Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za

22 March 2025

4 minute read

Step back in time for a journey retracing the steps of Nabi SAW on the epic migration from Makkah to Madinah. In his travels through the dessert, brother Yaseen Khan from Rahal Tours has created and developed the hijra expedition.

Having spent many years taking hujjaj and those going for umrah on their journey, Yaseen spent a lot of time travelling between Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah, meeting dozens of local contacts along the way. At a “familiarisation trip” run by Saudi Tourism, he learnt more about the intricate aspects of the hijrah, charting the caravan route and the hijrah route, and discovering how all the relevant markers were found in the desert. Yaseen felt the need to follow in the footsteps of Nabi SAW on this heroic journey, inspiring him to research and put together the expedition, making it accessible for everyone to experience what Rasulullah SAW had done.

Working backwards with the Islamic calendar, Yaseen deduced that Nabi SAW and Abu Bakr RA, along with his freed slave Amr ibn Fuhairah and the guide Abdullah ibn Muraqit, had left Makkah between the 21^st and 23^rd September on the migration; a journey that took seven nights and eight days. Rahal Tours’ first journey took them 3 nights and 4 days with a hybrid experience between vehicles, walking and camel rides.

Rasulullah SAW’s exact route started from Makkah travelling South to throw the Quraysh off. Nabi SAW then circled back and travelled towards Jeddah, not taking “the most travelled route.” The three routes in the past from Makkah to Madinah include the Caravan or Trade route that traders would use, the Ambiya Route that all the Prophets AS used when visiting Makkah, and the Hijrah route that the Prophet Muhammad SAW established on the migration. Unlike the other routes, along the Hijrah route, there were not many waystations, which are historical stone structures or markers in the dessert, that traders used to set up for passing caravans.

With no phone or internet signal in the desert, Yaseen says that they relied on satellite phones during their first trip. In one particular incident, he recalls that he left the group and walked through a valley, leaving his backpack, water bottle and scarf behind. He stopped by some shrubs to wait for the convoy to catch up with him, sitting in silence, reflecting and wondering about the conversations that took place between Rasulullah SAW and his companions. Soon after, he saw a shepherd walking towards him, and he was given some water by the Bedouin who waited with him until the convoy caught up with him.

Following the Hijrah Route, the expedition travels from Makkah to Jeddah and then heads North on to Madinah, taking just under seven days. Yaseen says that due to the heat of the desert, the expedition will run in the winter months. “While it is physically possible to do this walking,” says Yaseen, to make it accessible for all ages from 13 upwards, Rahal Tours provides 4by4’s for the more challenging paths on the route and camels at certain areas as well.

For people interested in undertaking the expedition, you can visit the website hijra.co.za for more information. Listen to the full interview here.