Yathirb

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Yathrib was the pre-Islamic name of the city that later became known as Medina. The renaming of Yathib city to Madinat al-Nabi (meaning "The City of the Prophet") occurred circa 623-24 CE after the Prophet Muhammad's migration from Mecca to Yathrib a year earlier in 622 CE.

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Overview

The ancient city of Yathrib was situated in the northwestern part of the Arabian Peninsula. It was known for its agricultural activities, particularly date cultivation, and it served as a trade center in the Arabian Peninsula. However, the continuous tribal conflicts in Yathrib had created an unstable and tense atmosphere. The city was divided into different quarters, each inhabited by various tribes, and these divisions often led to skirmishes and disputes.

Yathrib had no centralized authority, and leadership was often based on tribal alliances and this absence of a unified leadership structure contributed to the city's internal divisions. During antiquity ancient Yathrib was home to various religious beliefs and practices, including polytheism and had a mix of Arab paganism, Judaism, and other local traditions. The social structure was tribal-centric, with a strong emphasis on kinship ties and alliances.

Brief History

circa 1700 BCE to 600 CE

The pre-Islamic Yathrib was characterized by a complex social and political landscape. Yathrib was originally settled by various Arab tribes, with the two main tribes being the Aws and the Khazraj. These tribes had a history of longstanding conflicts and rivalries.

References

The History of Al-Ṭabarī Vol. 7: The Foundation of the Community: Muḥammad At Al-Madina A.D. 622-626/Hijrah-4 A.H.. United States, State University of New York Press, 2015.
Aslan, Rose. “The Holy City of Medina: Sacred Space in Early Islamic Arabia / Harry Munt.” American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences (2016): n. pag. Print.
ʻAlī ibn ʻAbd-Allāh al-Samhoudi. (1908). Kitāb Wafāʼ al-Wafāʼ Bi-akhbār Dār al-Muṣṭafá. Maṭbaʻat al-Ādāb.
Gil, Moshe. "The origin of the Jews of Yathrib." In Jews in Islamic Countries in the Middle Ages, pp. 3-19. Brill, 2004.
History and Identity in the Late Antique Near East. (2013). United Kingdom: OUP USA.
ḤAQ, ZIĀUL. “INTER-REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN PRE-ISLAMIC ARABIA.” Islamic Studies, vol. 7, no. 3, 1968, pp. 207–32. JSTOR. Accessed 18 Sept. 2023.
Lecker, M. (2021). Muslims, Jews and Pagans: Studies on Early Islamic Medina. Netherlands: Brill.
Nasr, S. H. (2013). Mecca the Blessed, Medina the Radiant: The Holiest Cities of Islam. Japan: Tuttle Publishing.
History of Al-Madinah Al Munawarah. (2002). Saudi Arabia: Darussalam.
Bogle, Emory C.. Islam: Origin and Belief. United States, University of Texas Press, 2010.
Harasta, Jesse, and Editors, Charles River. Mecca and Medina: The History of Islam's Holiest Cities. N.p., CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015.
Middle East and Africa: International Dictionary of Historic Places. N.p.: Taylor & Francis, 2014.
Esmaeili, Mehran. "The Village of Yathrib/Medina in the Prophet Era; Based on the First Centuries AH Evidences." The Journal of Islamic History and Civilisation 14, no. 27 (2018): 3-22.
Salim, a. '. a. (1980). Tarikh Al-'Arab Qabla Al-Islam. Egypt: Mu'assasat Shabab al-Jami'ah.

Yathirb

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