The Constitution of Madinah

The written charter by which the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ organised early Madinah into a single polity — the first Islamic state / federation — binding the Muhajirun, Ansar, the Jewish tribes, and the remaining pagans.

Authenticity (schema §5)

The Constitution is not transmitted with a continuous isnad in one early source; Ibn Ishaq gives it in full but says only “it was narrated to me” (~150 years’ gap). Ibn Sa’d and al-Waqidi barely mention it; some hadith works (e.g. Musnad Ahmad) preserve a single clause. Yet its archaic language and clause-by-clause naming of long-forgotten sub-tribes — hard to fabricate — lead most modern scholars to accept it as authentic.

The four groups of clauses

1. The Muslims — the believers of Quraysh and Yathrib “and those who join them are one ummah, to the exclusion of the rest of mankind.” Each named sub-tribe keeps its prior responsibilities (blood-money, ransoms, its own poor); all unite against any wrongdoer, even one of their own (echoing Hilf al-Fudul); the dhimmah (protection) granted by even the lowliest Muslim is binding on all.

2. The Jews — named tribe by tribe: “The Jews are an ummah alongside the believers” (Ibn Ishaq: ma’a). They keep their own religion, law and internal affairs; disputes between the two communities go to a higher authority; mutual defense — both spend on Madinah’s protection when attacked; none may leave for war without the Prophet’s ﷺ permission (leaving = changing allegiance); any Jew who converts is protected.

3. The Pagans (still present until Badr) — may live in Madinah but may not shelter Quraysh or their property, nor intervene between Quraysh and the believers.

4. Everyone — the interior of Yathrib is declared a Haram (sacred, its bounds fixed); internal fasad is judged “by Allah and His Messenger”; no believer may aid a rebel; all may come and go safely except a wrongdoer. The charter ends: “…and Muhammad is His Messenger.”

Significance

• Belonging redefined by theology, not lineage — Bilal the freed slave and Abu Bakr the nobleman become one ummah. Unprecedented in Arabia.
• Establishes the Prophet ﷺ as the de facto ruler and arbiter of Madinah.
• Guarantees a real (not unlimited) freedom of religion; no jizyah yet (unrevealed); it accepts each tribe’s urf (custom) where it does not clash with the shariah.
• Modern extremes to avoid: neither “the U.S. Constitution is based on it” nor the “antisemitic” charge — the same obligations bound Jews and Muslims alike. Had the Jewish tribes kept it, they would have prospered with the Muslims; their later breaches (Qaynuqa, al-Nadir, Qurayza) are what brought their fate.

Cross-references

Madinah (Yathrib) · Muhammad ﷺ · The Muhajirun (the Emigrants) · The Ansar (the Helpers of Madinah) · The Muakha (Brotherhood of Muhajirun & Ansar) · Hilf al-Fudul (Pact of Virtue) · Quraysh · The Battle of Badr · Abdullah ibn Salam (ra) · Seerah Timeline

Sources

• S006 — Yasir Qadhi Seerah EP 033. Ibn Ishaq/Ibn Hisham (full text), Musnad Ahmad (one clause); discussion of authenticity by modern researchers.