Period 10 of 18
The First Years in Madinah
In Madinah he built the mosque, united the Muhajirun and the Ansar, and set up the first institutions of the Muslim community.
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The Prophet's Mosque
Anas رضي الله عنه reported that the Prophet ﷺ stayed with Abu Ayyub رضي الله عنه and then ordered a mosque to be built on land belonging to Banu an-Najjar. They said they would ask no price but from Allah. The land held graves of polytheists, ruins and date palms; the graves were removed, the ruins levelled and the palms cut to form the row facing the qiblah, with stone doorposts. The companions carried the stones together while chanting, and the Prophet ﷺ worked with them. The sirah books add that the land belonged to two orphans and that it was purchased.
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Brotherhood between the Muhajirun and the Ansar
Abd ar-Rahman ibn Awf رضي الله عنه reported that when they arrived in Madinah, the Prophet ﷺ made him the brother of Sa'd ibn ar-Rabi' رضي الله عنه. Sa'd said: “I am the richest of the Ansar, so let me divide half of my wealth with you, and look at which of my two wives you like and I will divorce her for you.” Abd ar-Rahman said: “May Allah bless you in your family and wealth. Just show me the market.” He traded in cheese and ghee and soon prospered. The Quran praised the Ansar, who “prefer others over themselves, even if they are in need” (59:9).
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A charter for the new community
The sirah books record that the Prophet ﷺ wrote a document between the Muhajirun, the Ansar and the Jewish tribes living in and around Madinah. It set out a shared duty to defend the city, recognised each community's religion and property, and committed the parties to justice and cooperation. Scholars call it the Constitution or Charter of Madinah. It is recorded in the sirah of Ibn Ishaq, transmitted by Ibn Hisham, and historians have discussed its wording and its dating within the first years in Madinah.
- Sirah books (early history)
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The call to prayer
Ibn Umar رضي الله عنهما said that when the Muslims reached Madinah they would gather and wait for the time of prayer, as no call was made. They discussed using a bell like the Christians or a horn like the Jews, until Umar suggested sending a man to call the prayer. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Bilal, get up and call to prayer.” Abdullah ibn Zayd رضي الله عنه then reported a dream with the words of the adhan; the Prophet ﷺ said it was a true dream and told him to teach it to Bilal رضي الله عنه, who had a more far-reaching voice.
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The change of qiblah and the fast of Ramadan
Al-Bara' رضي الله عنه said they prayed toward Bayt al-Maqdis for sixteen or seventeen months after the Hijrah, while the Prophet ﷺ longed to face the Kaaba; then Allah revealed: “We have seen you turning your face toward the heavens, so We will turn you to a qiblah you will like” (2:144). The fast of Ramadan was prescribed in the second year of the Hijrah (2:183-185). Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما reported that when the Prophet ﷺ came to Madinah, he found the Jews fasting Ashura, and he said that he had more right to Musa than they did, and he fasted it and ordered the Muslims to fast it.
How the sources are used
Sources are chosen in this order: the Quran first, then the hadith collections of al-Bukhari and Muslim, and then other collections such as al-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, an-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah and Malik. The sirah books, mainly Ibn Ishaq as transmitted by Ibn Hisham, are used only for details not found in the hadith, and these are marked as “recorded in the sirah books.” Dates in the Christian era are approximate, and hadith numbers follow the hadith library of this website.
Hadith numbers follow the hadith library on this site, and each source opens its hadith there. Details that are not in the hadith collections are marked as coming from the sirah books.
General information for learning, not a fatwa. For your own situation, ask a qualified scholar.