🕌 A mosque
On the way into Madinah he stopped at Quba', where the first mosque was built. The Prophet's Mosque in Madinah followed. It was a place of prayer, but also a place to meet, share news and make decisions.
Islam: Origins and Their Impact on the Community » Madinah, the Spread of Islam and the Last Sermon
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Edexcel spec: Paper 2 Islam (4RS1/2D), 1.1
- How the Muslim community was set up in Madinah after the hijrah
- How Islam spread, and why the taking of Makkah in 630 CE matters
- The main teachings of the last sermon at Arafat
- Why the Prophet still matters to Muslims today
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Unlock This CourseThe hijrah and the community in Madinah
Remember from the last lesson that Muslims in Makkah faced years of persecution and a boycott. In 622 CE Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his followers left Makkah for the farming town then called Yathrib. This journey is the hijrah. The city became known as Madinah, "the city" of the Prophet.
Key terms:
- Hijrah: the migration of Muhammad and his followers from Makkah to Madinah in 622 CE.
- Muhajirun: the "migrants", the Muslims who left Makkah.
- Ansar: the "helpers", the people of Madinah who welcomed them.
- Quba': the village on the edge of Madinah where the first mosque was built.
- Hijri calendar: the Muslim calendar, which counts its years from the hijrah.
- Ka'ba: the cube-shaped house of worship in Makkah, which Muslims face when they pray.
Building a new community
The hijrah was so important that the Muslim calendar begins with it, not with the Prophet's birth. Muhammad now became both a religious leader and a leader of the whole community. Four things stand out.
🤝 Brotherhood
The Muhajirun had left homes and property behind. Each was paired with an Ansar family who shared food and homes with them. Muslims point to Qur'an 9:100, which speaks well of both groups.
📜 An agreement
Madinah held Muslims, Jewish tribes and others. An agreement, often called the Constitution of Madinah, set out the rights and duties of each group. It said they should live in peace and defend the city together. Many Muslims still look to this agreement as an example of living alongside other faiths.
🏙 A leader
Muhammad led the prayers, taught the Qur'an, settled disputes and organised the community. For Muslims this shows that faith is meant to shape the whole of life.
The spread of Islam
The Makkans did not leave the Muslims in peace. In outline: there were years of battles, then in 628 CE a treaty at Hudaybiyyah set up a ten-year peace agreement, and more tribes joined the Muslims.
In 630 CE Muhammad came to Makkah with a large force. The city was taken with very little fighting. Remember from the lesson on peacemaking that he forgave the people of Makkah, many of whom had opposed him for years. He then had the idols cleared from the Ka'ba, which Muslims see as making it a house for the worship of Allah alone again.
After this, tribe after tribe in Arabia joined the Muslim community. By his death in 632 CE in Madinah, Islam had reached across most of Arabia.
The last sermon
In 632 CE Muhammad made his only full pilgrimage to Makkah, often called the Farewell Pilgrimage. On the plain of Arafat he spoke to a huge crowd. This is the last sermon. Different books record it in slightly different words, so here its main teachings are put in simple words.
- Life and property are sacred. Muslims must not harm one another's lives or take one another's belongings, just as the day, the month and the city are sacred.
- Rights of women. Husbands and wives have rights over each other, and women must be treated with kindness.
- Equality. All people are equal. Remember from the lesson on the ummah that no race is better than another, except through taqwa.
- No more blood-feuds. Revenge killings from the time before Islam were cancelled.
- No interest. Riba, which you met in the lesson on zakah, was ended.
- Hold to the guidance left behind. Sunni Muslims usually report that he told people to hold to the Qur'an and his sunnah. Shi'a Muslims report the Qur'an and his family, the ahl al-bayt.
Why the Prophet matters today
Muslims believe that Muhammad is a role model whose example is remembered through the hadith and the sunnah. Muslims pray, fast and make hajj (the pilgrimage to Makkah) following his example. His other teachings include kindness to neighbours and to the poor. His life in Madinah shows many Muslims how to run a fair community. Qur'an 3:144 reminds believers that he was a messenger and that other messengers came before him, so Muslims honour him but do not worship him. Muslims may disagree about how to apply his example today, but all agree it is central to Islam.
Common mistakes
- Saying the hijrah was a flight in defeat. It was the start of the community and the calendar.
- Mixing up the Muhajirun (migrants) and the Ansar (helpers).
- Writing that Makkah was taken by force and its people punished. Muslims remember the forgiveness.
- Forgetting that the last sermon was given at Arafat, not in Makkah or Madinah.
Exam-style question
Paper 2, (a) Outline two ways in which the Prophet Muhammad built a community in Madinah. [4 marks, AO1]
Paper 2, (b) Explain why the last sermon is important for Muslims today. [6 marks, AO1 and AO2]
Paper 2, (c) "The Prophet's example in Madinah is all Muslims need to build a good community." Discuss this statement, considering the arguments for and against. In your answer you should include reference to teachings, other points of view, and your own opinion with reasons. [10 marks, AO1 and AO2]
Model answer
(a) One way was by building a mosque, which was a place of prayer (1) and also where the community met to make decisions (1). Another way was the brotherhood between the Muhajirun and the Ansar (1), where Madinah families shared homes and food with the migrants (1).
(b) The last sermon is important because it gives Muslims teachings from the Prophet near the end of his life. It says life and property are sacred, so Muslims should protect others and not steal. It teaches that all people are equal, so many Muslims use it to oppose racism and show that the ummah is for everyone. It protects the rights of women, so it is used to argue that they must be treated with kindness. It ended riba, so many Muslims use it to support interest-free banking. It also tells Muslims to hold to the Qur'an and the Prophet's example, so it reminds them where to find guidance. Because it was said at Arafat, to a huge crowd, Muslims feel it was meant for everyone, in every age.
(c) For: in Madinah he gave the community a mosque, an agreement for different groups and brotherhood, and Qur'an 33:21 calls him an excellent example. Against: life now is very different, so Muslims may need scholars to apply his example to new problems. Muslims also differ: Sunni Muslims stress the Qur'an and sunnah, while Shi'a Muslims also look to the ahl al-bayt. Possible conclusion: his example is the foundation, but it needs wise interpretation to fit modern life.
Exam tip
In a 10-mark question, name a teaching, include a different Muslim view and finish with your own reasoned opinion.