Building Madinah

Madinah gave the Muslims something Makkah never had, the freedom to live openly. Muhammad ﷺ used it to build a community from the ground up. First came a masjid, raised from palm trunks and mud brick, where people prayed, met and learned. Then came a brotherhood that paired the Muhajirun, the emigrants from Makkah, with the Ansar, the helpers of Madinah, who opened their homes. A written charter followed, setting out how the different peoples of the city would live alongside one another.

Peace was never guaranteed. The Muslims had left homes and property behind in Makkah, and the Quraysh were not finished with them. Between 2 AH and 5 AH, three confrontations tested everything that had been built: Badr, Uhud and the Trench. Each one asked something different of the believers, and each left the community changed.