Mohammadreza Hafeznia; Fatemeh Janahmadi; Ahdiyeh Atashi
Abstract
Extended Abstract
Introduction
A state is an administrative organization which is established based on the public will and consent in a special human group. Hence, a state with its all kinds is an administrative, political and military set whose special functions are realized in the frame of political ...
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Extended Abstract
Introduction
A state is an administrative organization which is established based on the public will and consent in a special human group. Hence, a state with its all kinds is an administrative, political and military set whose special functions are realized in the frame of political management of the space.
The state of Muhammad, Prophet in Medina, was the first Islamic state in the history of Islam. This state which was based on a monotheistic worldview and charismatic leadership of the Prophet transformed the classic structures of Arab Peninsula and framed a new form which has been the latter states’ main principle. In fact, the emergence of Islam and the establishment of an Islamic state by the Prophet in Medina put an end to tribal hegemony and started a new Islamic sovereignty which had not been experienced by the Arab Peninsula people.
Fundamental evolutions in social actions and behaviors, changes in the forms of social classes, break of the norms of the ignorance era, the establishment of Quran-based social values, evolution from ignorance discourse to Islamic discourse resulted from the establishment of Islamic rules, and the establishment of a just Islamic state in Medina as well as toleration of the writers and creation of dialogue between the civilizations and neighboring powers are the main motivations of doing this study which intends to find out how the political management of the space in the era of Prophet Muhammad was and what the facets and indices of his management were; the facets which were famous among Islamic statesmen as political behaviors of Muhammad Prophet.
Method
This research is an interdisciplinary one done in the domains of history and political geography. Thus, historical references related to the issue are listed after the preliminary studies in the research background section. Using a historical method and analysis of proposed statements from the references, the research is intended to infer, explain, and generalize the data and answer the research questions.
Results and Discussion
In this research, we investigate the criteria for the political management of space in the era of the holly prophet of Islam. Assumptions of this investigation are aligned with the main question of the research in three components, namely, political facets of the space, defense and security facets, and foreign policy facets. Each issue has been analyzed and investigated using library and historical documents.
Three facets of political management of the space in the era of the Prophet Muhammad and its principles are investigated as follows:
Political facet of the space: In this section, different levels of political management of the space (local, regional and central) in the era of the Prophet, and the duties and responsibilities of each level are extracted and explained from historical references.
Defense and security facet: In this facet, political and security strategies of the Prophet Muhammad are studied and expounded. Strategies like avoiding from prejudice in relation with internal opponents, establishment of peace treaties like Sahif al-Nabi treaty, treaty of lack of encroachment, Hodaibie peace treaty and brotherhood contract are all studied.
Foreign policy facet: The main principles of foreign policy of the Prophet Muhammad are as follows: mixture of tolerance and decisiveness, the superiority of invitation over war, peace, development of peaceful relations and foreign relations, respecting other states’ rights, rejection of non-Muslims hegemony, and principle of diplomacy and negotiation.
Conclusion
Investigating the state pattern of the Prophet regarding three facets of political management of the space showed that in spite of being novel, his state was a preliminary and optimal kind of political management of the space. He could manage all of diverging forces in tribal organization and formed a united society called Ummah by the division of labor and social orientations. The political frontier of the Islamic sovereignty was recognized and a civilization structure called Medina al-Nabi, which was distinguished from Yasreb, was established.
Rather, Prophet could provide security and multilateral defense by creating a united military force, and he could reach a balance of power with rivals and enemies by establishing diplomatic relations with great powers. He administrated the state with a unitary decentralized pattern; a type of political system based on which the united Arab Peninsula and consequently Ummah were established and a new mechanism was framed which was a pattern for latter governments and agents.
