Laylat al-mabit (Arabic:لَـیْـلَـة ٱلْـمَـبِـیْـت,lit. 'the overnight stay') refers to the night in 622CE in which theIslamic prophetMuhammad fledMecca for Yathrib, apparently to foil an assassination plan. His escape from Mecca followed the exodus of his persecuted followers to the safe haven of Yathrib, a city that was later renamedMedina in his honor. Laylat al-mabit is often associated in Islamic literature with the reports that Muhammad's cousinAli ibn Abi Talib risked his life to facilitate Muhammad's safe escape from Mecca.
As the harassment of earlyMuslims inMecca continued, or perhaps with the hope of better prospects,[1]Muhammad asked his followers to emigrate to the city of Yathrib,[1] whose residents had pledged to protect him there.[2] To attract less attention, Muslims left Mecca in small groups,[3][4] throughout the summer of 622CE,[5] while Muhammad remained behind in Mecca to organize and encourage the emigration efforts, or perhaps to ensure an independent position in Yathrib upon his arrival later.[3] Alarmed by the new developments,[3][6] the Meccan clan leaders decided to murder Muhammad. The plan was for a group of warriors, one from each Meccan clan, to kill Muhammad together to avoid any potential retribution from Muhammad's clan, theBanu Hashim.[3][7]
An informant,[8] or perhaps the archangelGabriel,[9][10] disclosed the assassination plot to Muhammad. To foil their plans, his young cousinAli ibn Abi Talib risked his life and slept in Muhammad's bed that night instead of him.[11][12][13] Alternatively, the historianIbn Ishaq (d. 767) writes that Muhammad reassured Ali of his safety in advance.[14] At any rate, Muhammad left Mecca in the meantime under cover of darkness, joined later byAbu Bakr, anothercompanion.[14] In a last-minute change of plans, however, the assassins waited until the next morning to attack.[9] At dawn, they broke into the house and found Ali, whose life they spared.[9][15] He stayed behind in Mecca for a few days after Muhammad's departure to return the goods entrusted to him,[12][16] who was evidently known in Mecca as al-Amin (lit.'the trustworthy').[17] Then Ali too escaped Mecca together with a few Muslim women, including his mother,Fatima bint Asad, and Muhammad's daughter,Fatima.[18][12] Muhammad is said to have waited outside of Yathrib inQuba for Ali to join him before entering the city on 27 September 622.[19][20] Yathrib was later renamed Medinat al-Nabi (lit.'city of the prophet'), or simplyMedina, in his honor.[15]
