The Islamic State of Medina

In Muhammad's last years in Mecca, a delegation from Medina from its twelve important clans invited him as a neutral outsider to Medina to serve as the chief arbitrator for the entire community. There had been fighting in Medina involving mainly its pagan and Jewish inhabitants for around 100 years before 620.

The recurring slaughters and disagreements over the resulting claims, especially after the Battle of Bu'ath in which all the clans had been involved, made it obvious to them that the tribal conceptions of blood feud and an eye for an eye were no longer workable unless there was one man with the authority to adjudicate in disputed cases.The delegation from Medina pledged themselves and their fellow citizens to accept Muhammad into their community and to protect him physically as if he was one of them.

After emigration to Medina, Muhammad drafted the constitution, "establishing a kind of alliance or federation" of the eight Medinan tribes and Muslim emigrants from Mecca and specifying the rights and duties of all citizens and the relationship of the different communities in Medina, including that of the Muslim community to other communities: the Jews and the other "Peoples of the Book".

Human beings from the start of their time tried to develop a system that could help them make their worldly life a better place to live in. For that, it kept on trying to shape and reshape different sets of rules and it also tried to constitute different institutions. A state and a well-developed state was one of the basic institutions he could think of.

The state is not only to provide basic necessities of life but one of its main roles is to protect its people and to provide justice and peace at any cost.

State and Islam

Islam as a religion put great emphasis on the need for a state that is very vital. And the root of its ideology is the oneness of God. All the prophets of Allah tried to help their followers to submit their will to one God, as in Surah- Al A’raf it is mentioned, 

And to ‘Aad , We sent forth their brother Hud. He said: ‘0 my people! Serve Allah; you have no other god than Him. Will you, then, not avoid evil?’ (Quran, 7:65)

The importance of state can be better assessed from the mentioned Dua taught to Muhammad SAW by Allah SWT, 

And Say, “My Lord, cause me to enter a sound entrance and to exit a sound exit and grant me from Yourself a supporting authority.” (Bani Israel:80)

The authority itself in Islam, not the main purpose but it is told in the Quran about those who reigned at the time of Muhammad SAW, the Quran says,

“Those who if we give them power in the land, establish worship and pay the poor-due and enjoin kindness and forbid iniquity. And Allah’s is the sequel of events.” (Quran, 22:40)

State before Islam was just a part of one’s personal life but at the time of Muhammad SAW the concept given was completely changed. According to the teachings of Islam religion is not only a small and personal part of one’s life but a complete code of life in every sense. It dominates and should lead an individual’s life and also it should be the driving force for the whole of society.

Impact of Islam

Islam is the complete version of what Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus presented to the world by the grace of Allah Almighty. Islam reshaped religion, politics and the whole society in a new and perfect form.

Islam uprooted the injustice, poverty, killings of innocents especially women. It discussed and defined the rights of the men and women in society. And Islam ordered its followers to submit their will to only one God and worship none other than Him and ordered to follow the Prophet Muhammad SAW as the last prophet to mankind.

As discussed Islam focused especially on basic human rights and especially the rights of the women, who were killed before Islam without any reason. 

“When the sun shall be darkened, when the stars shall be thrown down, when the mountains shall be set moving, when the pregnant camels shall be neglected, when the savage beasts shall be mustered, when the seas shall be set boiling, when the souls shall be coupled, when the buried infant (mawudatu) shall be asked for what sin she was slain, when the scrolls shall be unrolled…”

Islam uprooted fornication, adultery, and theft from society, and it turned the society into a peaceful society that was otherwise into wrongdoings and was following the ignorant path. 

To cut the long story short, the state of Islam and the state of Madina impacted human life in a brilliant way that was matchless and still unopposed at out time.

Commonly Islam is considered simply a religion but it is not only a religion. It surely encompasses every aspect of human life. Let it be politics, economics, legislation, science, health sociology and all other fields of human beings. Islam did not preach discrimination on the basis of color, race or class but according to the Quran as is mentioned in Sura Hujrat,

O mankind! Lo! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. Lo! the noblest of you, in the sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Lo! Allah is Knower, Aware. (Sura Hujrat 49:13)

Islam is very different from what is socialism and capitalism because Islam put the same emphasis on individual as well as the society in general. Islam talks about equality. The capitalist theory focuses on private ownership, on the other hand, Socialist theory talks for state control, both are facing inherent and systematic flaws. 

Islam gives solutions to humanity on each end and the world has seen the society prevalent at the times of Muhammad SAW. The world has seen the rule of Abu Bakar RA, Umr ibn e Khattab RA, Usman e Ghani RA, Abu Bakr RA. Islam had a great impact on the world as a whole.

The Wonders it did for all Humanity

Islam provided guidance and admonition to individuals in general and to societies as a whole

It gave guidance for human spiritual life and helped him strengthening their ties to God.

Islam originated from Makkah and it bore fruits for Iraq, Persia, India, Austria, Northern Africa, crossing Gibraltar and reached to the distant land of the Iberian peninsula.

With the advent of the Islam world experienced the production of the books, it founded libraries and intellectual centers in the world.

Great architecture and the studies of different subjects of science came into being due to the Muslims and by the Grace of Quran, the master key.

Theological colleges, calligraphy, and textiles were also introduced by Muslims.

“During the Middle Ages, when Europe had sunk to the lowest depths of barbarity, the Arabs excelled all other nations of the earth in sciences and crafts, mathematics, civilization, governance, and other arts. The Educator and Prime Mover of the tribes of the Arabian Peninsula, and the Founder of a civilization of human perfections among those contending clans, was an illiterate Man, Muhammad.” Abdu’l – Baha

By the end of today’s discussion, the state of Islam which originated from mecca and Medina inspired the whole world and it is still inspiring the whole lot.
In a narration, reported by Thawbān (RA), “Indeed, Allah gathered up the earth for me so that I saw its east and its west; and indeed the dominion of my nation will reach what was gathered up for me from it.”