in the heat of midday, at an hour when he never used to visit.
She said: When Abū Bakr saw him he exclaimed, “The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—has not come at this hour except for some urgent matter!” When he entered, Abū Bakr moved back from his couch and the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—sat down. There was no one with the Messenger of Allah (1) except me and my sister Asmāʾ bint Abī Bakr.

The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—said:
“Have those who are with you leave me.”

Abū Bakr replied, “O Messenger of Allah, they are only my two daughters. Is that all—may my father and mother be sacrificed for you?”

He said:
“Allah has given me permission to depart and to emigrate.”

She continued: Abū Bakr then asked, “Companionship, O Messenger of Allah?”

He answered:
“Companionship.”

She said: “By Allah, I had never known before that day that anyone could weep for joy until I saw Abū Bakr weeping then.

“He went on: ‘O Prophet of Allah, these two mounts I have been preparing for this.’ So they hired ʿAbd Allah ibn Arqid (2)—Ibn Hishām says: he is also called ʿAbd Allah ibn al-Urayqiṭ—a man of Banū al-Duʾil ibn Bakr whose mother was from Banū Sahm ibn ʿAmr. He was a polytheist who would guide them on the road. They handed over their two mounts to him, and he kept them in his care until the appointed time.

Ibn Isḥāq (3) said: To the best of my knowledge, no one knew of the Messenger of Allah’s departure when he set out except ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq, and the family of Abū Bakr. As for ʿAlī, the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—ordered him to remain behind to return the trusts people had deposited with the Messenger of Allah, for there was no one in Mecca who owned anything he feared for without placing it with him, knowing his truthfulness and trustworthiness.

Ibn Isḥāq (3) also said: When the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—resolved to leave, he came to Abū Bakr ibn Abī Quḥāfah, and the two of them went out through a small rear door of Abū Bakr’s house.

Abū Nuʿaym (4) has transmitted, through the chain of Ibrāhīm ibn Saʿd from Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq, that he said: It has reached me that when the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—left Mecca, emigrating for Allah’s sake and heading for Madinah, he said:

“All praise is due to Allah who created me when I was nothing. O Allah, help me against the terrors of this world, the perils of time, and the misfortunes of nights and days. O Allah, accompany me in my journey, take charge of my family in my absence, bless me in what You have provided for me, subjugate me to Your obedience, and rectify my good character. My Lord, endear me to Yourself, and do not entrust me to people. Lord of the oppressed—and You are my Lord—I seek refuge in Your Noble Face, by which the heavens and the earth are illumined, the darkness is dispelled, and the affairs of the first and the last are set aright, from Your anger descending upon me or Your wrath befalling me. I seek refuge in You from the withdrawal of Your favor, the sudden onset of Your punishment, the alteration of Your well-being, and all that displeases You. To You belongs my apology as far as I am able. There is no power nor strength except through You.”