Imam also cited certain historical events such as the holy prophet’s migration from Mecca to Medina which took place for divine purposes and aspirations.
Addressing a group of women form an institute named “school of migration”, Imam said the migration of the holy Prophet of Islam from Mecca to Medina aimed to show man the way of migration from one's self towards God, the Almighty.
Migration might be departure from the worldly attachments and materially oriented associations , imam stressed.
Pointing to another perspectives, Imam stated that migration is actualized when a person departs from this abode of self and turns to God and His messenger.
The historic speech, which contains several spiritual perspectives, comes as following:
Speech
Date: January 16, 1980
Subject: Most superior migration, migration from carnal desires
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Most superior migration
I am not in good disposition and will not give your trouble. Nevertheless, I will have a few words with you. As I have been told, you are members of the" migration group." Migration carries a great meaning. Of all migrations, the migration from self-conceit and ridding of selfishness/ egoism and migration from one's self towards God is the greatest of migrations. The migration of Prophet from Mecca to Medina aimed to show man the way of migration from one's self towards God. Teachings of prophets are for this migration so that we migrate from darkness, gloom, selfishness, carnal passions towards God and defecting from ourselves and our satanic desire and turn towards God Almighty." Who migrates for the cause of Allah will find much refuge and abundance in the earth, and whoso for saketh his home, a fugitive unto Allah and His messenger, and death overtakes him, his reward is then incumbent on Allah. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful."
The migration from the abode of nature is likely to be from the self. The `abode' might be the `abode' of man's self; that is, the nature that is the abode of the self that is imprisoned in it. The noble Qur'anic verse might mean that one who departs from this abode of self might turn to God and His messenger. It might be departure from things that urge man to have regard for the world and worldly ideals, inhibiting man from reaching God and the truth of the attachments man have to the world. Every human being is attached to the world and one's self is attached to the world. Everyone heeds one's self and aspirations. If one migrates from this `abode', this dark abode, this abode that blocks us from attainment to human perfection and turns to God Almighty and the messenger of God that is also migration towards God so far as to be overtaken by death, the voluntary death that is exclusive to the saints of God who relinquish all their aspirations and are annihilated in God Almighty or in the migration one conducts one appreciates death, the same promised death, one's reward is then incumbent on Allah and according to the first possibility one no longer desires any reward but the one given by God. Basically, one seeks no other aspiration. One wants only God.
Sahifeh-ye Imam, vol 12, Page: 51