The Life of the Prophet ﷺ: The Constitution of Madinah 📑

4 Safar I 1446 AH

Author

Daily Nurture
August 08, 2024

Salaamun ‘Alaykum,

Welcome to today’s edition of the Daily Nurture, wherein we continue our glimpse into the Life of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ : Madinah. Read the last edition here.

Life in Madinah was certainly not without challenges. Chief among them was the new mix of emigrants from Makkah, known as the Muhajirun, and the original residents of Madinah, the Ansar.

The Muhajirun were not a single cohesive unit. None of the clans of Makkah converted entirely, so the community of emigrants represented a diverse group of people, on their own without the protection of a clan or tribe. In contrast, the Ansar belonged to either Aws or Khazraj, the two embattled tribes of the oasis. Further. more, there were numerous individuals who belonged to neither group, immigrants from lands as far away as Africa, Persia, and the Byzantine Empire. For many Muslims, where their loyalties should lie was a major question. In response, the Prophet made clear that the old pre-Islamic ideas of loyalty were outdated.

Instead, they were superseded by loyalty to the Umma, the Muslim nation. In the eyes of Muhammad [ﷺ], it did not matter if a Muslim hailed from Quraysh, Aws, Khazraj, or even the Jewish tribes.

Once they accepted Islam, they were part of a new community of brotherhood based on shared belief, not shared ancestry.

"The Jews ... are one community with the believers. To the Jews their religion and to the Muslims their religion. [This applies] to their clients and to themselves with the exception of anyone who has done wrong or committed treachery, for he harms only himself and his family."

- The Constitution of Madinah

Muhammad's [ﷺ] new political and social order in Madinah came to be codified in a text known as the Constitution of Madinah. The Constitution detailed that, under Muhammad's [ﷺ] authority, Madinah would operate as a state based on Islamic law. The Umma was to operate as one political unit. Furthermore, Muhammad [ﷺ] would act as the city's ultimate arbitrator. Old Arab customs regarding revenge and honour in the face of injustice were eliminated in favour of a structured justice system based on Islamic law. The Constitution gave the oasis's Jews freedom to practice their religion, but they had to recognise the political authority of Muhammad [ﷺ] over the city and join the common defence in the case of an attack from Quraysh. Muhammad's [ﷺ] nascent political entity in Madinah would serve as the model Islamic state for centuries of Muslim governments, particularly with regards to the treatment of non-Muslim minorities.

In the next edition, we continue to change in the continuing revelations of the Qur’an to the Prophet ﷺ, in Madinah.