Allah (swt) has endowed the human being with the instinct of survival. One of the features of this instinct is for people to gather and live together, and thus the coexistence and interaction of people is a natural human disposition. However, this does not transform them into a society. Instead, they are a group, and they would remain as a group unless they developed relationships that would bind them with a common interest and protected them from common threats. Only if such relationships exist that maintains their common interests they would then become a society. However, these relationships would not result in a homogenous society unless three prerequisites were achieved:
A common outlook towards these relationships achieved through:
1) Unity of thought;
2) Unity in approval and disapproval towards these relationships achieved through unity of emotions;
3) The system addressing their problem is the same.
Therefore, it is essential to study, analyze, and comprehend the thoughts, feelings, and system which characterize a society before forming an opinion about it. For they alone can determine and distinguish one society from another. On this basis, let us shed some light on the society of Madinah once the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) had arrived there.
At the time three groups lived in Madinah: the Muslims (Muhajireen and Ansar), who formed the biggest group; the polytheists, from the Aws and Khazraj who did not embrace Islam; and the Jews who themselves were divided into four sections (one inside Madinah called Banu Qaynuqa’, and the other three outside Madinah, namely Banu Nadir, Khaybar and Banu Quraydah). Even before Islam, the Jews formed their own separate society from that of the society in Madinah. This was so because their concepts and emotions were different, as were the ways by which they conducted their affairs. The result of this was that the Jews were never part of the general society of Madinah even though they lived in and around the city. As for the polytheists, they were small in numbers and were overwhelmed by the Islamic atmosphere pervading Madinah. Therefore, their yielding to the Islamic concepts and emotions and to the rules of Islam was inevitable even if they did not embrace Islam. The Muhajireen and Ansar were united by the Islamic ‘Aqeedah. Islam harmonized their affairs. It rendered their concepts and emotions as the same - organizing their lives and relationships on the basis of Islam was a natural and inevitable outcome.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) began organizing the relationships of the Muslims on the basis of the Islamic ‘Aqeedah. He (pbuh) invited them to form a brotherhood, a brotherhood that would have a visible and lasting effect on their relationships, in their business dealings, and life’s affairs. It was with this policy in mind that he (pbuh) instituted brotherhood with ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib; his uncle Hamzah became the brother to his servant Zayd; and Abu Bakr and Kharijah ibn Zayd became brothers in a similar fashion. He (pbuh) then invited the Muhajireen and Ansar to form a similar brotherhood, so ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab and ‘Utbah ibn Malik al-Khazraji became brothers to each other, as did Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydullah and Abu Ayub al-Ansari, and ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Auf and Sa’d ibn al-Rabi’i.
This brotherhood had its material effect as well, for the Ansar had shown a great deal of generosity towards their brethren, the emigrants, which served to only strengthen their ties. The Ansar offered them money and properties, sharing everything with them. They traded and farmed together. The traders amongst the emigrants turned their hand to commerce, ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Auf used to sell butter and cheese, and others who were business minded did likewise. As for those who did not take up trading, they went into farming, like Abu Bakr and ‘Ali who worked the lands given to them by the Ansar. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “Whoever owns a piece of land should farm it or give it to his brother.” So the Muslims worked to earn their living. There was, though, a small group of Muslims who had no money, could find no work and had nowhere to live. They were the needy, being neither emigrants nor Ansar. These were Bedouins who came to Madinah and who had embraced Islam. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) took them into his care and housed them in the covered part of the Masjid, where they became known as the Ahl al-Suffah. They lived off the wealthy Muslims whom Allah (swt) had provided for generously. By doing so, Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) managed to stabilize the Muslims’ way of life and determine their relationships with each other on a solid footing. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) thus established the society in Madinah on a strong foundation that stood firmly in the ugly face of disbelief and which was able to resist the conspiracies of the hypocrites and Jews. The Islamic society remained united throughout, and the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) became reassured by this unity among the Muslims.
As for the polytheists, they never produced any lasting effect on the structure of the society. At first, they submitted to the Islamic rules and then waned, only to eventually vanish.
The Jews remained always a society apart, different from other societies, even before Islam. When Islam’s authority was established in Madinah, differences deepened and the need to establish relations between the Muslims and the Jews on a specific basis became a necessity. So the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) determined the Muslims’ position towards the other members of the society. In the light of this the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) wrote a document concerning the Muhajireen and Ansar in which he made an agreement with the Jews establishing them in their religion and their property, and in which he stated their reciprocal obligations. He (pbuh) began the document as follows, “This is a document from Muhammad the Prophet, governing the relations between the believing Muslims of Quraysh and Yathrib (Madinah), and those who followed them and joined them and fought alongside them. They are one Ummah to the exclusion of all people.” He (pbuh) then mentioned how the relationship between the believers was to be constituted. He also mentioned the Jews during his talk concerning the relations between the believers, saying, “A believer shall not slay a believer for the sake of a disbeliever, nor shall he aid a disbeliever against a believer. Allah’s covenant amongst them is one, the least of them is responsible. Believers are protectors (Wula’a) of one to the other to the exclusion of outsiders. To the Jews who follow us belong help and equality. They shall not be wronged nor shall their enemies be aided. The peace of the believers is indivisible. No separate peace shall be made when believers are fighting in the way of Allah. Conditions must be fair to all.” The Jews mentioned in this document were the ones who wanted to become citizens of the Islamic State. It was not addressed to the Jewish tribes living on the outskirts of Madinah. Thus, any Jew wanting to become a citizen of the State would enjoy the same rights and receive the same treatment, for he would then be considered a Dhimmi (people of the covenant). As for the Jewish tribes mentioned in the document, they were referred to in the latter part of the document and included the Jews of Banu ‘Auf and the Jews of Banu al-Najjar and so on.
Their position vis a vis the Islamic State was defined by the document. It was clearly determined that their relationship with the Muslims would be based on the Islamic rule, that it would be subject to the authority of Islam and to safeguarding the interests of the State. Some of the points mentioned in the document were:
1) The close friends of the Jews are as themselves. None of them shall go out except with the permission of Muhammad (pbuh).
2) Yathrib shall be a sanctuary for the people of this document.
3) If any dispute or controversy likely to cause trouble should arise, it must be referred to Allah and to the Messenger of Allah.
4) The Quraysh and their helpers shall not be given protection.
The document of Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) determined the position of the Jewish tribes neighboring Madinah. It imposed on them the condition that they were not to go out of Madinah without his (pbuh) permission, i.e. the State’s permission. They were forbidden from violating the sanctuary of Madinah by war or by helping in a war. They were also forbidden from helping the Quraysh or those who helped the Quraysh and were bound by the conditions of the covenant to refer any dispute arising about the content of the document to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). The Jews agreed to the conditions laid out in the document and all those tribes mentioned in it signed to that effect. They were Banu ‘Auf, Banu al-Najjar, Banu al-Harith, Banu Sa’ida, Banu Jushm, Banu al- Aus and Banu Tha’labah. Banu Quraydah, Banu al-Nadir and Banu Qaynuqa’ did not sign at the time, but did so at a later date, and they all willingly submitted to the conditions laid down in the document.
By signing this document the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) firmly fixed the relationships within the newly born Islamic State. The relationship between the State and the neighboring Jewish tribes was also firmly established on a clear and specific basis. In both instances though, it was Islam that would be the judge and arbiter. It was at this stage that Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) became reassured knowing that the Islamic society was now properly founded and that he was to a certain degree safe from any immediate acts of betrayal and fighting by the Jews, so he (pbuh) began the task of removing the material obstacles that stood in the way of the Message of Islam by preparing for war.