Relishing Al-Hudaybiyah: 7 Key Lessons for Modern Day Muslims
Surely We have given you a manifest victory. That Allah may forgive you your sins of the past and future, and complete His blessing on you and guide you on a straight path. And that Allah may help you with a mighty help. Qur’an 48[Al-Fatih]: 1–3
One of the best stories from the seerah that gave hope to the ummah were the narratives of Al-Hudaybiyyah. That golden event should be an inspiration for Muslims with deep thoughts. After the treaty had been signed and the Muslims were returning back to Madinah, Allah revealed the verses of Suratul Fatih. In that chapter were ordeals of the occurrence and words of reassurance of victory for the Muslims. Indeed Allah was true to His words: for He aided His slaves and ousted the clans.
The prophet ﷺ had seen in his dream that Allah made him enter Mecca in a state of ihram, circumambulating the ka’aba in tawaf. He narrated this to his companions and with ecstasy they marched forth towards the holy land to perform the umrah — lesser pilgrimage. On their way, they were interjected by the Qurayshi people. They denied them access into Mecca and turned them back to come the next year. The messenger of God ﷺ sent Uthman bin Affan -a noble of the Quraysh tribe- as an emissary to them that the Muslims were here peacefully on a mission for umrah, not war.
Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) was detained and asked to make his tawaaf if he wanted since he’s already in the sanctuary. He rejected claiming he would only do behind the messenger ﷺ along side the rest of the Muslims. This led the pagan Arabs to send Suhayl ibn Amr as a representative of theirs to go negotiate a truce between them and the Muslims. It was this consequence that led to the well known treaty of hudaybiyyah. It was so apparent that the contents of the treaty was unfavorable to the Muslims, yet the prophet ﷺ accepted, honored and abided by it.
Contents of the Treaty
After a lot of argument, the following five terms were negotiated and agreed upon:
- The Muslims shall return to Al-Madinah this time and come back next year, but they shall not stay in Makkah for more than three days.
- The Muslims shall not come back armed but can bring with them swords only sheathed in scabbards and these shall be kept in bags.
- War activities shall be suspended for ten years, during which both parties will live in full security and neither will raise sword against the other.
- If anyone from the Quraysh goes to join the Muslims without his guardian’s permission, He should be returned but if anyone goes from the Muslims to the Quraysh, he shall not be sent back.
- Whosoever wishes to join the Muslims or enter into treaty with them, should have the liberty to do so. And likewise whosoever wishes to join the Quraysh, or enter into treaty with them, should be allowed to do so.
As dodgy as the treaty reads, Allah made it a blessing in disguise. It was after the Muslims thought they had been defeated that Allah revealed those golden verses of Suratul Fathi thereafter.
The Inquisitiveness of Umar and the Bravery of the Messenger
When Allah puts you to test, it will only take His favor for you to excel. The Muslims were being tested through this event. Little did they know that it would only lead to an increment in faith and an apparent victory. Amidst all these imbroglio, Umar Ibn Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) was confused and surprised. Then, he confronted the prophet ﷺ and here was the scenario, he narrates…
“I never doubted my Islam except on that day.” He came to the Prophet ﷺ and asked, “Are you not truly the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?”
The Prophet ﷺ said, “Yes, indeed.”
Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked, “Is not our cause just and the cause of the enemy unjust?”
The Prophet ﷺ said, “Yes.”
Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked, “Then why should we be humiliated in our religion?”
He ﷺ said, “I am Allah’s Messenger; I do not disobey Him and He will make me victorious.”
Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked, “Did you not tell us that we would go to the Ka’bah and perform Tawaf around it?”
He ﷺ said, “Yes, but did I tell you that we would visit the Ka’bah this year?”
Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, “No.”
He ﷺ said, “So you will visit it and perform Tawaf around it!” [Reported by Al-Bukhari].
Lessons for Modern Day Muslim
- In the messenger ﷺ is the best of examples: The Most Merciful Lord said:
Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad SAW) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much. — Qur’an 33[Al-Ahzab]:21
The prophet ﷺ exhibited perfect character in the face of this adversity. Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) was the scribe who drafted the treaty. He wrote: “this peace treaty is between Muhammad the messenger of Allah…” Suhail Ibn Amr — the representative of the quraysh objected saying: ‘had we witnessed you as the Messenger of Allah, we would not have turned you away from the House of Allah, nor fought with you. You should write Muhammad Ibn Abdullah [Muhammad the son of Abdullah].’ The prophet ﷺ replied: “I am Allah’s Messenger, even if you disbelieve in me.” He then asked Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) to rub out what he had written. ‘By Allah, I cannot do it’ replied Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). The Prophet ﷺ asked Ali, show me where it is written and he wiped it off by himself in the interest of peace. This is an epitome of civility and gentlemanship which Muslims of this day need to imbibe.
- Victory is not always in winning: Ibn Al-Hajar said in his famous book Fathul Bari: “No victory in Islam was greater than Al-Hudaybiyyah.” In it Allah granted the Muslims victory without raising a sword. This tells that war is not an end; for the sublime nature of Islam is peace. At the inception, the prophet ﷺ called people to Islam with good words and praiseworthy character. In return, the pagan Arabs persecuted him and even tried to kill him. Muslims today should be steadfast, patient and continue to propagate the deen. No matter the hardship victory is imminent.
- Allah has honored and elevated the Muslim woman: Our wives aren’t second class citizens but our trustworthy confidants. It’s sad today that some Muslims relegate the status of women. The prophet ﷺ asked the Muslims to shave their heads and slaughter their animals since they were already in ihram but couldn’t enter the holy sanctuary. They reluctantly refused out of distress and unhappiness. He ﷺ sought the advice of his wife, Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) on the matter and then she told him: ‘O Prophet of Allah! Do you want your order to be carried out? Go out and don’t say a word to anybody until you have slaughtered your sacrifice and call your barber to shave your head.’ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ did as Umm Salamah suggested. On seeing the Messenger of Allah ﷺ the companions got up, slaughtered their sacrifices and started shaving the heads of one another.
- With patience, adversity turns good: There’s nothing that patience falls upon that isn’t beautiful. It’s only that patience is one of the hardest virtue which only time can heal. The Muslims were first hit by the conditions of the treaty, but at the end it put a smile on their faces. We often think we can figure things to work our way, but if we let Allah handle the situation it turns out to be the best for us. Have faith, be patient, put Allah first and see the beauty of your dreams.
- The Muslims are nothing else but brothers: When Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked to make tawaaaf, he declined out of his love for Allah’s Apostle and other Muslims. Muslims today should feel the same way for our brothers across the globe. The believers are like a single body, if the head feels an ache, the rest of the body shares in it’s restlessness and pain.
- Justice in the face of injustice: While the treaty was been prepared, Abu Jandal (may Allah be pleased with him) fled away from his father in Mecca to join the Muslims. When Suhayl ibn Amr saw him, he asked that he be returned to his people in Mecca. The Muslims interjected that the deal has not been signed yet. Suhayl insisted and the Rasul ﷺ asked Abu Jandal to return to Mecca. The prophet ﷺ accepted and ordered Abu Jandal to return and be patient. This was a great form of justice even when it was unfavourable to the Muslims. Muslims should be firm and just in all endeavors even if it’s against oneself.
- Allah’s promise is true: We all go through trials at some points in our lives, only that the degree of variance isn’t identical. Life is a fitnah so whatever challenge you’re going through, you’re not alone — Allah is with you, so have faith. Our situation was not as worse as that of the earlier Muslims. So if we remain steadfast and put our trust in Him, we shall become successful if we truly believe.
On the long run
After two years of the agreement, one of the clans supporting the Qurayshi breached the treaty by killing some of the Muslims who didn’t attack them. Thus, the Qurayshi tried to call for peace and asked the Rasul ﷺ to invalidate the agreement, but then it was too late. Muslims became victorious and Mecca fell into the arms of Islam without shedding any blood. The people tripped into Islam in manifolds and that was the beginning of the manifest victory.
Allah the Most Bountiful says: “Indeed, Allah shall fulfill the true vision which He showed to His Messenger in very truth. Certainly, you shall enter al-Masjid al-Haraam, if Allah Wills, secure, (some) having your heads shaved, and (some) having you hair cut short, having no fear.” [Soorah al-Fath (48): 27]
Thus, we understood the words of Abdullah ibn Mas’ud and other companions who said: ' you consider the conquering of Mecca to be al-fatih (the victory), while to us al-fatih is the treaty conducted at Al-hudaybiyyah.’ [Ibn Katheer].
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