Constitution of Medina

The Mithaq al-Madina or the Constitution of Medina or the Charter of Medina (Arabic: وثيقة المدينة, romanized: Waṯīqat al-Madīna; or صحیفة المدينة, Ṣaḥīfat al-Madīna; also known as the "Umma Document"), is a constitution that governed the affairs of Medina which formed the basis of the First Islamic State, a multi-religious polity under the Prophet Muhammad's leadership. Composed of approximately 47 clauses, the constitution established a legal, economic and political framework for the diverse communities living in Medina, declaring all citizens as one community.

According to Robert Bertram Serjeant, the Constitution of Medina consisted of eight distinct documents, issued on several occasions over the first seven years or so of Muhammad's Medinan period. Many of the texts were recorded by Ibn Ishaq and Abu 'Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam, though how they encountered the text is unclear. Although it does not fulfill any of the conditions of authenticity in the Islamic recording system (such as having a reliable chain of narrators up to the person who recorded it), it is widely accepted as authentic. It may have been preserved due to interest in its manner of administration. Many tribal groups are mentioned, including the Banu Najjar and Quraysh, as well as many tribal institutions, like vengeance, blood money, ransom, alliance, and clientage, and has striking resemblances with Surah 5 (Al-Ma'idah) of the Quran.