An Analysis of the Structure of the Prophetic Society and Its Pathology

The relation between man and God and, therefore, the relation between man and the society in which he lives is the most important human relation which constitutes a large portion of his beliefs, conducts and functions during his life. The Prophetic society or the last religious and social paradigm of humanity has taken form under the direct guidance of God and has passed through four stages of development according to the verse 29 in Sura al-FatÎ,: [ Like a tillage] sending out shoots, being built up, growing stout and settling on their stalks. Given the fact the guidance and training of human beings as well as building models for a Prophetic society are the main aims perused by the Holy Qur’Án, the Holy Qur’Án has provided people with certain guidelines to form such a society and paved the way for its progress and passed it safely through perilous roads by timely diagnosis of problematic situations. In the meantime, Sura al-Baqarah as the first Medinan Sura, in a period of strengthening the Prophetic society, has played its role in the third stage of growing stout. Considering the particular circumstance surrounding the Prophet Muhammad’s arrival in Medina, the official formation of society, and the drawing up of divine laws are determined by the revelation of the Sura al-Baqarah. In this Sura, the great emphasis is placed on the believers’ faithful adherence to the divine covenants while mentioning certain instances of violations of covenants and agreements in earlier times. The integrity and strength of the newly-established religious society and the believers’ successful efforts in improving social relations on the one hand and the non-existence of violations of communal agreements and breach of contracts as a social pathology or the most important harm inflicted on the Prophetic society in the third period of its formation is taken to be conditioned on the extent to which the individuals in that society adhered to the divine covenant.