Episode Summary
Shortly after the Hijra, the Muhajiroon were struck by a severe and deathly illness known historically as the 'Fever of Yathrib.' This episode details the critical condition of Abu Bakr, Bilal, and Amir ibn Fuhaira, and the Prophet's (saw) intervention through a powerful dua that transformed Madinah into a place of health and spiritual comfort. It also explores the origins of the 'Ramal' (marching) during Tawaf as a response to the mockery of the Quraysh, and the Prophetic lesson on maintaining spiritual excellence in prayer even during physical recovery.
Key Highlights
- Yathrib was historically notorious as the 'Valley of Sickness' due to contaminated, foul-smelling water.
- Abu Bakr and Amir ibn Fuhaira were so incapacitated by the fever that they spoke of death being closer than their shoelaces.
- Bilal, despite his previous torture in Makkah, was seen reciting poetry longing for the mountains and vegetation of his former home.
- The Prophet (saw) negated pre-Islamic superstitions, such as travelers braying like donkeys to avoid the city's disease.
- A miraculous dua by the Prophet (saw) permanently removed the disease from Madinah, personified in a dream as a wretched figure leaving the city.
- The practice of 'Ramal' (marching during Tawaf) was mandated to display strength to the Quraysh, who mocked the Muslims as being 'broken' by the fever.
- The Prophet (saw) motivated the recovering Sahaba to stand for prayer by teaching that sitting while capable of standing results in half the reward.
Comprehensive Analysis
1. The Notorious “Valley of Sickness”
Upon arriving in Madinah, the Muhajiroon were suddenly afflicted by a severe illness that rendered many of them bedridden and incapacitated. Historically, Yathrib was known as the “Valley of Sickness” due to its muddy, stagnant streams and foul-smelling water. While local residents had developed immunity over generations, outsiders—including the Prophet’s father, mother, and great-grandfather—often fell ill and died after visiting the city. Shortly after the migration, a majority of the Makkan companions were struck by this deathly fever.
2. Delirium and the Longing for Makkah
A’isha visited her father Abu Bakr, along with Amir ibn Fuhaira and Bilal, finding them in a single unit, severely ill and delusional. Abu Bakr recited poetry stating that death was closer to a person than their own shoelaces. Bilal, in his feverish state, forgot the torture he endured in Makkah and instead longed for its mountains, grass, and flowers. This critical condition highlighted that the illness was not a minor ailment but a deathly fever that threatened the lives of the core Sahaba.
3. The Prophet’s (saw) Intervention and the Divine Dream
Moved by A’isha’s concern, the Prophet (saw) looked to the sky and made a comprehensive dua: “Ya Allah, make the city of Madinah beloved to us just like you made Makkah beloved to us… and move the disease of Madinah far, far away”. Following this prayer, the Sahaba began to recover. That night, the Prophet (saw) received a divine revelation in a dream where he saw a wretched, scary-looking person (the personification of the disease) walking out of Madinah toward the northwest. From that day on, the plague was removed from the city.
4. Counteracting Mockery: The Origins of Ramal
Seven years later, during the Umrat al-Qada (7 AH), the Quraysh attempted to mock the Muslims, claiming they had been “broken” and shriveled by the disease of Yathrib. In response, the Prophet (saw) commanded the Sahaba to perform Ramal—marching and walking quickly during the first three circuits of Tawaf—as a public display of strength. This practice is still emulated by Muslims today to preserve the memory of the Sahaba’s resilience against their detractors.
5. Negating Superstition and Upholding Tawhid
Before Islam, travelers would perform superstitious rituals to protect themselves from the fever, such as pulling their ears and braying like a donkey ten times when entering the city. The Prophet (saw) condemned these practices as a form of shirk (polytheism), replacing weak superstitions with imaan and direct prayer to Allah for protection and blessing in the city’s food and environment.
6. Spiritual Excellence: The Reward of Prayer
As the Sahaba began to recover, some continued to pray while sitting out of habit from their illness. The Prophet (saw) encouraged them to exert themselves, teaching that the reward for a sitting prayer is half of that for a standing prayer, unless one is physically unable to stand. He emphasized that Salaah was their lifeline through the emotional and physical stress of being refugees; by standing and “tasting” their prayer, they would find the spiritual nourishment needed to sustain their souls through future adversity.