The Medinan Period: From Prophet to Warlord
In 622 CE, after 13 years of limited success in Mecca, Muhammad and his followers migrated to Yathrib (later renamed Medina, "the city of the Prophet"). This migration, known as the Hijra, marks year one of the Islamic calendar and represents a fundamental transformation in Muhammad's career—from religious preacher to political leader and military commander. The Medinan period (622-632 CE) reveals a dramatically different Muhammad than the one who preached patience and tolerance in Mecca.
The Constitution of Medina: Initial Coexistence
Upon arriving in Medina, Muhammad brokered an agreement between the various tribes, including three Jewish tribes who had lived there for centuries. The Constitution of Medina initially established Muslims, pagan Arabs, and Jews as one community (ummah) with religious freedom for all.
This period of coexistence was short-lived. As Muhammad consolidated power, his attitude toward the Jews shifted dramatically. The transformation is evident in the Quranic revelations, which changed from acknowledging Jews as "People of the Book" to increasingly hostile denunciations.
The Turn to Violence: Raiding and Warfare
Within months of arriving in Medina, Muhammad began organizing raids (ghazwat) against Meccan caravans. This represented a significant change in tactics and theology. The Quran began revealing verses that justified and commanded military action:
"Fighting has been enjoined upon you while it is hateful to you. But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah knows, while you know not." (Quran 2:216)
This verse explicitly acknowledges that Muhammad's followers were reluctant to fight, but frames their reluctance as ignorance. The implication is clear: Muhammad was introducing warfare as a religious duty, and some of his followers were uncomfortable with this new direction.
The Battle of Badr (624 CE)
The first major military engagement occurred at Badr, where Muhammad's forces ambushed a Meccan caravan. Despite being outnumbered, the Muslims won a significant victory, killing many prominent Meccans. Muhammad interpreted this victory as divine validation:
"So you did not kill them, but it was Allah who killed them. And you threw not, [O Muhammad], when you threw, but it was Allah who threw." (Quran 8:17)
After the battle, Muhammad ordered the execution of two prisoners—poets who had mocked him in verse. One was Uqba bin Abi Muait, who begged, "But who will look after my children, O Muhammad?" Muhammad coldly replied, "Hell" and had him killed (Ibn Kathir's commentary on Quran 8:17).
This vindictive killing of poets who criticized him would become a pattern. Muhammad demonstrated repeatedly that while he preached forgiveness for some offenses, mockery of his prophethood was unforgivable.
The Expulsion and Destruction of the Jewish Tribes
Muhammad's treatment of Medina's three Jewish tribes reveals much about his character and the nature of his prophethood. When the Jews refused to accept his prophetic claims and pointed out contradictions between the Quran and their scriptures, Muhammad turned against them.
Banu Qaynuqa (624 CE): After a market dispute, Muhammad besieged this Jewish tribe and expelled them from Medina, confiscating their property and wealth. The Quran justified this:
"It is He who expelled the ones who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture from their homes at the first gathering. You did not think they would leave, and they thought that their fortresses would protect them from Allah; but [the decree of] Allah came upon them from where they had not expected, and He cast terror into their hearts [so] they destroyed their houses by their [own] hands and the hands of the believers. So take warning, O people of vision." (Quran 59:2)
Banu Nadir (625 CE): Muhammad accused this tribe of plotting to kill him (a claim conveniently revealed through "divine revelation"). He besieged them, cut down their date palms—their source of livelihood—and expelled them from their ancestral lands. Again, the Quran justified this ethnic cleansing:
"Whatever you have cut down of [their] palm trees or left standing on their trunks—it was by permission of Allah and so He would disgrace the defiantly disobedient." (Quran 59:5)
Banu Qurayza (627 CE): The fate of this third Jewish tribe was the most horrific. After the Battle of the Trench, Muhammad accused them of treachery and besieged them for 25 days. When they surrendered, Muhammad had all the men and adolescent boys executed—between 600 and 900 males. The women and children were enslaved and distributed among the Muslims or sold. Muhammad himself took Rayhana, a beautiful Jewish woman whose husband and male relatives had just been slaughtered, as a concubine.
The hadith records this genocide matter-of-factly:
"Then the apostle went out to the market of Medina (which is still its market today) and dug trenches in it. Then he sent for them and struck off their heads in those trenches as they were brought out to him in batches... There were 600 or 700 in all, though some put the figure as high as 800 or 900." (Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah)
The Quran celebrates this massacre:
"And He brought down those who supported them among the People of the Scripture from their fortresses and cast terror into their hearts [so that] a party you killed, and you took captive a party. And He caused you to inherit their land and their homes and their properties and a land which you have not trodden. And ever is Allah, over all things, competent." (Quran 33:26-27)
Sexual License and Special Revelations
During the Medinan period, Muhammad received numerous convenient revelations that justified his personal desires, particularly regarding women. While limiting other Muslim men to four wives, Muhammad received special permission for more:
"O Prophet, indeed We have made lawful to you your wives to whom you have given their due compensation and those your right hand possesses from what Allah has returned to you [of captives] and the daughters of your paternal uncles and the daughters of your paternal aunts and the daughters of your maternal uncles and the daughters of your maternal aunts who emigrated with you and a believing woman if she gives herself to the Prophet [and] if the Prophet wishes to marry her, [this is] only for you, excluding the [other] believers. We certainly know what We have made obligatory upon them concerning their wives and those their right hands possess, [but this is for you] in order that there will be upon you no discomfort. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful." (Quran 33:50)
When Muhammad desired Zaynab, the wife of his adopted son Zayd, he received a revelation permitting this:
"And [remember, O Muhammad], when you said to the one on whom Allah bestowed favor and you bestowed favor, 'Keep your wife and fear Allah,' while you concealed within yourself that which Allah is to disclose. And you feared the people, while Allah has more right that you fear Him. So when Zayd had no longer any need for her, We married her to you in order that there not be upon the believers any discomfort concerning the wives of their adopted sons when they no longer have need of them. And ever is the command of Allah accomplished." (Quran 33:37)
Aisha, Muhammad's youngest wife, reportedly said with sarcasm: "I feel that your Lord hastens in fulfilling your wishes and desires" (Sahih al-Bukhari 6:60:311).
When Muhammad's wives complained about his unequal treatment of them after he spent extra time with Maria the Copt (an Egyptian concubine), he received another convenient revelation:
"You, [O Muhammad], may put aside whom you will of them or take to yourself whom you will. And any that you desire of those [wives] from whom you had [temporarily] separated - there is no blame upon you [in returning her]. That is more suitable that they should be content and not grieve and all of them be satisfied with what you have given them. Allah knows what is in your hearts. And ever is Allah Knowing and Forbearing." (Quran 33:51)
Assassination and Terror
Muhammad ordered or approved numerous assassinations during the Medinan period, particularly of those who criticized him:
Asma bint Marwan: A poetess who criticized Muhammad was killed while nursing her infant. When the assassin worried about the consequences, Muhammad said, "Two goats will not butt their heads together over her" (Ibn Ishaq).
Abu Afak: A 120-year-old poet who wrote verses against Muhammad was killed in his sleep (Ibn Ishaq).
Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf: A Jewish poet was lured out of his fortress by Muslims pretending to be friends, then assassinated. Muhammad said, "Kill any Jew who falls into your power" after this (Ibn Ishaq).
The Quran justifies terrorizing enemies:
"And prepare against them whatever you are able of power and of steeds of war by which you may terrify the enemy of Allah and your enemy." (Quran 8:60)
The Evolution of Quranic Teaching
The contrast between Meccan and Medinan revelations is stark. The doctrine of abrogation (naskh) acknowledges that later verses override earlier ones:
"We do not abrogate a verse or cause it to be forgotten except that We bring forth [one] better than it or similar to it. Do you not know that Allah is over all things competent?" (Quran 2:106)
This means the tolerant Meccan verses like "To you be your religion, and to me my religion" (109:6) are abrogated by Medinan verses like:
"Fight those who do not believe in Allah or in the Last Day and who do not consider unlawful what Allah and His Messenger have made unlawful and who do not adopt the religion of truth from those who were given the Scripture - [fight] until they give the jizyah willingly while they are humbled." (Quran 9:29)
"And kill them wherever you overtake them and expel them from wherever they have expelled you, and fitnah is worse than killing. And do not fight them at al-Masjid al-Haram until they fight you there. But if they fight you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of the disbelievers." (Quran 2:191)
Contrast with Jesus Christ
The transformation from Meccan preacher to Medinan warlord reveals Muhammad's true character. When weak, he preached tolerance; when strong, he commanded violence. This stands in absolute contrast to Jesus Christ:
Consistency of Message: Jesus preached love for enemies from beginning to end. He never altered His message based on His circumstances. In His weakest moment—hanging on the cross—He prayed for His executioners.
Treatment of Enemies: Jesus healed the servant of the high priest when Peter cut off his ear (Luke 22:51). Muhammad ordered the execution of critics and poets. Jesus told Peter, "Put your sword back in its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword" (Matthew 26:52).
Treatment of Women: Jesus elevated women, defended them, and never used them for sexual gratification. The woman caught in adultery found mercy (John 8). The Samaritan woman at the well found living water (John 4). Muhammad married 11 or more women, including a 6-year-old child (Aisha), and took sex slaves from captured tribes.
Response to Rejection: When Samaritans rejected Jesus, and His disciples asked if they should call down fire from heaven, Jesus rebuked them: "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them" (Luke 9:55-56). Muhammad destroyed the Jewish tribes who rejected him.
Forgiveness: Jesus forgave sins and commanded His followers to forgive repeatedly—"seventy times seven" (Matthew 18:22). Muhammad held grudges and took vengeance, even years after perceived offenses.
Prophecy and Authority: Jesus claimed, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matthew 28:18). He needed no army to make this claim, and His resurrection validated it. Muhammad conquered by the sword and ruled by fear, and his body still lies in a grave in Medina.
Questions to Consider
- Why did Muhammad's message change so dramatically from tolerance in Mecca to violence in Medina if it came from an unchanging God?
- How can the genocide of 600-900 Jewish men and boys, and the enslavement of their women and children, be considered divinely commanded justice?
- Why did Allah consistently reveal verses that conveniently permitted Muhammad's sexual desires and political ambitions?
- If Islam is a religion of peace, why does the Quran explicitly command terror: "Cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve" (8:12)?
- Why did Muhammad order the assassination of elderly poets and nursing mothers who criticized him, if he was truly a prophet of God?
- How can Muslims reconcile Muhammad's treatment of the Jews with the biblical command to love your neighbor and pray for your enemies?
- Why should later, violent verses abrogate earlier, peaceful ones, rather than the reverse? Doesn't this suggest that Islam becomes more violent as it gains power?
- If Muhammad was truly a prophet like Moses and Jesus, why did his personal life—multiple wives, concubines, political assassinations, ethnic cleansing—contradict biblical standards of righteousness?
- Why did Muhammad need to constantly raid, plunder, and conquer to sustain his religious movement, while Jesus built His church through sacrificial love and willing martyrdom?
- Which example reflects the character of God: Jesus washing His disciples' feet and dying for His enemies, or Muhammad beheading 600-900 Jews and taking their women as slaves?
The Medinan period reveals Muhammad not as a prophet of peace, but as a warlord who used religion to justify conquest, plunder, assassination, and sexual license. His behavior stands in complete opposition to Jesus Christ, who came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).