Before the coming of Islam, Yathrib was an oasis town in the Hijaz. According to archaeological and historical sources the settlement existed from at least the late Bronze or Iron Age, and the region was attractive on account of its fertile soil, its water sources and its palm cultivation.

Various peoples lived there, above all the Arab tribes of Aws and Khazraj, but also Jewish tribes such as the Banu Qaynuqa, the Banu Nadir and the Banu Qurayza. The political situation was marked by tribal strife, a lack of strong central authority and shifting alliances between the clans.

The migration of the Prophet ﷺ and the transformation

In the year 622 the Prophet ﷺ left Mecca and migrated to Yathrib. This moment, the Hijra, marks the transition of Yathrib into the new political centre of Islam, and shortly afterwards the name of Yathrib was changed to Medina (or al-Madinah al-Munawwarah), which means “the Illuminated City.”

He laid the foundation for the Islamic community (Ummah) by means of what is called the “Constitution of Medina,” which was agreed upon between the migrants from Mecca and the inhabitants of Yathrib. Medina became the centre of the Islamic community and served as the base for the further spread of Islam and for the formation of the state under the Prophet ﷺ.