Ummah: Difference between revisions

After Muhammad and the first converts to Islam were forced to leave Mecca, the community was welcomed in Medina by the Ansar, a group of Pagans who had converted to Islam. Despite Medina already being occupied by numerous Jewish and polytheistic tribes, the arrival of Muhammad and his followers provoked no opposition from Medina's residents. <ref>Ye'or, Bat (1985). The Dhimmi: Jews and Christians under Islam. Cranberry, NJ: Associated University Press. </ref> Upon arriving in Medina, Muhammad established the Constitution of Medina with the various tribal leaders in order to form the Meccan immigrants and the Medinan residents into a single community, the ummah. Rather than limiting members of the ummah to a single tribe or religious affiliation as had been the case when the ummah first developed in Mecca, the Constitution of Medina ensured that the ummah was composed of a variety of people and beliefs essentially making it to be supra-tribal. <ref>Goitein, S.D. (1968). Studies in Islamic History and Institutions. Leiden, Netherlands: E.J. Brill. </ref> Islamic historian, Tabari, suggested that Muhammad's initial intentions upon arriving in Medina was to establish a mosque, however this is unlikely  Tabari also claimed that Muhammad observed the first Friday prayer in Medina. <ref>Watt, W. Montgomery; M.V. McDonald (1987). "The History of al-Tabari: The Foundation of the Community". VII. Albany: State University of New York. </ref> It occurred on Friday because Friday served as a market day in Medina to enable Jews to observe the sabbath. <ref>Watt, W. Montgomery; M.V. McDonald (1987). "The History of al-Tabari: The Foundation of the Community". VII. Albany: State University of New York. </ref> Membership to the ummah was not restricted to adhering to the Muslim faith but rather encompassed all of the tribes as long as they vowed to recognize Muhammad as the community and political figure of authority. The Constitution of Medina declared that the Jewish tribes and the Muslims from Medina formed 'one ummah.'  It is possible that the Medinan ummah was purely secular (compared to the later transformation of the ummah in Mecca) due to its variety of beliefs and practices of its members.  The purpose of the Constitution of Medina was to uphold political obligations and social relations between the various tribes. <ref>Peters, Francis E.; Esposito, John L. (2006). The children of Abraham: Judaism, Christianity, Islam. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-12769-9. </ref> The community members in Medina, although not derived from the same faith, were committed to each other through a desire to defend the common good of the community.  In other words, the community was united according to preserve its shared interests. <ref>Peters, Francis E.; Esposito, John L. (2006). The children of Abraham: Judaism, Christianity, Islam. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-12769-9. </ref> The people of other religious beliefs, particularly those that are considered to be "People of the Book" were granted the special protection of God through the dhimmah contract.  These other religious groups were guaranteed security by God and Muhammad because of their common religious history as being the "People of the Book." The dhimmah served as a sort of alliance between Muslims and non-Muslims. In the earlier treaties of the dhimmah, both groups were viewed as equal in status and both were obligated to help the other. However, in later treaties, after Islam had gained more power throughout Arabia, the dhimmah was perceived as the fulfilment of the religious duties of Muslims along with the payment of zakat. With the new contract of dhimmah, non-Muslims' protection by God and Muhammad became dependent on their payment.