The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah

The peace treaty struck between the Prophet ﷺ and the Quraysh at the plain of Hudaybiyyah (~20 km outside Makkah) — humiliating on its face, yet called by Allah a “clear victory” (fath mubin) in Surah al-Fath (Q 48:1), and the direct precursor to the Conquest of Makkah.

Date (Hijri / CE)

Dhu al-Qa’dah 6 AH (628 CE); the Prophet ﷺ set out on the 1st of Dhu al-Qa’dah — the first Sacred Month — to signal peace. The whole trip lasted ~1½ months (~20 days camped at Hudaybiyyah).

Background

Sometime in 6 AH the Prophet ﷺ dreamt of doing Umrah — tawaf, ihram, shaved head (Q 48:27) — and announced a peaceful pilgrimage. 1,400 Companions joined; the Bedouins around Madinah hung back (exposed in Q 48:11–12). He consecrated 70 camels, sent a Khuza’i scout ahead, prayed at Dhu al-Hulayfah, and went straight toward Makkah (no double-back) to show he had no hidden agenda.

What happened

• The road. The Quraysh armed for war and sent Khalid ibn al-Walid to block the way; the Prophet ﷺ took a hard alternate route through a thorn-valley (“like the gate for the Bani Isra’il”). At Hudaybiyyah his camel al-Qaswa knelt and refused to move — “the One who stopped the elephant has stopped her” — and the near-dry well gushed at his touch.
• The diplomacy. A war of persuasion, in which every honest emissary switched to the Prophet’s ﷺ side: Budayl ibn Warqa’ (Khuza’a); Urwah ibn Mas’ud of Thaqif (who gave the immortal description of the Companions’ love and reverence); al-Hulays of Kinana (won over by the sight of the consecrated camels); the Prophet’s ﷺ envoy Khirash (whose camel was hamstrung); and finally Uthman ibn Affan, chosen over Umar for his standing with Banu Abd Shams.
• The Pledge of Ridwan. When Uthman was rumoured killed, the Prophet ﷺ called the 1,400 to pledge under a tree to fight and not flee — the Bay’at al-Ridwan (Q 48:18), one of the highest honours in Islam, second only to Badr.
• The negotiation with Suhayl. The Quraysh finally sent Suhayl ibn Amr (“Allah has made your matter easy” — see al-Fa'l (Good Omens / Optimism)). Terms were bitter: the Bismillah and “Rasulullah” struck from the document (the Prophet ﷺ rubbing out the latter himself when Ali refused to); no Umrah this year; and defectors returned. Amid the writing, Suhayl’s chained, tortured son Abu Jandal arrived — and was, agonisingly, sent back.

The conditions

1. No Umrah this year — it would be next year.
2. Next year the Quraysh vacate Makkah for three days for the Muslims’ Umrah.
3. Any Makkan who defects to the Muslims (even as a Muslim) is returned.
4. Any Muslim who defects to Makkah (apostatising) is not returned.
5. A 10-year peace — no fighting.
6. Any tribe may ally with either side, bound by these same terms.

Participants

The Prophet ﷺ and 1,400 Companions; the Quraysh under Suhayl (witnessed by Mikraz); the four future caliphs as Muslim witnesses. Umar’s anguished objection was answered by the Prophet ﷺ (“I am the Messenger of Allah and He will not forsake me”) and by Abu Bakr.

Outcome & significance

• Surah al-Fath was revealed whole on the road home — “Indeed We have given you a clear victory” (48:1) — turning the Companions’ grief to joy. On Umm Salama’s counsel the Prophet ﷺ shaved his head first, and all followed (the ruling for one blocked from the Ka’bah: sacrifice, shave, exit ihram).
• The greatest victory before it (al-Zuhri). For the first time the Muslims were treated as an equal political entity; peace let Islam spread by open da’wah — the Muslims doubled in two years (1,400 at Ridwan → 10,000 at the Conquest). It freed the Prophet ﷺ to deal with Khaybar and to write to world leaders.
• Abu Basir‘s guerrilla settlement exploited the treaty’s letter, choking Quraysh caravans until they begged to cancel clause 3 — proof the “humiliation” was a victory. Women emigrants were not returned (Q 60:10), the treaty naming only “men.”

Lessons

Tawakkul when Allah’s wisdom is hidden (“You might hate a thing that is good for you”); “accuse your own opinion before the Quran and Sunnah”; the permissibility of peace treaties even with a bitter enemy; and reading a good omen (al-Fa'l (Good Omens / Optimism)) linked to Allah.

Cross-references

Bay'at al-Ridwan (The Pledge of the Tree) · Suhayl ibn Amr (ra) · Abu Jandal ibn Suhayl (ra) · Abu Basir (ra) · Urwah ibn Mas'ud al-Thaqafi (ra) · Uthman ibn Affan (ra) · Umar ibn al-Khattab (ra) · Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (ra) · Ali ibn Abi Talib (ra) · al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba (ra) · al-Fa'l (Good Omens / Optimism) · Aman (Protection / Safe-Conduct) · Mecca · The Ka'bah · Quraysh · Tawakkul (Reliance on Allah) · Shura (Consultation) · The Battle of Khaybar · Muhammad ﷺ · Seerah Timeline

Sources

• S009 — Yasir Qadhi Seerah EP 063–067. Surah al-Fath (Q 48) in full with tafsir; the surprise attack (Q 48:24) and Bay’at al-Ridwan in Sahih Muslim; the treaty, Abu Jandal, and Umar’s objection in Sahih Bukhari; Abu Basir and Umm Kulthum bint Uqba (Q 60:10) via Ibn Ishaq and the sunan; the camp duration via al-Waqidi & Ibn Sa’d.