Treaty of Hudaybiyyah

The Hudaybiyyah peace treaty was concluded in the Hudaybiyyah region in the month of Dhul-Qi'dah in the sixth year of the Hijra (migration) between the Muslims and the polytheists of the Quraysh for a duration of ten years. Scholars have debated the naming of the Hudaybiyyah incident. Some called it "The Peace Treaty", and these are the scholars who focused on documenting the Prophet's biography. Others among the researchers from the knowledgeable ones named it "The Hudaybiyyah Story", "The Hudaybiyyah Event", or "The Hudaybiyyah Expedition". Each group based their naming on what they found most plausible.

The reason for naming it Hudaybiyyah is the location where the peace treaty was made, as mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari: "The Prophet (peace be upon him) continued his journey until he reached Thaniyyah, where he stopped his mount. The people said, 'Halt, halt!' He said, 'Is this Thaniyyah?' They said, 'Yes'. He said, 'The Quraysh will be stopped from here'. So, the people used to pass through it, and such was the custom of Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him). The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, 'The Quraysh will not be stopped from there'. Then, he turned to his companions and said, 'The Quraysh have their intention'. So, the Prophet (peace be upon him) rode on till he reached the highest place in Hudaybiyyah at Thumad, a place covered with thorny trees, and their riders, i.e., the infidels, dismounted and tethered their animals there and advanced towards the Messenger. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'The Quraysh are off the right way, and no doubt, I gave a hint to some of my companions saying, 'The Quraysh are off the right way'. The Prophet (peace be upon him) continued moving till he reached the Thaniyyah. He then said, 'The Quraysh are off the right way. So, we looked at the face of the desert; there was no water, and the people had no water with them.

They thought that they were unable to get water from there, so they said, Shall we get water from the wells of the infidels? The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'By Allah! The people do not ask me to show them a place without my showing them. Does any of you wonder where he is staying now?' They replied, 'We have come from Jahiliyah to this place of yours'. He said, 'Now get some water for us'. So, we dug a well and got some water, and the people drank, and their animals drank too. Once the Prophet (peace be upon him) reached the well, the woman said, 'I have never seen such a handsome man as this, and I have never seen such a face as his, nor a short face as his'. While Abu Bakr was at the bottom of the well, a person from Mecca said, 'O Opener of the abdomen!' The Prophet (peace be upon him) looked at us and said, 'They will call you so, so hurry up and come out'. So, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'The Quraysh are off the right way'.

Reason for the Hudaybiyyah Incident

In a dream, the Prophet (peace be upon him) saw himself entering Mecca with his companions, and he informed them of this. They were overjoyed and set out with the Prophet (peace be upon him) for the Umrah pilgrimage, with no intention of engaging in a battle with the Quraysh but to worship Allah by visiting His sacred house.

They set out unarmed. However, when the Quraysh learned of the Muslims' intent to enter Mecca, they tried to stop them from entering with force. The Prophet (peace be upon him) chose the path of negotiation and peace, demonstrating that he had not come for war. The peace treaty, known as the Hudaybiyyah peace treaty, was then established.

The Prophet's Journey to the Hudaybiyyah Umrah

The Prophet (peace be upon him) embarked on the Umrah pilgrimage in the month of Dhul-Qi'dah in the sixth year of the Hijra. His wife, Umm Salamah, accompanied him, along with around 1,400 to 1,500 companions. While he was away, he entrusted the governance of Medina to Ibn Umm Maktum and, according to some sources, Nu'aylah al-Laythi.

Negotiations between the Quraysh and the Prophet

As the Muslims approached Mecca and began performing the rites of the Umrah, the Quraysh, upon learning of their intentions, prepared to oppose their entry with force. The Muslims knew that the Quraysh was aware of their arrival. Consequently, the Prophet (peace be upon him) chose an alternative route that did not lead directly to Mecca. While on this path, the Prophet's camel, Qaswa, stopped moving. The people urged her to move, and when she didn't, they exclaimed, "Hull! Hull!" (Settle down! Settle down!).

This incident is why some called it the "Hull incident". However, the Prophet (peace be upon him) clarified that Qaswa had not settled down due to the hull but because the one who had detained the elephant had detained her. He continued, stating that he would not be asked for a hull in which the sanctities of Allah were violated without granting it. He then urged Qaswa, and she moved.

The Prophet's Decision to Send an Envoy

When the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) saw the Quraysh's determination, he decided to send an envoy to them to clarify the Muslims' intentions. The envoy was Kharash bin Umayyah.

The Quraysh was inclined to kill him, but the Hashemites prevented them from doing so. Kharash returned to the Prophet (peace be upon him), who then instructed Umar ibn al-Khattab to go to the Quraysh, but Umar requested that Uthman ibn Affan be sent instead because he had no tribal protection among the Quraysh. The Prophet (peace be upon him) sent Uthman ibn Affan to inform the Quraysh that the Muslims came in peace, not for battle, and to invite them to Islam.

The Pledge of Ridwan

 When news reached the Prophet (peace be upon him) that Uthman had been killed, he called the people for the pledge of allegiance under the tree. This pledge became known as the Pledge of Ridwan. However, it later turned out that Uthman had not been killed.

After the pledge, Uthman returned to the Muslims. The Prophet (peace be upon him) emphasized the importance of maintaining good assumptions and treated Uthman's action as commendable.

The Naming of the Pledge of Ridwan

The Pledge of Ridwan was named as such because Allah mentioned it in His noble book and praised those who pledged allegiance to His Messenger. Allah says, "Certainly was Allah pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you, [O Muhammad], under the tree, and He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down tranquility upon them and rewarded them with an imminent conquest" (Quran, Surah Al-Fath, 48:18).

It is worth noting that Allah greatly honored the participants in the Pledge of Ridwan, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) praised them as the best people on Earth. Jabir ibn Abdullah reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said on the Day of Hudaybiyyah, "You are the best people on Earth. Had I not been driven back from visiting the House (i.e., Kaaba), I would have shown you its landmarks. Do not grieve (for not having been able to perform Umrah this year) as we have not been prevented from reaching the House, but the Quraysh have taken a wrong decision and were surprised by the peace contract" (Sahih al-Bukhari).

The Terms and Conditions of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah

The negotiations took place between the Prophet - peace and blessings be upon him - and the envoy of the Quraysh, Suhail ibn Amr, to conclude the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah after the Quraysh had sent their messengers to prevent the Prophet - peace be upon him - from entering Mecca. The terms of the treaty between the Prophet - peace be upon him - and the Quraysh were as follows:

• The Prophet - peace be upon him - would return to Medina that year without entering Mecca, and if he wished, he could enter the city the following year.
• A truce would be established between the two parties, the Muslims and the Quraysh, for a duration of ten years, during which there would be no hostilities.
• Anyone from the Quraysh who wanted to join the Muslims would be allowed to do so, becoming part of the Muslim community. Likewise, anyone from the Muslim side who wanted to join the Quraysh would be accepted, and any harm done to them would be considered an offense against the whole group.
• If anyone from the Quraysh went to Muhammad without the permission of their leader, they would be sent back to the Quraysh. Similarly, if anyone from the Muslims went to the Quraysh without the permission of Muhammad, they would not be returned.

The Writing of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah

The Prophet - peace and blessings be upon him - summoned Ali ibn Abi Talib to write the treaty and began with the phrase, "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful". However, Suhail ibn Amr objected, as they did not recognize the terms "the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful". Instead, he asked Ali to write, "In your name, O Allah".

The Prophet - peace be upon him - then told Ali to write, "This is what Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, has agreed upon". Suhail insisted that if they knew he was indeed the Messenger of Allah, they would not have opposed him, so the Prophet had Ali write, "Muhammad, son of Abdullah". The treaty also included a clause stating that anyone who went from the Meccans to the Prophet should be returned, while anyone going from the Prophet to the Meccans should not be returned.

The Reason for Naming the Treaty the Clear Victory

Initially, there was disappointment and sadness among many of the companions, as they felt that they were on the losing side. However, the wisdom of the Prophet and his knowledge of the future conquests and the conversion of large groups from the Quraysh to Islam became evident. The Prophet ordered his companions to end their state of consecration (Ihram), but they hesitated to do so until he repeated the order three times.

The Prophet himself shaved his head and sacrificed an animal, and during this time, Allah revealed Surah Al-Fath (The Victory), bringing immense joy and relief to the Muslims. It contained the promise of future victories and Allah's pleasure with them. The Prophet stated, "A Surah has been revealed to me tonight, which is dearer to me than the world and whatever it contains", and he recited Surah Al-Fath.

Results of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah

The Prophet - peace and blessings be upon him - ordered his companions to sacrifice animals and shave their heads as part of the terms of the treaty. However, they hesitated and remained silent. The Prophet went to Umm Salamah, unsure of what to do with his companions. She gestured for him to initiate the sacrifice and shaving of his own head, which he did. This prompted the companions to follow his lead, and when they returned to Medina, immigrant women came to the Prophet - peace and blessings be upon him - for him to fulfill the command of Allah, as stated in the Quran (Surah Al-Mumtahanah, verse 10). The Prophet did not return these women to the disbelievers, obeying the order of Allah.

Some of the significant results achieved after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah were:

1. The signing of the treaty by the Quraysh, acknowledging the existence of the Islamic state, which influenced the tribes that were supportive of the Quraysh.
2. Breaking the arrogance of the polytheists and the hypocrites.
3. Making the polytheists realize the strength of Islam.
4. The spread and expansion of the Islamic message resulted in many people converting to Islam.
5. Muslim attention shifted to the Jews after the treaty, which led to the Battle of Khaybar.
6. The allies of the Quraysh realized the intentions of the Muslims during the negotiations, as the Muslims sought only peaceful pilgrimage, not aggression.
7. Preparing the groundwork for the propagation of Islam outside the Arabian Peninsula, with the Prophet - peace and blessings be upon him - sending messages to the Persian, Roman, and Coptic rulers to invite them to Islam.
8. The Clear Victory - the conquest of Mecca, which is considered one of the most significant outcomes of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah.

Umrah of Qada (Makeup Umrah)

The Umrah of Qada took place in the seventh year of the Islamic calendar based on the agreement made between the Prophet - peace be upon him - and the Quraysh during the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. The Prophet - peace be upon him - took with him two thousand of his companions, who were armed as if they were going to a battle, even though they were supposed to enter Mecca without weapons as travelers. This precaution was taken because of the treacherous nature of the Quraysh. When the Quraysh saw this military presence and the strength of the Islamic community, they became alarmed, as they were in a period of weakness and defeat.

The Quraysh sent a delegation led by Mikraz ibn Hafs to meet the Prophet. They expressed concern about the Prophet entering Mecca with weapons despite the conditions of the treaty, and the Prophet assured them that they would abide by the agreed terms, which did not allow the entry of swords into the sacred precinct.

Despite the mistreatment the Prophet and his followers had endured at the hands of the Quraysh, he adhered to the terms of the treaty. The Muslims left their weapons outside Mecca and entered the city with the status of travelers. They stayed in Mecca for three full days, performing the Umrah rituals. During this time, the polytheists watched them from the mountaintops. Upon completing the Umrah, the hearts of the Muslims were filled with joy and relief, and they found solace in seeing the sacred Kaaba once again.