The Muslims laid siege to them in their forts. After twenty-five days of siege, they surrendered, accepting whatever verdict could be passed on them. The Prophet allowed them to choose their judge from among his Companions. They chose Saʿd ibn Muʿādh, who was their ally before Islam. Saʿd’s verdict sentenced the combatants among them to death. Around twenty people were thus executed, including Ḥuyayy ibn Akhṭab, the forger of the alliance that had aimed to annihilate Islam and the Muslims.
This left the Muslim state in a much stronger position. The Prophet remarked that the Muslims could now be on the offensive. However, this was not among his priorities. He was certainly ready to meet any threat from any quarters, but he never sought to subdue any tribe or community by force. He would have loved to see all people consider his message and make an informed decision on whether to accept it or not, but he would not force it on anyone, as he considered that to convert people by force would be entirely alien to the nature of Islam. The end of the encounter with the allied forces of unbelievers ushered in a period of relative peace for the Muslim state, which the Prophet used to consolidate the basis of the Islamic society he had established in Madinah. The bond of brotherhood that prevailed in that society was stronger than any that can be seen in any state functioning under any system or ideology. With this internal consolidation, the Muslim state was quietly acquiring greater strength. Therefore, it was with great enthusiasm that the Prophet announced that they would visit Makkah to perform the mini-pilgrimage (i.e. the ʿUmrah) and worship at the Kaʿbah.
The Prophet marched at the head of 1400 of his Companions carrying no arms other than swords in their sheaths, which was the essential type of arms for a traveller in the desert. They took with them a large number of animals to sacrifice at the Kaʿbah, as part of their religious rituals. The Quraysh were greatly agitated at the news. They needed to take a decision on whether to allow the Muslims to proceed and come into Makkah or to prevent them, even if it led to a battle. Their dilemma was that as custodians of the Kaʿbah (a shrine revered by all Arabs) they were committed to allowing anyone to visit for worship. Besides this, the Muslims timed their march in the middle of the sacred months when all fighting was prohibited. This was an Arabian tradition based on the faith of the Prophet Abraham. On the other hand, if they let the Muslims come in and worship, this would be seen throughout Arabia as tilting the balance of power much further in favour of the Muslims. After much debate, they decided to deny the Muslims entry into Makkah, regardless of the consequences. They despatched an advance force to a position outside Makkah to engage the Muslims should they try to force their entry. Should fighting ensue, they would be ready with their reinforcements. Receiving intelligence of that, the Prophet took a circuitous route to avoid meeting the Quraysh advance force. However, when he reached al-Ḥudaybiyah his she-camel sat down and would not move. No matter how his Companions tried to get the she-camel to rise, she would not. The Prophet realized that this was a sign to seek some peaceful arrangements with the Quraysh. He declared to his Companions that he would agree to whatever the Quraysh were prepared to offer in order to avoid bloodshed.
The Quraysh sent several emissaries to demand that the Muslims should go back. Each one of them returned with the advice to let the Muslims visit, as they intended no harm. The Quraysh rejected all such advice. The Prophet then sent them his Companion, ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, to reassure them of the Muslims’ intentions. ʿUthmān was detained too long in Makkah, and a rumour circulated that he was killed by the Quraysh. At this point, the Prophet took a pledge from all his Companions to fight to the finish. The Quraysh realized that they acted wrongly when they detained ʿUthmān, so they released him and followed that by sending Suhayl ibn ʿAmr to negotiate an agreement. Suhayl behaved in a haughty manner, trying to impose harsh conditions. However, the Prophet was very easy in his approach, agreeing to all conditions demanded by the Quraysh. His attitude immensely surprised his Companions, particularly because he did not consult any of them, which was contrary to his usual practice. The reason was that he acted on God’s instructions. The terms of the agreement were:
• Both parties have agreed to a complete truce for a period of ten years, during which all people will enjoy peace and security and will not attack one another.
• Moreover, if anyone from the Quraysh joins Muhammad without permission from his guardian or chief, he shall be returned to the Quraysh.
• If anyone from those in the camp of Muhammad joins the Quraysh, they are not required to return him.
• Both sides agree that they harbour good intentions towards each other.
• No theft or treachery shall be condoned.
• Whoever wishes to enter into an alliance with Muhammad may do so, and whoever wants to enter into an alliance with the Quraysh may do so.
• It is further agreed that you, Muhammad, shall return home this year without entering Makkah. At the end of one year, we shall evacuate Makkah for you so that you may enter it with your followers to stay for three days only. You shall carry only the armament necessary for a traveller – namely, your swords in their sheaths. You shall not carry any other arms.
When these terms were agreed upon, two things occurred that were to have important effects. Firstly, the tribe of Bakr declared its alliance with the Quraysh, and the tribe of Khuzāʿah declared its alliance with the Prophet. The second was the arrival of Abū Jandal, Suhayl’s own son, who was a Muslim and jailed by his father. He had managed to escape from jail and hoped to join the Muslims. Suhayl demanded his immediate return. The Prophet appealed to Suhayl to grant Abū Jandal his freedom, but Suhayl refused. The Prophet explained to Abū Jandal that honouring their commitments was characteristic of the Muslims in all situations. Hence, he was handed back to his father. The Muslims returned to Madinah without completing their rituals. They were highly disturbed, but the Prophet reassured them that the results would soon be in their favour.
The Ḥudaybiyah peace agreement was concluded in the final few weeks of the sixth year of the Prophet’s Hijrah (his immigration to Madinah), 628 CE. This was a turning point in the fortunes of the Islamic message and the Muslim state. However, in order to take events in their chronological order, we need to speak first of the Battle of Khaybar. Khaybar is a city to the north west of Madinah, and it was inhabited by an entirely Jewish population. This city was constructed as a series of forts, and was surrounded by a large area of farmland, with a variety of crops and plenty of date trees. When the Jewish tribes of Madinah were evacuated after they had violated their covenant with the Muslim state, many of them moved to Khaybar, while some went to Syria and other places. In Khaybar, the Jews were agitating for revenge against the Muslims, particularly after the evacuation of the Qurayẓah tribe, as this left only a few small tribes of Jews in Madinah. They felt that had the allied forces been more determined, they would have achieved the victory they aimed for, and put an end to Islam. The Jews of Khaybar therefore renewed their alliance with the Ghaṭafān tribe, who was party to the original alliance. When the Prophet received intelligence of the new grouping he sent a delegation to Khaybar to persuade the Jews that they would be ill advised to try to take on the Muslim state. However, the mission was unsuccessful. Therefore, the Prophet ordered his 1400 Companions who were with him at al-Ḥudaybiyah to mobilize. He aimed for Khaybar, taking precautions not to alert the Jews there.
The Jews were surprised to see the Muslim army at their doorstep. They went into their forts, which were well supplied. The Prophet tried to avoid fighting, but the Jews were unwilling to come to an agreement and a battle ensued. This was a difficult situation, as the Muslims had to besiege one fort and take it before they moved to the next. The victory was total, and eventually the Jews surrendered, agreeing to evacuate the city and go elsewhere. However, after a few days they came up with an offer to remain and attend to the farms, taking half their produce, while the Muslims took the other half. The Prophet agreed to this, on condition that the Muslims could evacuate them whenever they wished. The Prophet then made similar agreements with several other Jewish communities in northern Arabia. These agreements were entered into peacefully, with no fighting. The Prophet never wanted to fight anyone; although when war was
