A SUCCESSFUL ISLAMIC SOCIETY (Guidelines from the Madinah Period)

 To achieve the requisites of succession on earth, Muslims were eagerly persuaded to establish the Islamic society. The Madinah community is the living ideal example which is always there for Muslims to digest and to follow.

The Prophet's migration from Mecca to Medina formed a crucial turning point in the course of Islamic history, given what established him from a deep and radical changes both on the political, social or economic level ·· it is now agreed among historians that migration was a declaration to the emergence of the Islamic state. From the moment he arrived in Madinah, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) began work on propping up the pillars of the new Islamic country upon solid foundations. Every step he (peace be upon him) took involved establishing a stable and prosperous environment in Madinah, through the following principles:

1)    Connecting Muslims with their Almighty Allah

• Establishing “The Masjid”
• Establishing the system of "Athan" to call people to remembrance of Allah

2)    The relation between Muslims and each other.

• Establishing Bonds of Brotherhood
• Establish The Constitution

3)    Relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims

• Establish The Constitution

4)    Establishing Sustainable urban infrastructure

• Choosing The Geographical Location
• Planning Neighborhoods
• Establishment of social and economic facilities (Marketplace, Streets And Roads, Public Utilities...etc.)

5)    Protecting the fledgling state

• Constructing an army

1. Building Up Faith [Establishing “The Masjid”]

As soon as the prophet Muhammad (May peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) arrived to Madinah the first step he did with respect to establishing Islamic society was looking for appropriate place to institute the most important milestone in Muslims life, “the Masjid”

It was narrated from Anas ibn Maalik (may Allâh be pleased with him) that when the Messenger of Allâh (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) came to Madinah, he ordered that the mosque should be built...” ^[1]

The status of the mosque in Islamic society is unique. It is an institution. It is the source of spiritual and material guidance; it is the hall for worship, the school for knowledge and the center for literary pursuits. Strongly attached to the duty of prayers and the rows of worshippers are moral attitudes and traditions which form the essence of Islam.[2]

2. Establishing system "Athan" to call people to remembrance of Allah “Prayers” 

"Athan" is a way to call people to remembrance of Allah "Prayer" therefore the prophet (peace be upon him) when establishing a system for Muslims he aimed to make it unique and different than other calling ways for non-Muslim groups.[3]

3.         Establishing Bonds Of Brotherhood Between The Muhaajiroon And The Ansaar

The Prophet (peace be upon him) established bonds of brotherhood with the purpose of making his companions & brothers unto one another in the most complete sense possible. This process of forming bonds of brotherhood helped erase all forms of prejudice and tribal zealotry; the only link that now united people was the link of Islam. Lineage, color, and cultural background were concepts that no longer mattered; only one's character and level of piety could raise one in status and ranking.[4]

What united Muslims together in Madinah was loyalty to Allah, to His Messenger, and to the believers. The Prophet's Companions & proved that there can be no stronger link between human beings than that of faith. From the very beginning of the Prophet's Da'wah, Muslims were made to understand that the bonds of faith are even stronger than the bonds of blood.[5]

4. Establishing The Constitution

When the Prophet (peace be upon him) performed Hijrah (migration), Al-Madinah was populated by various groups: The Aus and Khazraj tribes, who together became known as the Ansaar; the Jewish inhabitants of Al-Madinah, who were divided into three distinct tribes; and the newly arrived immigrants from Makkah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) wrote a constitution of sorts, delineating each group's rights and duties. And included within the articles of that constitution were articles that related to the Jewish inhabitants of Al-Madeenah, for the Prophet had concluded an agreement with them: That they were to safe; and peacefully live under the banner of the newly formed Muslim country if they promised to protect and defend the Muslims from external threats; and similarly, if the Jews were to be attacked by a third party, it would be the duty of the Muslims to protect and defend them. Older reference books call the said scroll "The Book" or "The Scroll." More recent, present-day works refer to it as "The Constitution."[6]

We could summarize this "Constitution" in the following:

• Muslims as a group had their independent Islamic religious persona as a political figure.
• Religious freedom is guaranteed for all unless there is injustice or sin.
• city's population (Muslims and others) cooperated financially, militarily and morally, in the defense of any external aggression.
• Messenger of Allah [is Chief of the population of the city and they should return to him in any case of conflict.
• "Nation" includes each group that had the same beliefs and doctrine regardless of kinship or land, descent, or language considerations ··· Muslims make up one nation and the Jews constitute a single nation ··· whole of these nations consisted the Islamic community, which is subject to the system of Islam.[7]

5. Establishing Sustainable urban infrastructure[8]

a)    Choosing The Geographical Location

b)    Planning Neighborhoods

c)    Establishment of social and economic facilities (Marketplace, Streets and Roads, Public Utilities...etc.)

6. Protecting the fledgling state

In the first year of the Islamic calendar, immediately after bonds of brotherhood were established between the Ansaar and the Muhaajiroon, the Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered some of his Companions to conduct a census. The purpose of the census was not to enumerate the general population of Al-Madeenah, but instead to enumerate Al-Madinah's Muslim population. According to one account, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) said, "Write for me (the names of) those people who have pronounced their (entry into the fold of) Islam." Of the total number of Muslims, fifteen-hundred of them were men who could fight!]

Immediately after the census was conducted, Muslims grew more confident about their strength relative to that of the Quraish and other tribes, and the Prophet began to send out units and to go out himself on expeditions.-The census was yet another step in the process of establishing a new and strong country.[9]

Establishing the Muslims army went through two phases:[10]

• Spiritual Guidance and giving the Incentive to Fight
• Physical Training

The army in the Islamic state has many goals some of them according to Dr. Sallaabee are:[11]

• Protecting the Freedom to Believe in Islam
• Protecting Places of Worship and Religious Symbols
• Overcoming Corruption and Injustice on Earth
• Testing, Training, and Improving the Spiritual Mettle of Believers
• Threatening the Polytheists and Foiling Their Evil Plots
• Exposing the Hypocrites
• Establishing Allah's Rule on Earth
• Defending against enemy Aggression

Conclusion:

In short, religious training and upbringing continued unabated in the Madinah phase of the Prophet's biography; but in addition to religious upbringing, the new situation of the Muslims – which involved the establishment of a country - called for dealing with a whole new set of issues. Religious upbringing as well as establishing a stable country: these were the two main concerns of life in Madinah. Since the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) wisely dealt with both concerns, the newly formed Muslim country began to thrive and strengthen upon solid foundations.^[12]