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Why did Muhammad leave Mecca for Medina in 622?

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Medina, Saudi Arabia: Prophet's Mosque — Muhammad The Prophet's Mosque, showing the green dome built above the tomb of Muhammad, Medina, Saudi Arabia.

In 622, Muhammad left Mecca for Medina—an event known as the Hijrah—primarily to escape the intense persecution he and his followers faced from those who rejected his message.12

Following the deaths of his wife, Khadījah, and his uncle and protector, Abū Ṭālib, around 619, Muhammad lost critical social and psychological support. His new clan leader, Abū Lahab, withdrew the protection previously afforded to him, leaving Muhammad vulnerable to attack and no longer safe in Mecca.34

After failing to secure protection in the town of Al-Ṭā’if, Muhammad found a hospitable environment in the oasis town of Yathrib (Medina), where local clans offered him and his followers a pledge of protection. This migration allowed the Muslim community to reconstitute itself as an autonomous, protected entity, marking a pivotal turning point in the history of Islam. Muhammad narrowly escaped an assassination plot by the Quraysh tribe just before his departure.34152