The Pledges of Aqabah
بيعتا العقبة
During the Hajj seasons, delegations from Madinah pledged allegiance to the Prophet ﷺ at Aqabah. The Second Pledge brought 73 men and 2 women who offered to protect him as their own families — laying the foundation for the Hijra.
The Account
Background: Madinah Before Islam
Before the Hijra, Madinah (then Yathrib) was in a state of chronic civil war between its two main Arab tribes — Aws and Khazraj — who had been fighting for over a century. Exhausted by conflict, many were spiritually receptive to a unifying message.
During the Hajj season of ~620 CE, the Prophet ﷺ encountered a group from Khazraj at Aqabah. He invited them to Islam; they accepted and returned to Madinah spreading the message. Madinah began to convert rapidly.
The First Pledge of Aqabah (~621 CE)
The following Hajj season, twelve men from Madinah met the Prophet ﷺ at Aqabah and pledged: - Not to associate partners with Allah - Not to steal - Not to commit fornication - Not to kill their children - Not to slander - Not to disobey him in good
This is called the Pledge of Women (Bay'at al-Nisa') because it did not include a pledge to fight — the same terms later given to women entering Islam (Al-Mumtahanah: 12).
The Prophet ﷺ sent Mus'ab ibn Umayr RA back with them as the first Islamic teacher sent to a community. Within a year, Islam had spread through almost every household in Madinah.
The Second Pledge of Aqabah (~622 CE)
The following year, 73 men and 2 women came — representing both Aws and Khazraj. They met the Prophet ﷺ secretly at night at Aqabah.
Their spokesman, Abu Umamah As'ad ibn Zurarah, addressed them. The Prophet ﷺ recited the Quran and invited them to Islam.
Al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (the Prophet's ﷺ uncle, not yet a Muslim) spoke first: "O people of Khazraj — Muhammad is in honour among us. But you are calling him into a danger. If you cannot protect him, return him to us now."
They replied: "We have heard. O Messenger of Allah — what do you want for yourself and your Lord?"
He said: "I ask for myself what I ask for you: that you worship Allah, not associate partners with Him, that you protect me as you protect your women and children."
Al-Abbas ibn Ubadah then said: "Do you know upon what you are pledging allegiance to this man? You are pledging to fight all of mankind — red and black." They said: "Yes."
The pledge was made: - To protect the Prophet ﷺ as they protected their own families - To fight in his cause if called - To not dispute leadership with those who had prior right (Quraysh) - To speak the truth wherever they were
The Prophet ﷺ said: "You are my people and I am your man."
This pledge was the political and military foundation that made the Hijra possible.
Hadith References
"Ka'b ibn Malik RA narrated: "We were 73 men and two women — Nusaybah bint Ka'b (Umm Ammara) and Asma' bint Amr — who pledged allegiance to the Prophet ﷺ at Aqabah.""
Relevance: Establishes the numbers and composition of the Second Pledge
Scholar Views
"The Aqabah pledges were the bridge between the Makkan phase of patient endurance and the Medinan phase of active establishment. Without them, the Hijra would have had nowhere to go."
Zad al-Ma'ad, Vol. 3
"The role of Mus'ab ibn Umayr RA cannot be overstated. He arrived in Madinah alone, with no resources, and through wisdom, patience, and knowledge of Islam, converted the most resistant leaders first — and the city followed."
Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum, Aqabah chapter
Key Lessons
- ◆The First Pledge shows that moral commitment comes before military commitment in the Islamic call
- ◆Mus'ab ibn Umayr RA demonstrates that one sincere, qualified teacher can transform an entire city
- ◆The Second Pledge shows the companions understood the seriousness of what they were undertaking — "fighting all of mankind" — and accepted it
- ◆The Ansar's offer is one of the greatest acts of generosity in history: welcoming strangers at the cost of their own safety
Sources
- •Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum — Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri
- •Al-Bidaya wa'l-Nihaya — Ibn Kathir
- •Zad al-Ma'ad — Ibn al-Qayyim
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