The Perseverer

Community Building

Dr Afifi Al-Akiti

Dr Afifi al-Akiti is a theologian and philologist and the Kuwait Fellow in Islamic Studies at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, United Kingdom.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Prophet Muhammadﷺ lay in his remarkable ability to struggle against all the odds. After years of persecution and ridicule for spreading the message of Islam, he managed to rise out of the most extreme difficulty and create opportunity out of disruption. Through resistance and firm belief in God (Allāh), the Prophetﷺ pioneered a community founded on safety, belonging, and stability.

From persecution in Mecca to a new community in Medina

Having survived the ordeal in Mecca, Prophet Muhammadﷺ was now determined to create a home for the Muslims.

When Islam first came to the Arabian city of Mecca (Makkah) over fourteen centuries ago, it changed the lives of its inhabitants for the rest of history. Yet for the first years of his mission, Prophet Muhammadﷺ faced fierce rejection and ridicule that would put his small group of followers through the most grueling of tests. The early Muslims endured torture, persecution and exile for their monotheistic beliefs, as the pagan elite stopped at nothing to maintain their power.

Throughout it all, God sent divine revelations to the Prophetﷺ via the Angel Gabriel (Jibrīl), and finally after twelve years of resistance against the pagans, the Prophetﷺ received the instruction to migrate to the northern city of Yathrib, later renamed Medina (Madīnah).

Having survived the ordeal in Mecca, Prophet Muhammadﷺ was now determined to create a home for the Muslims. This heralded a new beginning. For while he was driven out from Mecca, he had been invited to establish peace and alliance in Yathrib by its inhabitants and began to forge a city state that encompassed the various Jewish and pagan tribes in the area, who had previously been locked in in-fighting.

The abuse that he received in Mecca meant the Prophetﷺ was deeply empathic to the diverse communities now surrounding him and he felt it a divine duty to offer them protection. He upheld the principles of freedom of religion, rights, property, and citizenship in an agreement with the tribes, which became known as the Constitution of Medina.

Thus the Prophetﷺ, holding fast to the principles of the Quran (Qurʾān), brought peace and cohesion for the Muslims who had migrated to Medina, as well as the city’s inhabitants. In making a beleaguered people feel safe and strong, and unifying varying communities, the Prophetﷺ demonstrated how perseverance and reliance on God could lead to extraordinary success.

The Prophet’sﷺ mosque in Medina was a spiritual, communal and social hub where all members of the community came together equally.

The Prophet’sﷺ mosque as a spiritual and social hub

The Prophet’sﷺ continued efforts to build a community after having seen it reach a breaking point, rendered the mosque a symbol of community survival and persistence in God’s path.

The first act that Prophet Muhammadﷺ carried out after he arrived in his new home was to build a physical community hub: the mosque of Medina. After having spent years in hiding and being abused for their faith while in Mecca, this public space in Medina offered an essential foundation of solidarity for the Muslims.

Not only was it a place to perform the daily ritual prayers, but it was also a communal and social hub where all members of the community, men and women, young and old, nobility and the poor were equal and valued under one roof.

As a central locus, people came to the mosque to find spiritual sustenance as well as enjoy a platform to discuss social, economic and political affairs in an open space that actively engaged with everyone.

The Prophet’sﷺ continued efforts to build a community after having seen it reach a breaking point, rendered the mosque a symbol of community survival and persistence in God’s path.

A delegation of Christians from Najran were welcomed to pray inside the Prophet’sﷺ mosque after an interfaith dialogue.

Hosting the Christians of Najran

Holding true to the Islamic ideals of relationship-building and mutual understanding, the Prophetﷺ was always ready to engage with those of other faiths.

In the spirit of diplomacy and interfaith relations, the Prophetﷺ invited a Christian delegation from Najran, a city in the southwestern part of Arabia, to come to the mosque for a three-day dialogue.

By hosting Christians in the mosque, the Prophetﷺ broke new ground, notably at a time when interfaith interaction was not even considered, let alone tolerated. Yet here the Prophetﷺ not only hosted but celebrated the Christian community as well as solidified their safety within a Muslim house of worship.

This was a significant statement of hospitality, since the Prophetﷺ acted in complete contrast to how he was treated in Mecca, and in doing so set a new tone of behavior with other faith communities for his followers to emulate. It was an important step in moving his city-state forward with the ideals of respect and integrity.

The Prophet’sﷺ open door policy

He was an emblem of peace after persecution, a symbol of success after struggle

Even as a great leader and prophet of God, Muhammadﷺ was without doubt a man of his people.

His warm manners and concern for all made him approachable and accessible to every member of his community, so much so that when two of his Companions, Abdullah Mas’ud and his mother, Umm ’Abd, were seen going into the Prophet’sﷺ home so frequently, onlookers who were new to Islam thought they were part of the Prophet’sﷺ household.

This accessibility spread to people of other faiths, as the society that was built in Medina by Prophet Muhammadﷺ was not singularly religious, but a multi-faith nation. It was one that the Prophetﷺ wished to make even more robust after having seen such an intense breakdown of the notion of community in Mecca. Under this pluralistic model for instance, there was a time when the Jews of Medina approached the Prophetﷺ, asking him to deal with their cases, which he did according to Jewish law.

The humble magnanimity and open character of the Prophetﷺ defined him as a true leader. He was an emblem of peace after persecution, a symbol of success after struggle. Through perseverance and profound faith in God, his universal mission transformed Arabia and eventually the world at large.

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