Religious minister claims Prophet Muhammad was not a refugee

MM Online:

Religious minister claims Prophet Muhammad was not a refugee, migrated under God’s command

Datuk Seri Zulkifli Mohamad speaks during a press conference at Masjid Mahmoodiah in Putrajaya June 17, 2020. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon 

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 ― Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs), Datuk Seri Dr Zulkifli Mohamad today clarified that Prophet Muhammad had left Mecca for Madinah following Allah’s command and request, and not because he was running away.

“In the Fiqh Al-Sirah book written by Syeikh Dr Muhammad Said Ramadhan Al-Buti which defines hijrah (migration), the scholar said by moving to Madinah, the Prophet was not simply running away but was obeying Allah’s command.

“In religion, hijrah carries a different meaning for such a term,” he said during the oral question-and-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat sitting today.

He was responding to a supplementary question from Datuk Mohd Fasiah Mohd Fakeh (Bersatu-Sabak Bernam) on whether Mohamad Sabu (PH-Kota Raja)’s statement during the debate session in Parliament yesterday, that Prophet Muhammad had once become a ‘refugee’, could be classified as an insult.

Before answering the question, Zulkifli apologised for not being in the Dewan Rakyat while the Amanah president was debating on the motion of thanks for the royal address.― Bernama

As a non-Muslim in Malaysia, I generally don't comment on Islamic issue such as the one above, but nonetheless due to personal interests in Islam and its history, I thus refer to an Islamic website About Islam. It tells us that:

About Islam was launched in January 2016 to contribute to presenting authentic mainstream Islam to the world.

This is a difficult time when the religion of Islam is under attack from biased media and hate-mongering Islamophobes who focus on acts of terrorism committed by a small minority of deviant criminal groups who claim to be following the teachings of Islam.

The aim of About Islam is to help Muslims around the world grow in faith and spirituality, while at the same time lead productive lives, as Islam teaches, in the context of the modern life of the 21st century.

About Islam also aims to help support new Muslims in learning their religion in a positive way away from extremism.

Finally, About Islam is an initiative which strives to build bridges of understanding and peaceful co-existence with fellow human beings around the world, irrespective of their religions and beliefs.

I then search on that website for Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the issue of refugees. Following is an extract from its page How Did Prophet Muhammad Deal with Refugees?:

The Scale of the Refugees Problem

In 2014, global displacement reached historic levels: 59.5 million people were forced to flee their homes.

Since then, the numbers have continued to grow. The concept of refugees as people fleeing persecution is central to efforts to aid and protect them, but given the dimensions of the problem it will come as no surprise to learn that governments and global bodies are engaged in ongoing discussions and arguments that do not solve the growing predicament.

The Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad deal extensively with the refugees, addressing issues of social justice and Quran specifically says:

And if anyone of the disbelievers seeks your protection, then grant him protection so that he may hear the word of God, and then escort him to where he will be secure. (Quran 9:6)

This indicates that Islamic behavior should address the issues of vulnerability, fear, and displacement without regard to race or religion.

Refugee Prophets

Prophet Abraham and his family were forced to migrate and were supported by God in their endeavor (Quran 21: 71).

After being harassed by the Egyptians, Moses fled to Midian where he was provided with housing, employment and other amenities (Quran 28: 20-28).

Many generations later, Prophet Muhammad instructed some members of his fledgling community to migrate to Abyssinia. They had suffered from ongoing oppression and torture. A few years later Prophet Muhammad himself was a refugee. He, along with the majority of his followers, fled Makkah and sought refuge in Madinah.

This is the most important migration in the history of Islam and because of its significance it marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar.

Upon reaching Madinah, the Prophet was deeply aware of the destitution and hardship the Makkan refugees experienced. They had fled from intolerable conditions to find themselves in a strange place bereft of income, land and personal belongings.

There is a very old Arabic proverb that addresses the plight of a stranger in a strange land:

“The stranger is blind even if he has eyes.”

This indicates the vulnerability of a stranger and suggests that a stranger needs help and guidance. The people of Madinah embodied the Islamic model of refugee protection contained in the Quran and the Sunnah.

It seems the web authority of About Islam has a different view to the Malaysian Islamic authority about the 'refugee' (or not refugee) status of prophet Muhammad (pbuh) during the early formative years of Islam. Our Minister for Religious Affairs reckons the Prophet (pbuh) was NOT a refugee but a migrant, whilst About Islam clearly states the Prophet (pbuh) was a refugee amongst other refugee-prophets eg. Ibrahim (pbuh), Musa (pbuh).

Well, I wonder whether Mat Sabu would contribute more to this most interesting topic?