TREATY OF HUDAIBIYAH (628 AD)
In the sixth year after his migration to
Medina (March 628), Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) decided to perform the
Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage). Fourteen hundred of the companions
joined the Prophet for Mecca. He ordered them not to carry any weapons
of war, but allowed a sword which was customary for the travelers to
carry for protection against caravan raids.
The Quraish (Pagans) intent upon not
allowing the prophet to enter Mecca closed all access to the city. The
Prophet then reached a place called Hudaibiya, on the precincts of the
sacred territory of Mecca, and halted there. The Quraysh tried to
provoke the Prophet’s companions to fighting. Upon finding the pilgrims
in their Ihram (pilgrim’s garb) and their intention not to fight, the
fears and anxieties of the Quraysh were abated; and they were forced to
think of the consequences if the pilgrims were turned back without
performing the rites. The Quraysh sent Urwah bin Mas’ud to the Prophet
as their spokesman. The Prophet’s delegation and that of the Quraysh
negotiated back and forth. In these deliberations, the Quraysh made
some unpleasant remarks about the Prophet and his companions. At this
Urwah, the Meccan representative, felt that he was led to be misguided
and protested to Quraysh that he had not made a pact with them for such
a behaviour and stated:
“I have been sent as envoy to the
courts of Kesra (Chosroes), Qaisar (Caeser), and the Negus but I have
not seen a king whose men so honor him as the companions of Muhammad
honor Muhammad. If he commands anything they almost outstrip his words
in fulfilling it....When he speaks, their voices are hushed in his
presence and they lower their eyes in reverence for him. He has made
you a good offer, therefore accept it from him.”
The Quraysh realizing their mistake
and the risk of losing important allies, came to an agreement with the
Prophet. The terms of the treaty were written down and is known as the
"Treaty of Hudaibiyah.”
It included:
“In your name, O Allah. These are the
terms of the truce between Muhammad, the son of Abdullah and Suhayl,
the son of Amr (of Mecca).
Both parties have agreed to lay down
the burden of war for ten years. During this time, each party shall be
safe, and neither shall injure the other; no secret damage shall be
inflicted, but
uprightness and honor shall prevail between them.
The Muslims shall return
this year without performing Umrah (the pilgrimage). In the coming
year, you may enter it with your companions, staying therein for three
days, bearing no arms except the arms of the traveler, with swords
remaining in their sheaths.
If a Quraysh person
comes to
Muhammad (i.e., after accepting Islam) without the permission of his
guardian, Muhammad shall return him to them, but if one of the
Muhammad’s people come to the Quraysh, he shall not be returned.
Whoever wishes to enter
into covenant with Muhammad can do so, and whoever wishes to enter into
covenant with the Quraysh can do so.”
Many of the Muslims were not satisfied
with the terms of the treaty and they regarded it to be humiliating to
themselves, considering the behavior of the Quraish against the Prophet
during the negotiations. The Prophet declared the treaty a victory and
they accepted it on the conviction that Allah and His messenger know
best.
On their way back to Medina, Allah (The
One God) revealed to the Prophet (pbuh) a chapter of the Qur’an known
as “Al-Fath” (The Victory, XLVIII). The chapter begins with: “Verily We
have given thee a victory, a very clear victory
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