Madeenah before Islam

What is Yathrib?
What is the geographical background of Madeenah?
Who were the people who lived there?

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• Madeenah literally means city. The city to which the hijrah (migration) of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ took place came to be referred to as Al-Madeenatun-Nabawiyyah (The City of the Prophet). Today, we call it Al-Madeenatul-Munawwarah or Madeenat Tayyibah. Prior to the migration of the Prophets, this city used to be known as Yathrib.
• Madeenah, was an oasis. It was not short of water and its land was very fertile. Mountains surrounded the city on all sides, and there were many valleys that existed within the larger area of the city of Madeenah. It is located some 425 kilometers north of Makkah.
• The population of Madeenah was made up of two distinct groups: the Jews and the Arabs. Each group could be further sub-divided, and had different historical backgrounds.
• The Jews could be divided into three larger tribes with many smaller groups. Two of these three were the Banoo An-Nadeer and the Banoo Qurayzah. They came and settled in Madeenah because of the fertile land and its importance on the trading route between Arabia and Syria. The Banoo Qaynuqaa tribe was the third but scholars differ as to whether they were Jews who migrated to Madeenah, or like some other smaller tribes, were Arabs who converted to Judaism.
• The Arabs were strongly dominated by the Jews who came with agricultural expertise and developed various plantations. They also gave great importance to livestock farming. Ribaa was a tool used by the Jews to control the Arabs.
• Tribalism was an important aspect for most Jews to the extent that they could not unite fully against the Arabs. This contributed largely to their downfall.
  The Arab community consisted primarily of the Aws and Khazraj tribes. Jews had control over most of the wells and springs and occupied the most fertile land, leaving the Aws and the Khazraj to live in the remote areas of Madeenah.
  The Jews tried to maintain control over Madeenah and suppress the Arabs by constantly creating disputes among them. These disputes inevitably led to major conflicts or even fully fledged wars between the Aws and the Khazraj. The last battle between them was the Battle of Bu’aath which took place approximately five years before the Hijrah of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ . The Battle of Bu’aath was won by the Aws because of the alliance formed between them and a Jewish tribe. They, however, realized that the Jews could gain the upper-hand on the Arabs if they did not unite. Therefore, they reconciled their differences and even agreed to consider appointing a man from the Khazraj tribe as King of Yathrib.

“Discussion:”

1. Which Jewish tribe was possibly an Arab tribe that had converted to Judaism?
2. Name the Jewish tribes that lived in Madeenah at that time.
3. List the four names that all refer to the city we are presently discussing.