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 (pbuh) had a dream, which
indicated that the Muslims should go to Mecca 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 (pbuh) 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 (pbuh) 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 Mecca, the Prophet's camel knelt down and refused to go
any further. The Muslims thought she was either stubborn or tired, but the
Prophet (pbuh) said: 'The same power that once stopped the elephant from
entering Mecca 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 Kaabah 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 (pbuh) 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 Kaabah, 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 (pbuh). He gathered the Muslims around him under an
acacia tree and asked them to swear their allegiance to him, which they did.
This pact, which is mentioned in the Quraan, 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 Meccan warriors tried to attack the Muslim
camp but were captured and brought before the Prophet (pbuh), who forgave them
when they promise 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 Meccans to work out a treaty. When
the Prophet (pbuh) 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 Thy name, 0 ALLAH). I don't know him as al-Rahman (the Most
Gracious), al-Rahim (the most Merciful).' The Prophet (pbuh) 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 (pbuh) 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 (pbuh) 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 Medinah 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 Mecca to do so.
It also permitted Meccans to leave and become Muslims provided they had the
permission of their guardians. The Muslims agreed to send any Meccan who did not
have their guardian's permission back to Mecca.
Suhayl's son had come with his father with the idea of joining the Prophet (pbuh)
but when the treaty was signed he was, of course, forced to return to Mecca. He
cried bitterly. The Prophet (pbuh) said, '0 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 (pbuh), which
ALLAH would later confirm in a Revelation.
The agreement made sure that the following year they would enter Mecca
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 Medinah 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 Medinah, the 'Victory' chapter of the Quraan was
revealed to the Prophet (pbuh). It begins:
In the Name of ALLAH, the Beneficent, the Merciful
“Surely We have given thee (0 Muhammad) a clear victory, That ALLAH may forgive
thee of thy sin That which is past and that which is to come, And may complete
His blessings upon thee, And may guide thee on the right path, And that ALLAH
may help thee with mighty help”.
(Quraan xlviii.1-3)
Now most of those who left Mecca to join the Prophet (pbuh) without the consent
of their guardians and were turned back by him as agreed, Did not in fact return
to Mecca, but lived instead in groups along the seashore. Then they were joined
by others who had left Mecca but these groups began to endanger Quraysh caravans
which were passing by and disrupted their trade because of this, Quraysh told
the Prophet (pbuh) 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 (pbuh)
and the people in Mecca and Medinah 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 Medinah had
doubled.
About this time, Khalid Ibn al-Walid, the great warrior who had defeated the
Muslims at Uhud, set out from Mecca for Medinah. 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 Negus 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 Medinah to join the Prophet(pbuh) . The two men were, however,
worried about meeting the Prophet (pbuh) 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 (pbuh)
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 (pbuh) was
able to lead two thousand pilgrims on the Umra.
Quraysh vacated Mecca and watched the rites from the hills above the city. The
agreed period of three days was observed, after which the Muslims returned to
Medinah.