To the north of Makkah at a distance of approximately 250 miles there is a city called Madīnah. Today, the entire world is aware of it because our master, the Holy Prophetsa spent the last ten years of his life there. The Holy Prophetsa passed away here and it is here that his blessed tomb is situated. In the beginning, it also remained the centre of the Islāmic Caliphate. However, prior to Islām, this city was unheard of and its name was Yathrib. After the migration, since it became the home of the Messenger of Allāh, it became renowned as Madīnatur-Rasūl,1 which gradually was reduced to Madīnah. Prior to Islām the population of Yathrib was religiously divided into two parts: Judaism and Idolatry. The Jews were then further divided into three tribes: the Banū Qainuqā‘, Banū Naḍīr and the Banū Quraiḍah. The Idolaters also had two branches named the Aus and the Khazraj. It was this very Aus and Khazraj, who after accepting Islām and giving protection to the Holy Prophetsa were honoured with the appellation of ‘Anṣār’. Prior to Islām, the Aus and the Khazraj would generally remain at war. Therefore, even in the era that we are discussing now, preparations for a dangerous war were under way, known as the Battle of Bu‘āth. Many great chieftains of the Aus and Khazraj were killed in this war.
Since the Jewish people possessed superiority over these Idolaters in terms of knowledge and religion, and were generally ahead in wealth and power as well, for this reason, the Jews commanded a special influence over them. This was to the extent that if an Idolater did not have any male children, he would vow that if a male child is born to me, I shall make my first baby boy a Jew.2 Due to their living with the Jews, the Aus and the Khazraj became somewhat aware of the divine scriptures and prophetic dispensation. Moreover, in the spirit of divine scriptures, since the Jews were awaiting a prophet in those days, news of this had also reached the Aus and the Khazraj. The Jews would say to them that a prophet is soon to be commissioned. Upon his advent, by supporting him, we shall annihilate the infidels and idolaters. He shall establish a powerful sovereignty, and by following him, we shall become powerful, so on and so forth.3
1 City of the Messenger (Publishers)
2 Jāmi‘ul-Bayān ‘an Ta’wīli Āyatil-Qur’ānil-Ma‘rūf - Tafsīruṭ-Ṭabarī, By Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad bin Al-Jarīr Ṭabarī, Volume 3, p. 20, Tafsīru Sūratil-Baqarah, Under verse no. 257, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001)
3 As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Malik bin Hishām, p. 306, Bad’u Islāmil-Anṣār, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001)