A Comparison of the Medina Charter and Modern Constitutions in the Concept of "Ummah" and Pluralism

Abstract

This research aims to critically analyze and compare the concept of "Ummah" as outlined in the Medina Charter with the modern legal framework of freedom and pluralism enshrined in the constitution. The primary focus of the comparison lies in how these two fundamental documents accommodate and regulate a pluralistic society. The Medina Charter, drafted in the 7th century CE, is known as one of the earliest written documents establishing principles of tolerance, peaceful coexistence, and civil rights for the various religious and ethnic groups in Medina, uniting them under the concept of the Ummah, based on a shared commitment to defense and justice, not merely religious affiliation. Using a normative research method with a library research approach, and a conceptual and comparative approach, we collected data from books and research journals focused on research topics derived from primary legal texts such as the Medina Charter and examples of modern state constitutions. We examined theories from the Medina Charter and the constitution. The results of this study indicate several differences in historical context and terminology. There is a strong philosophical connection between the two documents. The concept of the ummah in the Medina Charter serves as an inclusive social contract that transcends religious boundaries for the public good and serves as a shared defense of the concept of citizenship in modern constitutions. Modern constitutions institutionalize pluralism through guarantees of human rights, equality before the law, and the principle of non-discrimination. This comparison highlights that the spirit of inclusion and intergroup justice embodied in the Medina Charter has enduring relevance and can serve as an interpretive foundation for strengthening the implementation of pluralist principles in the constitution and contemporary national life.

This research concludes that the concept of the ummah in the Medina Charter offers a strong historical model for building an inclusive national identity amidst diversity.