The Islamic calendar does not begin with the year of Muhammad's birth (as the Christian calendar begins with the birth of Christ), nor does it begin with the commencement of revelation to Muhammad. Rather, it begins with this purposeful move of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to what became known as Medina. This migration, the Muslim Exodus, established the model community under Muhammad's rule and care. This was the emigration to Yathrib, the city that would be renamed Madina al-nabi ("the City of the Prophet") and forever after known simply as Medina ("the City"). Like much of the Prophet's actions, this movement has been remembered both for itself, and also for the larger symbolism of the need to spiritually and politically move to a state of emancipation. There are other similar moves in other traditions, whether it is the Exodus of the Hebrews, or the Rastafarian tradition remembering, as Bob Marley put it, the Movement of Jah People. Muhammad's migration to Medina would be known as the Hijra, and it is the quintessential marking point of Islamic history.
The context was urgent, and timely: The pagans of Mecca were stepping up their persecution of Muhammad and his followers. Whereas in the beginning of Muhammad's prophetic career the persecution was directed at the marginalized members of the Prophet's community, now there were clear indications that Muhammad's own life was in grave danger. In fact, the Meccans were planning the imminent assassination of the Prophet. It was at this time that providential grace provided an opening: a community of people from Yathrib, a city two hundred miles away from Mecca came to Muhammad, offering their allegiance to him and asking him to come to their city to help them settle their tribal disputes. They had been long impressed by Muhammad's qualities as the Amin ("the Trustworthy") and saw him as having the Solomonic wisdom to arbitrate among them.
After Muhammad's dear wife, Khadija, passed away, his two closest friends were Ali and Abu Bakr, a respected elder of the community. Both would play crucial roles in this migration. Muhammad had Ali assume the dangerous task of sleeping in his stead in his bed while the band of assassins waited outside the Prophet's house. Muhammad covered Ali in his green shawl and had him repeat a verse of Surah Ya-Sin as protection. Meanwhile, Muhammad and Abu Bakr took to the road, heading toward Yathrib. Standing outside the city, Muhammad looked back lovingly on Mecca and said: "Of all God's earth, you are the dearest place unto me, and the dearest unto God. Had not my people driven me out from you, I would not have left you."
The Hijra was neither an abandonment of Mecca nor the forgetting of where one had come from. It was the determination to rise up from oppression, with the intention of returning eventually to redeem even the oppressor. This Muhammad would accomplish at the end of his life through his triumphant return home. But before he could liberate Mecca, he had to move to the city where the Muslim community would become established.
Muhammad and Abu Bakr eventually arrived in Yathrib and were received with joy and beautiful poetry composed in honor of the Prophet. Ali too would join them in a few days. It had taken him three full days to disperse all the goods that Muhammad's enemies and others had entrusted him with, a further indication of the level of trust all had had in the very soul they were persecuting.
When Muhammad arrived in Medina, his address there was simple, and a reminder of the need to connect acts of worship with care for the poor:
O people, give unto one another greetings of Peace; feed food unto the hungry; honor the ties of kinship; pray in the hours when men sleep. Thus shall you enter Paradise in peace.
The first communal action in Medina was establishing the Mosque, truly the first Muslim mosque. Muhammad himself joined in the building task, and he was fond of reciting a line of poetry as he worked:
No life there is but the life of the Hereafter,
O God, have mercy on the Helpers and the Migrants.
One of the ways in which God's mercy rained down on the Helpers (the Ansar, those from Medina who received the Prophet) and the Migrants (the Muhajirs, those who accompanied Muhammad from Mecca) was through a bond of brotherhood. Muhammad's first declaration was to alter the social fabric of the Yathrib (now Medina) community. He had each member of the Helpers pair up with a member of the Migrants, establishing a bond of faith that bypassed, transcended and inverted tribal connections and socioeconomic class status. Muhammad's own faith-brother would be none other than Ali.
In one of his first speeches, Muhammad preached the following sermon:
Praise belongs to God whom I praise and whose praise I implore. We take refuge in God from our own sins and from the evil of our acts. He whom God guides none can lead astray; and whom He leads astray none can guide. I testify that there is no God but He alone, and He is without comparison... Love what God loves. Love God with your hearts, and weary not of the word of God and its mention. Harden not your hearts from it... Love one another in the spirit of God. Verily God is angry when His covenant is broken. Peace be upon you.
This community was one based on faith in God and love for one another "in the spirit of God," as this speech enjoined them to do. It was in Medina that the general moral outlines of Muhammad's teachings became linked with a full set of ethical, legal and social injunctions. In Mecca, Muhammad received the Divine call that placed him in the footsteps of Abraham, and in the line of Biblical prophets. It was that purposeful movement from Mecca to Medina that established the Muslim community, one that would remain rooted in the spirit of God, carrying the fragrance of the Prophet.
As the Prophet moved from Mecca to Medina, Muslims today, and every day, hope to leave behind and beyond the state of injustice, heedlessness and tyranny, to move to the higher spiritual ground of a community rooted in the spirit of God and the love of one another, and then to come back to redeem that very state of tyranny and injustice. That is the loftiest way to remember and honor the movement of God's people.
Omid Safi is a Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina. The above essay draws on his newly published Memories of Muhammad: Why the Prophet Matters (HarperOne).
Hijra (Islam) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Birth of Islam | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art ...
Omid Safi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Abu Bakr - The First Muslim Caliph
Islamic Calendar - The Origins of the Islamic or Hijrah Calendar
Sadly, anti-Islamic bigots will be posting soon.
If you drop a piece of diamond into mud, the diamond is still the same diamond. All the violance and misuse of people (through-out the history) is the mud. It has nothing to do with the essence of Islam. The same is true also for the other religions. All the religions are the diamonds of the same mine. They are just different reflections of the same reality.
Also, the tax system under a Islaimic system used different terminalogy for muslim and non-muslim. For muslim its called "zakaat , because its a religious obligation and mandatory to help the needy, whereas for nonmuslim its "jiziya', comprble to the tax in the Us for everyone, and tends be lower.
LOL! thanks for the qualifier!
Some evidence suggests that the Jizya was sometimes double the Zakat; for example, the Hedaya,[84] an Islamic legal text, declared it lawful to require twice as much of a Zimmee [dhimmi] as of a Mussulman [Muslim]. (# http://www.archive.org/stream/hedayaorguide029357mbp/hedayaorguide029357mbp_djvu.txt
# ^ Hedaya, I.4.; see also K.S. Lal, Theory and Practice of Muslim State in India, Delhi, 1999, pp. 139-140 (tax levies on Muslims in Muslim India: 5%, on dhimmis: 10%)
Islam provided the following rights to non-Muslims under Muslim Rule:
1. The security (dhimma) of God is equal for all groups,
2. Non-Muslim members have equal political and cultural rights as Muslims. They will have autonomy and freedom of religion.
3. Non-Muslims will take up arms against the enemy of the Ummah and share the cost of war. There is to be no treachery between the two.
4. Non-Muslims will not be obliged to take part in religious wars of the Muslims.
A hadith by Muhammad, "Whoever killed a Mu'ahid (a person who is granted the pledge of protection by the Muslims) shall not smell the fragrance of Paradise though its fragrance can be smelt at a distance of forty years (of traveling)",
In Comparison, the Christian hierarchy demanded heavy taxes from non-Christians It expelled the Jews and forced the Muslim population of Granada to convert or be expelled. These policies were not only religious in nature but also effectively seized any wealth of the exiled.
As for those who say how can one claim to be Gods people, well God to Muslims has no other description than the one who created us all, the universe, and everything in b/w, so he must be the supreme, thats all...as for Muhammad he is the seal of the prophets, meaning if Muslims were taken back to the times of Jesus, we would be the followers of Jesus, even more back to Moses, we would be the followers of Moses, and today we just happen to be under the time of Muhammad who is the last of this long and beautiful chain of messages starting from Adam, through Abraham, and ending in Muhammad...one big happy family...
1. “Mu’ahid” (“Promisor”) is generally referred to a non-Muslim living among Muslims who is promised to have protection, and he promises not to help enemies against Muslims.
2. Must'amin is one who has temporarily contracted with the Muslim state for permission to act
therein. The mustamin is guaranteed protection and may leave at any time with his property
3. Ambassadors, diplomats, consuls and envoys
4. Dhimmi generally means "the people of the Covenant or people of Peace") is a non-Muslim living under islamic rule. The dhimma is a theoretical contract based on a widely held Islamic doctrine granting special status to adherents of Judaism, Christianity, and other non-Muslim religions ("People of the Book"). Dhimma provides rights of and protection to residence in return for taxes generally equal to what the Muslims pay. Dhimmi legal and social rights and are excused from specifically Muslim duties, equal under the laws of property, contract and obligation.
Most US Citizen can generally be categorized as Dhimmi here in the US since most are none Muslims and most pay taxes. Minor differences include much higher taxes and not all are provided with the degree of protection Muhammad prescribed.
In a hadith by Muhammad in regard to the status of the dhimmis: "Whoever wrongs one with whom a compact(treaty) has been made [a dhimmi] and lays on him a burden beyond his strength, I will be his accuser."
2. Must'amin is one who has temporarily contracted with the Muslim state for permission to act
therein. The mustamin is guaranteed protection and may leave at any time with his property
3. Ambassadors, diplomats, consuls and envoys
4. Dhimmi generally means "the people of the Covenant or people of Peace") is a non-Muslim living under islamic rule. The dhimma is a theoretical contract based on a widely held Islamic doctrine granting special status to adherents of Judaism, Christianity, and other non-Muslim religions ("People of the Book"). Dhimma provides rights of and protection to residence in return for taxes generally equal to what the Muslims pay. Dhimmi legal and social rights and are excused from specifically Muslim duties, equal under the laws of property, contract and obligation.
Most US Citizen can generally be categorized as Dhimmi here in the US since most are none Muslims and most pay taxes. Minor differences include much higher taxes and not all are provided with the degree of protection Muhammad prescribed.
In a hadith by Muhammad in regard to the status of the dhimmis: "Whoever wrongs one with whom a compact(treaty) has been made [a dhimmi] and lays on him a burden beyond his strength, I will be his accuser."
It appears that the Muslims were more civilized than us 1400 years ago!
Islam provided the following rights to non-Muslims under Muslim Rule:
1. The security (dhimma) of God is equal for all groups,
2. Non-Muslim members have equal political and cultural rights as Muslims. They will have autonomy and freedom of religion.
3. Non-Muslims will take up arms against the enemy of the Ummah and share the cost of war. There is to be no treachery between the two.
4. Non-Muslims will not be obliged to take part in religious wars of the Muslims.
A hadith by Muhammad, "Whoever killed a Mu'ahid (a person who is granted the pledge of protection by the Muslims) shall not smell the fragrance of Paradise though its fragrance can be smelt at a distance of forty years (of traveling)",
In Comparison, the Christian hierarchy demanded heavy taxes from non-Christians It expelled the Jews and forced the Muslim population of Granada to convert or be expelled. These policies were not only religious in nature but also effectively seized any wealth of the exiled.
And to finally answer your question, Islam has no value to anyone who is satisfied with their spirituality. If you are not, it is worth looking into, but keep in mind that with all the hate out there, this is the worst of time to be liking it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVQ1BWqjTjs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J5_VETwfew
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiXpYZji5Ks
The alternative view to the Golden Age of Tolerance is that Je. .ws and Ch. .ristians were severely restricted in Muslim Spain, by being forced to live in a state of 'dh. .immitude'. (A dh. .immi is a non-Mu, ,slim living in an Islamic state who is not a slave, but does not have the same rights as a Muslim living in the same state.)
In Islamic Spain, J, ,ews and Ch. .ristians were tolerated if they:
• acknowledged Is. .lamic superiority
• accepted Is. .lamic power
• paid a tax called Jizya to the Mu. .slim rulers and sometimes paid higher rates of other taxes
• avoided blasphemy
• did not try to convert Mu. .slims
• complied with the rules laid down by the authorities. These included:
restrictions on clothing and the need to wear a special badge
restrictions on building syna. .gogues and ch. .urches
not allowed to carry weapons
could not receive an inheritance from a Mu. .slim
could not bequeath anything to a Mu. .slim
could not own a Muslim slave
a dh. .immi man could not marry a Mu. .slim woman (but the reverse was acceptable)
a dh. .immi could not give evidence in an Islamic court
dh. .immis would get lower compensation than Mu. .slims for the same injury
Bell-ringing or chanting too loudly were frowned on and public processions were restricted.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/spain_1.shtml
And if they did, it was because of Israel. Or the Jews.
Or both.
You should really try to figure out what your problem is that you spew your hate so openly.
There are four main categories of non-Muslims in the Khilafah. These are:
1. Mu’ahid
2. Must’amin
3. Ambassadors, diplomats, consuls and envoys
4. Dhimmi
What is yours? :)
Another result of the Pakistani government surrendering to ji. .had, by signing the supposed “peace deal” with the Ta. .liban. Now the Ta. .liban are extorting the jizya, the is. .lamic tax imposed on in. .fidels living under mu. .slim “protection (think of the mafia, only the Italians don’t blow themselves up).
Si. .khs pay Rs 2 crore as ‘tax’ to Ta. .liban in Pak
http://infidelsarecool.com/2009/04/18/pakistan-non-muslims-forced-to-pay-dhimmi-tax/
2. Must'amin is one who has temporarily contracted with the Muslim state for permission to act
therein. The mustamin is guaranteed protection and may leave at any time with his property
3. Ambassadors, diplomats, consuls and envoys
4. Dhimmi generally means "the people of the Covenant or people of Peace") is a non-Muslim living under islamic rule. The dhimma is a theoretical contract based on a widely held Islamic doctrine granting special status to adherents of Judaism, Christianity, and other non-Muslim religions ("People of the Book"). Dhimma provides rights of and protection to residence in return for taxes generally equal to what the Muslims pay. Dhimmi legal and social rights and are excused from specifically Muslim duties, equal under the laws of property, contract and obligation.
Most US Citizen can generally be categorized as Dhimmi here in the US since most are none Muslims and most pay taxes. Minor differences include much higher taxes and not all are provided with the degree of protection Muhammad prescribed.
In a hadith by Muhammad in regard to the status of the dhimmis: "Whoever wrongs one with whom a compact(treaty) has been made [a dhimmi] and lays on him a burden beyond his strength, I will be his accuser."
It appears that the Muslims were more civilized than us 1400 years ago!
http://www.islamicity.com/education/ihame/default.asp?Destination=/education/ihame/2.asp
The Constitution of Medina defined the role of non-Muslims in the community. Jews, for example, were part of the community; they were dhimmis , that is, protected people, as long as they conformed to its laws. This established a precedent for the treatment of subject peoples during the later conquests. Christians and Jews, upon payment of a yearly tax, were allowed religious freedom and, while maintaining their status as non-Muslims, were associate members of the Muslim state. This status did not apply to polytheists, who could not be tolerated within a community that worshipped the One God.
Ibn Ishaq, one of the earliest biographers of the Prophet, says it was at about this time that Muhammad sent letters to the rulers of the earth - the King of Persia, the Emperor of Byzantium, the Negus of Abyssinia, and the Governor of Egypt among others - inviting them to submit to Islam.
Dec 3, 2010
Ha. .mas: “L O V E” Christians and Jews "to the last one"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjxm3OSy4EE&feature=player_embedded
Check Dh. .immitude in Mu. .slim Spain maybe you would like that.
And after America's empire is Europe's various former empires in power and global reach, all of which were secured through imperial military conquests and later ratified by bogus treaties, conventions, and 'international law' which Western powers determined.
Hence, the world submits to and worships Western Man.
These current Islamists turned their eyes to the west which they saw as the new Ansars. And they were not disappointed. The western civilization has a built-in structural fault called Political Correctness which aims to make stupidity, not common sense prevail. The west received these Islamists (some actually call themselves al Muhajeroon!) with open arms and provided them with food, shelter and protection which they badly needed to propagate their religion, just like the Ansar of Medina did to Muhammad and his companions!
These new Muhajeroon despise the west (the new Ansar) just like Muhammad did to his own Ansar! Today’s Islamists are only interested in making use of the benefit system and civil liberty laws available in the west under the protection of political correctness. Under such protection, they plan to use to their advantage, all the facilities available in the west to propagate the real Medina Islam, including their plans of ghazwas—just like Muhammad did in Medina.
Even though they are yet to be powerful to make any dent in the western civilisation, these Islamists audaciously make it clear they want to take over the city, under the protection of the politically correct western Ansars! Just like Muhammad did.
http://www.investigativeproject.org/219/al-muhajiroun-demonstration-in-new-york-city
What's wrong with you?
http://www.islamicity.com/education/ihame/default.asp?Destination=/education/ihame/2.asp
The Constitution of Medina defined the role of non-Muslims in the community. Jews, for example, were part of the community; they were dhimmis , that is, protected people, as long as they conformed to its laws.
(Qur'an 9:29)
"Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued". The jizya was a tax inflicted upon non-believers.
http://www.politicalislam.com/blog/the-two-kinds-of-dhimmis/
The key psychological technique is that the dhimmi is to be humiliated in all possible ways. In effect, the dhimmi is halfway between freedom and slavery, a semi-slave.
That is one way of looking at it. Islamic law did make a distinction between two categories of non-Muslim subjects—pagans and dhimmis (“protected peoples,” or “peoples of the book”; such as Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians). The Muslims allowed the dhimmis to practice their religion. In return for protection and as a mark willingness to live in peace with Muslims, the dhimmis were required to pay a special tax known as the jizya. Muslims also paid a tax but it was paid as the obligatory Zakat. The tax money was used for charitable purposes and the payment of salaries and pensions.
Other than this tax the people of the book where protected and were able to live and practice their beliefs freely. It appears that Islam can offer us a solution for our immigration issues here. Have the illegal immigrants pay a Jizya equivalent to what we a citizen pays in taxes so they can get the civil services such as health without draining our economy? Bad timing I know!
On the day of payment {of the jizya} they {the dhimmi} shall be assembled in a public place like the suq {place of commerce}. They should be standing there waiting in the lowest and dirtiest place. The acting officials representing the Law shall be placed above them and shall adopt a thre. .atening attitude so that it seems to them, as well as to others, that our object is to degrade them by pretending to take their possession¬s. They will realize that we are doing them a favor in accepting from them the jizya and letting them go free. (Al-Maghili, quoted in Bat Ye'or, The Decline of Eastern Christianity under Islam, 361.)
http://www.citizenwarrior.com/2007/10/dhimma.html
My Lord openly challenges you, that of you think that the Qur'an is not true or is made up, then brin forth even a few Ayah comparable to those if the Qur'an.
The era of worshipping Western Man is coming to an end and they can sense it.
What are the miserable words of a few anonymous creatures on the internet compared to the Quran?
smh