After Abū Ṭālib’s death, the Quraysh harmed the Messenger ﷺ more than they had ever been able to during his lifetime. The Prophet then went to Ṭā’if in hopes that its people would enter Islam. When he reached Ṭā’if, its people treated him even worse than the Quraysh had. They incited a mob that insulted him and pelted him with stones until his feet began to bleed. Zayd ibn Ḥāritha used his own body to shield the Prophet, and as a result, Zayd’s head was wounded.

Allah ﷻ then sent the Angel of the Mountains to the Prophet ﷺ to ask his permission to crush the people of Ṭā’if between two mountains that surround Mecca. But he said ﷺ, “No, rather I ask for more time for them. I hope that Allah will bring forth from their progeny people who worship Allah and do not associate any partners with Him.”

Allah ﷻ then took His Greatest Beloved ﷺ on a night journey from the Sacred Mosque in Mecca to Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. On the way, he ﷺ visited Madina, the land of his migration; Mount Sinai, where Allah spoke to Musa; and Bethlehem, where ‘Īsā was born. In Jerusalem, all the Prophets and Messengers were brought together, and our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was the Imam who led them all in Prayer.

Allah ﷻ then made him ascend to the highest heavens. He brought him close, spoke to him intimately, and made the Prayer an obligation upon him. Allah ﷻ did this to reward His Prophet for his struggle, and to teach his Umma that anyone who is sincere with his Lord and holds to Him ﷻ will be honored and elevated.

In the 13th year, a group of believers from Madina, known as the Anṣār, traveled to Mecca to perform Hajj. They came with a large delegation and pledged their allegiance to the Prophet ﷺ on behalf of their people, agreeing that he and his Companions would migrate to them, and that they would protect him the way that they would protect their own selves and families. They did not demand anything in return, only seeking Paradise and Allah’s good pleasure ﷻ.

The Prophet ﷺ commanded his Companions to migrate to Madina, and he remained in Mecca until they all left. After receiving permission from Allah to migrate, the Prophet ﷺ left with his Companion, Sayyiduna Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq, while Sayyiduna ‘Alī slept in the Prophet’s bed to divert the enemy’s attention away from the Messenger ﷺ. After leaving Mecca, they hid in the Cave of Thawr. The Quraysh were looking for him and the search party even came to the Cave of Thawr, but Allah ﷻ diverted their sight away from the Prophet and his Companion. Allah ﷻ mentioned this miracle when He said, “When the two of them were in the cave, he said to his Companion, ‘Do not worry, for Allah is certainly with us.’” [Quran 9:40]

On the way to Madina, one of the trackers, Surāqa ibn Mālik, came very close to them. The Prophet ﷺ then intensely called upon Allah ﷻ, after which one of the legs of Surāqa’s horse became stuck in the ground, preventing him from approaching the Prophet. Surāqa requested to be granted safety and the Prophet ﷺ allowed him to approach. He ﷺ prayed for Surāqa and gave him the glad tidings that he would wear the armlets of Kisrā, the king of Persia.

As the Prophet ﷺ came to Madina, he was greeted by the Anṣār with songs of celebration and joy. Every corner of the City filled with his light. History has immortalized their song of greeting: "The full moon has risen over us From the Valley of Wadā‘ We owe it to show thankfulness Whenever a caller invites to Allah O one sent amongst us You came with a command to be obeyed!"

When the Prophet ﷺ bonded the Migrants and the Helpers in a pact of brotherhood, he established the community upon the foundation of love. The Helpers would prefer their brothers from the Migrants, they would bear difficulties on their behalf, and they would defend them with their life. Allah ﷻ described the Migrants as, “They are the ones who are true [in faith]”— followed by His description of the Helpers, “They give them preference over themselves even though they too are in need. And whoever is saved from the selfishness of their own souls, it is they who are truly successful.” [Quran 59:8-9]

In the second year after the Hijra, Allah ﷻ granted His Messenger ﷺ permission to fight in jihad to protect the call to Allah. The Prophet ﷺ took part in 29 battles, including the great Battle of Badr and those of Uḥud, the Conquest [of Mecca], the Trench, Khaybar, and Ḥunayn, as well as the Tabūk campaign. The expeditions that he dispatched but did not take part in were 47 in total.

In the 8th year after the Hijra, the Conquest of Mecca took place. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, when conquering Mecca, entered with utmost humility, with his noble head bowed low, witnessing Allah’s favor upon him. Recognizing their defeat, the Meccans gathered around him at the Ka‘ba. After experiencing twenty-one years of persecution at their hands, the Prophet ﷺ now had the upper hand. In an act of unparalleled mercy, he told them all that they were forgiven and free to go. Multitudes of people entered Islam.

After conveying the message, fulfilling the trust, establishing Islam and the worship of Allah alone, putting an end to falsehood, and forming a just and rightly-guided Muslim Umma of believers over the course of 23 years, he ﷺ returned to the Highest Companion ﷻ on Monday, the 12th of Rabī‘ al-Awwal, in the 11th year after the Hijra. He was 63 years old.

For his Umma, he ﷺ left behind the secret of his existence and the purpose for which he was sent: “The Book of Allah and the Sunna of His Prophet.” By having both of them in your heart, it is as if he ﷺ is present with you.