WEEK 1

CONDITIONS OF MEDINA:
When the Prophet (PBUH) migrated to Medina, the Jews and two Arab tribes of Aus and Khazraj inhabited the city. These tribes fought continuously with each other, murder and bloodshed were common. In order to put an end to their troubles, both parties were almost ready to choose Abdullah bin Ubay, one of the leaders of Khazraj, as their leader or King. However before this plan materialised, the Prophet (PBUH) arrived in Medina.
The Jews comprised of three main tribes, they were Banu Qainqah, Banu Nazir and Banu Quraiza. They exploited both Aus and Khazraj by lending them money on high interest rates. The Jews were settled in Medina because they knew from their scriptures that this was the time and the place for the coming of the Last Prophet. So when the people of Medina heard about the advent of the Prophet (PBUH), they met him first and readily accepted him. In the Prophet (PBUH) they found a ruler who would keep them united and they preferred to choose a stranger who would remain impartial in their internal tribal quarrels. This development made Abdullah bin Ubay into a lifelong enemy of the Prophet and Islam.

MOSQUE OF THE PROPHET:
The first thing that the Prophet (PBUH) did after his arrival at Medina was to build a mosque. The land was bought by the Prophet from two orphans. The Prophet (PBUH) himself participated in the building of the mosque. The walls were made of unbaked bricks, the roof was of mud and palm leaves and the trunks of date palm trees were used for pillars. A large platform with a thatched roof was built in one of the corners of the mosque. This was known as Suffah. It became the training centre for Islamic education and also a shelter for poor Muslims, especially the emigrants from Makkah. A few rooms were added for the abode (home) of the Prophet (PBUH) and his family.

ADHAN:
The Prophet (PBUH) wanted to devise a way to call the Muslims for prayer. Some suggested the Jewish way of beating a drum or the Christians’ way of ringing a bell should be adopted but the Prophet rejected it. Ibn Zubair (RA) had a dream; someone taught him the words of Adhan. Umar (RA) had a similar dream, so it was adopted. The prophet chose Bilal ibn Rabah (RA) to deliver the Adhan.

BROTHERHOOD:
The companions of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) from Makkah had brought almost nothing with them. Therefore the first essential task for the Prophet (PBUH) was to help the emigrants by arranging homes, food and money for them. Mahajirin or emigrants were the fellow tribesmen of the Prophet (PBUH) who had migrated from Makkah to Medina. The Ansar or the helpers were the inhabitants of Medina who had accepted Islam.
To form a strong bond of brotherhood based on faith, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) gathered the Emigrants and the Helpers. In the meeting the Prophet (PBUH) paired each of the Emigrants with a Helper. Thus the Holy Prophet solved the problem of refugees. According to this brotherhood, the hosts shared all their possessions with the Emigrants. This is an event unmatched in human history. The Qur’an praises the Helpers and Emigrants by saying: ‘’those who believe, emigrate and struggle in Allah’s way and those who give shelter and help, they indeed are the true believers. For them will be forgiveness and honourable provision.’’ (8:72)
The Emigrants and the Hosts were united in a bond of brotherhood, which proved, in practice, to be stronger than real brother hood. Even the enmity between the two tribes of Medina, Aus and Khazraj was forgotten. This is mentioned in the Holy Quran:’’.... and remember with gratitude Allah’s favour on you; for you were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by his grace, you become brothers....’’ (3:103)

CHARTER OF MEDINA:
After establishing brotherhood, the Prophet (PBUH) turned his attention to the problem of mutual relations between the Jews and the Muslims. There were three main tribes of the Jews: Banu Qainqah, Banu Nazir and Banu Quraiza, settled in the suburbs of Medina in their own strong fortresses. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) realized that the foundation of the Islamic empire would be very weak unless it was based upon the support of all the people living in Medina. So he summoned the leaders of the Jews and told them that they live in one city and therefore were one community. They should live in peace and help each other. The Jews accepted the idea and reached an agreement. The Prophet (PBUH) wanted the agreement to be written so that everyone would know their obligations. It was the first written legal agreement between the Muslims and the Jews in history. The terms of the charter were as follows:
1. Both the parties will enjoy complete religious freedom and tolerance.
2. Muslims and Jews must help to defend each other against foreign attackers.
3. In the case of a war, both Jews and Muslims will share the expenses of the battles.
4. Whoever rebels or promotes disorder will be considered a common enemy to be fought against by all.
5. No one will have the right to make any deals or treaties with the Makkans or their allies.
6. The Prophet (PBUH) will decide all the disputes and his decision would be final.
By virtue of this agreement, the relations between the Muslims and the Jews were regulated and a basis for the governance of Medina was provided. By integrating the defence and administration of Medina, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) provided an ideal atmosphere for the newly-founded state to flourish peacefully. The treaty also established the Prophet (PBUH) as the leader and the head of the state of Medina. He came to be recognized as the undisputed leader, ruler, judge and the commander of the people of Medina.

HYPOCRITES:
At the time of the Prophet’s (PBUH) migration, many people accepted Islam. However among them there were some who did not like the success of the Prophet’s (PBUH) mission. They are known as ‘Hypocrites’ or ‘Munafiqin’. The Qur’an that says the following about them: ‘’When it is said to them, come to what Allah has revealed, you see the hypocrites avert their faces from thee in disgust.’’ (4:61).To all appearances, they became Muslims and prayed and fasted as if they belonged to the Muslim community. Deep at heart, however, they did not believe. Their hearts were full of hatred for the Prophet (PBUH) and his companions. They proved to be more dangerous than the unbelievers, because they were able to know the secrets of the Muslims and pass them on to their enemies. Their leader was Abdullah bin Ubbay of the Khazraj tribe. Abdullah bin Ubbay was a very prominent personality of Medina. He was an intelligent, experienced and a very shrewd person. He had developed a great influence over the tribes of Aus and Khazraj. Whenever these warring tribes took up arms against each other, Abdullah bin Ubbay intervened to bring about peace between them. All his efforts were directed to the fact that he be acknowledged the leader of Medina. He had succeeded in this quest for fame with the help of his Jewish ally Banu Qainqah. Preparations were well under way for a magnificent coronation. A crown had been made for the occasion. It was at this stage that Muhammad (PBUH) arrived in Medina. In due course, nearly all the people of Medina including the Jews acknowledged Muhammad (PBUH) as their leader, and as the supreme authority on matters affecting the whole population of Medina. Abdullah bin Ubbay’s hopes of becoming king of Medina were dashed to the ground. But being a cunning person, he did not confront Muhammad (PBUH) and show his rivalry openly. A team of ‘lukewarm’ Muslims supported him most of which had been the confederates (partners) of Banu Qainqah. They were ever ready to turn against the Muslims at the first opportunity. . Abdullah decided that it would be in his own interest to work from within the Muslims fold to pursue his worldly ambitions. With a group of his followers, he embraced Islam. On the occasion of the expulsion of Banu Qainqah, they together with Abdullah wanted a milder punishment for the Jews. They were a source of considerable danger to the new born commonwealth. Towards them (munafiqeen) Muhammad (PBUH) always showed the greatest patience and forbearance, hoping in the end to win them over to Islam. These Munafiqeen began to spy on the Muslims and sow seeds of mutiny, revolt and mischief. They befriended the Jews and assured them that they were their ally against the Muslims. When in the company of the Muslims, they expressed piety and holiness. He had great influence over all those who viewed Islam with hatred and suspicion. He continuously met and planned with the chiefs of Makkah to wage war against the Muslims. His behaviour at the time of battle of Uhad, when he withdrew 300 of his supporters, was damaging to the cause of Islam. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) even then did not take any punitive (disciplinary) action, though his followers desired so. Some months after the battle of Uhad the Muslims sent an ultimatum to the Jewish tribe Banu Nazir to leave Medina. The hypocrite party asked them to resist and promised them of their support which never came. After the battle of Trench, he was in secret contact with the Jews who had been exiled from Medina, to inform them of the movement of the Muslims. Abdullah went to the extent of spreading a false rumor about one of the Prophet’s (PBUH) wives and he did not stop his efforts to disgrace and hurt the Prophet (PBUH) till her innocence was revealed in the Qur’an. His attitude was so damaging and hurtful that although the Prophet (PBUH) kept on forgiving him time and again, his own son offered to kill his hypocrite father. He built a mosque outside Medina where he used to hold meetings against the Prophet (PBUH). When Allah revealed verses against this house of conspiracy, it was demolished and burnt by the order of the Holy prophet (PBUH).
Soon after the Tabuk expedition, Abdullah fell ill and died; his funeral prayer was offered by the Holy Prophet (PBUH). With his death many of the hypocrites repented and turned to genuine faith.