The Concept of Citizenship in Charter of Medina - Our Prophet 6 - 101/127

Previously, we examined the document, the constitution that the Holy Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa alih, signed with the Jewish tribes in Medina. We examine some parts of this document and we continue our examination of the last parts of this document, this constitution that the Holy Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa alih, signed with the Jews of Medina.

So, one of the lines in this document, one of the rules that the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa alih, agreed on with the Jewish tribes, is that the interior of Medina, the city of Medina, was declared to be a Haram, a sacred sanctuary for the signatories of the agreement.

So, the Muslims and the Jews, they agreed that if they have any differences, they have any problems, one day, they shall never fight in the city of Medina. The city of Medina is a sacred city. No fighting should ever occur in it, even if, for whatever reason, they had disputes.

So, we see that the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa alih, was giving a special status to the city of Medina, and this would discourage any future fights. So, that even if some of them would get angry and they wanted to fight, remembering that they signed on this document, and that this city is declared sacred and it has sanctity, this would help avoid potential disputes and fights between the Muslims and the Jews. So, this is one of the lines that we find in this document that the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa alih, signs with the Jews.

Another parts of this document, we are now in the end of the second part of the document, because we mentioned last time, that this constitution has four main parts. Now we are at the end of the second part.

So, for example, in line 29 of the document, the Prophet dictated the following: lives of neighbours, and of those who have been granted asylum, are like our own lives and should not be molested. If the Muslims have neighbors or they have granted asylum to anyone who's come to the city of Medina, the Jews are to respect that. They should not harass them. If the Jews have neighbours, they have a good relationship with anyone, they have given asylum to anyone, the Muslims are also to respect that.

So, we see this beautiful mutual relationship between the Muslims and the Jews in this document. Then we go to part three. I'll just mention one part of part three. In line 34 of the document, the Prophet dictated the following: he said when the Muslims invite the Jews to conclude peace with the enemy, they should accept the proposal, and the Muslims should also accept any such proposal made by the Jews.

If the Muslims are at war with someone and then they want to make peace, the Jews should respect that and they should not consider those to be enemies. And the Muslims ought to respect that too. If the Jews make peace with anyone, then the Muslims ought to respect that and they should not go to war with them.

Now, the Prophet makes one exception, and you find orientalists they object to the Prophet and say, hey, look, he is not objective, he is biased when he makes that exception. So, the document says, and the Muslims should also accept any such proposal made by the Jews except the fact that the enemy is opposed to the religion of Islam.

The Jews cannot go and make peace with an active enemy of the people of Medina for the sake of Islam. See, the Muslims have a dispute with some tribe regarding a tribal issue, let's say, that's governed by the document. That's fine. If the Jews go make peace with some enemy, the Muslims ought to respect that. But they cannot go and make peace with an enemy who is fighting Muslims because they are Muslims, because they have an issue with Islam, like the Quraysh of Mecca.

The Quraysh of Mecca, what was their problem with the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa alih? Did they have tribal problems with him? No. He's part of their tribe. What is the problem? With his ancestry? He had the best ancestry. What was their problem with him? Religion - Islam! That's why they fought him.

Now, if the Jews go and make peace with the Quraysh, with the enemies of the Prophet who are actively going to war, they make peace with them and then they give them the secrets of the Medina community and the Muslims. This would expose the Muslims to danger. This was not allowed. So, the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa alih, made that exception not because he was biased, as these orientalists say, but because he wanted to look out after the safety of the Muslims.

This was a national security thing. This is not something that the Prophet could take lightly. So, the Prophet said to the Jews, make peace with whomever you want, we'll respect that, except those who are fighting us Muslims, because of religion, like the Quraysh of Mecca. That is an exception.

If you make peace with them, you are going to endanger us. And that's what the Jews did want to do. They wanted to take advantage of this situation over here, exploit the Muslims, reveal their weaknesses, and get rid of the Muslims. So the Prophet, he made this in the document and in the antique they signed, they accept. So this is part three.

The last part of the document, part four. We see that in the 37th line, the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa alih, states, whoever remains in Medina is protected and whoever leaves, is also protected, provided that he is not an oppressor or a criminal. Interestingly, we find that the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa alih, is instituting the concept of citizenship. That if you are part of the Medina community, you have rights in Medina or even outside of Medina.

If you are violated outside of Medina, if a group attacks you outside of Medina and you are part of the Medina community, you have rights. The Muslims, the Jews, they should come to help you, to defend you, to guarantee your rights and to protect your rights. Now, this was very interesting at the time, in tribal Arabia, to have the concept of being a citizen, that by virtue of being from the Medina community, you had rights, whether you are in the city or you are outside the city.

And we see the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa alih, was really building a state. He was building a very successful community. And he was teaching the Muslims in that community that you are citizens of the Medina community. This was something new that the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa alih, introduced to the Arabian Peninsula. Arabs, Nomads, those tribalists, they did not have this concept of being a citizen. They just ran society according to tribal lines. You are from my tribe. That's it. You are covered. I am here for you. But the concept of being a citizen in one community, that's very diverse. This was something new to them. And we see the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa alih, instituted that.

Then the Prophet, at the end of the document, he concludes the document with the following sentence. He says, Allah is the protector of the good and the pious, and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah, Subhana wa Ta'ala. That's how the document ends.

And all of those tribes that we mentioned before, the main eight Jewish tribes from the Aws and the Khazraj, they signed on this document, and they made this peace treaty with the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa alih, that we will observe this document and we will not violate each other's rights.

Therefore, we see that the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa alih, really grants them this special status of being one unified Ummah, it was not imposed on them. They willingly came and they signed on the document. Initially, you had eight tribes from the Aws and the Khazraj. Then later, the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa alih, is approached by representatives from Qaynaqa and an-Nadhir and Qurayra, the main Jewish tribes from the Arabian Peninsula. Not from the Aws and the Khazraj.

They come and they ask him, Ya Muhammad, we want a similar treaty with you. Now, this is the treaty that the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa alih, makes with them. He says, he dictates them. The Prophet makes this agreement with the three groups. Who are the three groups? Banu Qaynaqa, Banu an-Nadhir, and Qurayra. To the effect that they will not harm him. See, the Prophet is imposing a condition here. I'll make this treaty with you now that you are asking, but on one condition. You'll not harm him and his companions with their tongues in hands. Let's declare peace. Let's be friends.

Don't harm us with your tongues, come in and verbally assault us and attack us, and propagate against us and physically don't assault us. And you'll will not supply arms and mounts to his enemies. You'll not supply arms and mounts to his enemies. This is something, as we shall see later, they clearly violated. And then you have these Orientalists oh, the Prophet, he excommunicated them. He asked them to leave. They came, and they asked them, let's make a constitution. And they accepted the terms of the constitution. They signed on it with their hands.

Then they conspired against the Prophet. What do you expect him to do? Let them kill all Muslims? We have to see how this all unfolded to be fair and objective from a historical perspective, these are the very terms of the agreement and will not supply arms and mounts to his enemies. What if they broke the treaty? The Prophet makes it clear. So, no one in history comes and say, hey, this was a surprise. They did not know what the consequences were.

This was in the first year of the Hijrah. We don't exactly have a date, but in the first year. So, when the Prophet arrived in Medina Rabi 'ul-Awwal, in that first year, this was signed by them, before the Battle of Badr. So, in that first year of the Hijrah.

What are the consequences if they violate the agreement? If the Jews from these three tribes, they break the agreement with the Prophet, they supply arms, they harass, they harm the Muslims. What's the consequence? The Prophet listed.

In case, they act against the contents of this agreement, the Prophet would be at liberty, he has the right to shed their blood, confiscate their property, and make their women and children captives. The Prophet states this in the constitution. Remember? Did he impose on them to sign? No. They came and they told him, we want a document with you, the constitution you made with those tribes. We'd like the same constitution between us.

The Prophet said, okay, I will, but on one condition, you respect our rights, you don't harm us, you don't send weapons to our enemies. If you do, the consequences is, we are free to fight you and drive you out of here, and even take your women and children as captives.