This paper provides an introduction, translation, and commentary of the document most widely known as the “Constitution of Medina.” This document is, besides the Qurʾān, the earliest authentic written source about the life of the Muslim community after Muḥammad’s arrival in Medina. In the first chapter, the paper introduces the historical context in which the document emerged. Through a critical reading of Islamic historiographical sources and inscriptions from the Ḥiǧāz area, the author sketches the essential characteristics of the Medinese tribes on the eve of Muḥammad’s arrival to Medina. The second chapter of the paper contains the first Slovenian translation of the “Constitution of Medina,” which is accompanied by the Arabic original from Sīrat Rasūl Allāh of Ibn Hišām. In the commentary, the author discusses some of the most debated issued of the Constitution of Medina. The author argues that when the “Constitution of Medina” was written, the umma consisted of the Believers/Muslims, Jews, and idolators. Although the Jews and the idolaters were part of the umma, the “Constitution of Medina” never calls them “Believers.”
|
