Treaty of Hudaibiya

Journey to Makkah

In 628 C.E. six years had passed since the Holy Prophet and his companions had left Makkah the city of their birth. During this period of six years the Muslims had fought three battles against the Quraish, the battles of Badr, Uhud, and the Ditch. After the Battle of the Ditch, the Quraish had lost the initiative which now came to rest with the Muslims. In view of this changed position, the Holy Prophet decide to visit Makkah with a view to performing the Hajj. During the Hajj season, the Holy Prophet along with his companions including Ali started for Makkah to perform the Hajj. When the Quraish of Makkah came to know that the Muslims were coming to Makkah, they sent Khalid b Walid and Ikrama b Abu Jahl with two hundred horsemen to intercept the Muslims and prevent their entry into Makkah. The Muslims came to know of the intention of the Quraish at the early stages of the journey. The Holy Prophet consulted his companions whether they should return to Madina or continue their journey to Makkah. The consensus of opinion was that they should go ahead and if the Quraish chose to fight, they would also fight; otherwise, not. Instead of following the direct route to Makkah, the Muslims followed a less frequented way full of rough rocks through the ravines of Mudniya. After a weary march, the Muslim caravan comprising one thousand men reached Hudaibiya on the lower side of Makkah, and within the sacred territory for the purposes of the pilgrimage.

The Pledge

The Muslims encamped at Hudaibiya, and here Urwa b Masud, a son-in law of Abu Sufyan, came to see the Muslims on behalf of the Quraish. He talked in diplomatic language and tried to impress that the Quraish were strong, and would not allow the Muslims to visit Makkah. He also insinuated that at the time of crisis, the followers of the Holy Prophet were likely to leave him. Thereupon Abu Bakr flared up and said: "May God curse you; how dare you think that we will abandon the Holy Prophet. Rest assured, we will stand by him, whatever the cost, and will fight for him to the last." While talking, Urwa in the usual Arab way pushed his hand too close to the beard of the Holy Prophet. A companion who stood near warned him "Keep your hands away from the beard of the Holy Prophet for the hand that touches the sacred beard would be cut."

When Urwa returned to Makkah, the Holy Prophet sent Othman with him to assure the Quraish that the Muslims merely wanted to perform the Hajj and they had no intention of fighting against the Quraish. When Urwa returned to the Quraish, he gave his impressions about the Holy Prophet and the Muslims in the following terms: "O people of the Quraish I have seen kings, but by God I have never seen any king as I have seen Muhammad amongst his companions. If he makes his ablutions, they would not let the waterfall on the ground; if a hair of his body falls they pick it up. They will not surrender him for anything in any case, do what you may".

Othman met the Quraish leaders, but they adopted delaying tactics. When Othman took long to come, a rumor got current in the Muslim camp that Othman had been killed by the Quraish. Thereupon all the Muslims took the pledge that they would fight against the Quraish to seek revenge for the murder of Othman.

The Treaty

When the Muslims were poised to take up arms and attack Makkah, Othman returned to the Muslim camp with Suhail b Amr, an eminent citizen of Makkah, whom the Quraish sent to negotiate a treaty with the Muslims. Suhail was notorious for his hostility to Islam. He was one of the principal persecutors when the Holy Prophet declared his mission. He had fought in the Battle of Badr and had been taken captive. He was later ransomed. After a lengthy discussion, the Holy Prophet and Suhail came to terms and agreed to execute a treaty. Ali was commissioned to draft the treaty. The Holy Prophet dictated that it was a treaty between Muhammad, the Prophet of Allah, and the Quraish. Suhail objected to the preamble on the ground that the Quraish did not acknowledge him as the prophet of God and as such the reference to his prophethood should be omitted. Ali did not agree to omit the relevant words. Thereupon the Holy Prophet omitted these words himself. According to the treaty of Hudaibiya, truce was declared between the Muslims and the Quraish for ten years. If any tribe wished to enter into treaty with the Muslims it could do so, and whoever wished to enter into a treaty with the Quraish was likewise free to do so. If any one from the Quraish came to the Muslims and was converted to Islam he was to be returned to the Quraish. On the other hand, if a Muslim sought refuge with the Quraish, he was not to be delivered to the Muslims. It was further stipulated that the Muslims would withdraw that year without performing the Hajj, but they would be free to perform the Hajj the following year when they could stay in Makkah for three days.

Muslim reaction to the treaty

Prima facie the pact was loaded in favor of the Quraish and most of the Muslims were critical of its terms. Abu Bakr and Ali, however felt that the Holy Prophet knew things better than what his followers could comprehend, and that what appeared to be disadvantageous to the Muslims might ultimately turn to their advantage. Umar waited on the Holy Prophet, and gave expression to his dissatisfaction with the terms of the treaty. The Holy Prophet assured him that whatever he had done was under the command of God, and that the terms which appeared to he against the interest of the Muslims would turn out to their favor. While on the way back to Madina, God sent a revelation that the treaty was a victory for the Muslims. As subsequent events showed this treaty was in fact a prelude to the conquest of Makkah. In later years some one asked Ali as to how the treaty of Hudaibiya was a victory for the Muslims when the terms thereof were apparently in favor of the Quraish. Ali pointed out that during the previous seventeen years the Quraish had been waging a war against the Muslims sometimes cold, sometimes hot. Their aim was to crush Islam. When by the treaty of Hudaibiya the Quraish agreed to a truce for a period of ten years, it amounted to a confession of their failure. Heretofore the Quraish had exercised a pressure on the tribes of the desert not to ally themselves with the Muslims. By the treaty both the Muslims and the Quraish could have allies from amongst the tribes. This was a subtle point fraught with grave consequences. As things took shape later, it was such alliances that paved the way for the conquest of Makkah by the Muslims. It was stipulated that a Muslim who sought refuge with the Quraish was not to be returned to the Muslims, but someone from the Quraish who sought refuge with the Muslims was to be returned to the Quraish. Apparently the stipulation was against the Muslims, but it was really not so. When a Muslim were to seek refuge with the Quraish, it would obviously be a case of apostasy, and there was no advantage in pressing for the return of a person who had ceased to be a Muslim. When a man from the Quraish sought refuge with the Muslims, and was later returned to Quraish, there were two possibilities. If his faith in Islam was strong, he would still remain a Muslim, and was likely to cause the conversion of other people to Islam.

If on the other hand his faith was not strong, it would be a good riddance for the Muslims. Moreover by this time the stage of the conversion of individuals was over. The Holy Prophet was now looking forward to mass conversions, and in this context there were not likely to be many cases of individuals seeking shelter with the Muslims or the Muslims seeking shelter with the Quraish. The treaty of Hudaibiya indeed set the stage for the expansion of Islam to the peninsula of Arabia.