Testimony to the Truth

requirements of worship taken with the Ansar of Madinah before the Hijrah. During the second pledge of Aqabah, when seventyfive people from Madinah (seventy-three men and two women) accepted Islam, the Prophet œ instructed them to choose twelve representatives from among themselves. They selected twelve individuals—three from the tribe of Aws and nine from the tribe of Khazraj. The Prophet then told them: “Antum kuffala’u ‘ala qawmikum” (You are guardians and responsible for your people). (Al-Tabaqat by Ibn Sad, Vol. 3, p. 557) Similarly, there was the leadership of Ja’far ibn Abi Talib, who was appointed as the leader of the emigrants to Abyssinia (as seen in Seerah Ibn Hisham, Vol 1, p. 337). Likewise, as Muslims expanded to regions beyond Dar al-Islam (the Islamic territories), they aimed to establish organized communities wherever they settled. In addition to practicing Islam personally and inviting others to Islam, they prioritized organizing themselves and fulfilling their religious duties under a leader.