3.5.4 Establishing the Ummah

The Meaning of Establishing the Ummah

When the Prophet ﷺ migrated from Makkah to Madinah, his mission entered a new stage. In Makkah, the focus was calling to tawḥīd and patient endurance under persecution. In Madinah, the call to faith continued, but now Allah commanded him to build a living community upon that faith, a community that would worship Allah, live by His guidance, and carry His message to all people. This community is the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ.

Allah described this Ummah with honor:

“You are the best nation produced for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah.”
(Qur’an 3:110)

And He made it clear that this Ummah was to be united upon tawḥīd:

“Indeed this, your religion, is one religion, and I am your Lord, so worship Me.”
(Qur’an 21:92)

Establishing the Ummah in Madinah was not only about building houses and a marketplace. It was about building hearts, relationships, worship, and law, all centered upon Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.

Brotherhood Beyond Tribe and Race

Before Islam, the people of Madinah, mainly the tribes of Aws and Khazraj, had long histories of blood feuds and wars. The migrants from Makkah, the Muhājirūn, had left their families and their wealth behind. One of the first steps in establishing the Ummah was to create true brotherhood between these groups.

Allah reminded the believers how He joined their hearts:

“And remember the favor of Allah upon you, when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers. And you were on the brink of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it.”
(Qur’an 3:103)

This brotherhood was not symbolic. The Prophet ﷺ made formal bonds of brotherhood between individuals from the Muhājirūn and the Anṣār, so that they would support one another with their wealth, protection, and care. This was a real social structure, based on faith, not blood.

He ﷺ said:

“The believer to another believer is like a building whose different parts enforce each other.” Then the Prophet ﷺ clasped his hands with his fingers interlaced.
(Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

In this Ummah, superiority was never given to tribe or color, but to piety and obedience to Allah:

“O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes so that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.”
(Qur’an 49:13)

The Prophet ﷺ warned clearly against any return to tribal arrogance:

“He is not of us who calls to ʿaṣabiyyah (tribalism), he is not of us who fights for ʿaṣabiyyah, and he is not of us who dies upon ʿaṣabiyyah.”
(Abu Dawud)

The Prophet ﷺ as Leader of the Community

In Makkah the Prophet ﷺ was a messenger without worldly power. In Madinah, Allah gave him authority to judge between people, to organize their affairs, and to defend the community. He ﷺ became the spiritual, moral, and political leader of the Ummah.

Allah commanded the believers:

“O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you.”
(Qur’an 4:59)

And:

“But no, by your Lord, they will not truly believe until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge in all matters of dispute between them, then find in themselves no discomfort from what you have decided and submit in full submission.”
(Qur’an 4:65)

This meant that the Ummah was not a loose collection of individuals. It was a community that referred back to revelation and to the Prophet ﷺ when disagreements arose.

His leadership was marked by mercy and concern, not harsh tyranny:

“There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer, [he is] concerned over you, and to the believers is kind and merciful.”
(Qur’an 9:128)

He ﷺ described his care for the Ummah in a striking way:

“My example and your example is like a man who lit a fire. Then the moths and insects began to fall into it, and he is trying to keep them away from it. And I am holding onto your belts, pulling you away from the Fire, but you are slipping from my hands.”
(Muslim)

This is the model of leadership in the Ummah, caring, merciful, firm upon truth, and guided by revelation.

The Constitution of Madinah

To transform a divided city into a united Ummah, the Prophet ﷺ established a written agreement, often called the Ṣaḥīfat al-Madīnah or the Constitution of Madinah. This document clarified the rights and responsibilities of Muslims and of the Jewish tribes and others living with them. It recognized the Muslims as a single community and defined a framework for coexistence and justice.

Among the most important features were that the believers are one community to the exclusion of others, that they defend one another, that injustice and oppression are not tolerated, and that disputes are referred back to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.

Allah taught the believers the principle of mutual protection:

“And the believers, men and women, are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, establish prayer and give zakah and obey Allah and His Messenger. Those, Allah will have mercy upon them.”
(Qur’an 9:71)

While the detailed clauses of the Constitution belong to advanced study, what matters here is that the Ummah became a recognized, organized body, with shared obligations before Allah and a shared commitment to justice and defense.

The Masjid as the Heart of the Ummah

When the Prophet ﷺ arrived in Madinah, one of the first physical structures he built was the mosque, Masjid an Nabawi. This was not only a place of prayer. It was the heart of the Ummah.

Allah mentions the purpose of such a place:

“The mosques of Allah are only to be maintained by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day, establish prayer, give zakah, and fear none but Allah.”
(Qur’an 9:18)

In the mosque, the believers learned the Qur’an, heard the Prophet’s guidance, resolved disputes, prepared for journeys, welcomed delegations, and comforted one another in times of hardship. The poor and travelers sometimes stayed in a section of the mosque, the Ṣuffah, and from there they learned and grew in faith.

The Prophet ﷺ said about prayer in congregation:

“Prayer in congregation is twenty seven times more in reward than the prayer of a person who prays alone.”
(Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

This constant gathering, five times a day, made the believers know one another, care for one another, and share in each other’s concerns. Through the masjid, the Ummah in Madinah became a living, feeling body.

Mutual Support and Social Solidarity

Establishing the Ummah also meant that no believer would be left abandoned in poverty or hardship while others lived in comfort. When the Muhājirūn arrived in Madinah with almost nothing, the Anṣār shared their homes and wealth with them.

Allah praised them:

“And those who, before them, had homes and had adopted the faith, love those who emigrated to them and find not any desire in their hearts for what they (the emigrants) were given, but give them preference over themselves, even though they themselves are in need.”
(Qur’an 59:9)

The Prophet ﷺ built this spirit of giving and responsibility through his teachings. He ﷺ said:

“None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”
(Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

And he ﷺ said:

“The example of the believers in their mutual love, mercy, and compassion is like a single body. If one part of it complains, the rest of the body responds with sleeplessness and fever.”
(Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Charity was not only an extra virtue. With the institution of zakah, caring for the poor and needy became a formal duty on those who had wealth. This transformed the Ummah into a society of mutual support, instead of one ruled by greed and neglect.

Law, Justice, and Resolving Disputes

For the Ummah to stand firm, it needed justice. In Madinah, rulings were gradually revealed to organize worship, family life, financial dealings, and criminal matters. The Prophet ﷺ judged between people according to what Allah revealed.

Allah commanded:

“Indeed, Allah commands justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded.”
(Qur’an 16:90)

When disputes and conflicts arose, believers were required to return to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ:

“If you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day.”
(Qur’an 4:59)

The Prophet ﷺ warned against injustice, even when it benefits one’s own group. He ﷺ said:

“Beware of oppression, for oppression will be darknesses on the Day of Resurrection.”
(Muslim)

In Madinah, this meant that even noble companions were not above the law. The Qur’an criticizes those who wished to hide the crime of theft by one group and blame it on another, reminding them to stand firmly for justice even if it goes against themselves and their relatives.

Defense and the Responsibility to Protect

The early Muslims in Madinah faced threats from Makkah and other enemies. Part of establishing the Ummah was to organize its defense. Permission was given to fight, not for conquest and oppression, but to protect the community and the freedom to worship Allah.

Allah says:

“Permission [to fight] has been given to those who are being fought, because they have been wronged. And indeed, Allah is competent to give them victory.”
(Qur’an 22:39)

And He describes those who were driven out only for saying “Our Lord is Allah”:

“Those who have been evicted from their homes without right, only because they say, ‘Our Lord is Allah.’”
(Qur’an 22:40)

At the same time, Islam set clear limits. Killing innocents, treachery, and betrayal were prohibited. The Prophet ﷺ would instruct the armies not to kill women, children, or monks, and not to destroy crops or trees. The purpose of this defensive struggle was to protect the Ummah, remove oppression, and allow the word of Allah to be heard.

The unity of the Ummah in times of danger was a crucial sign of its establishment. They would stand together, spend of their wealth, and risk their lives to protect one another.

Unity, Obedience, and Avoiding Division

Even as the Ummah grew, Allah repeatedly warned the believers against division and disputes that would weaken them. Establishing the Ummah is not only about starting unity, but also about preserving it.

Allah says:

“And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided.”
(Qur’an 3:103)

He also warns:

“And obey Allah and His Messenger and do not dispute, lest you lose courage and your strength depart, and be patient. Indeed, Allah is with the patient.”
(Qur’an 8:46)

The Prophet ﷺ explained that the united group upon truth will always remain:

“A group from my Ummah will continue to be manifest upon the truth, unharmed by those who oppose them, until the command of Allah comes and they are in that state.”
(Muslim)

Division over personal desires, pride, and worldly aims undermines the Ummah. Differences in understanding that stay within the bounds of revelation and are handled with knowledge and mercy are not the same as hateful splitting into hostile camps.

Mercy and Responsibility to the World

The Ummah established in Madinah was not meant to be closed in on itself. Its task was to carry the message of mercy and guidance to all of humanity. Allah made the Prophet ﷺ a mercy, and by following him, the Ummah also carries that mercy.

Allah says:

“And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.”
(Qur’an 21:107)

And He says about this community:

“Thus We have made you a just and balanced nation so that you will be witnesses over the people and the Messenger will be a witness over you.”
(Qur’an 2:143)

Being a “just and balanced” Ummah means reflecting the guidance of Allah in belief, worship, character, and social conduct. The Muslims in Madinah welcomed delegations, taught them the Qur’an, and showed them through their dealings what life looks like when built upon tawḥīd and justice.

The Prophet ﷺ summarized this mission in one statement:

“Convey from me, even if it is a single verse.”
(Al-Bukhari)

So the established Ummah is not only a protected group, it is a group that bears witness to the truth before all nations, by word and by example.

The Lasting Model of Madinah

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“Faith will retreat to Madinah just as a snake retreats to its hole.”
(Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Madinah is not only a place. It is a model of how faith can shape a society. In that city, through the leadership of the Prophet ﷺ and the revelation of the Qur’an, Allah showed how to build an Ummah that believes, worships, cares, defends, judges justly, and carries mercy to the world.

Every later effort to revive and strengthen the Ummah looks back to this first community as its example. The foundations placed in Madinah, unity upon tawḥīd, obedience to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, brotherhood beyond tribe and race, justice, mercy, and shared responsibility, remain the guiding principles for Muslims until the Day of Judgment.