the most important provisions of the treaty are the following:
- the jews of bani ‘awf are one community with the believers. the jews will profess their religion, and the muslims theirs.
- the jews shall be responsible for their expenditure, and the muslims for theirs.
- if attacked by a third party, each shall come to the assistance of the other.
- each party shall hold counsel with the other. mutual relation shall be founded on righteousness; sin is totally excluded.
- neither shall commit sins to the prejudice of the other.
- the wronged party shall be aided.
- the jews shall contribute to the cost of war so long as they are fighting alongside the believers.
- madinah shall remain sacred and inviolable for all that join this treaty.
- should any disagreement arise between the signatories to this treaty, then allâh, the all-high and his messenger shall settle the dispute.
- the signatories to this treaty shall boycott quraish commercially; they shall also abstain from extending any support to them.
- each shall contribute to defending madinah, in case of a foreign attack, in its respective area.
- this treaty shall not hinder either party from seeking lawful revenge.[ibn hisham 1/503,504]
madinah and its suburbs, after the ratification of this treaty, turned into a coalition state, with madinah proper as capital and muhammad [pbuh] as ‘president’; authorities lay mainly in the hand of the muslims, and consequently it was a real capital of islam. to expand the zone of peace and security the prophet [pbuh] started to enter into similar treaties with other tribes living around ‘his state’.
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