Treaty Of Hudaibiyah

In 628 AD, Prophet Muhammad(S) departed from Medina for Umrah as he saw a dream that he
was performing pilgrimage in the Holy Kaabah. He accompanied fourteen hundred followers, all
of them shared the natural desire to perform the religious ritual. When the news reached the ears
of Quraish, they started making preparations of opposing the Muslims.
The Quraish leaders decided not to allow them from entering the city and sent Khaled Bin Walid
with 200 fighters to stop them defying the centuries-old Arab tradition.
The holy Prophet (peace be upon him) changed the route of to avoid confrontation and came to a
lesser-known place called Hudaibiyah on the western edge of the city.
Determined not to allow Muslims enter the city, Makkans sent Urwah bin Masud to negotiate
with the Prophet. Highly impressed with the scenes of Prophet’s love among his followers,
Urwah said, “I have visited the royal courts of the Persians, Roman and Ethiopian kingdoms, but
I have never seen the kind of respect and high esteem as the followers of Mohammad have for
him. They have come only for worship. Let them enter the holy city.” But the Makkan leaders
were bent upon preventing the Muslims.
The holy Prophet (peace be upon him) later sent Uthman bin Affan who had good contacts in
Makkah but they detained him and A rumor erupted in the Muslims camp that he had been
murdered. Thus, Prophet Muhammad(S) asked his companions to take a pledge on his hands that
they would sacrifice their lives for the cause of Islam. Unequipped with arms as they were, the
pledge undertaken showed the intensity of the Muslims love for Allah and his Prophet(S). A
pledge was taken on behalf of Hazrat Usman. It was referred to as Bait-e-Rizwan. The Holy
Quran says,
“Allah was well pleased with the believers when they were swearing allegiance to you under
the tree. He knew what was in their hearts therefore. He sent down tranquility upon them
and rewarded them with a victory near at hand, ---------“

The Quraish dispatched a messenger to conclude a truce which came to be known as “Treaty of
Al Hudaibiya”.

 Muslims should return this year and would come to perform Umrah the next year.

 They would stay in Makkah for three years.

 The Arab tribes would be free to enter into an alliance with either party.

 Muslims were to come without arms except a sword in the scabbard when they return to
Makkah the following year.
  If any person would come from Makkah to the Medina, he would be returned back even
if he was a Muslim.

 If a Muslim would go to Makkah, he would not be allowed to return.

 There would be no war for ten years.

The Holy Prophet (S) accepted the treaty in spite of the harsh terms.

In the Treaty of Hudaibiyah, when the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) commanded the Muslims to
shave their heads, to make sacrifices, and to return from Makkah to Medina according to the
settlement, most of them did not obey. When Umm Salamah saw the Prophet Muhammad's
(SAW) grief, she offered a wise suggestion and said:"O Messenger of Allah! It is too hard for
them to accept the settlement since they desired victory. You should stand up and go out without
uttering a word, then sacrifice and shave your own head, and then they will obey!" Afterwards
all the Muslims stood up and obeyed Prophet Muhammad's (SAW) command.

The terms in the treaty showed the greatness of the Holy Prophet(S) and the superiority of his
cause. Though, the treaty seemed outwardly humiliating on the part of the Muslims but it gave
great advantages to them. His political status as an independent power was acknowledged by the
treaty. Moreover ten years truce gave time and opportunity for Islam to expand and force its
claims upon the conviction of the Quraish. They became politically and spiritually strong. Allah
considered the treaty as a great victory because in two years, the number of Muslims reached
12000 and the Muslims got an opportunity to visit their homeland Makkah.

Letter to Emperors, Kings and Rulers

One of the most famous responses to the Prophet's letter was from the Byzantine Emperor,
Heraclius. In his response, Heraclius acknowledged the Prophet's message and expressed his
admiration for the Prophet's wisdom and character. However, he did not accept the invitation to
embrace Islam, citing his loyalty to his own religion.

Similarly, the ruler of Egypt, Muqawqis, also responded positively to the Prophet's letter and sent
gifts to the Prophet as a sign of his respect and admiration. However, he did not embrace Islam,
citing similar reasons as Heraclius.
On the other hand, some rulers and leaders rejected the Prophet's invitation outright. For
example, the King of Yemen tore up the Prophet's letter and refused to even consider his
message. Similarly, the ruler of Bahrain rejected the Prophet's invitation, citing his loyalty to his
own religion.

Overall, the response of the rulers and leaders to the Prophet's letter was mixed. While some
responded positively and showed respect and admiration for the Prophet, others rejected his
message and refused to consider the teachings of Islam. Despite this, the Prophet remained
committed to his mission of spreading the message of Islam and working towards establishing
peace.

Khyber Expedition
The location and strength of Khyber:•“Khyber” means “fortified”.Khyber was 70 miles to the
north of Madina. It was a cluster of some 20 fortresses, around which lay farms and palm groves.
The renowned ‘invulnerable’ fortress of al-Qamus was situated in the heart of Khyber. This was
the seat of Kianna, the chief of Khyber. The Importance of Khyber: As long as Khyber stood
unconquered, it could support the pagan tribes of Najd against Madina.

Khyber was the seat of the Jewish power in Arabia. If it fell, other Jewish settlements like Fadak,
Ayala etc. would also capitulate. March on Khyber: The Jews of Khyber contacted the people of
the Ghatafan tribe, who were known to be mercenaries for hire. As a reward for fighting the
Muslims, they were offered a percentage of their yearly produce of fruits and dates. They also
entered into alliances with the tribes of Fadak, Taima and Wadi Al-Quran, together they were to
launch a surprise attack on Madina.

They sent special messengers to the Quraish of Makkah and other tribes asking them to prepare
for a full-fledged attack on Medina and provided financial support for this purpose They held
secret negotiations with Abdullah bin Ubbay, the leader of the hypocrites, against the
Muslims.The Battle of Khandaq, when hosts of the enemies from all parts of the country
besieged Madina, was mainly caused by the intrigues and financial assistance of the Jews of
Khayber. Having been informed of their secret plan, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) traveled to
Khyber two months after treaty of Hudaibiya with 1600 men and 200 cavalry and laid siege to
different fortresses.

Abu Bakr Siddiq (R.A.) carried the flag of the Muslims for the first two days of the siege of
Naim but it did not fall to him and stress and exhaustion overtook them. The following morning,
the Prophet (S.A.W.) said “Tomorrow I will give the banner to a man who loves God and
His messenger and God and His messenger love him” and next day he called Ali Ibn Talib
(R.A.) and gave him the flag. Ali carried it on the third day, and he achieved the conquest.
Out of a number of forts which were spread over Khyber in clusters, Na’im was the first fortress
to be over taken by Muslims, while Al-Qamus was the greatest and most formidable of Khyber’s
fortresses which was conqurred under the command of Hazrat Ali who killed the famous Jewish
warrior, Marhab, in this battle. As for other fortresses such as Al-Watih and As-Sulalim, they
were surrendered peacefully. During this entire period, no one came to the help of the Jews of
Khyber.According to the pact which was agreed upon, Khyber was allowed to remain in
thehands of the local inhabitants, on the condition that half of the annual harvest of all planting
and date trees would be paid as Jizya.All other Jewish settlements and cities around Khyber also
agreed to the same terms. “God has promised you abundant spoils that you will capture and He has
hastened you for this.”

Battle of Mutah
The Battle of Mutah took place in 629 CE near the village of Mutah, in present-day Jordan. The
battle was fought between the Muslim army, led by the Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon
him) emissary Zaid bin Harithah, and the joint forces of the Byzantine Empire and their Arab
allies.

The events leading up to the battle began when the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) sent a letter to
the governor of Busra, inviting him to embrace Islam. The governor of Busra, Shurahbil,
responded by killing the messenger and sending a larger force to attack the Muslims.

Upon hearing of the attack, the Prophet (PBUH) sent a 3,000-strong army under the command of
Zaid bin Harithah to confront the Byzantine forces. The Muslim army was met by a much larger
force, estimated to be around 200,000, consisting of Byzantine soldiers and their Arab allies.

Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Muslim army fought bravely and managed to inflict
significant damage on the enemy forces. However, during the battle, Zaid bin Harithah was
killed, and the command was taken over by Jafar bin Abi Talib. Jafar also fought courageously
and managed to kill several enemy soldiers before he was also killed.

The command then passed to Abdullah bin Rawahah, who continued to lead the Muslim army in
the battle. As the Muslim fighting force of 3000 was no match to the formidable strength of the
Romans numbering 100,000, all the three commanders died one after the other and ultimately the
banner of leadership was handover to Hazrat Khalid bin Walid, the Sword of Allah, who was
able to manage a tactical withdrawal without suffering any more losses. When the force reached
Madina, the Muslims said to them: “O you have taken flight: you have fled (when it was time
to fight) in the way of Allah.”Coming to their defense, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) said:
“Rather, you are ones who have retreated, and I am you troop (referring to the following
verse: “And whoever turns his back to them on such a day, unless it be a stratagem of war,
or to retreat to a troop of his own.

“It is reported that Hazrat Jaffer bin Abu Talib aged thirty three who had recently returned from
Abyssinia had more than ninety wounds on his body from spears and arrows. It is also reported
that Hazrat Khalid bin Walid broke nine swords in this battle. No doubt, the Muslims had to
retreat but it did show that they were now a fast coming-up force which could no longer be
ignored even by the mighty enemies like the Romans.

The battle of Mutah was considered a significant event in the early history of Islam, as it
demonstrated the bravery and determination of the Muslim soldiers in the face of overwhelming
odds. The bravery of Zaid bin Harithah, Jafar bin Abi Talib, and Abdullah bin Rawahah, who led
the Muslim army in the battle, is still remembered and celebrated by Muslims today.