The Prophet(p.b.u.h) in Medina
The next point I would share is an example of the Muhammad's statesmanship. When in Medina he was faced with the task of setting the foundations of a new society. This was an opportunity to show the world how a true Islamic state functioned. The following article outlines a charter that the Muhammad drafted on which to work the state of Medina:
Covenant of Medina
"From economic hurdles arousing from the needs of the
arriving immigrants, social and cultural gap between the Muhajirin and Anssar
(Muslims from Quraysh and Yathrib), to the persisting threat of the Polytheists
in Mecca, there was a heavy responsibility awaiting the noble Prophet in
Medina.
Prior setting a new socio-political and economic system for
the new state, the Prophet (pbuh) planted the seed for the new community, that
is the mosque. He built the Medina Mosque to be the milestone of the first
Muslim Community in history, installing brotherhood among Muslims and taking it
as the start point for what he envisioned as a prosperous and stable state for
Muslims.
Nevertheless, non-Muslims’ rights had to be observed. The
new system ensured co-existence and respect for the Jews who were part of the
community, fulfilling by that one big principle of social harmony; social
justice and equality, that was the cornerstone of the Covenant of Media.
According to Ibn Hisham, credited for the most popular
account of the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), it was after a
relatively short period of time following the arrival of the Prophet and his
followers in Medina, that the majority of the city’s Arab inhabitants converted
to the religion of Islam, and this tells a lot about the efficiency of the law
established in the new state, that helped people further believe in the message
brought at the hands of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
- The Covenant Pillars stipulated the following:
1. The notion of Unity and the meaning of Ummah:
- This is a document from Muhammad the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him), governing relations between the Believers i.e. Muslims of
Quraysh and Yathrib and those who followed them and worked hard with them. They
are members of one nation, one Ummah.
2. All Muslims, regardless of their origin, are to retain
their rights and commitments, with regards to payment- exaction of blood money,
as they used to prior the immigration to Medina. Similarly they shall ransom
their prisoners of war in a manner that ensures and strengthens the principles
of justice and equality among the believers.
3. All believers are to provide support to anyone among them
who is burdened with debts and who has many dependants with the ransom or blood
money, which he is unable to pay.
4. Believers (Muslims), who fear Allah and hold fast to his
commands, shall defy any attempt at breaking the principles of justice among
the community, and are committed to stop anyone from committing an outrage of
any sort, inflicting injustice in any way, or trying to advantage for himself/herself
through wrongdoing, iniquity, aggression or any kind of corruption, even if
he/she is one of their children.
5. No believer is to kill a fellow believer on behalf of an
unbeliever, nor shall he/she support an unbeliever against a believer. Similarly,
no Believer is to help an un-Believer against a Believer.
6. The peace of the Believers in Medina cannot be divided,
this charter applies to all members of the community. Thus, if fighting takes
place, fighting for the cause of Allah and His religion, no believer is allowed
to conclude peace with the enemy without all other fellow believers being
included on an equal, fair basis. In other words, no separate peace will be
made by anyone in Medina, when Believers are fighting in the Path of Allah.
7. This charter or agreement grants justice and protection
to all believers, from the least to the greatest. And likewise, believers are
protectors of one another. Believers are all friends to one other.
8. It shall be unlawful for any believer who has accepted and
acknowledged this pact and who believes in God and the Day of Judgment to
support or protect to a criminal.
Anyone who does so will be cursed by God and shall receive
his wrath on the Day of Resurrection, with nothing to alleviate his/her guilt.
9. If Jews ever decided to go to war (on their own), they
are to bear responsibility for that and thus be responsible for their own
expenses.
10. Jews of Bani Awf will be treated as separate community
along that of the Believers. The Jews have their religion, and the Muslims have
theirs. On the other hand, those who act unjustly and involve in any criminal
act or wrongdoing, only that implicated and his/her family are to be punished.
11. Jews are
responsible for their own upkeep, and the Muslims for theirs. However, they are
to support one another, as members of one nation and adherents to the same pact
should any outsiders wage war against the state of Medina. Thus, all parties of
this covenant are bound to help each other in the event of a foreign attack. If
anyone attacks any member who is an adherent to this charter the other must aid
him/her against the aggressor.
12. If adherents of this pact ever faced disagreement among
themselves, the consequence of which they fear would jeopardize their unity,
such conflict or disagreement will be brought before Allah Almighty and His
Messenger (Prophet Muhammad: peace be upon him).
13. Those who chose to live in Medina and those who chose to
leave will be safe, as long as they did not commit any crime or injustice.
14. Allah is the Protector of the righteous people and those
who fear Allah. And He Almighty is the source of all truth and righteousness of
this pact.
If fully grasped and comprehended, the moral
wisdom gained from this charter indeed can befit any age or place. The
matchless justice and insightful intelligence of the Prophet (peace be upon),
inspired by Allah (SWT), manifest themselves clearly at each and every article
of the pact, underlying the fairness and universality of Islam.
Since his anticipated arrival along with his companions in
Medina, the Prophet was faced with a set of challenges and intriguing issues he
had to efficiently address before laying the foundation of the new state."
Referenced
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