The Treaty of Hudaibiah and the Pledge of Ridhwan
In Dhul-Qa'dah, 6 A.H., the Prophet decided to perform
the 'umrah (the lesser pilgrimage) to
the Ka'bah which had been till then denied to the Muslims due to the hostility
of the Meccans. Fourteen hundred Muhajirun and Ansar showed readiness to go
with him. Lest there be any misgivings in any quarter about his intentions, he
directed the Muslims not to carry any arms other than swords, and he himself
put on the robes of ihram and took up
camels to sacrifice. The Muslims camped at Hudaibiyah, ten miles from Mecca. An
envoy was sent to the Meccans to obtain-their permission for visiting the
Ka'bah but it was rejected. Instead, the Meccans collected a force to prevent
the Muslims from entering Mecca. The Quraish sent Budayl of the tribe of
Khuza'ah, to tell the Prophet that he was not allowed to visit the Ka'bah. The Prophet
said that he had not gone there to fight but to perform the pilgrimage.
The Quraish deputed 'Urwah ibn Mas'ud al-Thaqafi to
have a talk with the Prophet, but nothing came out of it. The Prophet then sent
Karash ibn Umayyah to the Quraish, but the messenger was mistreated, and it was
only with difficulty that he escaped with his life. The vanguard of the Quraish
attacked the Muslims, but it was captured. The Prophet demonstrated great
clemency and set the captives free. Ultimately, 'Uthman (who belonged to the
same clan to which Abu Sufyan belonged) was sent to persuade the Quraish to
allow the Muslims to visit the Ka'bah. News came that 'Uthman had been killed
by the Quraish. The Muslims took a pledge on the hands of the Prophet, known as
"Bay'atur-Ridhwan", to stand by him to the last. Referring to
this pledge, the Qu'ran says:
Indeed God was well
pleased with the believers when they swore allegiance to thee under the tree,
and He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down tranquility on them and
rewarded them with a near victory. (Qur'an,
48:18)
However, it came to be known later that the news of Uthman's
murder was not true. After considerable difficulty, a treaty was ultimately
signed with Suhayl ibn 'Amr, Quraish's envoy, on the following terms reproduced
in almost all the Arab Chronicles:
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Although these terms were apparently disadvantageous to the
Muslims, the Prophet accepted them. No sooner had the terms been agreed upon
than a critical situation arose. Abu Jundal, son of the said Suhail, had been
imprisoned by his father for accepting Islam and was being severely mistreated.
He managed to escape and, with his fetters on, reached Hudaibiyah just before
the treaty was signed. Suhail, the emissary of the Meccans, demanded his return
according to the terms of the treaty. The Muslims said that the treaty had not
been signed yet. Suhail said that if his son was not returned to him, there
would be no treaty at all. Abu Jundal pleaded with the Muslims in the name of
mercy not to throw him back to the tyranny of the Meccans and showed the
injuries they had inflicted upon him. The Muslims were moved to plead his cause
and 'Umar made an impassioned appeal, but the Prophet silenced them by
declaring that he could not break a treaty. He consoled Abu Jundal by saying
that God would create some way for his deliverance.
Some Muslims were unhappy abut this treaty. 'Umar ibn al-Khattab
talked very rudely to the Holy Prophet. Afterwards, he used to say: "Never
did I have doubt (about the truth of Islam) since my acceptance of Islam except
on that day (of Hudaibiyah)."
The Prophet sacrificed his animals at Hudaybiyah. Having
shaved his head, he removed the robes of ihram. Many Muslims were reluctant to
do so, but finally they followed suit.
After three days' stay at Hudaibiyah, the Muslims returned
to Medina. On the way back, Surah 48 titled "TheVictory" was
revealed. It described the treaty as an open victory for the Muslims. Later
events confirmed that it was really a great victory for them.
Till then, idolaters and Muslims had not been mixing with
each other. By virtue of this treaty, they started doing so freely. On account
of their family relationships and trade connections, the Meccans started
visiting Medina, and many of them stayed there for months. In this way, they
were getting acquainted with the teachings of Islam and were deeply impressed
by the righteous conduct and moral integrity of the Muslims. The Muslims of
Medina who were visiting Mecca left behind them similar impressions. The result
was that the Meccans were themselves attracted to Islam and many of them
embraced the new religion. It is recorded that during the two years following
this treaty, more people accepted Islam than during the whole nineteen years
since the inception of the mission. A clear proof is found in the fact that
while only 1,400 Muslims had accompanied the Prophet for the lesser pilgrimage
when the treaty of Hudaibiyah was concluded, two years later, that is, when
Mecca fell in the hands of the Muslims, 10,000 Muslims accompanied him.
Inviting Sovereigns of Neighboring States
The tranquility afforded by the Hudaibiyah peace treaty gave
an opportunity to the Prophet to propagate Islam throughout Arabia and to
enable Islam to embark upon its attempt to embrace all humanity. He sent
ambassadors with his letters to Heraclius, the Byzantine emperor, to Khusro
Parviz Il, the Kisra of Persia, to the kings of Egypt and Abyssinia, the chiefs
of Yemen and Syria. These letters have been preserved and reproduced by Arab
chroniclers.
The letter to Heraclius, which was carried by Dahiyah al-Kalbi,
read as follows:
In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful. From
Muhammad, the slave and Messenger of Allah, to Heraclius, the emperor of Rome.
Peace be on him who follows the guidance. After this, I invite you to accept
Islam. Accept Islam and you will prosper and Allah will give you double
rewards. But if you refuse, the sin of your people also will fall on your
shoulders. O People of the Book! Come to a word common between us and you: that
we shall not worship anything save Allah, and that we shall not associate
anything with Him, nor shall some of us take others for lords besides Allah.
But if they turn back, then say: Bear witness that we are Muslims.
Herachus wanted to know more about this religion, so he
summoned some Arab merchants who had come to Gaza with a caravan. Abu Sufyan,
one of the bitterest enemies of the Prophet, happened to be in that group, so
he became its spokesman. The conversation that took place between Heraclius and
Abu Sufyan is preserved in the books of traditions:
Herachus: Is the
family of the person claiming
prophethood a noble one?
Abu Sufyan: It is a
noble family.
Heraclius: Has
anyone else in", this family claimed
prophethood?
Abu Sufyan: No.
Heraclius: Has there
been any king in this family?
Abu Sufyan: No.
Heraclius: Are the
people who have accepted this religion weak or influential?
Abu Sufyan: They are weak people.
Heraclius: Are his
followers increasing or decreasing?
Abu Sufyan: They are on the increase.
Heraclius: Have you
ever known him to tell lies?
Abu Sufyan: No.
Heraclius: Does he
ever commit a breach of any pact?
Abu Sufyan: He has not done it so
far, but we would like to see if he keeps up a new peace treaty that we have
recently negotiated with him.
Heraclius: Have you
ever fought against him?
Abu Sufyan: Yes.
Heraclius: What was
the result?
Abu Sufyan: Sometimes we won
and sometimes he.
Heraclius: What
does he teach?
Abu Sufyan: He bids people to
worship one God and not to associate any partners with Him, to offer prayers,
to be truthful and chaste, and to bestow alms.
Heraclius then summed up the
conversation thus:
"You say that this man belongs to a noble family.
Prophets always come from noble families. You say that no one else in the
family ever before claimed prophethood. Had it been so, I would have thought
that he was influenced by family traditions. You say that none of his
predecessors was a king. Had it been so, I would have thought that he was
aspiring to attain kingship. You admit that he never tells lies. A person who
does not tell a lie to a man cannot tell a lie about God. You say that poor
people are the adherents of his creed. The first followers of prophets always
come from this class. You say that his religion is expanding. This is a
characteristic of a true religion. You say that he does not deceive. Prophets
do not deceive anyone. You say that he bids you to offer prayers and to observe
purity and chastity. If all this is true, his realm will come right up to my
domain. I had thought that a prophet might be coming, but I did not think that
he would be born in Arabia. If I could go there, I would have paid homage to
him."
Abu Sufyan used to say that he had to give true answers to
the emperor, as he was afraid of being contradicted by one or more of his
caravan companion if he gave any false reply.
The envoy sent to Khusro Parviz met a different reception.
Khusro Parviz was enraged at the very idea of an ordinary person addressing
him, the great Kisra that he was, on terms of equality, so he tore the letter
to pieces. Kisra directed his governor of Yemen to arrest the person claiming
to be a prophet and to send him to his court. When the governor's messengers
arrived at Medina and asked the prophet to comply with Kisra's orders on pain
of his country's destruction, the Prophet replied, "Go back and tell him
that the Islamic empire will reach the throne of Kisra's kingdom." Not
many years had passed when this prophecy came true.
The envoy sent to Harith, chief of the Ghassan tribe ruling
Syria, was put to death. This eventually became the cause of a conflict with
the Christians which resulted in the Battle of Mu'tah and the expedition of
Tabuk.
The Prophet sent an epistle to al-Mundhir, the then
Iranian Governor of Bahrain. It read as follows:
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. From
Muhammad the Messenger of Allah to al-Mundhir son of Sawa. Peace on him.
Praise be to Allah besides Whom there is no other god. And I bear witness that
there is no god except Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.
And now I remind you of Allah, the Mighty and the Glorious. Whoever receives
admonition receives it for his own good, and whoever obeys my envoys and follows
their instructions obeys me. Whoever is sincere to them is sincere to me. My
envoys have spoken well of you. I have accepted your intercession on behalf of
the people of Bahrain. Leave to the Muslims all they owned before accepting
Islam. While I hereby grant indemnity to the wrongdoers, you should also
forgive them. You shall not be deposed so long as you conduct yourself well.
And whosoever continues following his (religion of) Judaism shall be liable to
pay the jizyah (defence tax).
The letter sent earlier to Negus, the king of Abyssinia, had
read as follows:
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. From
Muhammad the Messenger of Allah to Negus, the king of Abyssinia. Peace be on
him who follows the path of Guidance. Praise be to Allah besides Whom there is
no other god, the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Preserver of Peace, the Keeper
of the Faithful, the Guardian. I bear witness that Jesus son of Mary is indeed
a spirit of God and His word, which He conveyed unto the chaste Virgin Mary. He
created Jesus through His word just as he created Adam with His hands. And now
I call you to Allah Who is One and has no partner, and to friendship in His
obedience. Follow me and believe in what has been revealed to me, for I am the
Messenger of Allah. I invite you and your people to Allah, the Mighty, the
Glorious. I have conveyed the message, and it is up to you to accept it. Once
again, peace on him who follows the path of guidance.
Another epistle sent to Muqauqis, the then Roman Viceroy
over Egypt, was as follows:
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. From
Muhammad, the servant and Messenger of Allah to Muqauqis, Chief of the Copts.
Peace be on him who follows the path of Guidance. I invite you to accept the
message of Islam. Accept it and you shall prosper. But if you turn away, then
upon you shall also fall the sin (of misleading by your example) the Copts. O
people of the Book! Come to a word common between us and you: that we shall
worship none but Allah and that we shall ascribe no partners unto Him and that
none of us shall regard anyone as lord besides God. And if they turn away, then
say: Bear witness that we are Muslims.
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