Traveling is today an easy matter, with people traveling all the time, using a variety of means of transport. We travel by air, sea or land and cover long distances in a short time. Indeed we move across continents in a few hours. Traveling is an essential part of the work of some of us, and they take it for granted. This was not the case during the Prophet’s lifetime, when people traveled on horseback. In Arabia, desert roads were unsuitable for any sort of transport other than camels and horses. Therefore, travel required proper preparations. It was undertaken only for an important purpose.
In peace times, people in Arabia traveled for trade. We know about the two annual journeys, undertaken by the people of Makkah for trade. In summer their business caravan traveled to Syria, and in winter another one traveled to Yemen. On the other hand, people in Arabia traveled to Makkah to visit the Kaabah. Travel for other purposes was rather limited.
When the Prophet established the first Muslim state in Madinah, it was surrounded by hostile tribes. Many thought that Madinah could be an easy target. Several tribes planned to raid Madinah at different times. The Quraysh in Makkah twice tried to storm Madinah by large forces. The Prophet operated a military strategy that sought to prevent military conflict wherever possible. Therefore, he often set out of Madinah with a force of his companions to forestall a planned attack. By doing so, he was able to prevent several clashes.
Such expeditions are often referred to in Hadiths as travel. His other journeys were to Makkah, to perform the Umrah and the pilgrimage. He did not travel for business or a social purpose after he was assigned his mission as God’s Messenger. We need to learn about what he did on starting his journeys and on his return, because following his example is the best thing we do, in addition to the fact that it brings us reward from God.
Kaab in Malik reports: “The Prophet started his travel on the Tabuk expedition on Thursday. He always preferred to start his journeys on Thursdays.” (Related by Ahmad and Al-Bukhari.) Kaab ibn Malik also reports: “Rarely did the Prophet initiate a travel other than on a Thursday.” (Related by Al-Bukhari and al-Darimi.) Lady Aishah reports: “God’s Messenger used to initiate his travels on either Mondays or Thursdays.” (Related by Abu Al-Shaykh)
None of these Hadiths gives us a reason for choosing Thursday to initiate travel. They are merely reporting the fact. However, a possible reason may be that the Prophet was always keen to move fast and reach his destination when least expected. He often tried to take the enemy by surprise. He never launched a surprise attack on any enemy when they were totally unaware. He only surprised the enemy by arriving unexpectedly in their midst, aiming to forestall a conflict. This strategy was successful in avoiding war on several occasions. Starting on Thursday might have helped in that, as people realized that the Muslims were most keen on their Friday prayer. So, they might have felt that the Muslims would not set out before Saturday. Hence, starting on Thursday gave the Prophet a two-day advantage, enabling him to use the surprise factor to achieve better results.
The Prophet’s return was always a joyous occasion. Children felt that joy and took part in it. The Prophet always warmed to their meeting. Al-Saib ibn Yazid reports: “I remember that I went out with young boys to receive the Prophet on his return from the Tabuk expedition.” (Related by Al-Bukahri) Ibn Abbas reports: “When the Prophet arrived in Makkah, he was received by young boys from among the descendents of Abd Al-Muttalib. He took two of them on his mount, one in front and one behind him.” (Related by Al-Bukhari) These boys were his relatives, as Abd Al-Muttalib was his grandfather. When he recognized who these boys were, he wanted to show that he valued his ties of kinship, taking them on his camel. His action served as a signal to the people of Makkah that he had no thought of revenge in his mind. He would rather maintain close ties with them if they would stop their hostility to him and his faith.
We also see people’s joy when he returned from a travel in the following Hadith reported by Anas: “When the Prophet arrived back in Madinah, the Abyssinians played with their spears, expressing joy at his return.” (Related by Ahmad and Abu Dawood)
The reporter of this Hadith does not specify the occasion. He only speaks of the Prophet’s return and that the joy was common, involving a show by the Abyssinians. Most probably this was when the Prophet returned from the Battle of Khaybar, which was a fierce one, lasting far longer than most other battles fought by the Muslims under the Prophet’s leadership. What suggests that this was after Khaybar is the fact that Jaafar ibn Abi Talib and his companions who were in Abyssinia returned on the Prophet’s instructions. When they arrived in Madinah, they were told that the Prophet and the Muslim army headed for Khaybar and they followed them there, arriving after the battle was over. The Prophet said: “I am not sure which gives more pleasure: the victory at Khaybar or the return of Jaafar.” He included Jaafar and his companions among the army, for the purposes of sharing the war gains, even though they did not take part in the fighting. There was an Abyssinian delegation arriving with Jaafar, as well as others who embraced Islam there. It is possible that on arrival in Madinah, the Abyssinian delegation stayed in Madinah, while Jaafar and his original companions continued their journey to join the Prophet. Therefore, those Abyssinians organized their show to welcome the Prophet back.