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3. The City of the Prophet
THE FIRST MUSLIMSIN THE EVENING, the sun in the desert is a glowing white orb set
low in the sky. It dips into the horizon, and its light is eclipsed by the
dunes, making them appear as heaving black swells in the distance. At
the edge of Yathrib, a hedge of lofty palm trees forms a boundary sepa-
rating the oasis from the advancing desert. Here, the small band of
Companions wait—hands shading their eyes—staring out over the vast
expanse for any sign of Muhammad. They’ve been standing at the edge
of the desert for days and nights. What else can they do? Many of them
have no homes in Yathrib. Most of their possessions were left behind
in Mecca. Their journey was not a grand exodus through the desert,
camels laden with goods. The Hijra, as the migration from Mecca to
Yathrib is known, was a secret operation: daughters sneaking out of
their fathers’ homes at night, young men gathering whatever provi-
sions they could carry on their backs for the arduous week-long jour-