Muhammad’s Life and Teachings, Part II

Sixth in a series.

This article begins where the last one left off, with the Muslim migration to Medina in 622. It focuses on changes to the tenets outlined in the last article. Medina was home to eight Arab and three Jewish clans, including the Ansar who pledged their loyalty to Muhammad. The Jewish clans were the Banu Qaynuqa, the Banu Nadir, and the Banu Qurayza, and each had formed alliances with various Arab clans. The references below indicate either a section number within the sirat (number only), or a verse within the Qur’an (Numbers preceded by an S).[1]

As we begin, this is a good time to remind the reader the focus is on ideas and understanding, rather than people. We’ll see why when we begin discussing idea’s consequences.

The Medina Constitution

One of Muhammad’s first actions in Medina was creating an agreement referred to as the Constitution of Medina. Muslims point to this document as the world’s first constitution. Below are some of its contents.

“This is a document from Muhammad the prophet (governing the relations) between the believers and Muslims of Quraysh and Yathrib (Medina), and those who followed them and joined them and labored with them. They are one community (umma) to the exclusion of all men…

‘Believers shall not leave anyone destitute among them by not paying his redemption money or bloodwit in kindness.

‘A believer shall not take as an ally the freedman of another Muslim against him. The God-fearing believers shall be against the rebellious of him who seeks to spread injustice, or sin or enmity, or corruption between believers; the hand of every man shall be against him even if he be a son of one of them. A believer shall not slay a believer for the sake of an unbeliever, nor shall he aid an unbeliever against a believer. God’s protection is one, the least of them may give protection to a stranger on their behalf. Believers are friends one to the other to the exclusion of outsiders. To the Jew who follows us belong help and equality. He shall not be wronged nor shall his enemies be aided … The believers must avenge the blood of one another shed in the way of God … Whosoever is convicted of killing a believer without good reason shall be subject to retaliation unless the next of kin is satisfied (with blood-money) …

‘The Jews shall contribute to the cost of war so long as they are fighting alongside the believers. The Jews of the B.’Auf are one community with the believers (the Jews have their religion and the Muslims have theirs) … The contracting parties are bound to help one another against any attack on Yathrib. If they are called to make peace and maintain it they must do so; and if they make a similar demand on the Muslims it must be carried out except in the case of a holy war.” (341 – 344)

Additional Tenets

This document laid out the foundation for the following additions to Islam:

All Muslims are members of a single brotherhood (umma)
There are distinctions in rights and obligations between believers and non-believers.
Believers are obliged to avenge the blood of another believer, and not to assist a non-believer against a believer.
The Jewish clans were to contribute to the costs of war and to fight alongside the believers – with one exception in the case of a holy war. These conditions laid the initial foundation for the later formation and treatment of the dhimmis (protected peoples). These conditions would change with subsequent revelations.

Muhammad drew up this agreement between his followers and the Medinans and, as noted above, there were also provisions for the Jewish clans—even though they did not participate in the discussions or agree with the document’s contents.

Relations with the Jews and the Hypocrites

Relations with the Jewish clans worsened, and they began annoying Muhammad with questions of a religious nature. Tradition has it one of the rabbis converted to Islam, and denounced by the Jewish clans. The sirat asserts this rabbi declaring Muhammad’s appearance as a prophet was foretold in the Torah (354). This became a basis for Muslim claims that Jews and Christians have altered their scriptures in order to discredit Muhammad. We will look at that charge in another article. There also arose a defection of some of the early Muslim converts (the Hypocrites) who began to work with the Jewish clans against Muhammad (355 – 400). Sura 63 denounces the hypocrites, and Sura 2 also contains verses relevant to the events from this time.

During this time Muhammad wrote a letter to the Jews of Khaybar, stating he was the apostle of God and urging them to accept his teachings. He urged them to search their scriptures to see if they should believe him. “If you do not find that in your scripture then there is no compulsion on you.” (376-7)

The Christian Delegation from Najran

A delegation of Christians came from Najran to discuss theology with Muhammad. It is likely this delegation were gnostics. The sirat mentions the story from the Gospel of Thomas where Jesus breathes life into some clay birds. This delegation arrived about the same time as the letter was sent to Khaybar and the disputes between the Jews and Muhammad in Medina noted above. Muhammad attempted to correct their errors.

Muhammad’s corrections included

Your assertion that God had a son, your worship of the cross, and your eating of pork hold you back from submission [to God]. (403)
A revelation that Jesus himself would deny the doctrine of the trinity. “And when Allah says: O Jesus, son of Mary! Did you say unto mankind: Take me and my mother for two gods besides Allah? He says: Be glorified! It was not mine to utter that to which I had no right.” (S5.116)
Jesus was not God as he could not do all that God did. “All that I withheld from Jesus and gave him no power over it. Have they not an example and a clear proof that if he were a God all that would be within his power.” (406)
The creation of Jesus was no different from the creation of Adam. Jesus was neither divine nor crucified; it only appeared he was slain to them. (409)
Christians had received these beliefs because they had strayed from what Jesus actually taught. (410)
Muhammad called for both Jews and Christians to become Muslims and accept his teachings, and the restoration of the original message of Jesus. (405 and 410)
Believers should not choose those outside your community as intimate friends. “They will spare no pains to corrupt you longing to ruin you.” (388)

At this time the direction for prayer changed from Jerusalem to Mecca. (427) Muhammad began to criticize the Jews for not accepting his teachings.

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Raid During Ramadan

Initially the Ansar supported Muhammad and his followers, but this condition could not last. The cultivatable land was already in use and his followers did not have enough wealth to support themselves. Muhammad organized raids against caravans traveling to Mecca to collect booty and take captives held for ransom. The first raids were unsuccessful, but finally succeeded with an attack during the sacred month of Ramadan. The raiding party faced a choice of either fighting during the last day of Ramadan, or letting the caravan go another day which would allow it to reach the sanctuary of Mecca.

After the attack, Muhammad received the following revelation concerning the event. “They will ask you about the sacred month, and war in it. Say, war therein is a serious matter, but keeping people from the way of God and disbelieving in Him and in the sacred mosque and driving out His people therefrom is more serious with God.” (S2.216-7 and 425) “If you have killed in the sacred month, they have kept you back from the way of God with their unbelief in Him.” (425)

This event set several more precedents.

Muhammad was not only attacking during a month considered sacred when no bloodshed was to take place; he was also attacking his own tribe. These raids, along with the conditions of the Medinan Constitution noted previously, set the stage for replacing the bonds of kinship with the bonds of belief.
Raiding and taking booty had been a part of nomadic life for a long time. The above revelation made these actions good and lawful as they helped Islam.
Expediency in the advance of Islam trumps morality.

Battle of Badr

Muhammad called for volunteers to raid a large caravan returning to Mecca from Syria. He set out from Medina with about 300 men. The Meccans learned of the plan and set out with a much larger force to intercept and destroy Muhammad. The caravan feared an attack and went straight to Mecca. Some of the Quraysh returned to Mecca after learning the caravan was safe, but the rest rode on to meet Muhammad’s party. Muhammad routed the Meccans at Badr. About 75 Meccans died and another 70 taken prisoner. Muhammad took one fifth of the booty as a previous revelation prescribed for him (425), and proclaimed angels assisted the Muslims in the fight because of their piety.

From Ibn Ishaq’s sirat, Muhammad’s followers held the prisoners for ransom. A quarrel broke out over how to distribute the booty. When Muhammad set out on the raid, it was with the belief that either the party or its property was to be his. Part of the surah coming down from the quarrel is that “when God promised you that one of the parties should be yours, and you wanted to have the one that was not armed. [i.e. booty and not war] … God wanted to establish the truth by His words, and to cut off the uttermost part of the unbelievers.” (476-7)

When Muslims met unbelievers in battle, they were not to turn their backs on them (477), but were to fight them until there was no more persecution, and religion, all of it, shall belong to God. (480) Muslims could pardon an unbeliever ceasing to fight, but if they returned to fight the Muslims again “the example of the ringleaders has been made.” i.e., those who died at Badr. (480)

Booty or Prisoners?

Muhammad was reproached by Allah for taking booty, something he said no prophet had been allowed before him. Muhammad received a revelation that “booty was made lawful to me as to no prophet before me; and I was given the power to intercede; five privileges accorded to no prophet before me. God said, ‘It is not for any prophet (before thee) to take prisoners from his enemies until he has made slaughter in the earth’ … God desires the next world, i.e. their killing them to manifest the religion which He wishes to manifest and by which the next world may be attained.” (484)

The hadith of Sahih Muslim, presents this event somewhat differently. After the battle, an argument ensued over what to do with the prisoners. Abu Bakr stated they were kin and therefore released after receiving a ransom. Umar disagreed and urged their execution. Muhammad sided with Abu Bakr. The next day Muhammad was distraught, saying he had received a revelation that Allah had sided with Umar and scolding Muhammad for taking booty instead. However, since Muhammad had previously been allowed to take booty, he was forgiven. Muhammad took revenge on several prisoners who had belittled him in Mecca, having them beheaded for their remarks against him.

Precedents Set

Some of the precedents coming from this event included:

Piety brings victory.
- I will reinforce you with a thousand angels, one behind the other. (477)
Beheading of enemies taken in war, and taking captives only after war ceases.
- “Now when you meet in battle those who disbelieve, then it is smiting of the necks until, when you have routed them, then making fast of bonds; and afterward either grace or ransom till the war lay down its burdens.” (S47.4)
- The killing of nonbelievers serves to manifest the religion Allah wished to create and facilitated attaining paradise after death.

The Banu Qaynuqa

After the Battle of Badr, the scope and frequency of the raids increased. Muhammad received the following revelation. “And if you fear treachery from any folk, then throw back to them (their treaty) fairly.” (S8.58) He assembled the Qaynuqa in the marketplace and addressed them saying, “O Jews, beware lest God bring upon you the vengeance that He brought upon Quraysh and become Muslims. You know that I am a prophet who has been sent−you will find that in your scriptures and God’s covenant with you.” (545)

The Qaynuqa could not comply, and Muhammad laid siege to them until they asked for an unconditional surrender. At that time some of the Muslims that had alliances with the Qaynuqa came forward to plead on their behalf. Muhammad wanted to put all of the men to death, but one of Muhammad’s followers caught him by the collar of his robe until he agreed to deal with them mercifully. Muhammad allowed them to leave so long as they left all their property behind. (545 – 6)

At this time Muhammad received several new revelations, reinforcing Muslims only having relationships with other Muslims:

“Take not Jews and Christians as friends. They are friends one to another.” (S5.51)
In regard to the Jews specifically, “And because of their breaking their covenant, We have cursed them and made hard their hearts. They change words from their context and forget a part of that whereof they were admonished.” (S5.13)
“If the hypocrites, and those in whose hearts is a disease, and the alarmists in the city do not cease, We verily shall urge you on against them, then they will be your neighbours in it but a little while. Accursed, they will be seized wherever found and slain with a (fierce) slaughter.” (S33.60-1)

Ka’b’s Assassination

Options for nonbelievers living in Medina became conversion, expulsion, or death. Muhammad next turned his attention to several enemies. The first, a Jewish poet Ka’b bin Al-Ashtaf, had composed verses lamenting the Quryashi loss at Badr and insulting Muslim women. Muhammad asked, “Who will rid me of Ibnu’l-Ashraf?” A Muslim volunteered to kill him. Muhammad said, “Do so if you can.” After fasting for three days, the volunteer did not know if he could fulfill his commitment as he would have to tell lies to accomplish it. Muhammad answered, “Say what you like, for you are free in the matter.”

The volunteer went to Ka’b, complaining about Muhammad, and asking for Ka’b’s help in breaking away from Islam. They struck a deal and the Muslim returned to Ka’b’s house that night with others, where they proceeded to slay him. “Our attack upon God’s enemy cast terror among the Jews, and there was no Jew in Medina who did not fear for his life. (550-2) After Ka’b’s death, Muhammad said, “Kill any Jew that falls into your power.” (553)

Other Assassinations

Later on, Muhammad asked for someone to kill the poetess Asima and the aged poet Abu Afak. Asima died in her sleep after composing verses against Muhammad and Islam. Muhammad asked, If “there was no one to rid him of this daughter of Marwan.” Muhammad praised her killer and assured him that “two goats won’t butt their head about her.” The next day her entire family converted to Islam. (996) Abu Afak had composed verses against Muhammad and the way he attempted to control others’ lives. Muhammad asked, “Who will deal with this rascal for me?” One of the Muslims went out and slayed the poet. (995) In all it appears there were thirty to forty individuals whose deaths were either ordered or supported by Muhammad.