The Effects of Islamic Religion on Maintaining the Territorial Integrity
(Part 62)
The continuation of the Matter:
The Messenger of Allah’s Patriotism (Peace Be Upon Him)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) knew how much his companions loved their homeland – Mecca – and therefore they often asked God to grant them and their companions a love for Medina even greater than their love for Mecca, due to the merit of the people of this city in accepting Islam and accepting the support of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his loyal companions. Despite the diverse environment in Medina, the emigrants still had a special interest in Mecca and they chose to migrate to Medina specifically to preserve and spread the religion of Islam and out of desire; therefore, God Almighty described them in the Holy Quran as emigrants and made this description a praise for them that raises their spiritual value and expresses the virtue of their pious performance until the Day of Judgment.
Allah (swt) has said in the Holy Quran:
«لِلْفُقَرَاءِ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ الَّذِينَ أُخْرِجُوا مِنْ دِيَارِهِمْ وَأَمْوَالِهِمْ يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانًا وَيَنْصُرُونَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الصَّادِقُونَ» (Al-Ḥashr-8)
(The fore-mentioned Specification) are (also) for the poor Emigrants who are driven out of their houses and possessions (and properties). They seek Allah’s bounty and His favor and pleasure. And they help Allah and His Messenger ([blessings and peace be upon him] by sacrificing their possessions and homeland). It is they who are the true believers.
The Holy Prophet saw in a dream that he entered Makkah and circumambulated the House of Allah. But in the dream, the time was not clear. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) shared the good news of this event to his noble companions. The companions were very happy to hear this news, because they had been separated from their original homeland, Mecca, for a long time. Hearing this sentence from the mouth of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), the fire of love and desire to visit the city of Mecca, the Kaaba, and circumambulate around it flared up in their hearts and they looked forward to those moments. In addition to others, the emigrants were more interested in visiting Mecca, because they were returning to their hometown, which was intertwined with their bodies and from which they had been forcibly separated for a while. Therefore, when the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) gave them the good news, they did not doubt that that the current year, God willing, the dream would be interpreted and come true. Yes! All those things revealed the love and affection of the companions towards their homeland, and immediately everyone prepared to move towards the Kaaba in the company of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and few remained in Medina. (Nadawi Bayta, 316) That was a small hint and example of love of the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) for their homeland.