PATH OF THE HIJRA
The route taken by the Prophet ﷺ — The founding epic.
The Miraculous Escape
Imagine. Mecca, the 13th year of revelation. The Quraysh have decided to kill the Prophet ﷺ. 40 young men were designated, one from each clan, so that no clan could take revenge alone.
That night, the Prophet ﷺ leaves his home. Ali ibn Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه) sleeps in his bed in his place. The Prophet ﷺ throws dust on the heads of the assassins while reciting: "وَجَعَلْنَا مِن بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ سَدًّا وَمِن خَلْفِهِمْ سَدًّا فَأَغْشَيْنَاهُمْ فَهُمْ لَا يُبْصِرُونَ" (Surah Yasin, 9)
He moves away. Without any of them seeing him. He joins Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (رضي الله عنه), and together they take the route south — to throw them off the trail — before heading north, towards Medina.
The Stages of the Route
From Mecca to Quba: approximately 450 km. Main stages: House of the Prophet in Mecca (escape) → Cave of Thawr (3 nights with the spider and the dove) → Southern route via Asfan, Usfan → Bir al-Mughrab (meeting with Suraqa) → Quba (triumphant arrival among the Banu 'Amr ibn 'Awf) → Mosque Al-Jumu'ah (first Jumu'ah) → Valley of Ranuna' → Saniyat al-Wada' (welcome).
Suraqa ibn Malik — The Enemy Turned Friend
On the way, Suraqa ibn Malik set out in pursuit of the Prophet ﷺ for the bounty of 100 camels placed on his head. But each time his horse got closer, its legs sank into the sand. Three times. On the third time, Suraqa understood. He called out: "O Muhammad, ask Allah to free my horse."
The Prophet ﷺ prayed. The horse was freed. Suraqa asked for a safe conduct. The Prophet ﷺ made this prophecy to him: "How will you be, O Suraqa, on the day when you will wear the bracelets of Khosroes?" (Sahih al-Bukhari no. 3906)
25 years later, under the caliphate of Umar, the Persian empire fell. The bracelets of Khosroes II were brought to Medina. Umar called Suraqa — who had become a Muslim — and said to him: "Wear them." A prophecy fulfilled 25 years later.