Finally, it was Monday, and they were just two hours away from the village of “Quba” near Medina. A caravan was approaching from the opposite direction. It was Zubeir and Taha, both early converts to Islam, leading this caravan.

When they saw them, they were overjoyed. The Rasul of Allah and Abu Bakr had become covered in dust and dirt due to their journey. Zubeir and Taha, who had recently acquired some trade goods from Sham, took out new white clothes from their merchandise and presented them to our Master and Abu Bakr as a gift, saying, “O Rasul of Allah, O Abu Bakr, your clothes have become dusty and dirty on the road. The people of Medina should see you in clean and beautiful attire.”

Then, they all continued their journey towards Medina. The sun was high in the sky, as always, scorching the rocks and sand particles, making them shimmer with heat.

The Muslims of Medina, who had heard about their departure from Mecca, used to come to a place called “Harre” every morning and wait there until nearly noon in the hopes of welcoming them. On that day too, they had waited, but as time passed, they had lost hope and returned to their homes.

One of the Jews had some work to do in his nearby field at that time. He climbed the observation tower a little ahead and started looking at his field. Suddenly, dark figures appeared on the horizon. Because of the heat and the resulting haze, it was difficult to see clearly, but it seemed like a caravan dressed in white was approaching. He had a thought that this might be the awaited arrival of the Rasul and his companions. Under the influence of this magnificent sight, he couldn’t resist and began shouting at the top of his lungs:

“Heyyyy! Muslims! The One you’ve been waiting for is coming!”

This voice was like an exploding cannonball. Upon hearing the shout, the Muslims rushed into their homes, donned their swords, shields, and whatever weapons they had, and put on their best clothes. Women adorned themselves with gold bracelets on their hands and feet. Those with horses decorated their famous Arabian steeds with the finest saddles, while those with camels also adorned them. Men, women, children, young and old, all poured onto the streets to welcome the Rasul of Allah and Abu Bakr.

They were now about an hour away from each other.

The two groups, travelers and welcomers, met at a location called “Harre.” It wasn’t just the people of Quba, who were only an hour away from Medina, but also residents of Medina itself who came out to welcome them.

Among various expressions of love and affection shown to the Rasul of Allah, the two groups turned right and, on foot, headed towards the village of Quba, which was about an hour away.

History was heralding the beginning of a new era: 8th of Rabi’ al-Awwal, 1st year of Hijrah, equivalent to the year 622 AD.  It was September, and the day was Monday.