Muhammad and The Jews — Page 48
invitation "to come to a word equal between us and you" does not, therefore, provide a basis for a compromise on matters of faith. The Apostle's biographers, Tradition collectors and jurists working under a mighty Muslim empire have not preserved for us the answer to this offer given by the Christians of Najriin. But there are indications that they accepted to join the ummah on the terms of the Sabifah as far as they could be applied to that region. They accepted the dominant role of Muslims as the administrators of justice, and requested the Apostle "to send a man he could trust, to decide between them in certain financial matters in dispute among them. "l Abu ""Ubaydah b. al-Jarriil). was accordingly appointed by the Apostle as a judge for the Christians of Najriin. 2 There was, however, flexibility in applying this principle. It was the claim to believe in one God and not the practice which was the criterion. Though the Jews have been accused by the Qur. ,iin of associating "Uzair with God, Islam accepts them monotheists. This seems to be the foundation of the ummah. It is the concept of the Unity of God which leads to the idea of oneness of the universe and the universal concept of the ummah, emphasizing the essential equality of the rights of all men. The Jews or Christians were not expected to change their religion. Their belief in the Unity of God was sufficient basis for cooperation, but not integration. It was the concept of a multi-religious society. It was a plural society allowing entry on the basis of elective affinities in which racial or ethnic differences had no relevance, but the belief in the Unity of God was essential. Though the ummah was a pre-political community, yet it was not un-political. By its very nature politics is inherent in any process of community building. "It is interesting to note that this first consti- tution of the Arabian Prophet dealt almost exclusively with the civil and political relations of the citizens among themselves and with the outside. " 3 In this pre-political ummah the Apostle exercised authority by virtue of his divine sanction. While the Quraysh rejected the formula of 'Mul). ammad, the Apostle of Allah', when signing the Treaty of I;Iudaibiyah. the Jews of Medina seemed to have acquiesced 1 lbn Hisham, pp. 410-411; Jbn Sa'°d, p. 412. 2 Jbn Sa'°d, p. 412. 3 Bernard Lewis, The Arabs in History (London, 1950) p. 43. See also J. Ober- mann, "Early Islam", The Idea of History in the Ancient Near East, ed. R. C. Denton (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1966) p. 270.