Moment 3 of 6
Two men in a cave
The Hijrah — the journey from Makkah to Madinah that marks year one of the Islamic calendar.
The cave of Thawr, near Makkah1 AH around 622 CE1 min read
When the Prophet ﷺ left Makkah for Madinah, he did not travel alone. Abu Bakr went with him.
Leaving was dangerous, and Makkah sent search parties after them. Rather than heading straight north towards Madinah, the two went south first and hid in a cave on Mount Thawr, waiting for the search to lose its heat. They stayed there three nights.
The cave was supplied by Abu Bakr's own family. His daughter Asma carried food out to them. His son Abdullah spent his days in Makkah listening to what was being said and came out at night to report it. It was a small family operation, and if any part of it had been noticed it would have ended badly for all of them.
The Qur'an refers to this in Surah at-Tawbah, describing the two of them in the cave, and the Prophet ﷺ saying to his companion not to grieve, because Allah was with them. It is the reason Abu Bakr is remembered as the companion of the Hijrah.
In this moment: Asma bint Abi Bakr, The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr
Quick recall
Who accompanied the Prophet ﷺ on the Hijrah and hid with him in the cave?
Sources & review
Draft content — undergoing reviewThis content was written for SahabaMate and has not yet been checked by a reviewer against the works below. Treat it as a starting point, not a citation.
The Qur'an, Surah at-Tawbahسورة التوبة
Qur'an · Qur'an 9:40
As-Sirah an-Nabawiyyahالسيرة النبوية
Classical biography · Ibn Hisham, from the recension of Ibn Ishaq
Kitab at-Tabaqat al-Kabirالطبقات الكبرى
Classical biography · Ibn Sa'd
Sahih al-Bukhariصحيح البخاري
Hadith collection · Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari
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