الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أمعين
The Treaty of Hudaybiyah
Quraysh had tried to destroy Islam but had failed. The number of Muslims grew and their armies increased from three hundred at the battle of Badr, seven hundred at the battle of ‘Uhud, to three thousand at the battle of the Trench. After the annual fast of Ramadan, the Prophet (S) had a dream, which indicated that the Muslims should go to Makkah for the pilgrimage.
One thousand and four hundred Muslims got ready to go with him on the Lesser Pilgrimage called ‘the `Umra’. They dressed in white and went unarmed to show Quraysh that they had come to make the pilgrimage and not to fight. When Quraysh heard that the Prophet (S) was on his way, they sent troops with Khalid Ibn al-Walid to stop the Muslims from entering the city. To avoid meeting this small army the Prophet (S) changed his route and led the men through rugged mountain passes. When they reached easier ground he told them, ‘Say, we
ask Allah’s forgiveness and we repent towards Him.’
At Hudaybiyah, south of Makkah, the Prophet’s camel knelt down and refused to go any further. The Muslims thought she was either stubborn or tired, but the Prophet (S) said: ‘The same power that once stopped the elephant from entering Makkah is now stopping us!’ He then ordered them to make camp, which they did, although they all hoped they would travel on to the sacred Ka’bah the following day.
On setting up camp, the believers were dismayed to find that the springs were almost dry. When he heard this, the Messenger of Allah (S) instructed a man called Najiyah to take the bowl of water in which he had performed his ablutions, pour it into the hollows where the small
amount of spring water lay, and stir it with his arrows. Najiyah did as he was told and the fresh water gushed up so suddenly that he was hardly able to get out of the way in time.
Messengers were sent to Quraysh to tell them that the Muslims had come only for the pilgrimage, to worship Allah at the Holy Ka’bah, and that they wanted to enter the city peacefully. But Quraysh took no notice. Finally, the Prophet’s son-in-law, ‘Uthman Ibn Affan, a wise and respected man, was chosen to go, and the Muslims settled down to wait and see what news he would bring back. After they had waited a long time, the Muslims became very worried. At last they decided that he must have been killed. A state similar to that of revelation then came upon the Prophet (S). He gathered the Muslims around him under a tree and asked them to swear their allegiance to him, which they did. This pact, which is mentioned in the Qur’an, became known as the Treaty of Radwan (which means Paradise).
Shortly after, `Uthman Ibn Affan returned and the Muslims were relieved to see that no harm had come to him. Some Makkan warriors tried to attack the Muslim camp but were captured and brought before the Prophet (S), who forgave them when they promised to stop attacking the Muslims. Soon after this, official messengers came from Quraysh and talks began for a peaceful settlement.
A man called Suhayl ibn ‘Amr was sent by the Makkans to work out a treaty. When the Prophet (S) asked ‘Ali to write ‘In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful’, on the top of the page, Suhayl objected, saying ‘Write only: bismik Allahumma (in Your name, O Allah). I don’t know him as al-Rahman (the Most Gracious), al-Rahim (the most Merciful).’ The Prophet (S) agreed and dictated: ‘This is a treaty between Muhammad the Messenger of Allah and Suhayl ibn ‘Amr. ”Stop!’ cried Suhayl, ‘I don’t believe that you are Rasulallah (the Messenger of Allah). If I thought you were Allah’s Messenger, I wouldn’t be fighting against you, would I?’ Calmly, the Prophet (S) agreed that he should be referred to in the treaty as Muhammad’, son of ‘Abd Allah. The Muslims were very upset at this, and ‘Umar furiously cried out, ‘Are you not Allah’s Messenger, and are we not Muslims? How can we accept such treatment when we are right and they are wrong? This will make people laugh at our religion!’ But the Prophet (S) knew what was best and the Treaty of Hudaybiyah was signed.
In this treaty the two sides agreed to stop fighting for a period of ten years. It was also agreed that the Muslims should go back to Madina immediately but that they could return the following year for the pilgrimage. This pilgrimage would last three days. In addition, the treaty allowed Muslims wishing to leave Islam and return to Makkah to do so. It also permitted Makkans to leave and become Muslims provided they had the permission of their guardians. The Muslims agreed to send any Makkan who did not have their guardian’s permission back to Makkah. Suhayl’s son had come with his father with the idea of joining the Prophet (S) but when the treaty was signed he was, of course, forced to return to Makkah. He cried bitterly. The Prophet (S) said, ‘O Abu Jandal, be patient and control yourself. Allah will provide relief and find a way out for you and others like you.’
The majority of the Muslims were very disappointed when they heard the terms of the agreement and thought that it should not have been accepted. They did not realize that this was in fact a great victory for the Prophet (S), which Allah would later confirm in a revelation. The agreement made sure that the following year they would enter Makkah peacefully, and in time would result in Muslims becoming stronger and more respected throughout Arabia. At the time the treaty was signed, the Muslims could not have foreseen that the number of people who would travel to Madina to become Muslims in following year would be greater than in all the years before. Before the Muslims departed, they followed the Prophet’s example of making sacrifice and either shaving or cutting their hair.
Even though they were unable to visit the sacred mosque, their pilgrimage was accepted by Allah because it had been their true intention. On the return journey to Madina, the ‘Victory’ (Al-Fath) chapter of the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet (S). It begins:
إِنَّا فَتَحْنَا لَكَ فَتْحًا مُبِينًا (1) لِيَغْفِرَ لَكَ اللَّهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِكَ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ وَيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكَ وَيَهْدِيَكَ صِرَاطًا مُسْتَقِيمًا (2) وَيَنْصُرَكَ اللَّهُ نَصْرًا عَزِيزًا (3)
“Truly, We have granted you a clear victory, so that Allah may forgive you your past and future sins and complete His favor to you and guide you to a straight path. And Allah may help you with a mighty help.” (al-Fath, 48:1-3)
Now most of those who left Makkah to join the Prophet (S) without the consent of their guardians and were turned back by him as agreed, did not in fact return to Makkah, but lived instead in groups along the seashore. Then they were joined by others who had left Makkah but these groups began to endanger Quraysh caravans which were passing by and disrupted their trade because of this, Quraysh told the Prophet (S) that if he wanted to take these new Muslims, they would not ask for them to be returned. The young men, therefore, joined the Prophet (S) and the people in Makkah and Madina grew more at ease with one another. The young men from the seashore were shortly followed by those Muslims who were still living in Abyssinia, and soon the numbers of believers in Madina had doubled.
About this time, Khalid Ibn al-Walid, the great warrior who had defeated the Muslims at Uhud, set out from Makkah for Madina. Along the way he met ‘Amr Ibn al-‘As, the clever speaker who had pursued the Muslims when they fled to Abyssinia. ‘Amr, who had attempted to find asylum in Abyssinia, had just returned from that country, the Najashi having urged him to enter Islam. He asked Khalid, ‘Where are you going?’ Khalid replied, ‘The way has become clear. The man is certainly a Prophet, and by Allah, I am going to become a Muslim. How much longer should I delay?’ ‘Amr Ibn al-As answered, ‘I am travelling for the same reason. So they both traveled on to Madina to join the Prophet(S). The two men were, however, worried about meeting the Prophet (S) because of having fought against the Muslims in the past. Therefore, ‘Amr came before Allah’s Messenger he said, ‘O Prophet, will my past faults be forgiven and no mention made of what has gone before?’ The Prophet (S) replied, ‘Amr, Islam wipes away everything that happened before, as does the hijrah.’
A year after the signing of the Treaty of Hudaybiyah, the Prophet (S) was able to lead two thousand pilgrims on the ‘Umra. Quraysh vacated Makkah and watched the rites from the hills above the city. The agreed period of three days was observed, after which the Muslims returned to Madina.
The Invitation
The peace which the Treaty of Hudaybiyah guaranteed for ten years meant people could travel from all over Arabia to visit the Prophet (S) and a great many came to declare their Islam. Also, during this period the Prophet (S) decided that the time had come for his message to be taken to other countries, so he sent trusted companions with letters, telling of his message, to the leaders of the most powerful nations of the day.
It is recorded that he said, Allah has sent me as a mercy to all men, so take the message from me that Allah has mercy on you.’ It is also recorded that some time before, when the Prophet (S) was digging before the Battle of the Trench, three flashes of lightning had come out from a rock he had been striving to remove. These flashes had shown him the fortresses of the civilizations to the South, East, and West which were soon to come into Islam.
Now at the time the Prophet (S) sent out his message. Abu Sufyan and some other members of Quraysh were trading in Syria, a province of the Eastern Roman Empire (later to be called Byzantium). Also, at about this time the Emperor Heraclius, ruler of this Empire, had a dream, and sadly told visitors to his court in Syria: “I saw our Empire fall and victory go to a people who do not follow our religion.’ At first he thought this must refer to the Jews and he even had it in mind to kill all the Jews living under his rule.
Then an envoy from the governor of Basra arrived with a message for the Emperor: O Emperor Heraclius. there are some Arabs in the city who are speaking of wonderful happenings in their country’, and he then told of what he had heard about the Prophet (S). On hearing this Heraclius commanded his soldiers: Go and find me someone who can tell me more about this.’ The soldiers, however, did not
find those who had been talking about the Prophet (S), but instead found Abu Sufyan and some of his companions and brought them before the Emperor.
Heraclius asked, ‘Is there anyone among you who is a close relative of the Prophet Muhammad (S)?’ Abu Sufyan replied, “I am.’ So the Emperor addressed all the questions to him, thinking he would know the Prophet (S) best. He said, ‘Tell me what is the Prophet’s position in your tribe,’ Abu Sufyan said, ‘he is a member of our most respected family. Did anyone before him say the kinds of things he says?’ the Emperor went on. “No.’ was the reply.’ And was he ever accused of lying or cheating?’ “Never.’ And then the Emperor asked: “And what about his ideas and opinions, and his powers of reasoning?’ “No one has ever had cause to doubt him or find fault with his reasoning’, replied Abu Sufyan. “Who follows him, the proud or the humble?’ “The humble.” “Do his followers increase or decrease?’ “They increase’, said Abu Sufyan, “None of his followers leave him.’ The Emperor then turned to other matters and asked: “If he makes a treaty, does he keep it?’ “Yes’, Abu Sufyan replied. “Did you ever fight against him?’ inquired the Emperor. To which Abu Sufyan answered: “Yes. Sometimes we won, sometimes he won, but he never broke his word in any agreement.’ The emperor then asked: “What does he say people must do?’ “To worship one God’, said Abu Sufyan. “He forbids people to worship as their fathers worshipped, and says they must pray to Allah alone, give alms, keep their word, and fulfill their duties and responsibilities.’ Abu Sufyan had spoken the truth even though he was an enemy of the prophet (S), and did not become a Muslim until the very end of his life. But he was afraid to lie before the members of his caravan who were also there with him.
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Resources and References:
Imam Ibn Kathir – Stories of the Prophets
Leila Azzam & Aisha Gouverneur – the Life of the Prophet Muhammad
Anwar Al-Awlaki – The Life of Muhammad (Makkan Period) & The Life of Muhammad (Medina Period): https://www.kalamullah.com/muhammad.html
Aisha Stacey – The Religion of Islam (islamreligion.com)
