Citizens of the Islamic State

A third comment: the relationship between the Muslims and the Jews. It is clear from this covenant that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was extending a hand of tolerance toward the People of the Book. This document considers the Jews to be citizens of Madīnah, citizens of the Islamic state. They were granted religious freedom and state protection: they were allowed to worship according to their own teachings, and, number two, it was the responsibility of the Muslim state to protect them. They were also required, on the other hand, to support the Muslims against any enemy that attacked Madīnah; they were also required to give sincere counsel to the Muslim state, and never conspire against it or withhold information important to the security of the Muslim state. And they were not allowed to leave — no one was allowed to leave Madīnah without the permission of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). And they had to refer to Muḥammad (peace be upon him) in any dispute that might arise between the Jews and the Muslims. So this is how it started, this is how the relationship between the Muslims and the Jews began. However, from there on it was always downhill, and the reason, as will be seen in the chapters that follow, was the response of the Jews to the Muslim presence in Madīnah. But from the side of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), this is how he approached it, this is how he dealt with the Jews in the early days of his emigration to Madīnah: he considered them to be citizens of the Islamic state, and he offered them protection, and he gave them equal rights.

A fourth comment: establishing the sanctity of Madīnah. Makkah was considered to be a ḥaram by the Arabs. Ḥaram is a sanctuary. It was holy. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was doing the same with Madīnah. It says in the document that the centre of Yathrib is a sanctuary for everyone party to this covenant, and this includes not cutting down trees — they are not allowed to hunt, and they are not allowed to fight within the boundaries of this area, or carry weapons. So these are a few comments regarding this covenant.