The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah
After reaching Hudaybiyyah, the Prophet ﷺ intended to send a messenger to the Quraysh so that discussions could take place and it could become clear to the disbelievers that the Muslims had not come with the intention of fighting, but had come with the intention of performing Umrah.
For this purpose, two or three messengers were sent, but the matter could not be settled.
Finally, the Prophet ﷺ sent Sayyiduna ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan رضي الله عنه and instructed him to visit the Muslim men and women who were trapped in Makkah, give them the glad tidings of victory, and inform them that very soon Allah Almighty would raise His religion high in Makkah, to the extent that no one there would need to hide his faith.
Accordingly, on the command of the Prophet ﷺ, ‘Uthman رضي الله عنه set out toward Makkah.
Before entering Makkah, Sayyiduna ‘Uthman رضي الله عنه sought the protection of Aban ibn Sa‘id, who had not yet accepted Islam at that time but accepted Islam later.
Aban ibn Sa‘id granted protection to ‘Uthman رضي الله عنه. He placed ‘Uthman رضي الله عنه in front of himself and walked behind him so that people would know that ‘Uthman was under his protection.
In this way, ‘Uthman رضي الله عنه reached the Quraysh of Makkah and conveyed to them the message of the Prophet ﷺ.
In response, the Quraysh said:
«“Muhammad ﷺ can never enter Makkah against our wishes. However, if you wish, you may perform Tawaf of the House of Allah.”»
‘Uthman رضي الله عنه replied:
«“How can I perform Tawaf without the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?”»
The Quraysh kept ‘Uthman رضي الله عنه in Makkah for three days for discussions.
Meanwhile, someone spread the news that the Quraysh had martyred ‘Uthman رضي الله عنه.
Upon hearing this, the Prophet ﷺ became grieved and said:
«“Now we will not leave until we have fought the enemy.”»
After this, the Prophet ﷺ said:
«“Allah Almighty has commanded me to take the pledge of allegiance from the Muslims.”»
Hearing the words of the Prophet ﷺ, ‘Umar رضي الله عنه loudly announced the pledge, and everyone gathered to give their pledge.
At that time, the Prophet ﷺ was sitting beneath a tree. The Companions رضي الله عنهم pledged to the Prophet ﷺ upon these matters:
«“We will never flee and abandon you under any circumstances. We will either achieve victory or become martyrs.”»
In other words, this was a pledge upon death.
The Pledge of ‘Uthman رضي الله عنه
A special feature of this pledge was that the Prophet ﷺ himself gave the pledge on behalf of ‘Uthman رضي الله عنه.
He placed his right hand upon his left hand and said:
«“O Allah! This pledge is on behalf of ‘Uthman, because he has gone on the work of You and Your Messenger. Therefore, I myself give the pledge on his behalf.”»
Then fourteen hundred Companions رضي الله عنهم gave their pledge to the Prophet ﷺ one after another.
Later, the Prophet ﷺ received information from Allah Almighty that ‘Uthman رضي الله عنه had not been martyred; rather, he was alive and safe.
On this occasion, the Prophet ﷺ announced:
«“Allah Almighty has forgiven those people who participated in the Battle of Badr and Hudaybiyyah.”»
Allah Almighty mentioned this pledge in the Qur’an in these words:
«“O Prophet! When the believers were pledging allegiance to you beneath the tree, Allah was pleased with them. He knew what was in their hearts in terms of truthfulness and sincerity, so He sent tranquility down upon them and granted them a near victory.”»
The Quraysh Agree to a Treaty
When the Quraysh learned about this pledge of death, they became frightened.
Their wise men advised that it would be appropriate to make peace, with the condition that the Muslims return this year, come back the following year, and stay in Makkah for three days to perform Umrah.
When this advice was agreed upon, they sent Suhayl ibn ‘Amr for negotiations. Two other men accompanied him.
Suhayl came before the Prophet ﷺ and sat down on his knees.
The discussion began.
Suhayl spoke at great length. Finally, the negotiations for peace were settled.
Both sides agreed that there should be no bloodshed and that a peace treaty should be made.
Some of the conditions of the treaty appeared, outwardly, to be very strict.
The following conditions were written in the agreement:
Conditions of the Treaty
- No war would take place between the two sides for ten years.
- If any Muslim fled from Makkah to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ without the permission of his guardian and protector, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would be obliged to return him, whether the person was a man or a woman.
(Apparently, this condition was very difficult for the Muslims, but later it became clear that this condition was actually in the Muslims’ favor as well. In this way, the House of Allah remained populated by Muslims and the work of the religion continued.)
- If any person who had been a companion of the Prophet ﷺ fled to the Quraysh, the Quraysh would not return him.
- Any individual, family, or tribe that wished to become an ally of the Muslims could do so, and any individual, family, or tribe that wished to become an ally of the Quraysh could become their ally.
- The Muslims would have to return this year without performing Umrah. However, the following year the Quraysh of Makkah would vacate the city for three days, so the Muslims could come here without weapons, stay for three days, and perform Umrah.
Outwardly, these conditions appeared to be in favor of the Quraysh and against the Muslims.
Therefore, the Companions رضي الله عنهم were also displeased with them.
Even ‘Umar رضي الله عنه felt distressed by these conditions.
He went directly to Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه and said:
«“Abu Bakr! Is the Prophet ﷺ not the Messenger of Allah?”»
As-Siddiq al-Akbar رضي الله عنه replied:
«“Indeed, the Prophet ﷺ is the Messenger of Allah.”»
Al-Faruq رضي الله عنه said:
«“Are we not Muslims?”»
Abu Bakr as-Siddiq رضي الله عنه replied:
«“Of course! We are Muslims.”»
‘Umar رضي الله عنه said:
«“Are those people not polytheists?”»
Abu Bakr as-Siddiq رضي الله عنه replied:
«“Yes! Indeed, they are polytheists.”»
Then ‘Umar رضي الله عنه said:
«“Then why should we accept conditions such as these, through which the Muslims are placed in an inferior position?”»
At that time, Abu Bakr as-Siddiq رضي الله عنه gave a very excellent answer. He said:
«“O ‘Umar! He is the Messenger of Allah. Bow your head before his commands and decisions. Allah Almighty helps him.”»
Upon hearing this, ‘Umar رضي الله عنه immediately said:
«“I testify that he ﷺ is the Messenger of Allah.”»
After this, ‘Umar رضي الله عنه came to the Prophet ﷺ and asked him questions of the same kind.
In response to his questions, the Prophet ﷺ said exactly what Abu Bakr as-Siddiq رضي الله عنه had already said.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
«“I am the servant and Messenger of Allah. Under no circumstances can I disobey the command of Allah. He alone is my Helper.”»
At that moment, Abu ‘Ubaydah رضي الله عنه said:
«“O ‘Umar! Do you not hear what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is saying? We seek Allah’s protection from the accursed Satan.”»
‘Umar رضي الله عنه then said:
«“I seek Allah’s protection from the accursed Satan.”»
The Prophet ﷺ also said:
«“O ‘Umar! I am satisfied with these conditions, while you are refusing them.”»
Accordingly, ‘Umar رضي الله عنه would later say:
«“Although the things I said at that time were spoken with the hope that goodness and benefit would become apparent in this matter, because I feared the consequences of my words at that time, I continued afterward to fast, give charity, offer prayers, and free slaves.”»
Writing the Treaty
Then the written document of the treaty was prepared.
The Prophet ﷺ instructed ‘Ali رضي الله عنه to write the agreement.
Suhayl ibn ‘Amr said:
«“Will ‘Ali write this agreement, or will ‘Uthman?”»
The Prophet ﷺ instructed ‘Ali رضي الله عنه to write the treaty and said:
«“Write: Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Raheem.”»
Suhayl ibn ‘Amr objected again:
«“I do not accept Ar-Rahman and Ar-Raheem. Have it written as: ‘Bismika Allahumma’ — meaning, ‘I begin in Your name, O Allah.’”»
The Prophet ﷺ said to ‘Ali رضي الله عنه:
«“Write it that way.”»
So he wrote it.
Then the Prophet ﷺ said:
«“Write: Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, has made peace with Suhayl ibn ‘Amr upon these conditions.”»
‘Ali رضي الله عنه began writing.
But Suhayl ibn ‘Amr objected again:
«“If I had already testified that you are the Messenger of Allah, then you would neither have been prevented from the House of Allah nor would you have been fought against. Therefore, write it as: ‘Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah.’”»