Analysis of the events during the period 620-622 C.E.

When we objectively assess and analyze the events that took place during the three years covering the period 620-622, we notice certain facts which have not been given due coverage in the traditional accounts that have come down to us. The event of the Holy Prophet's ascension to the heavens was too novel and strange to be believable even by the Muslims. The way success came to the Muslims immediately after the ascension establishes the truth of the extraordinary event. The plan chalked out by the Quraish to assassinate the Holy Prophet was a close secret and the way the plan came to naught shows that the Holy Prophet enjoyed the protection of God. The way Ali asked his life for the sake of the Holy Prophet shows his great love and devotion to the Holy Prophet. How he faced the Quraish youth thwarted in their plan shows his unusual courage and strength of character. A question may be asked that when the Holy Prophet had already escaped from his house where was the need of Ali lying on the bed of the Holy Prophet and risking his life. This was necessary to prevent the pursuit of the Holy Prophet. If the Quraish had come to know that night that the Holy Prophet had left Makkah for Yathrib, an immediate pursuit by the Quraish would have been dangerous for the Holy Prophet. By a delay of twelve hours in the pursuit the Quraish lost the track of the Holy Prophet and could not catch him. In the traditional accounts that have come down to us, an impression is created that the entire project was financed by Abu Bakr and that the Holy Prophet was penniless at the time of migration. This impression is erroneous for evidence is available to the effect that out of the two camels that Abu Bakr had purchased for the journey, the Holy Prophet actually paid for the cost of one camel. The way Ali was left in Makkah to settle accounts shows that the Holy Prophet had some business undertaking in Makkah which was managed by Ali. This shows that at the time of migration neither the Holy Prophet nor Ali were resourceless. In some accounts it is stated that Ali traveled from Makkah to Yathrib on foot obviously because he had little money. This is not correct. There was no monetary difficulty either in the case of the Holy Prophet or Ali.