THE GREAT BATTLES OF ISLAM
Al Hudaybiyya Peace Treaty and The Conquest of Mecca
It is important for all people, Muslims andsnon-Muslims, to understand that Islam is the religion of peace and that,it is neither imposed nor are they compelled to adopt it. This means that Muslims were not ordered to fight unless they were attacked for as Allah Almighty says :
"Fight in the cause of Allah those Who fight you but do not transgress the limits, for Allah loveth not transgressors."
(Sourat : Al Baqarah :190, 'Yusuf Ali P. 76)
It is clear from this verse that there Is, neither compulsion nor trapsn gression in Islam except against the vppressans-who harass to fight the Muslims. In other words, Muslim are ordered and ordained to fight, to defend themselves but they should not be transgressors for transgressors are hated by Allah.
Taking into consideration that Muslims were never transgressors, let's go back into Al Hudaybiyya peace treaty or shall we say Al Hudaybiyya truce. In fact, this truce pared the way for the conquest of Mecca especially after the idolaters had breached and violated its terms. Thus, in order to clearly understand the real significance of Al Hudaybiyya truce and the necessity of conquering. and opening Mecca, we should elaborately present the events that led to this truce or this treaty and later to the conquest of Mecca.
We all know that their long struggle against the idolaters, Qureish had forcefully prevented the Muslims from visiting the Holy Mosque. All Muslims were longing for the day in which they would be able to enter Mecca and freely perform their religious duties, fearing no one but Allah Who always .promised them victory against their enemies.
One day in Medina, the Prophet of Allah dream that he and his companions had entered the Holy Mosque in Mecca with their hair shaved or cut. The Prophet (P.B.U.H.) considered this vision sn inspiration he had received directly from Allah inspiring him to visit Mecca. The Prophet (P.B.U.H.) saw this vision in the month of Zilqe’da, nineteen years After the revelation and six years after his emigration to Medina. In fact, during these six years following their emigration, the Muslims had been able to establish a feet foundation which had enabled them to discourage the Qureish from resorting to armed conflict. Also during these six years, the Muslims had undertaken many battles against the idolaters, the most important of which was the Battle of `Badr' in addition to two other battles :`Uhud' and `Ai-Khandaq' (the Trench). The Muslims had also fought another battles against the Arabs who had supported the Qureish as well as those who had betrayed them. They had as well driven out of their reigon, the Jews of Bani Qaynuqa'a and Bani Al-Nadeer after they had violated the peace treaty, Bani Quraiza, with the Muslims. In short, during these six years, the Muslims in Madina, had been able to lay down the strong bases for the indespread of Islam and they began to be fully equipped to safeguard their new religion at whatever expenses.
In the meantime, Muslims, all through these six years, had always been filled with a tremendous yearning to visit the Holy Mosque and perform the religious duties of the pilgrimage and the Umra (Lesser Pilgrimage). Henceforth, the Prophet (PBUH) decided, after he had seen the vision, to set out for Mecca in orde to perform the Umra, i.e. the circumambulation of the Ka'aba. He informed his companions and, also, those Arabs who were then living in the desert and around Medina, to go with him. By doing so, the Prophet (PBIIH) wanted his followers to be witness to the attitude of the Qureish, in case they tried to prevent him from visiting the Holy Mosque; It was the intention of the Prophet (PBUH) as well to demonstrate to the Qureish that the Muslims had no intention of threatening the (Suks) which were the established trading centres of the Qureish pilgrimage ceremonies.
The Prophet (PBUH) set out towards Mecca, accompanied by 1400 Muslims, however many Arab tribes refused to join him, because they were afraid and thought that the Qureish might be able to defeat them and then prevent them from returning to Medina. The Muslims drove before them the camels which were to be sacrificed to Allah and carried with them no weapons except their swards in their scabbards as the Prophet (PBUH) ordered them for they were heading to Mecca with peaceful intentions.
The Muslims continued their progress until. they reached a place called (Zulhulaifa), there the Prophet (PBUH) slaughtered one of his camels and then he sent Otba Al Khozai'i to gather information about the Qureish. In the meantime, the Muslims resumed their progress until they reached a place called (Ossfan). At that time, Otba returned and told the Prophet (PBUM) that the Qureish had heard of the Prophet's imminent arrival and were preparing themselves to prevent- him from reaching the Holy Mosque. Then later on, the Prophet (PBUH) came to know that a party of Qureishites, led by Khalid Bin Al-Waleed, were coming towards them. Consequently, the Prophet (PBUM) decided to lead another route in order to avoid any possible confrontation with the idolaters.
The Muslims went through a rough track until they reached a slope called (Hudaybiyya) below Mecca. It was at this time that Khaled Bin Al Waleed realised that the Muslim had gone by another route, so he hurried back to warn the Qureish concerning the Muslims move towards Mecca. Meanwhile, the Prophet (PBUH) led the Muslims to the end of the (Al-Hudaybiyya) track and ordered them to make their camp there.
After the Muslims had calmed down, the Prophet (PBUH) was approached by Budail Bin Warqa'a Al-Khozai'i leading a group of men from Khoza'a, to inform him that the intention of Querish is to fight the Muslims and prevent them from entering the Holy Mosque. The answer of the prophet (PBUH) was that the Muslims did not come to fight but only came to perform their religious ceremonies. The leaders of Qureish were not satisfied with the Prophet's answer for they were extremely alarmed by the Muslim forces who were waiting at the gates of Mecca. Thus, they dispatched Makraz Bin Hafz, who was from Bani Amer Bin Luay, to negociate with the Prophet (PBUH) concerning his intentions. Later, Makras returned to the Qureish and told them exactly the same information the Prophet (PBUH) had previously said to Budail Bin Warqa'a Al-Khozai'i.
Once again, the terrified Qureish sent Orwa Iba Masoud Al-Thaqafi the leader of (Al-Taef) to negociate with the Prophet (PBUH) and to convince him that he should not try to enter Mecca. The Qureish received the same answer from the Prophet (PBUH). At last, the Prophet (PBUH) decided to sent one of the Muslims to the Qureish to assure them that the Muslims had come only to visit the Mosque and not to fight. The Prophet (PBUH) chose Osman Bin Affan to perform this mission. He arranged with Osman to go and negociate with Abu Suffian and the rest of the Qureish leaders and endeavour to convince them that the Muslims had only come in peace to visit the Holy Mosque. Osman Bin Affan was accompanied by 10 men on his journey to Mecca.
Because Osman did not return immediately. from Mecca, the Muslims thought that may be he had been killed. Thus, the Prophet (PBUH) gathered the Muslim together at a nearly tree[1] and exhated them to undertake to die, if need be for the sake of their cause. The Qureish became very alarmed after they had been informed of this pledge which the Muslims had taken on themselves. Consequently, they realised that the Muslims had become too strong to be attacked by them, and taking into consideration the terrible consequences, that the former wars against the Muslims had had for them, they decided that they should have to make peace with the Prophet (PBUH). For these reasons, the Qureish sent Suhail Bin Amr to the Prophet (PBUH) to negociate with him the details concerning the settlement of peace and, for the time being, the suspension of military attacks between the two sides. The conditions of Al-Hudaybiyya truce were as follows :
1. Suspension of war between the Muslims and the Qureish for at least 4 years.
2. The Muslim are under a strict obligation to turn away any Qureishite who should come to the Muslims seeking to join them, while the Qureish are not under any such obligation to turn away any Muslim who takes the same course of action.
3. The Prophet (PBUH) must return home this year without having performed his religious ceremonies (Umra), but he will be allowed to perform them next year, taking into consideration that the Qureish will have to leave the city before Muhammad and his followers enter it. After that, the Muslims will spend only three days in the city, carrying no more than their swards.
4. Any one, other than the Querishities is permitted to establish an alliance with Qureish.
The Prophet (PBUH) thereupon accepted these conditions because he had been enabled to know in advance that, in the future-this treaty would be beneficial to Islam. This peace treaty was written out in two. copies, one for the Qureish and the other for the Muslims and it was confirmed by witnesses from both sides.
There was dismay among the Muslims at the terms of Al-Hudaybiyya and most of them felt frustrated for not fullfilling the Prophet's vision. The Muslims saw no victory in this treaty, but on the contrary they felt defeated and desperate. Hence, when the Prophet (PBUH) ordered the Muslims to shave their heads and slaughter their camels in order to absorbe themselves from the Umra, the Muslims did not comply with the Prophet's command because they were in such great despair. When the Prophet saw this he returned to his tent very sorrowful. But his wife, Um Salama, tried to make him relax and told him the only thing he had to do was to go out sad commence doing what he considered to be the right thing to be done and all the Muslims, surely, would follow his leadership. No doubt, Um Salama had deep insight for when the Prophet (PBUH) did what she told him all the Muslims hastened to do the same as the Prophet.
Though the Muslims, at that time, considered the peace treaty to be a form of surrender for they were preparing themselves to attack Mecca and destroy the pagon domination over the Ka'aba, yet the treaty proved to the greatest victory that the Muslims he till then achieved. In fact, the Prophet (PBUH) was in favour of the treaty for he believed that any face to face confrontation against the Qureish in the Holy Month (Muharram), would incite greatly the other tribes to establish alliances with the Qureish in their struggle against the Muslims. Besides, Islam would have much greater opportunity to achieve with peace what cannot be achieved by bloodshed.
Thereafter, the events which occurred after the Hudaybiyya,. proved beyond doubt, the correctness of the Prophet's inspiration, resolution and understanding of the problem. Al-Hudaybiyya peace treaty had numerous advantages and merits in favour of the Muslims and in favour of Islam.
After the peace treaty, the Qureish had ceased their bullying oppression of the weakest people in Mecca the Muslims were given the opportunity to live together in peace with the idolaters. And, thus, were able to convert a great number of idolaters to Islam. Moreover, the Qureish began to accept the Muslims as a new face to be reckoned within the Arabian peninsula; whereas before the Hudaybiyya, they had been considered only as a tribe rebelling against the religion of their fathers and grandfathers. In addition, the strong tribe of Khoza'a had quickly established an alliance with the Prophet, thus adding considerably to the strength of the Muslims.
After the Hudaybiyya peace treaty, the Prophet (PBUH) had devoted considerable time to the spread of Islam within the arabia peninsula. In addition, he had been able to subjugate those tribes who had in the past treated them in disdain as Bani Murra and Ghatafan. The Prophet (PBUH) had also been able to establish contacts with both kings and Emperors exhorting them to become Muslims and embrace Islam and warning them to beware of Allah's punishment.
In the meantime, the Prophet's (PBUH) in the seventh yew of the Hijrah, led a campaign against the Jew of Khaybar, the stronghold of the Jewish tribes in both Arabia, which had become a hornet's rest of his enemies. He had besieged them and stormed their strongholds, thereby ridding the countries of the Arabs from their potential threats.
In following year to. Al Hudaybiyya treaty, the Prophet (PBUH) together with the Muslims, for three days, performed their religious ceremonies (Al Umra), but only after the idolaters had withdrawn from Mecca, as agreed upon in the peace treaty. In the Holy Mosque, the Muslims freely performed their religious ceremonies and thanked Allah becase the Prophet's vision was fullfilled. Before moving to the next point, it is worthmentioning to say that many of the Qureish leaders, after Al Hudaybiyya treaty, had went to Medina to declare to the Prophet (PBUH) their conversion to Islam. Among those who declared their faith in Islam were Khaled Bin Al-Waleed and Amr Bin Al Aas.
The conquest of Mecca, in fact, did not take place except two years after Al Hudaybiyya treaty when the Meccans broke the truce and violated its terms by launching attacks against the allies of the Muslims from the Khoza'a. Thus, the Prophet (PBUH) marched against them with an army of 10,000 Muslims. He headed to them and after a fight conquered it and since then Mecca fell under the domination of the Muslims and once again they restored their legal rights in the Ka'aba.
Talking about Al Hudaybiyya peace treaty we should not forget the Surah entitled "Victory", which was revealed to the prophet (PBUH) on his way back to Medina. It was revealed, in fact, to strengthen the Muslims faith in Allah and assure them that His victory was coming soon as they would expect. This Surah refers to the swearing allegiance which took place at Hudaybiyya them to advance with him towards Mecca. It refers as well as to those Arabs who refused to join the Muslim army when the Prophet (PBUH) exhorted them to advance him towards Mecca. It refers as well to the believers who obeyed Allah at the Hudaybiyya. Moreover, the same Surah tells us that the Prophet's vision was to be fulfilled the very next year. In this respect the Glorious Qur'an says :
“Truly did Allah fulfil the visioun for His Messenger: Ye Shall enter Sacred Mosque, if Allah wills, with minds secure, heads shaived, hair cut short, and without fear.
For He knew what ye knew not, and He granted besides this, a speedy victory".
(Surat Al Fath (Victory); 27, Yusuf Ali P. 1335)
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