In the Footsteps of the Prophet: Lessons from the Life of Muhammad

H!lflJh^89

duties" (Iohum ",a lana U'l1 alf!Yhim ma aloyna), which in effect implied that

they fully and equally belonged to the local community (ummab).lS It stat·

ed that the rights o f each person would be defended by all, and should a

conflict with the polytheists break out, they were all to stand together and

nOt enter into separate alliances or peace agreements.^16 The text stipulat-

ed that in case of dispute, the Prophet would be answerable for the smCt

and cquitable implementation o f this agreement. The Prophet's recogni-

tion of the value of such contract-based relationships, which he came to

in the light of Revelation, was a constant throughout his life and teach-

ings. A contract determines a framework; it asserts the autonomy and

recognition o f the parties involved (provided its essence is respected) and

makes it possible, a posteriori, to set up means of regulation and evalua-

tion. The contract (al-al)(1) was [() become central in I slam, from marriage

contracts to social or commercial contracts and th ose drawn up to settle

conflict or war situations.^17 Revelation clarified the importance of con-

tracts and the need to stand by their conditions: " For every engagement

will be inguired into."18 The Pro phet said in this respect: " Muslims must

stand by the terms of their comracts."1 9

With the Jews

Revelation, the terms of the covenant, and the Prophet'S attitude toward

the Jews from the moment he arrived in ]-"[edina were the factors that

determined the general framework of the relationship between the faith-

ful of the tWO religions. There was flrSt of all the acknowledgment of a

link; the same God had sent both Moses and Muhammad. The Jews are,

with the Christians, "the people o f the Book" (obi al-kilab), those who

received a revealed m essage from God. The Quran clearly srates fruS

recognition: "God! There is no god but Him, the Liying. the Supporter of

aU. It is H e who sent down to you step by step, in truth, the Book, con-

firming what went before it; and He sent down the Torah and the G ospel

before this, as a guide to humankind."w

When he settled in Medina, the Prophct did not require anybody to

convert, and he made it clear that he wanted relarions within thc new soci-

ety to be egalitarian. Later, when conflicts arose and aUiances were

betrayed, the simarion decayed and relations with one or another of the

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