TOPIC 10 THE ARRANGEMENT OF MADINAH SOCIETY THE STAGE OF JIHAD

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

1. Introduction After 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 the Aws and Khazraj 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 the Muhajirin and the Ansar and 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.

2. The arrangement of Madinah society 2.1 The 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 the Ansar (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, the Muhajirin and the Ansar have 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
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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 AbdurRahman ibn Awf and Sad ibn Ar-Rabie. Sad ibn Ar-Rabie told his brother, I am the richest among the Ansar, 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 Ansar but also put an end to the long-established enmity among the different Arab tribes and clans, especially between the Aws and the Kharaj.
The period which a woman has to wait before she can remarry in order to verify that she is not pregnant, or out of mourning for her deceased husband. (trans.)
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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. P. 407-408.

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.

2.2 Treaty 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
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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.

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

2.3 The hypocrites Unknown 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 one meaning 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.
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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 Jihad 3.1 The 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 of Abwa3. It was followed by other raids and expeditions. However,

Sayyed, Abul Hassan Ali Nadwi. 1993. Muhmmad, the last prophet: a model for all time. Leicester: UK Islamic Academy. P. 72.

the most important invasions were chronologically: the Ghazwat of Bader (Bader invasion) in Ramadan, year 2 after Hijrah, the Ghazwat of Auhud (Auhud invasion), Ghazwat Al-Khandaq, Hudaibiyyah agreement, and Mecca conquest.

3.2 The purposes of the companies and the invasions Even 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
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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.

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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.

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