The Life of the Prophet Muhammad

The Treaty Of Hudaybiyah

Ouraysh had tried to destroy Islam but had failed. The number ofMuslims grew and their armies increased from three hundred at the battleof Badr, seven hundred at the battle of "Uhud, to three thousand at thebattle of the Trench. After the annual fast of Ramadan, the Prophet (pbuh)had a dream, which indicated that the Muslims should go to Mecca forthe pilgrimage. One thousand and four hundred Muslims got ready to gowith him on the Lesser Pilgrimage called 'the 'Umra'. They dressed inwhite and went unarmed to show Quraysh that they had come to make thepilgrimage 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 theMuslims from entering the city. To avoid meeting this small army theProphet (pbuh) changed his route and led the men through ruggedmountain passes. When they reached the easier ground he told them, 'Say, weask Allah's forgiveness and we repent towards Him 'At Hudaybiyah,south of Mecca, the Prophet's camel knelt down and refused to go anyfurther. The Muslims thought she was either stubborn or tired, but theProphet (pbuh) said: 'The same power that once stopped the elephantfrom entering Mecca is now stopping us!' He then ordered them to makecamp, which they did, although they all hoped they would travel on to thesacred Ka'bah the following day. 

On setting up camp, the believers were dismayed to find that thesprings were almost dry. When he heard this the Messenger of Allah(pbuh) instructed a man called Najiyah to take the bowl of water in whichhe had performed his ablutions, pour it into the hollows where the smallamount of spring water lay, and stir it with his arrows. Najiyah did as hewas told and the fresh water gushed up so suddenly that he was hardlyable to get out of the way in time. 

Messengers were sent to Quraysh to tell them that the Muslims hadcome only for the pilgrimage, to worship Allah at the Holy Ka'bah, andthat they wanted to enter the city peacefully. But Quraysh took no notice.Finally, the Prophet's son-in-law, 'Uthman Ibn Affan, a wise andrespected man, was chosen to go, and the Muslims settled down to waitand see what news he would bring back. After they had waited a longtime, the Muslims became very worried. At last, they decided that he musthave been killed. A state similar to that of Revelation then came upon theProphet (pbuh). He gathered the Muslims around him under an acacia treeand asked them to swear their allegiance to him, which they did. Thispact, which is mentioned in the Qur'an, became known as the Treaty ofRadwan (which means Paradise). Shortly after, 'Uthman Ibn Affan 

returned and the Muslims were relieved to see that no harm had come tohim. Some Meccan warriors tried to attack the Muslim camp but werecaptured and brought before the Prophet (pbuh), who forgave them whenthey promise to stop attacking the Muslims. Soon after this, officialmessengers came from Quraysh and talks began for a peaceful settlement.A man called Suhayl ibn 'Amr was sent by the Meccans to work out atreaty. 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, Suhaylobjected, saying 'Write only: bismik Allahumma (in Thy name, 0 Allah).I don't know him as al-Rahman (the Most Gracious), al-Rahim (the mostMerciful).' The Prophet (pbuh) agreed and dictated: 'This is a treatybetween Muhammad the Messenger of Allah and Suhayl ibn 'Amr.''Stop!'cried Suhayl, 'I don't believe that you are Rasulallah (the Messenger ofAllah). If I thought you were Allah's Messenger, I wouldn't be fightingagainst you, would I?' Calmly, the Prophet (pbuh) agreed that he shouldbe referred to in the treaty as Muhammad', son of 'Abd Allah. TheMuslims were very upset at this, and 'Umar furiously cried out, 'Are younot Allah's Messenger, and are we not Muslims? How can we accept suchtreatment when we are right and they are wrong? This will make peoplelaugh 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 oftenyears. It was also agreed that the Muslims should go back to Medinahimmediately but that they could return the following year for thepilgrimage. This pilgrimage would last three days. In addition, the treatyallowed Muslims wishing to leave Islam and return to Mecca to do so.It also permitted Meccans to leave and become Muslims providedthey had the permission of their guardians. The Muslims agreed to sendany 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 theProphet (pbuh) but when the treaty was signed he was, of course, forcedto return to Mecca. He cried bitterly. The Prophet (pbuh) said, '0 AbuJandal, be patient, and control yourself. Allah will provide relief and finda way out for you and others like you.' 

The majority of the Muslims were very disappointed when they heardthe terms of the agreement and thought that it should not have beenaccepted. They did not realize that this was, in fact, a great victory for theProphet (pbuh), which Allah would later confirm in Revelation. Theagreement made sure that the following year they would enter Meccapeacefully, and in time would result in Muslims becoming stronger and more respected throughout Arabia. At the time the treaty was signed theMuslims could not have foreseen that the number of people who wouldtravel to Medinah to become Muslims in the following year would be greaterthan in all the years before. Before the Muslims departed, they followedthe Prophet's example of making a sacrifice and either shaving or cuttingtheir hair. Even though they were unable to visit the sacred mosque, theirpilgrimage was accepted by Allah because it had been their true intention. 

On the return journey to Medinah, the 'Victory' chapter of the Qur'anwas 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, ThatAllah may forgive thee of thy sin That which is past and that which is tocome, And may complete His blessings upon thee, And may guide theeon the right path, And that Allah may help thee with mighty help".(Qur'an 48.1-3) 

Now, most of those who left Mecca to join the Prophet (pbuh) withoutthe 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 theseashore. Then they were joined by others who had left Mecca but thesegroups began to endanger Quraysh caravans which were passing by anddisrupted their trade because of this, Quraysh told the Prophet (pbuh) thatif he wanted to take these new Muslims, they would not ask for them tobe returned. The young men, therefore, joined the Prophet (pbuh) and thepeople in Mecca and Medinah grew more at ease with one another. Theyoung men from the seashore were shortly followed by those Muslimswho were still living in Abyssinia, and soon the numbers of believers inMedinah had doubled. 

About this time, Khalid Ibn al-Walid, the great warrior who haddefeated the Muslims at Uhud, set out from Mecca for Medinah. Alongthe way, he met 'Amr Ibn al-'As, the clever speaker who had pursued theMuslims when they fled to Abyssinia. 'Amr, who had attempted to findasylum in Abyssinia, had just returned from that country, the Negushaving urged him to enter Islam. He asked Khalid, 'Where are yougoing?' Khalid replied, 'The way has become clear. The man is certainly aProphet, and by Allah, I am going to become a Muslim. How muchlonger should I delay?' 'Amr Ibn al-As answered, 'I am traveling for thesame reason. So they both traveled on to Medinah to join theProphet(pbuh). The two men were, however, worried about meeting theProphet (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 gonebefore?' The Prophet (pbuh) replied, 'Amr, Islam wipes away everythingthat 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. Qurayshvacated Mecca and watched the rites from the hills above the city. Theagreed period of three days was observed, after which the Muslimsreturned to Medinah.