Constitution of Medina

The Constitution of Medina (دستور المدينة, Dustūr al-Madīna), also known as the Umma Document,^[1] is a set of documents dealing with tribal affairs during the Islamic prophet Muhammad's time in Medina^[2] and formed the basis of a multi-religious Islamic state in Medina.^[3][4][5][6] The term "Constitution of Medina" is generally considered imprecise because the text neither established a state nor enacted Qur'anic statutes.^[7] The document has been termed as such by modern historians, whereas the source texts simply describe it as a document (kitāb, ṣaḥīfah).^[8] The Constitution of Medina has striking resemblances with Surah 5 (Al-Ma'idah) of the Quran.^[9]

The content of the document is based on its version as is found in the Biography of Muhammad by Ibn Ishaq (d. 150 AH/767 CE) and later by Abu 'Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam (d. 224 AH/838 CE) in his Kitab al-Amwal.^[1] How Ibn Ishaq obtained this document is unclear, as no chain of transmission^[10] or explanation of his encounter with it is offered.^[11] Nevertheless, scholars from both the Western and Islamic worlds widely accept the authenticity of the text.^[10]