Arrival in Medina (622 CE): Building the Community
The Constitution of Medina: One of the Prophet’s (SAW) first acts in Medina was drafting the Sahifah (Constitution of Medina) — a comprehensive document governing relations between the Muhajirin (emigrant Muslims from Mecca), the Ansar (Medinan Muslim helpers), and the Jewish tribes of Medina (Banu Qaynuqa’, Banu Nadir, Banu Qurayza). The document established:
- A single community (ummah) with multiple religious groups
- Mutual defense obligations
- Protection of life and property for all signatories
- The Prophet (SAW) as the final arbiter of disputes
Brothering (Mu’akhat): The Prophet (SAW) paired each Muhajir with an Ansar companion in a bond of brotherhood. The Ansar shared their homes, farms, and wealth with extraordinary generosity. When the Prophet (SAW) offered to give ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf half of everything he owned, ‘Abd al-Rahman replied: “May Allah bless you in your family and wealth — just show me where the marketplace is.”
Masjid al-Nabawi: The Prophet (SAW) purchased the land where his camel knelt and built the mosque and his quarters. The mosque became the center of Islamic community life — not just prayer but education, governance, and social support.
The Battles: Test and Formation
Battle of Badr (2 AH / 624 CE)
The Quraysh sent an army of approximately 1,000 men to intercept a Muslim caravan raid that had gone awry. The Muslims fielded only 313 men — poorly armed, mostly on foot. The Quran describes what followed as Yawm al-Furqan — the Day of Distinction. The Muslims won decisively: 70 Qurayshi leaders (including Abu Jahl) were killed; the rest were taken prisoner. Revelation came: “And you did not kill them, but it was Allah who killed them. And you threw not, [O Muhammad], when you threw, but it was Allah who threw.” (8:17)
The prisoners were ransomed (those who could not pay were asked to teach 10 Muslim children to read and write — establishing literacy as a value from the earliest days). The victory established the Muslim community as a genuine political and military force.
Battle of Uhud (3 AH / 625 CE)
The Quraysh returned with 3,000 men. The Prophet (SAW) placed 50 archers on a hill with strict orders not to leave regardless of outcome. The battle initially went in the Muslims’ favor, but the archers — seeing the apparent victory — abandoned their position for spoils. A Qurayshi cavalry flanked the Muslim army from behind. The battle turned: 70 Muslims were killed; the Prophet (SAW) himself was wounded. His face bled, a tooth was knocked out, and a rumor spread that he had been killed.
The Quran’s response to Uhud is extensive and consoling: “If a wound should touch you — there has already touched the opposing people a wound similar to it. And these days [of varying conditions] We alternate among the people so that Allah may make evident those who believe and [may] take to Himself from among you martyrs.” (3:140)
Battle of the Trench/Ahzab (5 AH / 627 CE)
A coalition of Arab tribes and the exiled Jewish leaders from Medina assembled approximately 10,000 men against Medina. The Persian-born Companion Salman al-Farisi suggested a tactic unknown in Arabia: digging a trench (khandaq) around the exposed northern approaches to Medina. The coalition spent three weeks unable to cross. Their alliance fractured, a cold wind tormented them, and they retreated. The Quran called this a divine victory: “O you who have believed, remember the favor of Allah upon you when armies came to [attack] you and We sent upon them a wind and armies [of angels] you did not see.” (33:9)
The Treaty of Hudaybiya (6 AH / 628 CE): A “Clear Victory”
The Prophet (SAW) set out for Umrah with 1,400 Companions. The Quraysh blocked them at Hudaybiya. After tense negotiations, a treaty was signed:
- The Muslims would return without performing Umrah this year
- They would return for Umrah the following year
- A 10-year truce: no war between the parties
- Any Meccan who came to Medina without permission of their guardian would be returned; any Muslim who returned to Mecca would not be sent back
The Companions were distraught — the terms seemed humiliating. But Allah revealed: “Indeed, We have given you a clear victory.” (48:1) The treaty gave Islam 10 years of peace — which proved to be the most productive decade of Islamic expansion. Within 2 years of Hudaybiya, the number of Muslims tripled.
The Conquest of Mecca (8 AH / 630 CE)
When the Quraysh broke the treaty by attacking a tribe allied with the Muslims, the Prophet (SAW) marched with 10,000 men on Mecca. He entered largely without fighting — the city submitted. He stood at the Ka’ba and declared:
“There is no god but Allah alone — He has no partner. He has fulfilled His promise, supported His servant, and alone defeated the confederates. Truly, every privilege, blood [feud], or property of the pre-Islamic era I place under my feet, except the custodianship of the Ka’ba and the provision of water to pilgrims.”
Then: “O people of Quraysh — what do you think I will do to you?” They answered: “Good — a noble brother and the son of a noble brother.” He said: “Go — you are free.”
The Quran’s description: “When the victory of Allah has come and the conquest, and you see the people entering into the religion of Allah in multitudes…” (110:1-2)
The Farewell Pilgrimage and Its Sermon (10 AH / 632 CE)
The Prophet (SAW) performed Hajj for the first and only time as Prophet — accompanied by approximately 100,000 Muslims. At ‘Arafat, on the 9th of Dhul-Hijja, he delivered the Farewell Sermon (Khutbat al-Wada’):
“O people — listen to my words, for I do not know if I shall meet you here again. Your blood and your property are sacred to one another until you meet your Lord — as sacred as this day, this month, this city. Every claim of privilege or merit from the pre-Islamic era is under my feet. The blood feuds of the pre-Islamic era are abolished. Every usurious addition is cancelled. Truly, I have left with you something after which, if you hold to it, you will never go astray: the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet.”
“O people — your Lord is One and your father is one. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab except by taqwa — fear of Allah.”
Near the end of this sermon, the verse was revealed: “This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.” (5:3)
The Prophet’s Death (11 AH / 632 CE)
After returning from Hajj, the Prophet (SAW) fell ill. He led prayers with difficulty, then asked Abu Bakr to lead — a signal of succession. In his final days, he said: “Let no two religions coexist in the Arabian Peninsula.” He freed his slaves and distributed what he had.
He died on Monday, the 12th of Rabi’ al-Awwal, in the arms of ‘Aisha (RA). His last words were: “To the Most Exalted Companion.” — Choosing the divine company over remaining in this world.
‘Umar (RA) initially refused to believe he had died. Abu Bakr (RA) came and said: “O you who swear by Muhammad — Muhammad has died. But whoever worshipped Allah, Allah is alive and will never die.” Then he recited: “Muhammad is not but a messenger. [Other] messengers have passed on before him…” (3:144)
The Prophet (SAW) was buried where he died — in ‘Aisha’s room, which is now enclosed within the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina.
See also: Prophet Muhammad, Seerah Mecca, Israa Miraj, Misaak Ceremony, Hajj Preparation, Five Pillars Of Islam, Tawhid Divine Unity