The Prophet immediately advised many of his Muslim followers to move to Yathrib, while he remained in Makkah for as long as possible in case the Makkans got suspicious. Without the restraining hand of Abu Talib, the Quraish were free to attack Muhammad, even to kill him, and this is what he realised that they intended to do. They had no intention of letting him leave the city, or be received with honour anywhere else.

The Prophet's move was not without some drama. Ali, his nephew, bravely volunteered to stay in his bed as a decoy, and the Prophet evaded capture by using his knowledge of desert conditions. On a couple of occasions the Quraish were nearly successful in capturing him, but eventually the Prophet arrived at the outskirts of Yathrib.

So many people rushed out to offer him refuge in their homes that he was embarrassed by their kindness, and left the choice open to his camel. The camel stopped by a place where dates were spread  out to dry and this was instantly donated to the Prophet to build his new home. The town took a new name- Madinat al-Nabi, the 'town of the Prophet'- which is now shortened to Madinah.

The people who had left Makkah were known as Muhajirun, the 'emigrants'. They were in the position of refugees, having left all their belongings in Makkah. The Prophet appealed to the people of Madinah to take them in and offer them homes.

                                     THE PROPHET AS RULER

The Prophet then set about creating a charter which would enable all the disputing tribes and factions in Madinah to accept him as head of state and abide by his decisions. He ruled that all the citizens should be free to practice their own religion without fear of persecution.

The previous tribal laws of both Arabs and Jews were replaced by the basic principle of justice for all, regardless of class, colour or religion. At first, the Jewish people of Madinah were in favour of the Prophet's rule; no Jew was ever forced to become a Muslim, and they were treated as equal citizens of Madinah. Later, however, trouble broke out when certain of the Jewish tribes did not keep the principle of supporting Madinah against attacks from outside, and they were regarded as renegades.

                                     PILGRIMAGE TO MAKKAH

In March 628 CE the Prophet dreamed of returning to Makkah, and decided to make this dream become a reality. He set out with some 1,400 followers, all unarmed, and all in pilgrim dress of two simple white cloths. Although an increasing number of the citizens of Makkah had accepted Islam by now, the Prophet's followers were refused entry. Instead of making trouble, they offered their sacrifices outside Makkah. The Muslims repeated the pilgrimage in 629, and were allowed to visit the ancient tribal holy places undisturbed.

                                   THE SURRENDER OF MAKKAH

The Prophet then began to plan for the peaceful surrender of Makkah. He also sent letters to leaders of the surrounding countries inviting them to consider Islam, The Byzantine Emperor, the Persian Emperor, the rulers of Egypt, Abyssinia and many leading chiefs- but only the Abyssinians accepted and were converted to Islam.

In November 629 the Makkans attacked one of the tribes allied with the Muslims. The Prophet came down to Makkah with a force of 10,000 men, the largest army that had ever left Madinah. They camped outside the city; the Prophet promised a general amnesty if the Makkans would formally surrender. In the event, only eleven people lost their lives.

The Prophet entered the city in triumph, went straight to the Ka'aba which he walked around seven times. He then entered the shrine and destroyed all the idols which were inside. Uthman ibn Talha, who had once refused Muhammad entry to the Ka'aba and who had persecuted him, was given back the key to the Ka'aba, and this key remains in the possession of his family to this day. One by one the Quraish swore allegiance to the Prophet and were pardoned.

                                                 THE LAST SERMON

The Prophet did not live long to enjoy a peaceful rule. He returned to his home in Madinah, but his army was obliged to conduct further warfare against tribes that attacked them- tribes that had been shocked by the desecration of the idols in the Ka'aba at Makkah.

Events outside of Arabia worked to the advantage of Islam. The western part of the Roman Empire was overrun by barbarians, and in the east the Byzantines at Constantinople had fallen into confusion through internal conflicts and inefficient rule. In March 622 the Prophet set out for his one and only true pilgrimage to the Ka'aba shrine, known as the Hajjat ul-Wida, the Final Pilgrim- age. During this pilgrimage the revelations about the rules of the hajj were given to him, which are followed by Muslims up to this day. Until then pagans had been allowed to visit the Ka'aba as well as Muslims, but from then on only Muslims were allowed to enter Makkah.