Tag Archives: Medina

Caliph Abu Bakr: the Day of Muhammad’s Death

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Ruth

Muhammad died around noon. We know the room was crowded with relatives, and either A’isha or Ali held him in his last hour before he stopped breathing. Many believers were standing or sitting in the mosque just outside the house, … Continue reading →

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Respite and Growth of the Islamic State

Posted on March 13, 2021 by Ruth

The Arabian tribes who were not already allied with or tributaries of Muhammad were impressed and maybe shocked at how large the army for Tabuk had been. Arabia had never been united. Its largest cities, like Saba, employed much smaller … Continue reading →

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Challenge to the Roman Empire

Posted on March 10, 2021 by Ruth

During these same years when Mecca and Medina had a truce, then Mecca surrendered and the idols were smashed, a larger imperial story was playing out to the north. In the end, the battles and personal ups and downs came … Continue reading →

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Khaybar, the last Jewish fortress

Posted on January 30, 2021 by Ruth

The main Jewish tribes of Medina had left, but various Jewish individuals and families still lived there. Many of the Jews had moved to Khaybar, a much larger town to the north. It may have been mostly Jewish; it certainly … Continue reading →

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Letters of Foreign Policy

Posted on January 30, 2021 by Ruth

Medina under Muhammad had become a nascent Islamic city-state, with growing outside territories and alliances around coastal and central Arabia. But Muhammad felt that he had been given a vision of an even larger Islamic state that included Egypt, Syria, … Continue reading →

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The Third Jewish Tribe of Medina

Posted on January 17, 2021 by Ruth

The first order of business when it was clear that the besieging army had left was to confront the large Jewish tribe, the Banu Qurayzah, whose leader had torn up their treaty with Muhammad. I came to this story with … Continue reading →

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Mecca Attacks: Battle of the Trench

Posted on January 13, 2021 by Ruth

In 627, the eighteenth year since Muhammad’s move to Medina, the Quraysh of Mecca gathered allies to make a full assault on the city of Medina. The first ally to volunteer was the banished Jewish tribe of Banu Nadir. They … Continue reading →

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The Jewish Tribes of Medina

Posted on January 11, 2021 by Ruth

The Jews of Medina are an important topic because they’re one of the footballs that get kicked around in the current ideological wars. Since anti-Semitism is a problem in many modern Muslim countries, we wonder if it has always been … Continue reading →

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When blood flows…

Posted on January 11, 2021 by Ruth

I want to write briefly about some of the very minor incidents that happened in the Medina Muslims vs. Mecca war. They’re important because they set up a context for understanding decisions that were made. In a war, emotions don’t … Continue reading →

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The Battle of Uhud at Medina

Posted on January 11, 2021 by Ruth

After the Battle of Badr, the Muslims at Medina continued to attack Meccan shipping. When a caravan took a northeastern route to Iraq, Muhammad’s adopted son Zayd led 100 men to stop it and bring its trade goods back to … Continue reading →

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