In
the name of Allah (The One True God) the Compassionate,
the Merciful. This is a document from Muhammad, the
Prophet, governing the relation between the Believers
from among the Quraysh'tes (i.e., Emigrants from Mecca)
and Yathribites (i.e., the residents of Medina) and those
who followed them and joined them and strived with them.
They form one and the same community as against the rest
of men.No
Believer shall oppose the client of another Believer.
Whosoever is rebellious, or seeks to spread injustice,
enmity or sedition among the Believers, the hand of every
man shall be against him, even if he be a son of one of
them. A Believer shall not kill a Believer in retaliation
of an unbeliever, nor shall he help an unbeliever against
a Believer.
Whosoever among the Jews
follows us shall have help and equality; they shall not
be injured nor shall any enemy be aided against them....
No separate peace will be made when the Believers are
fighting in the way of Allah.... The Believers shall
avenge the blood of one another shed in the way of Allah
....Whosoever kills a Believer wrongfully shall be liable
to retaliation; all the Believers shall be against him as
one man and they are bound to take action against him.
The Jews shall
contribute (to the cost of war) with the Believers so
long as they are at war with a common enemy. The Jews of
Banu Najjar, Banu al-Harith, Banu Sa'idah, Banu Jusham,
Banu al-Aws, Banu Tha'labah, Jafnah, and Banu al-Shutaybah enjoy the same rights and
privileges as the
Jews of Banu Aws.
The Jews shall
maintain their own religion and the Muslims theirs.
Loyalty is a protection against treachery. The close
friends of Jews are as themselves. None of them shall go
out on a military expedition except with the permission
of Muhammad, but he shall not be prevented from taking
revenge for a wound.
The Jews shall be
responsible for their expenses and the Believers for
theirs. Each, if attacked, shall come to the assistance
of the other.
The valley of Yathrib
(Medina) shall be sacred and inviolable for all that join
this Treaty. Strangers, under protection, shall be
treated on the same ground as their protectors; but no
stranger shall be taken under protection except with
consent of his tribe....No woman shall be taken under
protection without the consent of her family.
Whatever difference or
dispute between the parties to this covenant remains
unsolved shall be referred to Allah and to Muhammad, the
Messenger of Allah. Allah is the Guarantor of the piety
and goodness that is embodied in this covenant. Neither
the Quraysh nor their allies shall be given any
protection.
The contracting
parties are bound to help one another against any attack
on Yathrib. If they are called to cease hostilities and
to enter into peace, they shall be bound to do so in the
interest of peace; and if they make a similar demand on
Muslims it must be carried out except when the war is against their religion.
Allah approves the
truth and goodwill of this covenant. This treaty shall
not protect the unjust or the criminal. Whoever goes out
to fight as well as whoever stays at home shall be safe
and secure in this city unless he has perpetrated an
injustice or committed a crime.... Allah is the protector
of the good and God-fearing people.
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