The Holy Prophet (S) promised them that if they acted according to the pledge they would be rewarded with Paradise by Allah.

The 12 people returned to Madina, their hearts filled with faith. They wrote back to the Holy Prophet (S) asking him to send someone to Madina who could teach them more about Islam. The Holy Prophet (S) sent Mus'ab bin Umayr and Ibne Umme Maqtoom to teach them.

The missionaries did their work so well that there was a great change in thinking in Madina. The people eagerly awaited the Haj season so that they could meet the Holy Prophet (S) and personally declare their readiness to help Islam.

The next year a Haj caravan consisting of 500 people, mainly from the tribe of Khazraj, left Madina for Makka. It included 73 Muslims, two of whom were women. The rest of the people were those who wanted to find out more about the religion before becoming Muslims. They met the Holy Prophet (S) on the 13th of Zilhaj at 'Aqabah.

During the meeting, the Holy Prophet (S) addressed them and recited verses from the Holy Qur'an. The words of the Holy Prophet (S) made a great impression on all the listeners and they all were ready to express their faith in Islam at his hands. Everyone swore the oath of allegiance (Bay'at) at the hands of the Holy Prophet (S). This event is known as "The Second Pledge of 'Aqabah".

The Holy Prophet (S) then promised the people that he would soon come to Madina himself. Once the ceremony was over, the people left for their homes.

A point to note is the fact that so many people of Madina had accepted Islam after only a few years of being introduced to the religion, while in 13 years of preaching only a few Makkans had become Muslims. There can be two reasons for this:

1. The people of Madina had heard about an Arabian Prophet from the neighbouring Jewish tribes. The Jews claimed that when that Prophet would appear he would preach Judaism. In any case, the Aws and Khazraj tribes were more prepared to believe the Holy Prophet (S) when he claimed to have been appointed by Allah.
2. The people of Aws and Khazraj were tired of the endless quarrels between their tribes, who had been at war on and off for over 120 years. They looked forward to the arrival of an authority who would bring peace to their region.

The time was now ripe for the Holy Prophet (S) to leave his home in Makka. Life in that city was becoming more and more difficult for the Muslims, who faced endless persecution at the hands of the Quraish.

The people from Madina recognised the truth when it came in front of them. Are our souls clean enough for us to also recognise the truth when it presents itself to us or are there too many veils obstructing our vision?

Suggested Teaching Plan