Hilf al-Fudul (Pact of Virtue)
Pact of Virtue to defend the oppressed; joined by the Prophet ﷺ.
Hijri BH ~20 CE c. 590s CE
A pact among Qurayshi clans to stand with the oppressed against the oppressor, regardless of tribe — which the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ joined in his early 20s and praised even after Islam.
What happened (EP 008)
- A merchant of Zubayd (Yemen) was cheated by the powerful al-As ibn Wa’il; no clan would help him, so he appealed publicly in verse at the Ka’bah.
- Al-Zubayr ibn Abd al-Muttalib convened the clans at the house of Abdullah ibn Jud’an; they pledged — dipping hands in perfume on the Ka’bah (hence al-Mutayyabin) — to secure the rights of the wronged.
The Prophet’s ﷺ testimony
“…a pact that, were I called to it even in Islam, I would answer.” (Sahih Bukhari)
He would not trade his place in it “for red camels” — showing that engaging in public justice, even in a non-Muslim society, is part of good character.
Related: the Fijar Wars
Shortly before, the Prophet ﷺ (aged ~15) had attended the Fijar Wars, gathering arrows for his uncles — “I do not regret participating.”
Cross-references
The Fijar Wars · Muhammad ﷺ · Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic Arabia) · Mecca · The Ka'bah
Sources
- S003 — Yasir Qadhi Seerah EP 008.