Awareness is a word that expresses a mental and psychological state where one is aware of oneself and external milieu. Related to this is the awareness of contemporary affairs, the factors affecting societies, the powers dominating the world, common ideas, the conception of the means of living through this and the may of fulfilling one’s project and mission in the light of these given factors.
Having mentioned the meaning of awareness, we may say that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was characterized by and conscious of it; He was completely conscious of His identity, its potentialities, points of strength and weakness, human shaping in His environment — as well as, the problems of humans, and the influential powers in the world around him.
He used all these factors in searching for the best ways to protect the interests of his community, to shove away evil and danger, and to build its present and draw its future.
Despite the severity of the atmosphere in which His mission started, but He was aware of its milieu, the phase He passes through step by step. He was neither reckless, regretting a rash behaviour, nor submissive, nor hesitant in allowing the enemy to vanquish Him , but rather a prime mover of events, benefitting from his enemies’ faults and having new conceptions in management, organization and planning.
Despite the scarcity of His men, at the beginning of the, mission compared to the enemy’s numbers and weapons, He was not once taken by surprise but rather has all the edges of reality around Him and soured victory and security for that little number of His companions.
He was patient and wise, listened and understood much, was intelligent enough to make out things and appreciate them, putting little pieces of information together to evaluate and visualize hidden spots.
Leader’s Awareness
Awareness is a quality attending every leader, whereas the unaware one is always susceptible to plots and coups, his country to occupation and exploitation. Many a time did we hear about leaders who were annihilating their armies, while engaging in lost wars that weakened their nations.
Many a time also did we hear of leaders who waned and were cowards in wars; and in which, if they had stood firm, victory would have been theirs.
Leadership is an art not everyone masters, it necessities an innate talent, special characteristics combined with knowledge, experience and perseverance. Added to this is the leader’s self-awareness, consciousness of surroundings, ability to influence reality and people as well as directing potentialities to achieve the greatest.
Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) consciousness here centres on many pivots, the most important of which, is having a clear target in every stop of His. He knew that He was a Prophet with a message, entrusted with a mission He could not refuse.
As regards to creed and target, He never wavered, even when it seemed beneficial; creed was the root of His call monotheism the essence of His mission. So when His enemy, the Quraysh, bid Him that they worship Allah for a year provided that He worships idols for another, He recited what was revealed in the verses of the Qur’an, “Say, ‘0 disbelievers, I do not worship what you worship. Nor are you worshippers of what I worship. Nor will I be a worshipper of what you worship. Nor will you be worshippers of what I worship. For you are your religion, and for me, I am my religion:” (Al-Kafirum: 1.6)
Muhammad (peace be upon him) was also characterized by full awareness of the minute and comprehensive knowledge of His men and equipment, circumstances, potentialities so as not to build His strategy on wrong or incomplete factors, and thus fails.
He also appreciated the dangers that He might face, and also the obstacles. Thus, He set up plans accordingly. He further observed what we might call flexibility, alternative plan for any change of circumstances so as not to be taken by surprise using phases in achieving targets, what is definitely needed may be untimely, and some goals may be delayed for fulfilling an urgent one.
Migration to Abyssinia as an Example of Awareness
The migration to Abyssinia represents an example of Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) awareness. At the start of His mission, His enemies severely tortured and oppressed His followers, who constituted a feeble minority, so He cared for them and for the new mission. As an outlet of this complicated situation, to spare His few followers comprehensive annihilation, He ordered migration to Abyssinia. Here we should be acquainted with the real cause of this migration, which was not merely for true, but it was farther and deeper otherwise the feeble slaves, like Bilal, Khabbab, Suhabi, Ammar and others migrated.
But examining the migrants, we could find the majority were masters descending from respectable families who endured no real harm compared to that befalling the weak. The migrants were descendants of good families like Al-Walid bin Al-Mugeirah, Autbah bin Rabiah, Abu Sufian bin Harb, Suhail bin Amr, Abu Talib bin Abdul Muttaleb and Said bin Al-As. Those were the masters of Quraysh who, from the start, were troubled by migration; therefore the choice of migrants was conducted according to a preconceived rule rather than randomly.
Muhammad (peace be upon him) was keen on having His family in migrate, as the leader can not endanger his subjects while he secures himself; of these, Muhammad’s daughter Ruqayya, and her husband Othman went with the migrants.
Some Muslim writers regard the aim of the migration to Abyssinia as to establish another base for the Islamic call, other than Makkah, lest the first base in Makkah be stormed or annihilated. Therefore the delegation did return to Medina immediately after migration, for it was still dangerous; but they returned after Al-Hudaibya’s reconciliation, after the leader was assured of His state’s security by signing a peaceful treaty with its fiercest enemy whose power was might thus keeping way from danger and then the delegation was back.
Abyssinia was Substituted for Makkah for Several Reasons
> First, a Distant Location:
Abyssinia is on a different continent; Makkah is situated in Asia and Abyssinia in Africa; both are separated by the sea and are for off, so the people could have no influence over from of Abyssinia or force their king to send the migrants back.
> Second:
The people of Abyssinia are Christians and closer to Islam than to polytheism; that is to say there is a common ground between them. Moreover, as Christians, they do not travel to Makkah for pilgrimage and the people of Makkah cannot harm any for them of accepting and giving Muslims shelter.
> Third:
Abyssinia has a royal system that does not recognize tribalism as considering it more superior; therefore the people of Makkah could have no control over it. Conversely, all Arabia has a tribal system subject to the authority of the people of Makkah.
> Fourth:
The Negus – the king of Abyssinia – was just: it is the most important factor which Muhammad (peace be upon him) mentioned to His companions, “If you were to go to Abyssinia it would be better for you), for the king (there) will not tolerate injustice and it is a friendly country, until such time as Allah shall relieve you from your distress:”
Justice is the utmost any minority can wish for and the place was really one of justice where nobody was oppressed till their return.
This migration gave us a model of Muhammad’s thought, awareness, keenness on His call and distancing Himself from risk and hurry.
