Signs & Science: Administrative and Geographical Units

Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Administrative and Geographical Units

The Quran uses very specific words for geographical and / or administrative units: بَلَدًا , الْبِلَادِ , بَلْدَةً , الْمَدَائِنِ , الْمَدِينَةِ , الْقَرْيَةَ , الْقُرَىٰ , قُرًى variously translated. This is an attempt to study the clues provided across the text to identify which means what in the modern context.

The أُمَّ الْقُرَىٰ (Q42:7), where Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was born, is now known as Makkah Mukarramah

The الْمَدِينَةِ (Q9:101), to where Prophet Muhammad ﷺ emigrated, is now known as Madina Munawwara*.

The الْبَلَدِ (Q90:2), of which Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was a free citizen, is Arabia.

* then known by the name: Yathrib (يَثْرِبَ) (Q33:13)

Screenshot from: https://sunnah.com/search?q=town

The Hadith quoted in the screenshot above uses the words:

... بِقَرْيَةٍ تَأْكُلُ الْقُرَى. يَقُولُونَ: يَثْرِبَ وَهِيَ الْمَدِينَةُ ...

Similarly, in The Quran, we find these words used together:

In Surah Yaseen narration about a الْقَرْيَةِ to whom were sent:

the three messengers' ... أَصْحَابَ الْقَرْيَةِ إِذْ جَاءَهَا الْمُرْسَلُونَ ... (Q36:13 )
a believing man from the far corner ... وَجَاءَ مِنْ أَقْصَى الْمَدِينَةِ رَجُلٌ يَسْعَىٰ ... (Q36:20)

In the narrations about the People of Lot (Lut عليه السلام):

when the residents of الْمَدِينَةِ came (Q15:63) for the guests
when they wanted to expel his family ... قَالُوا أَخْرِجُوا آلَ لُوطٍ مِنْ قَرْيَتِكُمْ ... (Q27:56)

Putting together the clues in the Hadith and Ayaat quoted above, it seems that a الْمَدِينَةُ consists of many قَرْيَةٍ , which consists of قُرَى .

To understand it in the present day context: human settlements grow from villages into towns, and cities contain several towns. Therefore,

City الْمَدِينَةُ
Town in the city قَرْيَةٍ
Villages in the town قُرَى

When Abraham (Ibrahim عليه السلام) and his son Ishmael (Ismail عليه السلام) were purifying Allah's House, Q2:126 quotes his supplication: 'وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَٰذَا بَلَدًا آمِنًا', to make this بَلَدًا secure.

Q95:3 takes oath by 'وَهَٰذَا الْبَلَدِ الْأَمِينِ', and by this secure الْبَلَدِ .

Historically, ever since Abraham (Ibrahim عليه السلام) and his son Ishmael (Ismail عليه السلام) have purified Allah's House, and announced the Pilgrimage, the area of Hijaz in particular, and Arabian peninsula in general, has only been ruled by Arabs, and/or Muslims, for example the Ottoman Caliph, the only empire to rule over this land.