COVENANT BETWEEN THE MUSLIMS AND THE JEWS
Shortly thereafter, the Prophet (r) got a written document, which bound the Muhaajirun
and the Ansaars to a friendly agreement. The covenant made the Jews a party to the treaty
that guaranteed them the freedom of their rights and obligations. (Ibn Hisham, Vol. p. 501)
THE CALL TO PRAYER
After the Prophet (r) had settled down and Islam was deeply entrenched in the soil of
Madinah, the mode of calling the faithful to prayer caught the attention of the Prophet (r).
He disliked the customs being employed by the Jews and Christians such as kindling fire or
the use of bell and horn to summon the people to such a spiritual obligation.
Initially, the Muslims used to come by themselves for prayer at the scheduled time with-
out any announcement or call at all. While different proposals were being considered, Allah
guided the Muslims to the method of giving the call to prayer. A number of companions had
a vision of the call in their dreams, which was approved by the Prophet (r) and prescribed
as the official procedure of assembling the Muslims for such a worship act. Bilal Ibn Rabah
(may Allah be pleased with him) was entrusted by the Prophet (r) to give the call to prayer
and thus he came to be known as the muadhin of the Prophet (r) and the leader of all those
who would call the faithful to prayer ‘till the end of time.