Scholars
Medina
Yathrib that became Medina — before the Hijra it was an oasis contested by Aws and Khazraj; afterwards it became the heart of the first Muslim state. Here the Prophet's mosque was built, and its charter written, equalizing Muslims, Jews and the other tribes; from here the raids went out — Badr, Uhud, the Trench. It stayed the Rightly Guided caliphs' capital thirty years, until rule passed to Kufa, then Damascus. Its Ansar who sheltered the emigrants became the Qur'an's model of support. Today Medina remains the second sanctuary: Muslims come to pray in the Prophet's mosque and visit his grave. Its name carries the meaning of transformation — a divided town that became an ummah. From it the ummah learned that a state is built by charter before army, that neighborliness comes before blood, and that mercy leads the call.