The Prophet's Journey to Medin
One day, while we were sitting in Abu Bakr's house at noon, someone said to Abu Bakr, "This is the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with his head covered, coming at a time at which he never used to visit us before." Abu Bakr said, "May my father and mother be sacrificed for him. By Allah, he has not come at this hour except for something important." So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came and asked permission to enter, and he was admitted. When he entered, he said to Abu Bakr: "Tell everyone who is present with you to go away." Abu Bakr replied, "There is no one here but you are my family. May my father be sacrificed for you, O Messenger of Allah!" The Prophet said, "I have been given permission to emigrate." Abu Bakr said, "Shall I accompany you?" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Yes." Abu Bakr said, "O Messenger of Allah, may my father be sacrificed for you, take one of these two she-camels of mine." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, "(I will accept it) with payment." So we prepared the baggage quickly and put some journey food in a leather bag for them. Asma', the daughter of Abu Bakr, cut a piece from her waist belt and tied the mouth of the leather bag with it, and for that reason she was named dhat al-nitagayn, the One with Two Waistbelts. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and Abu Bakr reached a cave on the mountain of Thawr and stayed there for three nights. Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr, who was an intelligent and wise youth, stayed (with them) overnight. He would leave them before daybreak so that in the morning he would be with the Quraysh, as if he had spent the night in Makkah. He would keep in mind any plot made against them, and when it became dark he would (go and) inform them of it. Amir ibn Fuhayrah, the freed slave of Abu Bakr, used to bring the milch sheep (of his master, Abu Bakr) to them a little while after nightfall. So they always had fresh milk at night, the milk of their sheep. Amir ibn Fuhayrah would then take the flock away when it was still dark (before daybreak). He did the same on each of those three nights. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and Abu Bakr had hired a man from the tribe of Banu Ad-Dayl from the family of Banu Abd ibn Adiy as an expert guide. He was of the religion of the polytheists of the Quraysh, but the Prophet and Abu Bakr trusted him and gave him their two she-camels and made an appointment with him to bring their two she-camels to the cave of the mountain of Thawr in the morning after three nights had passed. And (when they set out) Amir ibn Fuhayrah and the guide went along with them and the guide led them along the coast. Ibn Shihab said: "Abdur-Rahman ibn Malik AI-Mudliji, who was the nephew of Suraqah ibn Malik, told me that his father informed him that he heard Suraqah saying: The messengers of the Quraysh came to us declaring that they had assigned for the persons who would kill or arrest the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and Abu Bakr, a reward equal to their blood-money. While I was sitting in one of the gatherings of my tribe, a man from them came to us and stood while we were sitting, and said. "O Suragah! I have just seen some people far away on the shore, and I think they are Muhammad and his companion." Suraqah added: I realized that it must have been them. But I said. "No, it is not them, but you must have seen so-and-so and so-and-so whom we saw setting out." I stayed in the gathering for a while and then got up and left for my home. I ordered my slave-girl to get my horse, which was behind a hillock, and keep it ready for me.