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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The a Mercy To the World Chapter Four If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astounding results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad? Lamartine "Historie de la Turquie", Paris 1854, vol.

II, p 276 The Messenger of Allah remained constantly on the road, touring the districts of Medina, visiting domiciled tribes, meeting with people, providing them with guidance, leading them in prayers at their mosques and at his own mosque, visiting their sick, walking behind their coffins [during their funeral processions] and delegating to whoever he wanted from among his companions the responsibilities of the state and the nation.

He appointed for the women a virtuous lady named Omm Waraqah to lead their prayers. Women who wanted to offer prayers used to go to the house of Omm Waraqah to pray with her. He also built in Medina about fifty other mosques. He paid a great deal of attention to construction in Medina after it became completely Muslim, urging people to build and to construct. He invited the Bedouins surrounding Medina to migrate and settle there and to abandon their migratory habits.

Many Bedouins went and resided in Medina, becoming members of the Islamic nation. Theirs became the migrants' centres and they made alliances with whoever they wanted from among the tribes of the AnN"r. Many of them entered into an alliance with the Messenger of Allah and with Bani H"shim. Medina expanded and its population increased. People started cultivating the vast lands in the valley without anyone to deter them or to stop them, and there was no tax on construction or agriculture.

Historians have mentioned that the number of the Muslims from among the residents of Medina increased by a third before the battle of the Khandaq (moat) and doubled thereafter. The Messenger of Allah wrote a document for the Muh"jirYn and the AnN"r making the residents of each quarter responsible for their quarter in particular and for the security of the city in general.

Thus, it was a popular government whose reins were in the hands of the people themselves, and the settlement of anyone who migrated to Medina was done upon that basis. The Messenger of Allah used to distribute to the Muslims whatever he obtained of the charity, zak"t, khums, donations and occasionally booty. The Prophet also made large quarters in his Mosque where homeless people could stay.