8.2 The Pledges of ‘Aqabah

Setting the Scene at the End of the Makkan Period

By the time the pledges of ‘Aqabah took place, the situation in Makkah had reached a very difficult point for the Muslims. Years of persecution, social boycott, and the loss of key supporters like Abu Talib and Khadijah رضي الله عنها had left the Prophet ﷺ seemingly isolated in his own city. Although he continued to call the Quraysh to Islam with patience, most of them remained stubborn in their opposition.

Outside Makkah, however, Allah was preparing a new home for Islam. The city of Yathrib, later known as Madinah, was going through its own social and political tensions. The two main Arab tribes there, Aws and Khazraj, had fought long wars between themselves, the most recent and most bitter being the Battle of Bu‘ath not long before the Hijrah. The Jewish tribes in the area had long spoken of a coming prophet, and this talk had prepared some hearts among the Arabs of Yathrib to accept a new leadership and a new faith.

It was into this context that the Pledges of ‘Aqabah occurred, marking a turning point in the Seerah. They were quiet, nighttime meetings in Mina near a rocky pass known as al-‘Aqabah, during the Hajj season, that would reshape the future of the Muslim community.

First Contacts with People of Yathrib

During the Hajj seasons, tribes from across Arabia visited Makkah. The Prophet ﷺ would take this opportunity to call visiting tribes to Islam, offering them the message of tawhid and also seeking a tribe that would protect and support him.

Ibn Ishaq and others narrate that one year, a small group from the tribe of Khazraj from Yathrib came to Makkah. The Prophet ﷺ met them and invited them to Islam, reciting the Quran to them and explaining the message. They were already familiar with the idea of a coming prophet because of what they had heard from the Jews in Yathrib.

Some reports mention that they said to one another: this is indeed the very prophet that the Jews used to threaten us with. They feared that if they rejected him, the Jews might accept him and gain the upper hand over them. So they recognized the truth of his message and believed in him.

These early believers from Yathrib returned to their city with Islam in their hearts, spreading the message among their people. This quiet beginning prepared the way for the first formal pledge at al-‘Aqabah.

The Setting of Al-‘Aqabah

Al-‘Aqabah is a place near Mina where pilgrims pass during the rites of Hajj. It has a rocky and elevated area, somewhat hidden from the main pathways. This made it a suitable place for a private meeting, away from the eyes of the Quraysh.

The pledges that took place there happened at night, in secrecy, during successive Hajj seasons. The Muslims in Makkah were under close watch, and the Quraysh were particularly wary that the Prophet ﷺ might find external support. So these meetings had to be careful, quiet, and organized.

The name “Pledges of ‘Aqabah” refers to these solemn promises made at that location. They were not treaties between equal powers, but conscious commitments of faith, obedience, and support, given to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

Nature of the Pledges

The pledges of ‘Aqabah were more than simple statements of belief. They combined three key elements: faith in Allah and His Messenger, moral and ethical commitments, and, in the second pledge, a clear offer of political and physical protection.

Islam, as seen in these pledges, is not only a private spiritual belief. It shapes personal conduct and also extends to collective responsibility. The people of Yathrib were not just saying: “We believe.” They were also promising: “We will stand with you, protect you, and obey you.”

This transformation from individual belief to communal commitment is one of the distinctive aspects that makes the pledges of ‘Aqabah such a foundational step toward the establishment of the first Muslim community in Madinah.

Scriptural Basis and Proofs

The migration to Madinah and the support of the Ansar are clearly affirmed in the Quran. Allah says about the believers who left Makkah and those who received them:

﴿وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَهَاجَرُوا وَجَاهَدُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِينَ آوَوا وَنَصَرُوا أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ حَقًّا لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَرِزْقٌ كَرِيمٌ﴾
“And those who believed and emigrated and strove in the cause of Allah, and those who gave shelter and aided, it is they who are the true believers. For them is forgiveness and noble provision.”
[Surah al Anfal 8:74]

The phrase “those who gave shelter and aided” refers to the Ansar of Madinah. Their shelter and aid began with the pledges of ‘Aqabah that opened the door for the Hijrah.

The Prophet ﷺ himself described this supportive role of the Ansar. In authentic narrations he said:

«آيةُ الإيمانِ حبُّ الأنصارِ، وآيةُ النِّفاقِ بُغضُ الأنصارِ»
“The sign of faith is love for the Ansar, and the sign of hypocrisy is hatred for the Ansar.”
[Al Bukhari and Muslim]

This honor given to the Ansar is directly linked to the promises they made at ‘Aqabah and how faithfully they fulfilled them afterward.

Gradual Progress toward the Pledges

The pledges did not appear suddenly without preparation. The process unfolded gradually over several years.

First, there were individual conversions among people of Yathrib who had met the Prophet ﷺ during Hajj. They carried the message back and began to speak of Islam in their city. Houses in Yathrib started to hear the recitation of the Quran. People spoke about a prophet in Makkah, about a new way that called to worship of One God, justice, and reconciliation between fighting tribes.

Second, the internal state of Yathrib created a readiness to accept a new unifying leadership. The long wars between Aws and Khazraj had left many people tired of conflict. They were searching for a way to end their hostilities. This search inclined some hearts to seriously consider the message of the Prophet ﷺ not only as a faith, but as a solution to their social and political divisions.

Third, the Hajj season gave regular opportunities for the Prophet ﷺ and the people of Yathrib to meet again year after year. With each visit, more people from Yathrib heard the message, and the earlier believers were able to strengthen their ties with the Prophet ﷺ.

In this way, by the time the first pledge of ‘Aqabah occurred, there was already a small but sincere group of Muslims in Yathrib. They had tasted the sweetness of faith and were ready to make formal commitments.

Importance of ‘Aqabah in the Seerah

The Pledges of ‘Aqabah are a turning point because they open the door for the Hijrah and the building of the first Islamic society in Madinah. The Seerah before ‘Aqabah is mainly about calling to Islam under persecution and without earthly protection. After ‘Aqabah, there is a path toward a community with its own safe home, leadership, and laws.

In the pledges, we see how the Prophet ﷺ did not pursue power for its own sake. He sought a place where he could call to Allah freely, where people would worship Allah without fear and establish justice. The people of Yathrib offered this space through their pledges.

These events also highlight that Islam brings together people from different backgrounds into one community. The people of Yathrib were from tribes that had been bitter enemies. Yet through their commitment to the Prophet ﷺ at ‘Aqabah, they would later become united as the Ansar, the Helpers of Islam.

Finally, the Pledges of ‘Aqabah show that faith requires responsibility. Those who pledged did not only say words. They undertook to live by the moral teachings of Islam, to obey the Messenger ﷺ, and, in the second pledge, to defend him as they would defend their own families. This sense of responsibility is part of what made the early Muslim community strong and sincere.

Connection to the Hijrah and the Next Stage

The pledges of ‘Aqabah are directly connected to the Hijrah, which follows in the next stage of the Seerah. Through these pledges, the believers in Yathrib signaled that their city would become a refuge for the persecuted Muslims and a new base for the message of Islam.

The Prophet ﷺ did not instruct his companions to migrate to Yathrib until a firm promise of support and protection had been given. The pledges of ‘Aqabah were that firm promise. Once they were made, the Prophet ﷺ permitted and then commanded the believers in Makkah to migrate, which led to the historic move from Makkah to Madinah and the beginning of a new chapter in Islamic history.

The detailed contents, conditions, and participants of the First and Second Pledges, and the special role of the Ansar, will be discussed in the following chapters that bear their names. Here, it is enough to recognize that the Pledges of ‘Aqabah represent the bridge between the long period of Makkan hardship and the hopeful, community building period in Madinah that transformed the course of the Seerah.