Detailed Account

After escaping the assassination attempt, the Prophet ﷺ met Abu Bakr, and they departed Makkah together, heading south contrary to expectations (Madinah being north) to the Cave of Thawr. They hid there for three days while Quraysh frantically searched with a reward of 100 camels for Muhammad's ﷺ capture, dead or alive. Several individuals and families played crucial supporting roles: Abdullah ibn Abu Bakr would bring them news of Quraysh's plans each evening; Asma bint Abu Bakr delivered food; Amir ibn Fuhayrah (Abu Bakr's shepherd) would graze his flock over their tracks to conceal them; and Abdullah ibn Urayqit served as their guide despite being a non-Muslim. When pursuers reached the cave entrance, Abu Bakr grew concerned, whispering: 'If one of them looks down at his feet, he will see us.' The Prophet ﷺ reassured him: 'What do you think of two people with whom Allah is the third?' Meanwhile, Allah's protection manifested as a spider web covered the entrance and wild pigeons nested there, convincing the pursuers no one had recently entered. After three days, they proceeded northward along coastal routes to avoid pursuit, experiencing several notable incidents: the Prophet ﷺ healed Umm Ma'bad's sick goat which then provided milk; Suraqah ibn Malik attempted to capture them for the reward but his horse kept sinking in the sand; and Buraidah ibn al-Husaib approached with seventy horsemen but accepted Islam instead. After an eleven-day journey, they reached Quba on the outskirts of Madinah, where the Prophet ﷺ established Islam's first mosque before completing his journey to central Madinah. This migration became so significant that Caliph Umar later established it as the beginning of the Islamic calendar, recognizing it as the pivotal transition from persecution to the establishment of the Islamic state.