—and we seek Allah’s protection—they hurl such descriptions at the best men of this community. We ask Allah for well-being, and we ask Him—the One fully able to do all things—to requite them with the justice they deserve.
Now, as for ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib: if they are really sincere in their love and allegiance to him, and if they truly claim to be his supporters and partisans, then let them affirm the oath he swore from the pulpit while addressing the people. He openly proclaimed that the Prophet ﷺ never granted them any special privilege whatsoever except the Book of Allah, which Muslims, young and old, continue to recite up to this very day—all praise belongs to Allah.
He then unfolded the parchment and read from it certain rulings: the age categories of camels required for zakah, provisions concerning clothing, and regulations for wounds. These details are not spelled out in this particular hadith but are explained elsewhere.
The document also stated that Medina is a sanctuary stretching from ʿAir to Thawr. Thus the city possesses a sacred precinct akin to the Sanctuary of Mecca, though it is of lesser binding force and merit. Every believer must visit the Meccan Sanctuary to perform Hajj and ʿUmrah in order to complete his faith, whereas this is not the case for the sanctuary of Medina. Moreover, the prohibitions within Medina are lighter: in the Meccan Sanctuary compensation is obligatory for killing game, but no such penalty applies inside the Sanctuary of Medina. This, however, is not the place to detail all the distinctions between the two sanctuaries; there are some six or seven well-known differences.
The stretch between ʿAir and Thawr is also well defined: the sanctuary measures one barīd by one barīd, that is, four farsakhs by four farsakhs.
Regarding this sanctuary the Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever introduces an innovation in it or shelters an innovator will incur the curse of Allah, the angels, and all people.” Introducing an innovation includes anything—whether in creed, methodology, or conduct—that conflicts with the way of the Muslims; upon such a person be the curse of Allah, the angels, and all people.
Likewise, whoever gives refuge to an innovator—bringing him into Medina while knowing his deviance, hosting and supporting him, concealing him in his home, and the like—shares in his sin, and upon him too be the curse of Allah.