Makka

As it holds the Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) mosque and holy grave, Al-Madina Al-Munawwara (Arabic for " The Lightened or Glowing City ") is the second most important place to Muslims. It comes just after Makka (Mecca) and before Jerusalem in holiness. Today, the city is the capital of Al-Madina province (shown underlined on the map bellow) at the western region of Saudi Arabia.. It is located at 24°46.09N, 39°62.02E and has a population of about 600,000.

It is impossible to accurately determine the actual year of the founding of Madina, as the number of centuries which separate Noah (upon him be peace) and the emigration of the Messenger of Allah, the Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon him), is not known absolutely. The narration of some historians have been transmitted to us, but academically they are unreliable. They merely serve as corroboration of the preponderant proof that has been passed down in written historical chronicles. The 'Abeel and Al-'Amaaleeq tribes existed in the distant past and their oral traditions and traces of artifacts, which would specifically date their age, are non-existent. Thus, authenticating the precise time of the founding of Madina is an impossibility.

Some of the more recent histories, those reaching back to 1600 years before the emigration of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), have also been lost. However, we know that the 'Abeel tribe spoke Arabic, for this has been documented in chronicles that remain. It has been determined from these works of non-Arabs, that this was the approximate time of the appearance of the word Yathrib (Madina's pre-Islamic name).

The name also appears in inscriptions that have been discovered and in books dealing with the history of the Kingdom, in particular those dealing with the cities where various communities had existed. It was also well-known in parts of Yemen, between 600 and 1300 B.C. At that time, prosperity flourished and their power and influence were spread to the Hijaaz and Palestine. When the Sultan of Yemen became weak, the existing groups of inhabitants protected the trade routes to the north. This caravan route specifically passed Yathrib.

This approximate history also agrees with those historians who have mentioned the presence of the tribe, Al-'Amaaleeq. They fought wars with Bani Isra'il (Sons of Israel) in the northern part of the Arabian peninsula and in Sinai.

Although Madina came to prominence with the introduction of Islam, its roots date back hundreds of years into the pre-Islamic era when it was known as Yathrib. The city had abundant water supplies that fed vast date palms and vegetable gardens. The availability of food and water made Madina an important reprovisioning point for caravans that plied the commercial routes from the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula along the Red Sea to Syria and Egypt. Its inhabitants sold food to these passing caravans and, over time, became involved in trade.

It was against this backdrop that the Prophet Muhammad was born in 570 AD in Makka and received the first verses of the Holy Qur'an in the year 610. Based on the worship of God, the absolute and single Creator, Islam rejected the idolatry that was prevalent in Makka at the time. As such, Islam was viewed as a threat to the livelihood and power base of the ruling tribe of Makka, and its growing number of followers were harassed, persecuted and threatened.

During this period, leaders of Yathrib, familiar with the Prophet Muhammad's reputation for honesty and sincerity, had sent envoys asking that he mediate a dispute between two powerful tribes. Impressed by the Prophet's character and teachings, these envoys soon accepted Islam and were followed by other converts. Observing the growing threat to their fellow Muslims in Makka, the people of Yathrib offered a safe haven to them, and beginning in 620 AD, the Prophet Muhammad started sending groups of Muslims to live in Yathrib.

Having learned of a plot to murder him, the Prophet Muhammad himself left Makka for Yathrib, arriving in the city in September 622. This event is known as the Hijrah (emigration). The Prophet's arrival in Yathrib was a turning point in world history. It marked the establishment of the first Islamic state and the rapid growth of the new faith. From then on, the city became Madinat Al-Nabi (The Prophet's City), and the date of the Prophet's arrival there marked the first year of the Islamic calendar.