Chief of the Prophets — Page 89
Chapter Six 89 prejudices turned into Islamic love, and finally they became like brothers. Brotherhood of Anṣār and Muhājirūn The Muhājirūn 1 (Emigrants) who had migrated to Madīnah with no provisions were treated better than real brothers by the Anṣār 2 (Helpers; i. e. the locals). To further strengthen this relationship of brotherhood, Muḥammad sa formally made each Muhājir and Nāṣir brothers. Both sides fulfilled the responsibilities of this relationship with such sincerity and loyalty that its parallel is not found even among real brothers in the present age. Treaty with the Jews A little while after the Migration, Muḥammad sa grew concerned about the safety of the people of Madīnah in light of the increasing population. He thus gathered the leaders of the Muhājirūn , Aus, Khazraj, and Jews, and proposed to sign a treaty mandating all the tribes to be jointly responsible for the protection of each other. The following treaty was drafted with the mutual consent of all the tribes: 1. Muslims and Jews shall live together with sympathy and sincerity. 2. Both nations shall have full religious freedom. 3. If any nation wages a war against the Jews or Muslims, both sides will help each other. 4. If Madīnah is ever attacked, everyone will be liable to defend it. 1 Muhājirūn is the plural of Muhājir. The people of Makkah who migrated from Makkah to Madīnah were called Muhājirūn ; i. e. Emigrants. 2 Anṣār is the plural of Nāṣir. The citizens of Madīnah were called Anṣār as they helped the Emigrants who came there from Makkah and other places.