All Muslims love Madīnah, the city of prophet Mūhammad, peace be upon him, wholeheartedly. This blessing city is the light of every Muslim’s life. It is the city where the last messenger Mūhammad, peace be upon him, settled down until his last breath and Muslims supported the true religion of Islam in this stronghold. Inhabitants of Madīnah provided their wealth, soul and offspringjust to defend the beloved prophet and his religion. It is the city of light and divine graces. In this city, rewards for good deeds are multiple. The angels guard the city of the prophet, peace & blessings be upon him, day and night. Dajjāl, the Anti-Christ, his dismay, and plague cannot enter Madīnah. Doubtlessly, the person who dies in Madīnah, s/h will meet the intercession of the prophet Mūhammad, peace be upon him.
Jewish clans in Madīnah: According to some sources of history, before the settlement of Jews and the two tribes of Aūs and Khazraj, Imlāq tribes used to live in the town. The Jewish tribes of Banū-Qūraydha, Banū-Nadheer and Banū-Qaynūqā migrated to Madīnah after the crackdown of Būkht Nasr or Nebuchadnezzar on Jews in 576 BC. The survivorsselected ‘Awāli’ town for habitationin the suburb ofMadīnah; they believed the Last Prophet would migrate from Haram, the holy place, to a palm-plantation land that is located between black stones. They had chosen Madīnah for habitation in order to accept the call of the Last Messenger of Allāh and seek refuge in that city. In 70 AD and 132 AD, some more Jewish tribes migrated to Madīnah.
Aūs& Khazraj: Following the collapse of ‘Mareb’ dam in Yemen, residents of the region immigrated tovarious towns and countries; Aūs and Khazraj preferred Madīnah for dwelling.The famous tribes, Aūs and Khazraj, settled in different parts of Madīnah; they became well-off as they built many castles. But then they engaged in domestic conflicts which are known as ‘Biāth’ (emission) in the history of Hejaz. The two tribes were busy in their mutual fights until the light of Islam directed them to the straight path. Allāh Almighty resolved their disputes by the great blessing of Islam.
Islam in Madīnah: When some men of the Khazraj tribe travelled to Makkah, the Last Prophet, peace be upon him, invited them to Islam. They embraced Islam and returned to their homeland as preachers of Islam. The light of Islam entered many homes in Madīnah. By the next year, 12 residents of Madīnahtook part in the pledge (Bai’ah) with the prophet, peace be upon him. Later on, the prophet of mercy dispatched Mūsāb bin Umair to Madīnah for teaching the noble Qur’ān and other religious rituals. Islam became the predominant religion in Madīnah and Muslims got power. Then Mūsāb, may Allāh be pleased with him, went back to Makkah. In the second pledge, Bai’ah, 70 men and 2 women of Ansār took part in the pledge with the Last Prophet, peace be upon him. He migrated to Madīnah on Monday, Rabī-ul-Awwal 12 in the 13th year of his prophecy, May 16, 634 AD. Since that day, ‘Yathrib’ changed its name to Madīnah. By settlement of the prophet in Madīnah, the city got a new birth.
By DrHussein Taji
Source: Neday Islam Magazine