Muhammad in Medina

"The first contact between Muslims and Jews took place in the city of Medina, where the struggle for dominance between Muhammad and certain Jewish tribes first began."

"The Banu Nadir, the Qurayza, and the Qainuqa together vyed for the overthrow of Muhammad, which had an underlying religious justification of Jews believing God would never have chosen an Arab as his messenger."

"The greater scheme of this clash was over political power since control of Medina had fallen into Muhammad’s hands."

"Muhammad dealt with Jewish tribes as though they were opposing political factions rather than religious groups."

The Constitution of Medina

"This document established the umma that encompasses a collective of varying religious traditions, such as Christians and Jews. "

“The Believers are allies (mawali) one to another, to the exclusion of other people.”

The Islamic Empire: How was power shared?

Legal Pluralism

"With the diverse availability of legal venues to choose from, Jewish women were able to assert rights for themselves regardless of what Jewish elites had ordained, which was challenged by Muslim courts."

"With no power over the majority group, Jewish elites had to coerce their members away from seeking out Muslim courts either by threats or through formal agreements made between parties."

"This naturally transferred the desire for revolt against the empire among the dhimmi (non-muslim subjects) toward retaining control of their own communities."

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Jewish-Muslim Relations: A Usable History

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