The
battle of Hudaibiyah took place in 6 A.H., when Nabi SAW with a large
number of Sahabah was going to Makkah Mukarramah with the intention
of performing 'Umrah. The Quraish came to know of this and decided to
prevent them entering Makkah Mukarramah. They also decided to invite
the neighbouring tribes of Makkah Mukarramah for help and made all
preparations for battle.
 |
When
Nabi SAW reached Zul Hulaifah, he sent a man to find out about the
Quraish. When Nabi SAW reached Asfan, the person returned from
Makkah Mukarramah with the news that the Quraish were fully armed and
ready to stop Nabi's SAW entry into Makkah Mukarramah and that the
neighbouring tribes were also with them. At this, Nabi SAW had a
meeting with the famous Sahabah RA about the situation.
One
idea was to attack the houses of the tribes who had sent their men to
help the Quraish so that they might leave the Quraish in order to
protect their own homes and another idea was to march straight
towards Makkah Mukarramah. Abu Bakr RA said: "O Nabi of Allah!
We have come to perform 'Umrah. We have no intention of fighting with
the Quraish.
Let
us go ahead. If they stop us we shall fight, otherwise not."
Nabi SAW agreed to the suggestion of Abu Bakr RA and decided to march
ahead towards Makkah Mukarramah. When he reached Hudaibiyah, Budail
bin Waraqa Khuza'i met him with a group of people. He said: “Under
no circumstances will the Quraish permit your entry into Makkah
Mukarramah.
They
are ready for battle." At this, Nabi SAW replied: "We have
come to perform 'Umrah only, and have no intention to fight. Many
battles have already caused heavy losses on the Quraish. Therefore,
if they agree, I am prepared to talk about a no-war agreement with
them, so that they do not fight with me and I may deal with others.
However, if the Quraish do not accept this suggestion, then by Him
who holds my life in His hand, I will fight them till at last either
Islam succeeds or I am made shahid."
Budail
returned to the Quraish and explained to them what Nabi SAW had told
him. They did not agree to the peace agreement of Nabi SAW. Meetings
between the two sides however continued, and at one time Urwah bin
Mas'ood Thaqafi was sent by Quraish for discussions. Urwah had not
until then accepted Islam. Nabi SAW talked to him in the same way as
he had done with Budail.
 |
| The well in Hudaibiyya, , where the pilgrims have their water supply during their encampment. |
'Urwah
said: "O Muhammad, If you want to kill all the Arabs you cannot
possibly do so, as none before you has ever succeeded in putting an
end to all the Arabs. On the other hand if the Arabs are victorious
over you, then take it from me that these people around you will
disappear in no time, leaving you all alone, for I don't find any
people of high birth among them. In fact they are all from a low
class, coming from all corners, who will leave you in times of
trouble."
Abu
Bakr RA, who standing close by, was very angry at this statement, and
angrily told 'Urwah: "Go and please your goddess Lat'! We will
never run away and leave Nabi SAW by himself."
'Urwah
asked: "Who is he?" Nabi SAW: "He is Abu Bakr."
'Urwah:
"Abu Bakr! I am thankful to you for a favour you have done to me
in the past. If it was not for this, I would have replied to you."
'Urwah
then continued his discussion with Nabi SAW. According to the Arab
custom, 'Urwah occasionally touched the beard of Nabi SAW as he
talked. The Sahabah could not bear this. Accordingly, 'Urwah's own
nephew Mughirah bin Shu'bah ,who was standing armed nearby, struck
Urwah's hand with the handle of his sword and said: "Keep your
hand away."
Urwah:
"Who is he?"
Nabi
SAW :"He is Mughirah. "
'Urwah:
"Oh! You traitor! How dare you hurt your uncle, who is still
suffering because of your crimes?" (Before Islam, Mughirah had
killed a few persons. Urwah paid the blood money on his behalf, and
was referring to this).
During
his long talk with Nabi SAW, 'Urwah had been quietly watching the
behaviour of the Sahabah towards Nabi SAW; so when he returned to the
Quraish he said to them: "O, Quraish! I have been sent to many
great kings. I have seen the palaces of Caesar, Chosroes and Negus.
By Allah! Nowhere have I seen the people around a king so respectful
to him as I found the friends of Muhammad SAW.
 |
| Remnant of Hudaibiya Mosque built by The Ottoman Empire. |
When
Muhammad SAW spits, they rush to receive the saliva in their hands
before it touches the ground and wipe their faces with it. When he
asks for something all of them run to carry out his wish. When he
makes Wudhu, they fight with one another to collect some drop of the
used water before it falls to the ground. If anyone fails to get that
water, he touches the wet hands of the person who had got it and then
rubs his hands on his own face. When they speak in his presence, they
speak softly. They do not lift their eyes to look at his face, out of
respect for him.
A
hair falling from his head or beard is kept safely to get blessings
from it and is seen as very holy. In short, I have never seen any
group of people as loving to their master as I have seen the
companions of Muhammad SAW towards him."
Finally,
Uthman RA was ordered by Nabi SAW to talk with the Quraish, as he, in
spite of his accepting Islam, was respected by them. When 'Uthmaan
had left for Makkah Mukarramah, some of the Sahabah wished for
'Uthman’s good luck, as they thought that he will be able to
perform Tawaf of the house of Allah SWT.
Nabi
SAW on the other hand said: "I do not think that 'Uthman will
ever like to do Tawaf without me." However, when 'Uthman RA
entered Makkah Mukarramah, Abaan Bin Sa'eed protected him and said to
him: "You can move around freely. Nobody can touch you."
'Uthman
RA carried on his talks with Abu Sufyan and other chiefs of Makkah
Mukarramah on behalf of Nabi SAW and when he was about to return, the
Quraish themselves said to him:
"While
you are here at Makkah Mukarramah, you can perform Tawaf before you
return."
He
replied: "How can it be possible for me when Nabi SAW has been
prevented by you people from entering Makkah Mukarramah."
 |
| Hudaibiyah Mosque built by the Saudi Government - Location of Miqat for Haj and Umrah. |
This
reply was not liked by the Quraish and they decided to detain 'Uthman
RA at Makkah Mukarramah. News reached the Muslims that 'Uthman RA had
been killed. On receiving this news, Nabi SAW took an oath of from
all the Sahabah to fight to the last drop of their blood. When the
Quraish learnt of this, they got frightened and immediately released
'Uthman RA.
.
In
this story, Abu Bakr's RA shouting at 'Urwah, Mughirah’s treatment
of his uncle, the Sahabah's behaviour towards Nabi SAW, as told by
'Urwah, and 'Uthman's refusing to do Tawaf without Nabi SAW, all show
clearly the love of Sahabah for Nabi SAW. The oath mentioned in this
story is known as Bai'atush Shajarah (The Oath under the tree) and is
mentioned in the Quraan (S48 : V18).
The
Treaty of Hudaibiyah – from many perspective of the non -believers
-Orientalists perception and the haters of Abu Bakar RA, Umar RA and
companions.
ACCORDING
TO THE MUSLIM TRADITION, the Kaaba in Makkah was built by the
Prophets Abraham AS and his son, Ismael AS. They consecrated it as
the spiritual center of the world of the monotheists. And now Kaaba
was the "Qibla" of the Muslims which means that they had to
turn toward it when offering their prayers. But the custodians of the
Kaaba were the idolaters of Makkah, and they were using it as the
national pantheon of polytheism, housing in it 360 idols of their
tribes.
By
ancient Arab custom, everyone was free to visit the Kaaba –
unarmed. Also, by ancient custom, fighting of any kind was prohibited
during the four sacred months of the year. One of these months was
Zilqa'ada, the 11th month of the calendar.
The
Muslims longed to see what for them was the House of God. Therefore,
in Zulqa'ada of the sixth year after the Migration, their Prophet SAW
declared that he would visit Makkah to perform Umra or the Lesser
Pilgrimage – unarmed but with his followers. With this intent, he
left Medina in late February A.D. 628 with 1400 of his followers.
They had taken camels and other animals for sacrifice but no weapons
except their swords.
When
this caravan of the pilgrims reached the outskirts of Makkah, the
Prophet SAW was informed that the idolaters would not allow him to
enter the city, and that, they would use force to prevent him from
doing so. This report caused great agitation among the Muslims. They
halted near a well in a place called Hudaibiyah in the north of
Makkah. The Prophet SAW sent a message to the Quraysh that he wished
only to make the customary seven circuits of the Kaaba, sacrifice the
animals, and then return to Medina, with his followers. The Quraish
did not agree. Many other messages were sent but the Quraysh said
that they would not admit the Muslims into Makkah.
Eventually,
the Prophet SAW ordered Umar bin al-Khattab RA to go to Makkah to
explain to the idolaters the purpose of the visit of the Muslims, to
assure them that they (the Muslims) had no intention of fighting
against anyone, and to give them a pledge that after performing the
rites of Umra they would leave Makkah immediately and would return to
Medina.
But
Umar RA refused to go. He said that there was no one in Makkah to
protect him. He suggested, however, that the Prophet ought to send
Uthman bin Affan RA with his message to Makkah since the idolaters
would not do him any harm.
The first messenger from the Muslim camp to Mecca, a convert from the Bani Khozaa, the Qoraish had seized and treated roughly; they maimed the Prophet's camel on which he rode, and even threatened his life. But the feeling was now more pacific, and Mohammed SAW desired Umar RA to proceed to Mecca as his ambassador. Umar RA excused himself on account of the personal enmity of the Quraish towards him; he had, moreover, no influential relatives in the city who could shield him from danger; and he pointed to Othman as a fitter envoy.
from-(The Life of Mohammed, 1877)
Presently
it was determined to send a representative to Mecca, but the
consciousness that most of the Muslims were stained with Meccan
blood, rendered the heroes of Islam unwilling to risk their lives on
such an errand; even Omar RA, ordinarily so ready with his sword,
hung back. At last the Prophet's son-in-law, Othman ibn Affan RA, who
had preferred nursing his wife to fighting at Badr, was sent as a
grata persona.. (Mohammed and
the Rise of Islam, 1931)
Umar
RA did not go to Makkah. Nevertheless, he solved the problem by
producing his stand-in, Uthman bin Affan RA. Instead of him,
therefore, Uthman RA was sent to Makkah to parley with the Quraysh.
Like Umar RA himself, Uthman RA also was not stained with any pagan
blood.
The
idolaters welcomed Uthman RA and told him that he was free to perform
the Umra. But he said that he alone could not perform Umra, and that
they had to admit the Prophet SAW and all the Muslims with him, into
the city. This was not acceptable to the Quraish, and it was reported
that they had arrested him. It was even rumored that they had killed
him.
When
the rumors of Uthman's execution reached the Prophet SAW, he
construed the action of the Quraish as an ultimatum, and asked the
Muslims to renew their pledge of fealty to him. All Muslims pledged
their obedience to the Messenger of God regardless of the events
which might take place thenceforth.
This
pledge is called the "Pledge of Ridhwan" or the "Covenant
of Fealty," and those Muslims who gave it, are called the
"Companions of the Tree," because the Prophet of Islam
stood under a tree as they filed past him renewing their oath of
allegiance to him. Their numbers are given as 1400.
The
resolution of the Muslims to dare the consequences appears to have
put the Quraish in a more reasonable frame of mind, as they realized
that their intransigence could lead to unnecessary bloodshed. Uthman
RA , it turned out, had not been killed as it had been rumored but
had only been arrested, and now they released him – an act
reflecting a change in their attitude. Also reflective of this change
was the selection by them of one, Suhayl bin Amr, whom they sent to
the camp of the Muslims to conclude a treaty with the Prophet of
Islam. Suhayl was a man known to be a skillful but not an inflexible
negotiator.
Suhayl
arrived in Hudaibiyya and opened negotiations with Prophet Muhammad
SAW, the Messenger of God. After long and wearisome discussions and
debate they succeeded in hammering out a treaty, the more important
terms of which were as follows:
1.
Muhammad SAW and his followers would return to Medina without
performing Umra (the Lesser Pilgrimage) of the current year.2. There would be peace between the Muslims and the Quraish for a period of ten years from the date of the signing of the treaty.
3.
If any Makkan accepts Islam and seeks sanctuary with the Muslims in
Medina, they would extradite him to Makkah. But if a Muslim, fleeing
from Medina, seeks sanctuary with the pagans in Makkah, they would
not extradite him.
4.
All the tribes of Arabia would be free to enter into treaty relations
with any party – the Muslims or the Quraish.
- The Muslims would visit Makkah to perform the pilgrimage in the following year but they would not stay in the city for more than three days, and the only weapons which they would be allowed to bring with them, would be their swords in the scabbards.
6.This
treaty is called the Treaty of Hudaibiyya. It is the most important
political document in the history of Islam. The secretary selected to
indite its terms was Ali ibn Abi Talib.
When
the Treaty of Hudaibiyya was being indited, an incident took place
which throws a revealing sidelight upon the character of the various
protagonists engaged in drafting its terms.
Dictating
to Ali RA the Prophet SAW said: "Write, In the name of Allah,
the Most Merciful, the Most Beneficent." Suhayl, the Makkan
envoy, at once raised objection, and said, "Do not write this.
Instead, write, ‘In Thy name O Allah.'" The Prophet SAW
complied with this demand.
The
Prophet SAW next asked Ali RA to write: "This is a treaty of
peace between Muhammad SAW, the Messenger of God and the Quraish..."
Suhayl again objected, and said: "If we had acknowledged you a
messenger of God, why would we be fighting against you? Therefore, do
not write the words, ‘the Messenger of God,' and write only your
own name and the name of your father."
The
Prophet SAW was agreeable to comply with this demand also but Ali RA
had already written the words, "Muhammad, the Messenger of God,"
and he refused to delete them. He said to his master: "This high
rank has been bestowed upon you by Allah Himself, and I shall never
delete the words ‘Messenger of Allah' with my hand." There
upon, the Prophet SAW took the pen in his own hand, and deleted the
words which were offensive to the idolaters.
The
Treaty of HudaIbiyya was signed on two copies, one for each party.The original of the Treaty of Hudaibiyya was retained by Mohammed SAW, while the duplicate was handed to Suheil for safekeeping in the archives of Mecca.
(The Messenger – the Life of Mohammed, 1946)
In
Makkah the leaders of the Quraish hailed the Treaty of Hudaibiyya as
a triumph of their diplomacy. They assumed that Muhammad SAW had at
last been outmaneuvered, and that the treaty was tantamount to, even
if it was not a formal declaration of, "surrender." The
Quraish gloated over what they fancied to be the surrender of the
enemy but events were soon to show that they were wrong. Far from
being a surrender, the Treaty of Hudaibiyya was one of the greatest
triumphs of Islam.
Among
the followers of the Prophet SAW, however, the Treaty of Hudaibiyya
was to produce some violent allergic reactions. Oddly, just like the
pagans of Makkah, some com[panion in the Muslim camp also equated it
with "surrender." They were led by Umar bin al-Khattab RA .
He considered its terms "dishonorable," and he was so much
distressed by them that he turned to Abu Bakr for answers to his
questions, and the following exchange took place between them:
Umar
RA : Is he (Muhammad) or is he not the Messenger of God?Abu Bakr RA : Yes. He is the Messenger of God.
UmarRA : Are we or are we not Muslims?
Abu Bakr RA: Yes, we are Muslims
Umar RA: If we are, then why are we surrendering to the pagans in a matter relating to our faith?
Abu Bakr RA: He is God's Messenger, and you must not meddle in this matter.
But
Umar's RA defiance only escalated another notch after the admonition
by Abu Bakr RA, and he went to see the Prophet himself. He later
said: "I went into the presence of the Prophet SAW, and asked
him: ‘Are you not the Messenger of God?' He answered, ‘Yes, I
am.' I again asked: ‘Are we Muslims not right, and are the
polytheists not wrong?' He replied: ‘Yes, that is so.' I further
asked: ‘Then why are we showing so much weakness to them? After all
we have an army. Why are we making peace with them?' He said: ‘I am
the Messenger of God, and I do whatever He commands me to do.'"
But
it appears that Umar RA was not satisfied even with the answers of
the Prophet SAW himself to his questions. The terms of the Treaty of
Hudaibiyya had generated grave doubts in his mind, so he said: "I
repeatedly questioned the Prophet SAW regarding the terms of this
treaty, and I had never before talked with him in this manner."
Many of the Muslims were disappointed at the outcome of Hudaibiyya, having anticipated a triumphant entry into Mecca. Umar ibn al-Khattab RA , as usual, voiced his indignation. ‘Is he not God's Apostle and are we not Muslims and are they not polytheists?' he demanded angrily from the quiet and faithful Abu Bakr RA. ‘Why not fight them; why compromise thus?’
(The Great Arab Conquests)
Umar RA turned excitedly to Abu Bakr RA and other leaders who were near the Prophet SAW to ascertain whether they really intended to submit to this humiliation (sic). He declared later that never before had he such doubts concerning Mohammed's truthfulness, and if he had found merely a hundred like-minded men, he would have resigned from the umma of Islam. (Mohammed – the Man and his Faith)
Umar and some others were angry at the idea of treating with these pagans. The future caliph came to upbraid the Prophet SAW. He declared later that if he had a hundred men on his side, he would have seceded. But Muhammad SAW was immovable.
(Muhammad,translated by Anne Carter)
Most
of the pilgrims, and Omar RA especially, were deeply mortified that
Mohammed SAW had given in to the Quraishites on practically every
point. It seemed incredible to them that, after being brought all
this way by their leader who had not been afraid to pursue an enemy
which had defeated him, they should be halted outside their
objective. It seemed even more incredible that he should humiliate
himself before the Meccan envoy to the extent of neither calling his
God by His rightful name nor using his own title, merely because the
infidel had so demanded. Omar RA went as far as to ask: "Are you
really God's messenger?"
Omar
RA went to see what the other Muslims felt. He found them much in the
same frame of mind as he. For the first time since Islam had come
into being, there were signs of revolt.
(The
Messenger – the Life of Mohammed)
Umar
RA declared later that ever since he accepted Islam, he had never had
such doubts about the truthfulness of Muhammad as he had on the day
the Treaty of Hudaibiyya was signed.
This
means that Umar RA was assailed by doubts from time to time about the
truthfulness of Muhammad and his prophetic mission. He probably
repressed them each time when they surfaced. But at the touchstone
issue of the Treaty of Hudaibiyya, his chronic doubts erupted with
such terrific force that he could not suppress them. Haunted by his
doubts, he actually considered leaving the fraternity of Islam itself
but could not find anyone in the camp who would give him moral
support in his "enterprise."
************************************************************************
The
traditional Sunni line has been that in showing defiance and
insolence to Muhammad Mustafa, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah
bless him and his Ahlul-Bait), Umar was RA prompted by his love of
Islam. According to them, he loved Islam so much that he was "carried
away." Earlier, he had refused to obey the Prophet's order to
carry a message to the Quraish in Makkah. That refusal, probably, was
also prompted by the same love.
Those
people who attribute Umar's histrionics to his love for Islam, are,
in fact, suggesting that he loved Islam more than Muhammad, the
Prophet of Islam, himself did! Also, by his conduct, he was
suggesting that God's Messenger was wrong in seeking peace with the
Quraysh but he himself was right, and that it was his duty to
"correct" him (Muhammad Mustafa).
Only
a day or so earlier, Umar RA had taken an oath to "obey the
Messenger of God" through thick and thin, in peace and in war,
in prosperity and in adversity. It was perhaps this pledge that
impelled him to show himself more "royalist" than the
"king" himself!If it is a coincidence that both the Quraish in Makkah, and Umar RA and his supporters in the Muslim camp, read in the Treaty of Hudaibiyya, the "surrender" of the Muslims, then it was truly remarkable. But if Umar's saber-rattling that day had led to a showdown with the Quraish, then one can surmise what part he would have played in it, judging by his own "track record" both before and after.
Writing about the Treaty of Hudaybiyya, Lt. General Sir John Glubb says in his book, The Life and Times of Mohammed:
The anxieties endured by the Muslims at Hudaibiyya are emphasized by the way in which those days of suspense remained etched on their memories. Many years after, when the Muslim armies had already built up a great empire, when veteran comrades spoke of the early days, the deepest respect was always shown to the men who had fought at Badr and to those who had taken the oath at Hudaibiyya – the two most tense crises of the rise of Islam.
(The Life and Times of Mohammed)
There
was no one among all the companions of Muhammad Mustafa who acquitted
himself so honorably, both in the battle of Badr and at Hudaybiyya,
and in fact, in all the critical moments in the history of Islam, as
Ali ibn Abi Talib RA. In the past, he had shown himself to be the
first in war; in Hudaibiyya everyone saw that he was also the first
in peace. He had demonstrated many times in war that he had absolute
trust in Muhammad SAW and his mission, and now he was demonstrating
in peace that there was nothing that could ever shake his faith in
his master.
After
the departure of the Makkan emissaries, the Prophet SAW ordered the
Muslims to shave their heads and to offer their animals as sacrifice,
as rites of Umra. But he was shocked to notice that many of them were
in a rebellious mood and did not want to obey his commands.
What
actually had happened was that Umar RA had publicly defied the
Apostle of God, and by his example, he had encouraged his followers
also to do the same. The Apostle entered his tent, and told his wife
that the Muslims were disobeying his orders. She said that if he
ignored them, and performed the operations himself, they would follow
him.
The Muslims were sulkily silent when told by him (the Prophet) to shave their heads and offer their sacrifices. At last (by the advice of his wife, Umm Salamah RA), he performed the operations himself, and his followers did the same.
(Mohammed and the Rise of Islam)
His mission accomplished, Muhammad, the Messenger of God, left Hudaibiyya with the pilgrims, to return to Medina. He was still at seven days' journey from Medina, when the following revelation came from Heaven:
“Verily we have granted thee a manifest victory “(Chapter 48; verse 1)
It was the Treaty of Hudaibiyya that the new revelation called "The Manifest Victory."
Amin
Dawidar, the Egyptian historian, writes in his book Pictures From the
Life of the Prophet (Cairo, 1968, p. 465) that when the Messenger of
God promulgated this latest revelation called "Victory,"
Umar bin al-Khattab RA came to see him, and asked: "Is this what
you call a Manifest Victory?" "Yes," said the
Messenger of God, "by Him in Whose hands is my life, this is the
Manifest Victory."
The
Treaty of Hudaibiyya was truly the "Manifest Victory" as
the unfolding drama of history was to reveal, notwithstanding the
reservations about it of many Muslims in the camp of the Prophet.
Muhammad
Mustafa was the Apostle of Peace. If he had yielded to the pressures
of the few follwers in his camp to use strong-arm methods, his whole
mission would have been compromised, and the generations of the
future would have indicted him for his love of "aggression."
But he resisted pressures to appeal to the arbitration of arms, and
instead, appealed to the arbitration of peace, and achieved results
which no military victory could have gained.
The
Treaty of Hudaibiyya was a product of inspired statesmanship and
political genius of the highest order. It brought immense advantages
to Islam. Among them:1. The Quraish of Makkah acknowledged Muhammad as an equal. Heretofore, they had considered him a rebel and a fugitive from their vengeance.
2.
By signing the treaty, the Quraish gave tacit recognition to the
nascent Islamic State of Medina.
3.
Those Muslims who were in Makkah, concealed their faith from the
idolaters for fear of persecution by them. But after the Treaty of
Hudaybiyya, they began to practice Islam publicly.
4.
Till 6 A.H., Muhammad, the Messenger of God, had been locked up in a
ceaseless struggle with the pagan Arabs and the Jews, and there had
been no opportunity for them to see Islam in action. After the Treaty
of Hudaibiyya, they could "appraise" Islam for the first
time. This "appraisal" led to the conversion of many of
them, and Islam began to spread rapidly. The Treaty of Hudaibiyya
opened the gates of proselytization.
5.
Many Arab tribes, though still heathen, wanted to enter into treaty
relations with the Muslims but felt inhibited by the opposition of
the Quraish. Now they were freed to make alliances with the Muslims.
6.
The Treaty of Hudaibiyya is the best answer to those critics who
allege that Islam was spread on the point of the sword. There is no
better proof than this Treaty of the repudiation, by Muhammad, of
war, as an instrument of policy, and of his genuine love of peace.
The pagan Arabs were strongly influenced by the Quraishite propaganda
that Muhammad SAW lusted for war. Now they could see with their own
eyes that Muhammad SAW retired to Medina without even a "quid
pro quo," even though he had an army with him, and even though
he had defeated the Quraish twice – in 624 and 627.
The
Treaty of Hudaibiyya also points up the aversion of Qur’an for war.
Before the treaty, the Muslims had won the two historic battles of
Badr and Ahzab (Trench). If they had been defeated in either of them,
Islam would have vanished for all time from the face of the earth.
Victory in both of these battles guaranteed the physical survival of
Islam. And yet, Al-Qur’an al-Majid didn't call either of them a
manifest victory. In the sight of Qur’an, among all the campaigns
of Muhammad SAW, the Treaty of Hudaibiyya alone was the Manifest
Victory.
The
Treaty of Hudaibiyya was the prelude to the victory of Islam over the
forces of paganism, polytheism, idolatry, ignorance, injustice and
exploitation. Umar bin al-Khattab RA had bridled at the third clause
of the Treaty since it was not reciprocal; but it was precisely this
clause that put the Quraish on the defensive almost immediately, and
they came a-begging to the Prophet to repeal it.
Eighteen
months after the signing of the Treaty of Hudaibiyya, Muhammad SAW,
the Messenger of God, marched into Makkah, as a conqueror, and he was
accompanied by ten thousand believers. The conquest of Makkah was a
direct result of this Treaty.
Because
of these results, many historians have rightly called the Treaty of
HudaIbiyya the tour de force of Muhammad's SAW statesmanship.
Marmaduke
Pickthall
There
was dismay among the Muslims at these terms (the terms of the Treaty
of Hudaibiyya). They asked one another: ‘Where is the victory that
we were promised?' It was during the return journey from
Al-Hudaibiyah that the surah entitled Victory was revealed. This
truce proved, in fact, to be the greatest victory that the Muslims
had till then achieved. War had been a barrier between them and the
idolaters, but now both partners met and talked together, and the new
religion spread more rapidly. In the two years which elapsed between
the signing of the truce and the fall of Mecca, the number of
converts was greater than the total number of all previous converts.
The Prophet traveled to Al-Hudaibiyah with 1400 men. Two years later,
when the Meccans broke the truce, he marched against them with an
army of 10,000. (Introduction to the translation of Holy Qur’an,
1975)
Two
important principles of Islam can be seen in their application in the
Treaty of Hudaibiyya, viz.
1.
War must be eschewed at all costs unless it is absolutely inevitable.
Solution of all problems must be sought and found through peaceful
means, without, of course, compromising with the principles of Islam.
To the pagans and to many Muslims, it had appeared that Muhammad SAW
, the Messenger of God, had given "carte blanche" to
Suhayl, the Makkan emissary, so that he (Suhayl), in a sense,
dictated his own terms. Notwithstanding such appearances, Muhammad
SAW had accepted those terms. Of course, there was no compromise with
any principle. It was unthinkable that the Prophet of Islam would
compromise with any principle of Islam
2.
A Messenger of God does not have to defer to the opinions or wishes
of his followers, or of the people in general. An overwhelming
majority of the companions of Muhammad had been opposed to the
signing of the Treaty of Hudaibiya. But he ignored their opposition,
and went ahead and signed it. He, in fact, did not even seek the
advice of any of them in the matter. From beginning to end, he was
guided, not by the wishes of the "people" or by the wishes
of the "majority" of the people but only by the
commandments of God, enshrined in His Book, specifically in the
following verse:
So
judge between them by what Allah SWT hath revealed, and follow not
their vain desires, diverging from the truth that hath come to
thee... (Chapter 5; verse 51)