Detailed Account

Shortly after settling in Madinah, the Prophet ﷺ established a groundbreaking written agreement between Muslims, Jewish tribes, and other Madinan communities. This document, preserved in Ibn Ishaq's biography and considered by modern scholars as the world's first written constitution, defined the rights and responsibilities of all parties in the newly formed polity. Its key provisions included: 1) Establishing a unified community (ummah) that encompassed different religious groups; 2) Confirming each group's religious freedom and internal autonomy according to their own laws; 3) Creating a collective defense obligation where all would defend Madinah against external threats; 4) Prohibiting unilateral treaties with Quraysh or provision of safe passage to them; 5) Establishing mutual consultation on matters of common interest; 6) Outlining the Prophet ﷺ as the final arbiter of disputes; 7) Defining blood money and ransom practices to prevent tribal conflicts; 8) Establishing freedom of movement and personal security guarantees. The constitution involved nine Jewish clans, including the three major tribes (Banu Qaynuqa, Banu Nadir, and Banu Qurayza), alongside the Arabian Aws and Khazraj tribes. This document represented revolutionary concepts for seventh-century Arabia: citizenship based on residence rather than tribal/religious identity; religious pluralism within a unified political entity; mutual defense obligations transcending religious differences; and the rule of law through a written constitution rather than tribal custom. Though conflicts would later emerge with some Jewish tribes who violated its terms, the document's visionary principles established Madinah as history's first constitutional, pluralistic state and laid groundwork for Islamic concepts of citizenship, governance, and interfaith coexistence.