Treaty of al-Hudaybiya


The Treaty of al-Hudaybiya was an event that took place during the lifetime of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was a pivotal treaty between Muhammad, representing the state of Medina, and the tribe of the Quraysh in Mecca in March 628. The treaty helped to decrease tension between the two cities, affirmed peace for a period of 10 years, and authorised Muhammad's followers to return the following year in a peaceful pilgrimage, which was later known as the First Pilgrimage. However, this treaty was broken in two years, which led Muhammad to march against Mecca in 630 with an army of 10,000 men.

Background

As a result of the rejection of his message and the persecution of his followers, the Islamic prophet Muhammad left his hometown of Mecca in 622 and migrated with his followers to the oasis town of Medina. There, he had more followers and founded a local power base. On three occasions, his forces battled with his Meccan opponents, led by his own tribe, the Quraysh. Mecca was thus a no-go area for the Muslims, with its old sanctuary of the Ka'ba. Although it had been a pilgrimage center from the pre-Islamic times, it seems that the Muslims were enjoined to perform pilgrimage to the Ka'ba only in the Medinan period. The Muslims had so far prayed by facing toward Jerusalem, but at some point in Medina, Muhammad reportedly received a divine revelation ordering him to face Mecca instead.

Traditional account

In March 628, following a dream that he was circumambulating the Ka'ba, Muhammad decided to set out for pilgrimage. Anticipating violent Meccan response, he invited his Bedouin and tribal allies in the outskirts of Medina to join him, but the majority declined, probably because they saw no prospect of booty or anticipating hostilities. Muhammad with a group of some 1,500 Muslims of Medina, as well as some tribal allies, marched towards Mecca to perform the Umrah. There are conflicting accounts as to whether the Muslims carried weapons. They were dressed as pilgrims and had sacrificial animals with them. On getting the news, the Meccans mistook the approach as an attack and sent a 200-strong cavalry force to stop it. Muhammad avoided the force by taking an unconventional route and pitched his tents at the place of Ḥudaybiya, on the border of the sacred territory of the Ka'ba.
The Quraysh sent their emissaries to negotiate with him to whom he declared that he had come to perform the pilgrimage and had no hostile intentions. The Quraysh nevertheless considered it weakness and a declaration of defeat to let him enter the city unconditionally. They are reported to have said: "Even if he has come not wanting to fight, by God, he shall never enter by force against our will, nor shall the bedouin ever say that about us". At one point, he sent his close aid Uthman to Mecca to carry out negotiations. A rumour spread that he had been slain. Muhammad vowed to avenge his death and took pledge of his followers to fight the Meccans to end. The pledge became known as the Pledge of the Tree. The rumour turned out to be false, and the Quraysh sent their emissary, Suhayl ibn Amr, to reach a settlement. After negotiations, the parties agreed to resolve the matter peacefully and a treaty was drawn up. The main points stated:
  • There will be a truce between both parties for ten years.
  • Whoever flees to Muhammad from the Quraysh without the permission of his guardian will be sent back to the Quraysh, but whoever comes to the Quraysh from the Muslims will not be sent back.
  • Whoever wishes to enter into a covenant with Muhammad will be allowed to do so, and whoever wishes to enter into a covenant with the Quraysh will be allowed to do so.
  • The Muslims will return to Medina without performing the pilgrimage but will be allowed the following year and would stay in Mecca for three days during which time the Quraysh will vacate the city. The Muslims will carry no weapons except sheathed swords.
The document was written by Ali. As he was writing, "This is what Muhammad, the apostle of God, has agreed with Suhayl b. 'Amr", Suhayl objected that he did not believe in his prophethood, hence he could write only his name, to which Muhammad consented. After the document was written, Suhayl's son Abu Jandal converted to Islam and turned up to join the Muslims but was handed over to Suhayl in keeping with the treaty. Umar and some other Muslims were unhappy about the truce with the people whom they regarded as the enemies of God. Muhammad called on his followers to shave their heads and sacrifice their animals. They were reluctant to do so but followed after he had set an example. While Muslims then returned to Medina, the Sura 48 of the Qur'an was revealed.

Aftermath

The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah was breached when the Banu Bakr tribe attacked the Banu Khuza’ah who were allies of the Muslims. Following a request for support from the Banu Khuza’ah the Islamic Prophet sent an ultimatum to the Quraysh demanding blood money or the treaty would be declared void. This violation prompted the Muslims to march on Mecca in 630 CE and take control of the city. The conquest was bloodless and involved no forced conversions as the Prophet granted general amnesty rather than seeking revenge. While ten individuals were initially excluded from this pardon most were subsequently forgiven.
Those converts who later escaped to Medina were returned in accordance with the treaty. Abu Basir, one of the returned, escaped to the sea coast and was later joined by some 70 others, including Abu Jandal. They formed a guerrilla band and started raiding Meccan caravans to Syria. The Meccans eventually asked Muhammad to take them back to Medina.

Assessment and legacy

In the long term, the treaty proved advantageous to the Muslims and is often regarded as an "important step" in Muhammad's consolidation of power. By signing the treaty, the Quraysh implicitly acknowledged Muhammad as their equal, and by gaining access to the pilgrimage at the Ka'ba, Muhammad was able to increase Islam's appeal to those tribes who held the Ka'ba in high regard. The Muhammad biographer Ibn Hisham later wrote: "No previous victory in Islam was greater than this... when there was an armistice and war was abolished and men met in safety and consulted together none talked about Islam intelligently without entering it." The truce enabled Muhammad to expand his dominion elsewhere in Arabia unhindered. The historian Fred Donner has suggested that the very purpose of the attempted pilgrimage was to secure a truce with the Meccans since Medina was trapped between two hostile cities and was very vulnerable. However, he could not simply beg the Meccans for a truce; by skillfully crafting the situation, he got it without asking. It was nevertheless a "desperate gamble", which could have ended in disaster had the Quraysh opted not to make peace. Soon afterwards, he besieged and neutralized Khaybar. Other tribes were then free to align to either side, and Muhammad was able to win over some of those formerly allied with the Quraysh. According to Islamicist Montgomery Watt, the treaty, which meant lifting of the Medinan blockade of the Meccan trade with Syria and the granting to the Quraysh other concessions, was intended by Muhammad to foster better relations with the Quraysh and to attract them towards Islam.