stories of prophets- 10

8/12/2019 Stories of Prophets- 10

1/12

1

TOPIC 10

THE ARRANGEMENT OF MADINAH

SOCIETY

THE STAGE OF JIHAD


2/12

2

Learning Outcomes

After you finish this chapter, you will be able to:

Explain how the Prophet socially and politically organized the new state of Madinah. Understand how the Prophet came up with a historically unique policy of uniting the

community of the believers: fraternization

Realize the importance of the Muslim brotherhood for the betterment of the Muslimsocieties.

Understand how the hypocrites emerged in the Muslim society. Understand the purposes behind the companies and invasions in Islam.


3/12

3

1. IntroductionAfter the arrival of the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) and almost all the meccan Muslims, Madinah

became a multi-tribal and multi-religious society with the Muslims from Mecca, who were

Quraysh and theAwsandKhazraj of Madinah in one hand, and the Muslims and the Jews on the

other hand. The new Muslim society of Madinah needs new rules and policies to regulate the

socio-political life of its members. To unite and strengthen the new born state, the Prophet

Mohammed (pbuh) fraternized between theMuhajirin and theAnsarand signed a treaty between

the Muslims and the Jews.

But another social group, unknown in both Mecca and Madinah before, emerged in the

new Muslim state: they are the hypocrites. Some of them were publically known while the

majority was secret hypocrites. The hypocrites are people who are exteriorly Muslims but

internally have an enmity towards Islam and the Muslims.

On the other hand, the hostilities of the Quraysh people towards Islam and the Muslims

did not stop after the immigration of the Prophet and the Muslim to Madinah. They were still

afraid of the new religion which was flourishing and spreading among many Arab tribes around

Madinah. After expropriating the wealth and the properties of the Muslims who have left Mecca

for Madinah, they began sending men in groups to damage the fruit trees of the Muslims in

Madinah and steal their cattle. Thus, the Muslims have to protect themselves from these outside

threats as well from the plot rising from inside (the hypocrites and the Jews).

This chapter covers the arrangement of Madinah society and the stage of Jihad. It

includes the fraternization between the immigrants and the supporters, treaty with the Jews, the

hypocrites, the most important companies and invasions as well as the purpose behind them.


4/12

4

2. The arrangement of Madinah society2.1The fraternization between the immigrants and the supporters

One way of building a strong and united family, society, nation, or empire is to strengthen and

cement the bonds and ties between the members of that family, society, nation, or empire. It is

indeed a universal fact that a house divided cannot stand. Being a wise man and above all a

Messenger of Allah, the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) was aware of this fact of life. Thus, the

second act he carried out in Madinah after building the mosque was to fraternize between the

Muhajirin(immigrants) and theAnsar (supporters).

Just as the mosque was built to strengthen and connect the Muslims with their Creator,

the Almighty Allah, the fraternization aimed to unite and connect the hearts of the members of

the new community of the believers. Moreover, the Muslims of Mecca who had left their homes,

their native land, their properties, and even their families and friends for some, were feeling sad

and were subject to homesick. This pact of fraternization aimed at helping them to find console

and adapt easily to the new environment. Some of the immigrants were also victims of

Madinahs fever and were in the need of homes and families to take care of them before they

recover from the fever.

Under the new pact of fraternization, theMuhajirinand theAnsarhave the obligation to

help each other and act as they were blood-brothers or more than that since they are all brothers

in faith. It was even stated that when either of the two Muslims who were brothers passed away,

his brother-in-faith is to inherit him even though this practice was stopped by revelation after the

Battle of Badr.

This pact of brotherhood was unique in the history of the entire world and was not found

anywhere before the establishment of the Muslim society of Madinah nor after that. It was


5/12

5

beyond the blood brotherhood. Al-Bukhari narrates that when Muslims came to Madinah, the

Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, established a bond of brotherhood between Abdur-

Rahman ibn Awf and Sad ibn Ar-Rabie. Sad ibn Ar-Rabie told his brother, I am the richest

among theAnsar, so I will give you half of my wealth. I have two wives, you may look at them

and I will divorce whichever of the two you may choose, so that, after the expiry of her Iddah,

you may marry her. However, Abdur-Rahman replied, May Allah bless you in your family and

your property. I am not in need of all that. Kindly direct me to the market so that I may earn my

own fortune. Abdur-Rahman headed for the market the following day and brought some dried

buttermilk (yogurt) and butter, and then began frequenting the market since then. Few days later,

Abdur-Rahman came with traces of yellow (scent) on his body. The Prophet, peace and blessings

be upon him, asked him whether he had got married and he replied in the affirmative. The

Prophet said, Whom have you married? He replied, A woman from the Ansar. Then the

Prophet asked, How much did you pay her? He replied, (I gave her) a piece of gold equal in

weight to a date stone (or date stone of gold)! The Prophet said, Hold a wedding banquet

(Walimah) even if over one sheep.1

It should be mentioned here that through this spirit of brotherhood among his followers,

the Prophet Mohammed, peace and blessings be upon him, not only unite and reinforce the

relationships between the Muhajirin and the Ansarbut also put an end to the long-established

enmity among the different Arab tribes and clans, especially between the Awsand the Kharaj.

The period which a woman has to wait before she can remarry in order to verify that she is not pregnant, or outof mourning for her deceased husband. (trans.)

1Ibn Kathir, Imam Abi al-Fidaa Ismail. Stories of the Prophets = Qissasul anbiya. 2001. Trans. Sayed, G, Tamir, Abu

A.,& Muhammad, A. M. Al-Mansoura: Dar Al-Manarah. P. 407-408.


6/12

6

Instead of having many tribe and clan affiliation, a Muslim is just Muhajir or Ansari or just

Muslim.

It was also a very sad fact to notice that todays Muslim society embraced again those

same pre-Islamic affiliations which were fought by the Prophet Mohammed, peace and blessings

be upon him. While the Muslims at that time were like one man against their outside enemies,

Muslims nowadays are fighting and killing each other based on tribal, regional, linguistic, ethnic,

political, and ideological considerations. May Allah assist us and guide us to the Right Path.

2.2Treaty with Jews

The new born state of Madinah and it surroundings were inhabited at this time by three distinct

groups: the immigrants, the helpers, and the Jews. There were three main communities of Jews at

Madinah at that time that are: Banu An-Nadeer, Banu Quraizah, and Banu Qainuqaa. In order to

bring together these different groups of the Madinah population, the Prophet Mohammed, peace

and blessings be upon him, issued a charter to the people in which their rights and obligations

were clearly defined. It was like a sort of constitution for the state of Madinah.

The charter began as follows:

In the name of the Most Merciful and Compassionate Lord, this charter is given by

Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah to all believers, whether of Quraysh or Median, and all

individuals of whatever origin who have made common cause with them, who shall all constitute

one nation. Some extracts from the charter postulated that: the state of peace and war shall be

common to all Muslims; no one among them shall have the right of concluding peace with, or

declaring war against, the enemies of this co-religionists. The Jews who attach themselves to our

commonwealth shall be protected from all insults and vexations; they shall have an equal right


7/12

7

with our people to our assistance and good offices. The Jews of the various branches and all

others domiciled in Medina shall form with the Muslims one composite nation; they shall

practice their religion as freely as the Muslims. The allies of the Jews shall enjoy the same

security and freedom. The guilty shall be pursued and punished. The Jews shall join the Muslims

in defending Medina against all enemies. The interior of Medina shall be a sacred place for all

who accept this charter. All true Muslims shall hold in abhorrence every man guilty of crime,

injustice or disorder; no one shall uphold the culpable, though he be his nearest kin. And it

concluded as follows: All future disputes arising among those who accept this charter shall be

referred, under Allah to the Prophet.

2

With this charter, the new society of Madinah was ruled based on a civilized constitution

that touches every aspect of the societys life. Madinah became an organized nation led by the

Prophet Mohammed, peace and blessings be upon him, as the head of state. But unlike todays

heads of states, no specific privileges, incentives, salaries, or immunities were provided for the

head of state in this prophetic institution. The head of state lived as any another citizen and is

from the people, with the people, and for the people.

Despite this just and divinely inspired constitution drafted by the one who does not speak

out of passion but says only what is revealed to him, a group of people emerged in the new

society and was causing internal threats for the stability and the cohesion of the new born state.

2 Ibn Kathir, Imam Abi al-Fidaa Ismail. Stories of the Prophets = Qissasul anbiya. Trans. Muhammad Mustapha,

Azhar Unversity. P. 208-209, From:www.islambasics.com
http://www.islambasics.com/http://www.islambasics.com/http://www.islambasics.com/http://www.islambasics.com/


8/12

8

2.3The hypocritesUnknown in the Meccan period, the hypocrites emerged as a new group in the Madinah society.

These were people of Madinah who entered Islam but were still attracted by idolatry. Their chief

was Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul who was a powerful man among his people before the arrival

of the Prophet (pbuh) to Madinah. Seeing his people embracing the new religion and following

the Prophet, his strong desire for power pushed him to become an open enemy of Islam. While

Abdullah ibn Ubayy and some people openly displayed some enmity towards Islam, others were

secret hypocrites.

It was said that hypocrisy appeared only if the state is powerful. For example, the

Muslims were weak in Mecca and therefore there was no need for some people to openly accept

Islam and secretly holding enmity towards it. But in Madinah, the Muslims had the power and

some people entered Islam while they were dissatisfied inside. The Prophet was aware of them

because Allah informed him about their identities. They were fierce criticizers of the Prophet and

the Muslims and they were always going around spreading rumors and fabricated news in the

society.

One day, the Prophet Mohammed, peace and blessings be upon him, incited the Muslims

to give charity for some delegations of poor Muslims who came to Madinah from other nearby

Arab tribes. If a Muslim brought many food supplies to the Prophet for charity, the hypocrites

would say, this one is acting to show off. If, on the other hand, a Muslim came with a little

money and gave it to the Prophet for charity, they would say, Allah has no need for the charity

of this onemeaning it is insignificant. This example illustrates their insincerity and ignorance

about Islam. Otherwise, they should know that the charity may be valuable or little but Allah

considers the good intention of the giver.


9/12

9

The Prophet Mohammed, peace and blessings be upon him, was being extremely patient

towards them hoping to win them. The results were satisfactory because with the death of their

leader Abdullah ibn Ubayy, the Munafiqeen (hypocrites) disappeared from the noble city of

Madinah.

The existence of the hypocrites is a fact of life in the Muslims because a full chapter of

the Holy Quran was devoted to them, mentioning their characteristics so that the true Muslims

could identify them and be aware of their evil actions. Since they existed during the life of the

Prophet and lived with him in the same society, therefore no doubt that the Muslim societies

today had also many hypocrites. May Allah purify our hearts from hypocrisy.

3. The stage of Jihad3.1The most important companies and invasions

Before dealing with this topic, let us clarify some technical terms. A company (Sariyyah in

Arabic) is a war between an army of Muslims headed by a companion of the Prophet and the

disbelievers. Sometimes, if the Muslim army went to meet the army of the disbelievers, it is

called a company even there was no confrontation between the two armies. An invasion

(Ghazwat in Arabic), on the other hand, is a war between a Muslim army led by the Prophet

(pbuh) himself and the army of the disbelievers.

The first invasion undertook by the Prophet Mohammed, peace and blessings be upon

him, himself was the raid ofAbwa3. It was followed by other raids and expeditions. However,

3Sayyed, Abul Hassan Ali Nadwi. 1993. Muhmmad, the last prophet: a model for all time. Leicester: UK Islamic

Academy. P. 72.


10/12

10

the most important invasions were chronologically: the Ghazwatof Bader (Bader invasion) in

Ramadan, year 2 after Hijrah, the Ghazwat of Auhud (Auhud invasion), Ghazwat Al-Khandaq,

Hudaibiyyah agreement, and Mecca conquest.

3.2The purposes of the companies and the invasionsEven after Hijrah the Quraysh people remained hostile to the Muslims. For example, besides

expropriating the properties of the Muslims in Mecca, they began sending groups of men to

damage the plantations of the Muslims in Madinah and to steal their animals. Many Muslims

were eager to fight back the attacks and the injustices of the Quraysh but the Prophet

Mohammed, peace and blessings be upon him, was calming them down and telling them to

patient because Allah did not allow him yet to engage in war against the disbelievers. At this

stage, Allah was enjoining the Muslims to hold back their hands from fighting and establish

prayers. He said, Restrain your hands and establish the prayer. (Ch 4: 77).

Allah wanted the Muslims to get strong materially and spiritually before allowing them in

war against the disbelievers because the war (the Jihad) demands a great sacrifice of wealth and

soul. He enjoined them to establish the prayer through which they will strengthen their faith and

increase their belief in Allah and the Hereafter. When they got stronger, Allah gave them

permission to fight. He said, Leave is given against those whom war is made (to fight) because

they were wronged. Allah is able to help them. (Ch 22: 39).

Thus, the main purposes of the companies and invasions were to restore the injustices

inflicted to the Muslims by the disbelievers and to silence those who were preventing the Prophet

and the Muslims from calling people to Islam peacefully. The companies and invasions were not

motivated by material gains or a desire to kill people. They were necessities of time operations


11/12

11

which were guided by clearly defined rules and regulations of war with the ultimate purpose of

putting an end to all kinds of injustice. And the most evil of all injustices is disbelieving and

idol-worshiping.


12/12

12

REFERENCES

Ibn Kathir, Imam Abi al-Fidaa Ismail. Stories of the Prophets = Qissasul anbiya. Trans.Muhammad Mustapha, Azhar Unversity. From:www.islambasics.com

Ibn Kathir, Imam Abi al-Fidaa Ismail. Stories of the Prophets = Qissasul anbiya. 2001. Trans.Sayed, G, Tamir, Abu A.,& Muhammad, A. M. Al-Mansoura: Dar Al-Manarah.

Sayyed, Abul Hassan Ali Nadwi. 1993. Muhmmad, the last prophet: a model for all time.

Leicester: UK Islamic Academy.

.,1002 ,- , ,- .

.1000 , ,- :

100.
http://www.islambasics.com/http://www.islambasics.com/http://www.islambasics.com/http://www.islambasics.com/

stories of prophets- 10

Documents