THE PRINCIPLE OF GRADUALISM

 FAJR REMINDER: THE PRINCIPLE OF GRADUALISM

By: Umm Affān

Muḥarram 5, 1448 (20-June-2026)

There are two migrations (Hijratayn) in Islām. The first took place when some of the companions (the early Muslims) migrated to Habasha (Abyssinia, present-day Ethiopia). The second occurred later when Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ), along with his companions, migrated from Makkah to Madīnah.

By the Will of Allāh, this morning I wish to reflect on the second Hijrah and the invaluable lessons it offers the Muslims. These lessons are meant to strengthen our knowledge, increase our faith, and help us become better servants of Allāh. The primary purpose of the Prophet's Hijrah was to preserve Islām and provide an environment where it could flourish and spread.

The Prophet (ﷺ) and the early Muslims were prevented from practicing Islām freely in Makkah. As a result, migration became necessary to protect the religion and ensure its survival. Although the Hijrah was essential, leaving Makkah was extremely painful for the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ). ‘Abdullāh Ibn ‘Adī reported: I saw the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) while he was standing near Makkah and saying, “By Allāh, you are the best and most beloved land to Allāh. Had I not been driven away from you, I would not have left you.” [Sunan At-Tirmidhī 3925]

When the Prophet (ﷺ) first called the people of Makkah to Tawḥīd (Pure Monotheism), inviting them to abandon the worship of idols and devote all worship to Allāh Alone, they considered his message strange. They mocked him and accused him of being a poet, a liar, and a sorcerer. Allāh informs (that they said): “Has he made the aliha (gods) (all) into One Ilah (God - Allāh). Verily, this is a curious thing!” [Sūrah Sād (38): 5]

This reaction should not surprise us. Even today, when people are invited to worship Allāh purely according to the Sunnah, many—including some Muslims—consider such a call strange. Some oppose it outright, while others resort to labeling those who uphold the truth as extremists or fundamentalists. Abū Hurayrah reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) stated, “Islām started in the state of strangeness, and it will return to being strange, as it started. Then, Tūbā (i.e., all kinds of happiness, blessings) is for the strangers.” [Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 145] He (ﷺ) also said: “So Tūbā for the strangers who restore my Sunnah which the people after me had distorted.” [Sunan At-Tirmidhī 2630]

In another narration from ‘Abdullāh Ibn Mas'ūd, it was said, “Who are the strangers?” The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Those who removed themselves from their (idolatrous) tribes.” [Musnad Aḥmad 3784] The Prophet (ﷺ) also called them: “Righteous people among many evil people. Those who disobey them are more numerous than those who obey them.” [Musnad Aḥmad 6650]

The persecution faced by the Prophet (ﷺ) and the early Muslims became extremely severe. They were ridiculed, tortured, and denied the freedom to practice their religion openly. They could only gather secretly at Bayt al-Arqam, where the Prophet (ﷺ) taught them the fundamentals of Islām. They also endured economic sanctions, as many people refused to buy from them or sell even necessities such as food. The oppression eventually reached the point of murder, as seen in the martyrdom of Sumayyah Bint Khayyat (also known as Sumayyah Bint Khabbat Raḍiyallāhu ‘Anha), who became the first martyr in Islām.

Eventually, Allāh permitted the Muslims to migrate to Madīnah. One of the greatest lessons from the Hijrah is that Allāh established Islām through the principle of gradualism. The religion did not spread overnight. It began with only a handful of believers in Makkah. Khadījah Bint Khuwaylid had the distinction of being the first woman to embrace Islām, Abū Bakr was the first adult man, and ‘Alī was the first child. From that small beginning, the Muslims migrated to Madīnah, established an Islāmic state, later returned to reclaim Makkah, and thereafter Islām continued to spread across the world despite the hatred of the disbelievers.

Tamīm ad-Dāri reported: The Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) said, “This matter will certainly reach every place touched by the night and day. Allāh will not leave a house or residence but Allāh will cause this religion to enter it, by which the honorable will be honored and the disgraceful will be disgraced. Allāh will honor the honorable with Islām and he will disgrace the disgraceful with disbelief.” [Musnad Aḥmad 16957]

Although Allāh is fully capable of making everyone accept Islām at once, He chose not to do so. This teaches us an important principle: meaningful growth and lasting development occur gradually. Success is built step by step, not through instant results. Life is not magic.

I beseech Allāh (ﷻ) to grant us beneficial understanding, strengthen us upon the truth, and make us among the sincere Muslims who uphold His Religion with wisdom, patience, and steadfastness. Aameen.