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Medina Constitution 12 Points From The Charter
Prophet Muhammad (S) suffered immense persecution
through his time in Makkah after Allah blessed
him with prophethood. Eventually, it got to an
extreme level, and the Muslims had to migrate to
Medina. It was after the migration that the
Muslims drafted the Constitution of Medina. The
Prophet (PBUH) declared it openly to the people
of the city, including Muslims and non- Muslims.
As a result, the Muslims formed an Islamic state
where people of all religions and backgrounds
could coexist in peace. When the Muslims moved
to Medina, there were large factions and tribes
already there. Several of them were Jewish
tribes. The Constitution of Medina aimed to give
rights to the different communities of the city
and ensure peace. Co-operation between all
groups in Medina was essential, especially in the
face of impending aggression from the
Quraish. The constitution of Medina contained
some important points that Muslim countries can
learn from and implement. In this article, we
will look at some of the points of the Medina
constitution that are most pertinent to us
today. The Constitution of Medina prohibited
Muslims from killing each other One of the most
pertinent points of the Constitution of Medina
was that Muslims shouldnt kill each other. It
also specified that Muslims shouldnt help
the disbelievers against their own people. This
can serve as an important lesson to the Muslims
of the world today. Mainly due to political
reasons, Muslims
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continue to kill fellow Muslims in many
countries. Allah says in the Quran that if a
person kills an innocent person, its as if he
has killed all of humanity. The Jews have the
right of life protection like the Muslims The
Islamic state protected its minorities as per the
Constitution of Medina. As long as Jews obeyed
the state and didnt wrong the Muslims, their
lives were inviolable. However, the charter
mentioned a qualifier. It didnt allow the Jews
to help outsiders against the Muslims. They also
didnt have the right to harm Muslims. Hence, if
their intentions and actions were clear, the
Muslims had to protect them. The Muslims must
resist anyone who tries to disrupt peace or
spreads mischief Since the state was new, the
Constitution of Medina aimed to ensure that the
people maintained peace by any means. The Muslims
must resist anyone who tried to spread
corruption in the land, whether it was injustice,
tyranny, or mischief. This is applied regardless
of any relation or blood connection. The Muslims
must go after the person and stop him even if he
was the son of a ruler. The Constitution of
Medina guaranteed life protection to all
Muslims This point ensured that all the Muslims
were equal in the eyes of the state. Their
social standing or financial position had no
impact. A rich or poor Muslims life was equally
valuable. If anyone wronged a Muslim, it was the
responsibility of the others to correct that
wrong and to fight back or avenge him. The
punishment of execution for a person who
intentionally kills a Muslim This point of the
Constitution of Medina was according to the clear
law in Islam. If anyone takes the life of a
Muslim, they must kill him as retribution. The
only way that he can avoid this is if he pays
blood money to the family of the victim, and
they accept it. Muslims must carry out justice in
such a case. The Constitution of Medina granted
freedom of religion to all Muslims had the right
to freedom of religion. The same right was given
to the non-Muslims minorities as well. People
could believe in whatever they wished to as long
as they didnt violate any treaty. This serves to
strike down claims of delusional people who say
that Islam is intolerant.
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All people shared joint responsibility of
defending Medina if it came under attack The
Muslims and the non-Muslims had the same
responsibility. All communities were one when it
came to protection and safety. Similarly, all had
to take responsibility to protect Medina if it
came under attack. The Muslims were aware that
the Quraish were likely to transgress and attack
Medina at some point. The Constitution of
Medina forbade fighting and bloodshed among its
people The charter didnt allow the people of
Medina to take part in any fighting or
bloodshed. This applied to all the participants,
including Muslims and non- Muslims. They were
all forbidden from taking part in any activities
that would disrupt the peace in the land and
cause tribulation. The people must engage in
mutual consultation and honorable dealing The
Constitution of Medina emphasized the importance
of the communities helping each other and
consulting with each other. The charter required
Muslims and non-Muslims alike to fulfill all
pledges and abide by the rules of the
treaty. Going against these rules was tantamount
to breaking the law and was completely
forbidden. The charter prohibits treachery while
helping the oppressed is a must The key to
success for the Constitution of Medina was that
all concerned parties obey all its laws. If
anyone went against any of the laws or broke the
treaties, they must face punishment. Similarly,
they could not give an oppressor a free hand. It
was the responsibility of the community to fight
and help the oppressed. Muslims must live in
accordance with Islam in the Constitution of
Medina All the Muslims who feared Allah were to
live according to the rules of Islam. They must
carry out the obligatory duties and obey and
follow the Prophet (PBUH). Allah revealed Islam
as the ideal way of life for everyone on Earth.
While the constitution allowed people the freedom
of religion, Muslims must follow the injunctions
of Islam. Allah and the Prophet (PBUH) are the
final authority in case of a dispute If any of
the people of Medina had a dispute about
anything, the Constitution of Medina stipulated
that they must refer it to Allah and the Prophet
(PBUH). Any ruling that comes from Allah or His
Prophet (PBUH) is far above and beyond any
ruling or solution from any other being.
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