ebooks Contours of Discovery: Printed Maps Delineating the Texas and Southwestern Chapters in the Cartographic History of North America by Robert Sidney Martin in History

Description

This document; known in Orientalist jargon as the "Constitution of Medina;" is accepted; even by iconclasts of the field; as an original document going back to the Prophet Muhammad. Yet; for some reason; it has not received its fair share of scholarly attention. This book is an attempt to remedy this situation; and includes the two known versions of the "Constitution;" founded on many sources. This is followed by introductory chapters dealing with the Muslim and Jewish groups that participated in the document. Finally; there is a translation and a detailed commentary on the clauses. In this book; the author argues that most of the Jewish tribes of Medina; including the large ones; did not participate in the "Constitution"; the main tribes had more rudimentary; non-belligerency treaties with Muhammad. In addition; the assumption that the "Constitution" declared each Jewish group as an umma or community rests on a faulty reading: In fact the participating Jews received a guarantee of security (amana). This monograph will enrich the resources available for the study of Muhammad’s concepts and policies shortly after his arrival at Medina.