The Treaty of Hudaybiyah is a brilliant chapter in the life of the Prophet. It is counted among the historical agreements of Islam that played a pivotal role in the development, spread and promotion of Islam. In the context of this agreement, the leadership ability, strategic wisdom, conscious politics and mature vision of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in the affairs of the empire were openly revealed to humanity, which amazed all the kings of the world and they could not help but acknowledge and acknowledge the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as a successful political leader.
Many non-Muslim thinkers of the past and present eras believe that if the polytheists of Mecca had cleared the way for the Muslims on this occasion, they would have performed Umrah and returned to Medina according to their plan. And if this historical reconciliation had not happened, then the key position that Islam enjoys in the history of religions today would never have.
Background
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) had a dream in which he entered Mecca in peace with his companions and performed Umrah. Then some of the companions (peace be upon them) had their heads shaved and some had their heads shaved. Since the dream of the Prophet is at the level of revelation, this dream was as if it were a command from Allah that he should go to Mecca with his companions and perform Umrah. As soon as he heard this dream, the spark of divine love ignited in the hearts of the companions (peace be upon them) and they became busy in full preparation for the pilgrimage to the House of God.
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) set out for Mecca on Monday, 1st Dhul-Qa’dah, 6 AH, with a caravan of fourteen hundred people. Since the purpose of this journey was purely to perform Umrah and there was no intention of war; therefore, he did not bring any war equipment with him except the necessary weapons. The sacrificial animals were also with him. Upon reaching Dhul-Hulaifa, he put on the Ihram for Umrah and put a necklace (sign) around the necks of the animals.
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Encampment at Hudaibiyah
There is a well nine miles from Mecca, called Hudaibiyah, and the village is named after it. Hazrat Khalid bin Walid, who had not yet embraced Islam, set out with a group of two hundred men on hearing of the arrival of the Muslims and stopped the caravan of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) at Hudaibiyah. In view of the situation, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent Hazrat Khurash bin Umayyah Al-Khuza’i (may Allaah be pleased with him) on a camel as a messenger to the people of Mecca, saying that the purpose of our journey is only to visit the House of Allaah and perform Umrah. We have not come to fight you nor have we brought any weapons with us, so open the gates of the Haram for us and do not resist us.
The people of Mecca, disregarding all diplomatic etiquette, killed the messenger’s camel and then set out to kill him. Hazrat Khurash escaped from them and returned to inform the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) of the entire situation. Due to this intense resistance from the polytheists towards the Muslims, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) understood that there was no other option but to talk to them firmly and convince them completely; therefore, he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sent Hazrat Umar (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as an ambassador to talk to the people of Mecca and guarantee peace and security. Hazrat Umar (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) excused himself from going, saying that this was an opportunity for reconciliation; whereas my hot temper could create a situation of resistance despite being careful. This refusal on the part of Hazrat Umar (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) does not fall under the category of disobedience to the Prophet’s command; rather, it was intended to fulfill the Prophethood, lest an unwitting word from my mouth on this occasion affect the process of reconciliation and cause pain to the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
Hazrat Uthman’s Departure to Mecca as a Messenger
After this, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sent Hazrat Uthman to talk to the Quraysh of Mecca and at the same time sent a message to the weak Muslims in Mecca who had not been able to migrate and were constantly being persecuted by the polytheists in Mecca, asking them to be courageous and hopeful that Allah Almighty would soon grant them victory and make their religion prevail.
Hazrat Uthman entered Mecca under the protection of one of his loved ones, Aban bin Saeed, and talked to the chiefs of the Quraysh. They flatly refused to allow him to perform Umrah; however, due to Hazrat Uthman’s nobility, they allowed him to perform Tawaf alone.
Hazrat Uthman (RA) was absolutely unwilling to perform Tawaf without the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and the Quraysh stopped Hazrat Uthman (RA). Meanwhile, the news became known in Hudaybiyah that Hazrat Uthman (RA) had been martyred.
Pledge of Allegiance
The news of Hazrat Uthman’s martyrdom struck the Muslims like lightning. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) was shocked. He (PBUH) beat the war drum and said, “We will not leave here without taking revenge for Uthman.” At that time, he (PBUH) was sitting under the shade of a kikar tree. He (PBUH) took the oath of allegiance from the fourteen hundred companions who were with him to take revenge for Uthman. The first companion to take the oath of allegiance was Hazrat Abu Sinan (PBUH).
The companions (PBUH) were so saddened by this news that some of them swore allegiance several times, showing their determination to sacrifice their lives for the sanctity of Uthman (PBUH); thus, Hazrat Salamah bin Akwa (PBUH) swore allegiance three times. At the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. When all the companions (PBUH) had taken the oath of allegiance, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) placed his left hand on his right hand and said, “This oath of allegiance is from Uthman (PBUH).
This was a matter of great honor for Hazrat Uthman (PBUH); therefore, he used to announce this in his gatherings. He used to mention it as a blessing and say, “The left hand of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was better than my right hand.” This act of allegiance and such a close relationship with one of his companions pleased Allah the Almighty so much that He Himself intervened and said, “The hand of Allah is above his hand” (Al-Fath). This allegiance is called “Bay’at Ridwan” in the terminology of the people of the journey. Allah the Almighty declared His approval of all the companions who swore allegiance in His eternal and eternal word; thus He said, “Indeed, Allah the Almighty was pleased with the believers when they swore allegiance to you under the tree, and Allah knew well what was in their hearts. Then Allah sent down tranquility upon them.” (Al-Fath).
Initial Efforts at Reconciliation
After investigating the situation, when it was found that the news of Hazrat Uthman’s martyrdom was just a rumor and Hazrat Uthman was well and sound. So there was a wave of joy among the Muslims. On the other hand, the people of Mecca were terrified after hearing about the Muslims’ pledge of allegiance and seeing their spirit of faith, they were inclined towards peace. The story of the peace was that the tribe of Banu Khuza’ah, who had not yet become Muslims; but had been an ally and well-wisher of the Muslims from the first day and their leader, Badil bin Warqa, who was a very moderate man, came and informed the Prophet (peace be upon him) that the Quraysh had gathered a large army at the water springs around Hudaibiyah to prevent him from entering Mecca and that they intended to stay here for a long time. Hearing this, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “We have not come here to fight anyone;
however, if the Quraysh wish, I will set a period of peace with them, if they are not willing to do so, I will fight them in any case.” Badil came and informed the Quraysh of the intentions of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and appreciated this offer of peace and wanted to persuade them to do so; But they did not attach much importance to Badil’s words. Hazrat Urwah bin Masood Thaqafi (RA) (who had not converted to Islam at that time) also supported Badil’s words and tried to prepare the Quraysh for peace and said to them in a loving tone, “If you consider me to be your father, then allow me to speak to the Holy Prophet (PBUH).” Seeing Urwah’s strong insistence and this great respect and kindness, the Quraysh allowed the talks.
A Glimpse of the Faithful Zeal of the Companions
Urwah appeared before the Prophet and started talking. During the conversation, he said that if the Quraysh prevailed over him in the event of a battle, all those who were with him would abandon him and flee. Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (RA), who was sitting behind the Prophet (PBUH), became furious with religious zeal and addressed Urwah and said, “Will we abandon you and flee?” This meant that he would support the Prophet (PBUH) until his last breath. During the conversation, Urwah repeatedly grabbed the beard of the Prophet (PBUH). Urwah’s nephew, Hazrat Mughirah bin Shu’bah (RA), was present in the gathering. This rude behavior of his uncle was not seen by him and, in love with the Prophet (PBUH), he said to Urwah, “Remove your hand from the beard of the Prophet (PBUH), it is not fitting for a polytheist to touch his beard.” “Put your hands on it.”
The Companions’ Devotional Relationship with the Holy Prophet
In the same gathering, Urwah witnessed the devotional relationship of the Companions with the Holy Prophet (PBUH) which impressed him greatly. Urwah saw that whenever the Holy Prophet (PBUH) ordered something, everyone wanted to fulfill that order. When the Holy Prophet (PBUH) spit or phlegm out of his mouth or used water while performing ablution, he did not let it fall on the ground and collected it on his body as a blessing. If a hair fell from his body, he would run to pick it up. They were so eager to obtain these blessings that they feared a conflict. When the Holy Prophet (PBUH) spoke in the gathering, silence prevailed.
The peace attempt bore fruit
Urwah got up from the assembly and went back to the Quraysh and said, “I had the opportunity to visit the courts of Caesar, Kisri, Negus and many other sultans; but I have never seen the gatekeepers of any king with such a selfless and sincere relationship with their king as I have seen with the companions of Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him). They can go to any extent to protect their Prophet; therefore, the only solution is to make peace with them. Finally, seeing this situation, Quraysh became ready for peace and sent Sahl bin Amr for peace. After the terms of peace were agreed upon, the Prophet (peace be upon him) had Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) write this historic peace treaty.
Terms of Peace
The Muslims and the Quraysh agreed on the following:
1- The Muslims should go back this year without performing Umrah and come back next year to perform Umrah; but they will not be allowed to stay for more than three days and they will not be allowed to bring any kind of weapon with them, except swords and that too within the limits of the law.
2- There will be a ceasefire for ten years, no party will raise a sword against the other.
3- Anyone from the Muslims who comes to Mecca from Medina will not be sent back.
4- If any person from the Quraysh converts to Islam and goes to Medina, the Muslims will be obliged to send him back to Mecca.
5- The united tribes will have the option of joining the treaty and peace with whomever they wish.
Return from Hudaybiyah
After the peace treaty was completed, the Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered the companions to slaughter animals, have them shaved, and take off their Ihram to return to Mecca. For them, this task was like moving a heavy stone. For these lovers of God, who had come with a quest to see the House of Allah, to go without performing Umrah was such a difficult and difficult stage that the Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered the animals to be slaughtered three times; But not a single person stood up.
The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) mentioned this to his wife Hazrat Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), and she defended herself on behalf of the companions (may Allah be pleased with her), saying that they were in deep shock at the time. This was a natural and natural thing for them to do, so do not be angry with them.
Then, a proposal was made to the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to resolve the matter, that he himself should slaughter the animal in front of them and shave their heads, so that they would be ready to obey the order. So the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did so, and all the companions (may Allah be pleased with him) saw him and started offering sacrifices. After staying in Hudaybiyah for about two weeks, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) left for Medina.
Political and Religious Impacts of the Treaty of Hudaybiyah
Most of the conditions of the Treaty of Hudaybiyah went against the collective, religious and missionary interests of the Muslims. The agenda of this treaty was apparently completely contrary to the interests and public welfare of the Muslims, which caused great concern among all the companions (may Allah be pleased with them). Especially the pitiful scene when Suhail’s son Abu Jandal (RA) was brought in chains and insisted on going to Medina with such weeping that the companions (RA) were sobbing and could not bear it; but due to the agreement, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) consoled him and refused to take him with him. Hazrat Umar (RA) could not control himself and said, “O Messenger of Allah! Why should we tolerate this humiliation?” Later, Hazrat Umar (RA) was very ashamed of his words and freed many slaves as atonement.
No one could understand this political insight of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) at that time; but due to the ceasefire, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) expanded the scope of the invitation, went out from the public and conveyed the message of Islam to the private sector, wrote invitation letters to the sultans, and those who kept their Islam hidden due to the peace also got a chance to express themselves. The result was that exactly two years after the Treaty of Hudaybiyah, in 8 AH, Mecca was conquered, the tribes converted to Islam, and Islam gained dominance over all the religions of the world. At that time, the Companions realized what far-sighted thinking the Prophet (peace be upon him) possessed and what political scenario he saw in his eyes, which was why he agreed to peace despite these strict conditions.
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