Study of two rivalries in the umma (1-11AH) and their implications for the interpretation of the Sira literature
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Date
1975Author
Gould, James Frederick
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Abstract
This thesis is an attempt to clarify, and hence to
understand, two of the rivalries which were disunifying factors
in the umraa of Medina during the lifetime of Muhammad. The
divisive qualities of the Ansar and the Munafiqun have, in the
past, been ignored and only their influence upon the religious
development of Islam has been examined.
The rivalry between the Ansar and the Kuhajirun of Quraysh
was the origin of the great north/south rivalry which plagued
the Islamic empire in the centuries to come, although the
seeds of the dispute may be found in the Jahiliya. There
remains very little historical evidence of this rivalry although
on one occasion it was sufficiently serious to suggest that a
minor incident might have provoked a full scale civil war.
When it was realized that the Muslims were going to be
successful in their conflict with the Quraysh, the Ansar became
more resigned to their fate although the election of Abu Bakr
indicated that they were not yet reconciled to their position
as second class citizens.
A study of the historical activities of the Munafiqun
indicates that the English word 'hypocrite' does not adequately
translate the more complex connotations of the word Munafiq.
Their rivalry with the other Muslims was another facet of the
struggle of the Madinese against the domination of the Quraysh.
They focused the resentment of the Ansar and acted as an
internal opposition party until it was realized that victory
was impossible. They have been portrayed as the villains of Islamic history and their name has been blackened to an extent
which is not justified by a careful study of the available
information. The story of their withdrawal from the Muslim
army on the route to Uhud is held as an example of their
perfidy and yet it seems certain that the story was a later
creation designed to shift the blame for the defeat from
Muhammad. The Munafiqun represented the traditional values of
Madinese society and as such were closely allied to the Jewish
tribes. When Muhammad finally joined the pro-Arab faction of
Medina they allied themselves to the Jewish faction out of a
desire to maintain the status quo.
Ibn Ubayy was the leader of the Munafiqun and as such has
been vilified by the Muslim historians. During the Jahiliya
he had been one of the leading figures of Medina and he
continued to play this role after the Hijra, championing the
rights of the Madinese against the Quraysh. His early
conversion led to a final reconciliation with Muhammad as
evidenced by the Prophet praying for him. He failed in his
objective of retaining power in the face of the threat posed
by Islam because he and the Munafiqun were unable to offer an
ideology which could cope with the cnanging society of the
community. By accepting a principle of independent action as
a tenet of belief he was unable to maintain a body of support
upon which he could rely. With the loss of his Jewish allies
his failure was complete.
Muhammad was forced to control the two rivalries in order
to preserve the existence of the umrna. In many ways he acted
as a- traditional tribal leader but, by virtue of the fact that he was also the Messenger of God, he was able to apply
innovative methods which had never been used effectively in
Arabia. Unity was not finally achieved until after his death;
however, by the emphasis which was placed upon it the basis
was laid for the later expansion of Islam.
Prom the study of the rivalries certain implications as
to the beginnings of historical writing among the Arabs can be
drawn, especially in relation to the biography of Muhammad. m
The Islamic bias of the historians should have precluded the
inclusion of all but a small portion of the material which
relates to the rivalries; however, it did not. It may be
concluded that the material was retained in explanation of the
descent of Qur'anic verses and to glorify the person of
Muhammad. By analysing the basic accounts of some incidents
there is an obvious development seen in the handling of the
material until the time of al-Tabari when tafsir was divorced
from history. Ibn Ishaq had expected his readers to be
conversant with the verses of the Qur'an and al-Waqidi had
felt it necessary to add a more detailed explanation.
It is obvious from the texts that there were other
rivalries and disunifying factors in the umma, but any records
of them have been removed as unnecessary for the understanding
of the Qur'an and as unsuitable for the image of Muhammad as it
was conceived in the years after his death. It is also certain
that there were other outbreaks of the rivalry between the
groups under study in this thesis which have been omitted
for the same reasons.