Surah al-Fath [48]
As we mentioned, Surah al-Fath came down in its entirety while the Prophet PBUH was going back to Madinah. And this was a very rare thing. Surah al-Baqarah took 9 years to come down, other surahs came down over time, but al-Fath came down in one whole go.
We will discuss all the ayat:
— Allah is saying this treaty/incident is another way of showing honor to the Prophet PBUH and forgiving his sins. What has the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah got to do with forgiving the sins of the Prophet PBUH? The pain, the anguish, and the grief that is caused are something that causes sins to be forgiven — and the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah caused our Prophet PBUH some grief. Also, any honor or blessing that is given forgives sins — and this is a treaty that honor and blessing is being given to the Prophet PBUH.
— Allah has given this fath/triumph to forgive the Prophet's PBUH sins and cause the believers to enter Jannah.
— Allah is saying the Hand of Allah was over the sahaba's hands when they gave the Bay'at al-Ridwan.
إِنَّا فَتَحْنَا لَكَ فَتْحًا مُّبِينًا
1. Indeed, We have granted you a clear triumph [O Prophet]
لِّيَغْفِرَ لَكَ اللَّهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِن ذَنبِكَ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ وَيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكَ وَيَهْدِيَكَ صِرَاطًا مُّسْتَقِيمًا
2. so that Allah may forgive you for your past and future shortcomings, perfect His favor upon you, guide you along the Straight Path,
وَيَنصُرَكَ اللَّهُ نَصْرًا عَزِيزًا
3. and so that Allah will help you tremendously.— Allah is saying this treaty/incident is another way of showing honor to the Prophet PBUH and forgiving his sins. What has the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah got to do with forgiving the sins of the Prophet PBUH? The pain, the anguish, and the grief that is caused are something that causes sins to be forgiven — and the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah caused our Prophet PBUH some grief. Also, any honor or blessing that is given forgives sins — and this is a treaty that honor and blessing is being given to the Prophet PBUH.
هُوَ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ السَّكِينَةَ فِي قُلُوبِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لِيَزْدَادُوا إِيمَانًا مَّعَ إِيمَانِهِمْ ۗ وَلِلَّهِ جُنُودُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا
4. He is the One Who sent down serenity upon the hearts of the believers so that they may increase even more in their faith. To Allah [alone] belong the forces of the heavens and the earth. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.
لِّيُدْخِلَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَيُكَفِّرَ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ ۚ وَكَانَ ذَٰلِكَ عِندَ اللَّهِ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا
5. So He may admit believing men and women into Gardens under which rivers flow —to stay there forever— and absolve them of their sins. And that is a supreme achievement in the Sight of Allah.— Allah has given this fath/triumph to forgive the Prophet's PBUH sins and cause the believers to enter Jannah.
وَيُعَذِّبَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَالْمُنَافِقَاتِ وَالْمُشْرِكِينَ وَالْمُشْرِكَاتِ الظَّانِّينَ بِاللَّهِ ظَنَّ السَّوْءِ ۚ عَلَيْهِمْ دَائِرَةُ السَّوْءِ ۖ وَغَضِبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَنَهُمْ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ جَهَنَّمَ ۖ وَسَاءَتْ مَصِيرًا
6. Also [so that] He may punish hypocrite men and women and polytheistic men and women, who harbor evil thoughts of Allah. May ill-fate befall them! Allah is displeased with them. He has condemned them and prepared for them Hell. What an evil destination!
وَلِلَّهِ جُنُودُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا
7. To Allah [alone] belong the forces of the heavens and the earth. And Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.
إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ شَاهِدًا وَمُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا
8. Indeed, [O Prophet,] We have sent you as a witness, a deliverer of good news, and a warner,
لِّتُؤْمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَتُعَزِّرُوهُ وَتُوَقِّرُوهُ وَتُسَبِّحُوهُ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلًا
9. so that you [believers] may have faith in Allah and His Messenger, support and honor him, and glorify Allah morning and evening.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُبَايِعُونَكَ إِنَّمَا يُبَايِعُونَ اللَّهَ يَدُ اللَّهِ فَوْقَ أَيْدِيهِمْ ۚ فَمَن نَّكَثَ فَإِنَّمَا يَنكُثُ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِ ۖ وَمَنْ أَوْفَىٰ بِمَا عَاهَدَ عَلَيْهُ اللَّهَ فَسَيُؤْتِيهِ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا
10. Surely, those who pledge allegiance to you [O Prophet] are actually pledging allegiance to Allah. Allah's Hand is over theirs. Whoever breaks their pledge, it will only be to their own loss. And whoever fulfills their pledge to Allah, He will grant them a great reward.— Allah is saying the Hand of Allah was over the sahaba's hands when they gave the Bay'at al-Ridwan.
سَيَقُولُ لَكَ الْمُخَلَّفُونَ مِنَ الْأَعْرَابِ شَغَلَتْنَا أَمْوَالُنَا وَأَهْلُونَا فَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَنَا ۚ يَقُولُونَ بِأَلْسِنَتِهِم مَّا لَيْسَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ ۚ قُلْ فَمَن يَمْلِكُ لَكُم مِّنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئًا إِنْ أَرَادَ بِكُمْ ضَرًّا أَوْ أَرَادَ بِكُمْ نَفْعًا ۚ بَلْ كَانَ اللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًا
11. The nomadic Arabs who stayed behind will say to you [O Prophet], "We were preoccupied with our wealth and families, so ask for forgiveness for us." They say with their tongues what is not in their hearts. Say, "Who then can stand between you and Allah in any way, if He intends harm or benefit for you? In fact, Allah is All-Aware of what you do.
بَلْ ظَنَنتُمْ أَن لَّن يَنقَلِبَ الرَّسُولُ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِلَىٰ أَهْلِيهِمْ أَبَدًا وَزُيِّنَ ذَٰلِكَ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَظَنَنتُمْ ظَنَّ السَّوْءِ وَكُنتُمْ قَوْمًا بُورًا
12. The truth is: you thought that the Messenger and the believers would never return to their families again. And that was made appealing in your hearts. You harbored evil thoughts [about Allah], and [so] became a doomed people."— Here the munafiqun are referenced, and Allah exposes their excuse. And in this, there is a miracle: Before the Prophet PBUH returned to Madinah, Allah told him what the Bedouins would tell him, and the Bedouins had not even heard Surah al-Fath yet, but when the Prophet PBUH asked them, they literally quoted Surah al-Fath without knowing they were quoting Surah al-Fath. They gave an excuse, that, "We were preoccupied with our wealth and families."
وَمَن لَّمْ يُؤْمِن بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ فَإِنَّا أَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَافِرِينَ سَعِيرًا
13. And whoever does not believe in Allah and His Messenger, then We surely have prepared for the disbelievers a blazing Fire.
وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ يَغْفِرُ لِمَن يَشَاءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا
14. To Allah [alone] belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. He forgives whoever He wills, and punishes whoever He wills. And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
سَيَقُولُ الْمُخَلَّفُونَ إِذَا انطَلَقْتُمْ إِلَىٰ مَغَانِمَ لِتَأْخُذُوهَا ذَرُونَا نَتَّبِعْكُمْ ۖ يُرِيدُونَ أَن يُبَدِّلُوا كَلَامَ اللَّهِ ۚ قُل لَّن تَتَّبِعُونَا كَذَٰلِكُمْ قَالَ اللَّهُ مِن قَبْلُ ۖ فَسَيَقُولُونَ بَلْ تَحْسُدُونَنَا ۚ بَلْ كَانُوا لَا يَفْقَهُونَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا
15. Those who stayed behind will say, when you [believers] set out to take the spoils of war, "Let us accompany you." They wish to change Allah's promise. Say, [O Prophet,] "You will not accompany us. This is what Allah has said before." They will then say, "In fact, you are driven by jealousy against us!" The truth is: they can hardly comprehend.
قُل لِّلْمُخَلَّفِينَ مِنَ الْأَعْرَابِ سَتُدْعَوْنَ إِلَىٰ قَوْمٍ أُولِي بَأْسٍ شَدِيدٍ تُقَاتِلُونَهُمْ أَوْ يُسْلِمُونَ ۖ فَإِن تُطِيعُوا يُؤْتِكُمُ اللَّهُ أَجْرًا حَسَنًا ۖ وَإِن تَتَوَلَّوْا كَمَا تَوَلَّيْتُم مِّن قَبْلُ يُعَذِّبْكُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا
16. Say to nomadic Arabs who stayed behind, "You will be called [to fight] against a people of great might who you will fight unless they submit. If you then obey, Allah will grant you a fine reward. But if you turn away as you did before, He will inflict upon you a painful punishment."
لَّيْسَ عَلَى الْأَعْمَىٰ حَرَجٌ وَلَا عَلَى الْأَعْرَجِ حَرَجٌ وَلَا عَلَى الْمَرِيضِ حَرَجٌ ۗ وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ يُدْخِلْهُ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ ۖ وَمَن يَتَوَلَّ يُعَذِّبْهُ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا
17. There is no blame on the blind, or the disabled, or the sick [for staying behind]. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger will be admitted by Him into Gardens under which rivers flow. But whoever turns away will be subjected by Him to a painful punishment.
لَّقَدْ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ يُبَايِعُونَكَ تَحْتَ الشَّجَرَةِ فَعَلِمَ مَا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ فَأَنزَلَ السَّكِينَةَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَثَابَهُمْ فَتْحًا قَرِيبًا
18. Indeed, Allah was pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you [O Prophet] under the tree. He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down serenity upon them and rewarded them with a victory at hand,
وَمَغَانِمَ كَثِيرَةً يَأْخُذُونَهَا ۗ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا
19. and many spoils of war they will gain. For Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.— This is the highest level of praise for the sahaba. Allah is affirming that they were genuine and sincere. And He promises them "a victory at hand," "a near victory" — and as we will see, this victory is the conquest of Khaybar; and in it, the Muslims will get the greatest booty ever received up until this point in seerah.
— Subhan'Allah. Allah is saying that even if there was a war, the Muslims would have remained and the Quraysh would have fled. And this is another phrase of great praise for the Muhajirun and the Ansar. And we see here that Allah knows not only the past, present, and future, but also "the future that is not going to happen, but if it happens, how it would have happened"—this is also of the knowledge of Allah.
— Allah is criticizing the Quraysh here that they prevented the Muslims from entering Makkah. He is also saying in Makkah there are many Muslims who are persecuted and hiding their faiths. And if the Muslims marched through Makkah and there had been a battle, these secret Muslims would have been forced to fight on the side of the Quraysh (because their Islam was secret), and the Muslims would have been forced to kill these secret Muslims, and if they had killed them and later on discovered that they were Muslims, they would have felt great grief. Therefore, Allah SWT prevented this bloodshed from taking place.
وَعَدَكُمُ اللَّهُ مَغَانِمَ كَثِيرَةً تَأْخُذُونَهَا فَعَجَّلَ لَكُمْ هَٰذِهِ وَكَفَّ أَيْدِيَ النَّاسِ عَنكُمْ وَلِتَكُونَ آيَةً لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَيَهْدِيَكُمْ صِرَاطًا مُّسْتَقِيمًا
20. Allah has promised you [believers] abundant spoils, which you will gain, so He hastened this [truce] for you. And He has held people's hands back from [harming] you, so it may be a sign for the believers, and so He may guide you along the Straight Path.
وَأُخْرَىٰ لَمْ تَقْدِرُوا عَلَيْهَا قَدْ أَحَاطَ اللَّهُ بِهَا ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرًا
21. And [there are] other gains which are beyond your reach that Allah is keeping in store [for you]. For Allah is Most Capable of everything.
وَلَوْ قَاتَلَكُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوَلَّوُا الْأَدْبَارَ ثُمَّ لَا يَجِدُونَ وَلِيًّا وَلَا نَصِيرًا
22. If the disbelievers were to fight you, they would certainly flee. Then they would never find any protector or helper.— Subhan'Allah. Allah is saying that even if there was a war, the Muslims would have remained and the Quraysh would have fled. And this is another phrase of great praise for the Muhajirun and the Ansar. And we see here that Allah knows not only the past, present, and future, but also "the future that is not going to happen, but if it happens, how it would have happened"—this is also of the knowledge of Allah.
سُنَّةَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلُ ۖ وَلَن تَجِدَ لِسُنَّةِ اللَّهِ تَبْدِيلًا
23. [This is] Allah's way, already long established [in the past]. And you will find no change in Allah's way.
وَهُوَ الَّذِي كَفَّ أَيْدِيَهُمْ عَنكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ عَنْهُم بِبَطْنِ مَكَّةَ مِن بَعْدِ أَنْ أَظْفَرَكُمْ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرًا
24. He is the One Who held back their hands from you and your hands from them in the valley of [Hudaybiyyah, near] Makkah, after giving you the upper hand over [a group of] them. And Allah is All-Seeing of what you do.
هُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَصَدُّوكُمْ عَنِ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ وَالْهَدْيَ مَعْكُوفًا أَن يَبْلُغَ مَحِلَّهُ ۚ وَلَوْلَا رِجَالٌ مُّؤْمِنُونَ وَنِسَاءٌ مُّؤْمِنَاتٌ لَّمْ تَعْلَمُوهُمْ أَن تَطَئُوهُمْ فَتُصِيبَكُم مِّنْهُم مَّعَرَّةٌ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ ۖ لِّيُدْخِلَ اللَّهُ فِي رَحْمَتِهِ مَن يَشَاءُ ۚ لَوْ تَزَيَّلُوا لَعَذَّبْنَا الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا
25. They are the ones who persisted in disbelief and hindered you from the Sacred Mosque, preventing the sacrificial animals from reaching their destination. [We would have let you march through Makkah] had there not been believing men and women unknown to you. You might have trampled them underfoot, incurring guilt for [what you did to] them unknowingly. That was so Allah may admit into His mercy whoever He wills. Had those [unknown] believers stood apart, We would have certainly inflicted a painful punishment on the disbelievers.— Allah is criticizing the Quraysh here that they prevented the Muslims from entering Makkah. He is also saying in Makkah there are many Muslims who are persecuted and hiding their faiths. And if the Muslims marched through Makkah and there had been a battle, these secret Muslims would have been forced to fight on the side of the Quraysh (because their Islam was secret), and the Muslims would have been forced to kill these secret Muslims, and if they had killed them and later on discovered that they were Muslims, they would have felt great grief. Therefore, Allah SWT prevented this bloodshed from taking place.
إِذْ جَعَلَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ الْحَمِيَّةَ حَمِيَّةَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ فَأَنزَلَ اللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِ وَعَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَأَلْزَمَهُمْ كَلِمَةَ التَّقْوَىٰ وَكَانُوا أَحَقَّ بِهَا وَأَهْلَهَا ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمًا
26. [Remember] when the disbelievers had filled their hearts with pride —the pride of [pre-Islamic] ignorance— then Allah sent down His serenity upon His Messenger and the believers, inspiring them to uphold the declaration of faith, for they were better entitled and more worthy of it. And Allah has [perfect] knowledge of all things.
لَّقَدْ صَدَقَ اللَّهُ رَسُولَهُ الرُّؤْيَا بِالْحَقِّ ۖ لَتَدْخُلُنَّ الْمَسْجِدَ الْحَرَامَ إِن شَاءَ اللَّهُ آمِنِينَ مُحَلِّقِينَ رُءُوسَكُمْ وَمُقَصِّرِينَ لَا تَخَافُونَ ۖ فَعَلِمَ مَا لَمْ تَعْلَمُوا فَجَعَلَ مِن دُونِ ذَٰلِكَ فَتْحًا قَرِيبًا
27. Indeed, Allah will fulfill His Messenger's vision in all truth: Allah willing, you will surely enter the Sacred Mosque, in security —[some with] heads shaved and [others with] hair shortened— without fear. He knew what you did not know, so He first granted you the triumph at hand.— In this verse, Allah reaffirms the vision/dream that the Prophet PBUH saw. He says the Muslims will SURELY enter Makkah. And He says they will get a victory in the near future. Some scholars say this victory is the Conquest of Makkah, some say it is Khaybar, and some say it is other victories. Allah knows best.
هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَىٰ وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ ۚ وَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ شَهِيدًا
28. He is the One Who has sent His Messenger with [right] guidance and the religion of Truth, making it prevail over all others. And sufficient is Allah as a Witness.
مُّحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللَّهِ ۚ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ أَشِدَّاءُ عَلَى الْكُفَّارِ رُحَمَاءُ بَيْنَهُمْ ۖ تَرَاهُمْ رُكَّعًا سُجَّدًا يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانًا ۖ سِيمَاهُمْ فِي وُجُوهِهِم مِّنْ أَثَرِ السُّجُودِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ ۚ وَمَثَلُهُمْ فِي الْإِنجِيلِ كَزَرْعٍ أَخْرَجَ شَطْأَهُ فَآزَرَهُ فَاسْتَغْلَظَ فَاسْتَوَىٰ عَلَىٰ سُوقِهِ يُعْجِبُ الزُّرَّاعَ لِيَغِيظَ بِهِمُ الْكُفَّارَ ۗ وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ مِنْهُم مَّغْفِرَةً وَأَجْرًا عَظِيمًا
29. Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. And those with him are firm with the disbelievers and compassionate with one another. You see them bowing and prostrating [in prayer], seeking Allah's bounty and pleasure. The sign [of brightness can be seen] on their faces from the trace of prostrating [in prayer]. This is their description in the Torah. And their parable in the Gospel is that of a seed that sprouts its [tiny] branches, making it strong. Then it becomes thick, standing firmly on its stem, to the delight of the planters — in this way, Allah makes the believers a source of dismay for the disbelievers. To those of them who believe and do good, Allah has promised forgiveness and a great reward.— The final two verses are verses that praise the Prophet PBUH — and the final verse has the phrase 'Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah' which only occurs once in the whole Quran. The rest of the verse is a praise for the Muhajirun and the Ansar. (Trivia: This verse is one of only two verses in the Quran in which every single letter of the Arabic alphabet occurs.)
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For the rest of today, we will discuss the main lessons and benefits from the Incident of Hudaybiyyah. We will divide this into 4 sections:
I. Seerah benefits
II. Theological benefits
III. Fiqh benefits
IV. Modern political thought benefits
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I. Seerah Benefits From the Incident of Hudaybiyyah
1. Of the greatest benefits of the Incident of Hudaybiyyah is that it forced the Quraysh to treat the Muslims like an equal party. For the first time, the Quraysh and the Prophet PBUH complete a treaty as equals. And this demonstrates that the Muslims aren't only gaining ascent, but eventually, they will gain the upper hand. Many of the Quraysh realize the tide is turning. And this realization made them so paranoid they said, "Whatever happens, you won't enter this year. Let not the Arabs say you had the upper hand over us." And this in fact shows the Muslims DID have the upper hand; but the Quraysh just did not want to admit it. And in this, we notice their insecurity. And as the tables are turning, some of them embraced Islam. Very soon, we will come to the stories of the last converts before the Conquest of Makkah, culminating with the story of Khalid ibn al-Walid (خالد بن الوليد), Uthman ibn Talha (عثمان بن طلحة), and Amr ibn al-As (عمرو بن العاص) [see episode 72]. The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah was the last straw they needed, and they realized without a doubt that Islam is the Truth. This group of people needed to see signs before embracing Islam, and Hudaybiyyah was that final sign.
2. This peace brought about for the Muslims comfort and security they had never felt before. Badr, Uhud, Khandaq — these are all fresh and recent; so there was always a fear, "When will they attack again?" But now that this treaty is in place, it brings about a sense of peace and calm. And this allowed the Muslims to concentrate on other issues: First and foremost, the issue of the remaining Jewish tribes which were in Khaybar [see episode 68]. The Banu Nadir and Banu Qaynuqa living in Khaybar were a big thorn to the Muslims. But why couldn't the Muslims deal with them before? Because Khaybar was a fortress. So it will require a lot of work — and who has the time and energy to dedicate on it when the Quraysh are a threat?
3. This peace allowed for the first time for the Prophet PBUH to act globally. Now that the local threat is eliminated, for the very first time, he starts writing letters to international leaders [see episode 71].
4. It affirmed the sense that the Muslim ummah is now an independent republic, that the Muslims can now negotiate with Caesar, Kisra, Muqawqis, et al. — the Prophet PBUH wrote letters to these leaders as a political leader [see episode 71].
5. Perhaps the best seerah benefit was that it allowed for the first time for the Muslims and the pagans to interact without fear of any bloodshed. Throughout the Arabian Peninsula, it allowed Muslims and pagans to engage in buying, selling, traveling, and mixing with one another. And this allowed the Message of Islam to spread peacefully, which led to many people converting. Thus, the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah was a jihad of peace and dawah.
Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri (d. 124 AH), the most famous scholar of the tabi'un —and clearly he is one of the main architects of our fiqh, usul, seerah, etc., and we don't know much about him but we owe almost everything to him— he said there was no victory given to Islam before Hudaybiyyah that was bigger than Hudaybiyyah. Why? He says, "The people were all at peace with one another, so they would mix and talk about Islam, and not a single intelligent person heard about Islam except that he entered it. And in the next two years after Hudaybiyyah, the number of Muslims doubled, or even more than this." Subhan'Allah. In just two years, the number of converts doubles from the 19 years of preaching pre-Hudaybiyyah. Think about that. And Ibn Hisham quotes al-Zuhri and then adds, "The proof for al-Zuhri's statement is that in Bay'at al-Ridwan, there were 1,400 people, and two years later in the Conquest of Makkah, there were 10,000 people." So all you have to do is look at the numbers: Just two years after Bay'at al-Ridwan, 1,400 became 10,000. Where did these 8,600 come from? The two years of peaceful dawah.
6. The sahaba who participated in Bay'at al-Ridwan were given one of the highest blessings and statuses. As we said, the Prophet PBUH said to the sahaba who were present, "You are the best people on earth," and in another hadith, "No one who gave me the bay'ah will ever enter the Fire of Hell" [see episode 65].
7. The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah was a direct line to the Conquest of Makkah. It was this treaty that allowed the Prophet PBUH to engage in a military expedition when the Quraysh broke the treaty [see episode 76]. So without Hudaybiyyah, there would be NO Conquest of Makkah.
So the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah was the clearest and greatest victory without a doubt.
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II. Theological Benefits From the Incident of Hudaybiyyah
1. Ibn al-Qayyim writes —and note Ibn al-Qayyim is one of the greatest masters at extracting benefits from the seerah; hardly anyone has done this type of analysis, which is to really *think* about the seerah and then extract points of benefits— he says in his book Zad al-Ma'ad, "Of the benefits from Hudaybiyyah is the permissibility of standing guard for a person of importance." Typically this is not allowed: Our Prophet PBUH has forbidden a Muslim ruler from sitting down while everybody rising in his presence [see episode 61]. So the general rule is when someone comes in or when someone of importance is sitting down, you don't stand up as a token of respect. But in Hudaybiyyah, when the emissaries came, the sahaba all stood up with their swords ready. Ibn al-Qayyim remarks that they did this as a show of force. Even though it was never the habit of the Prophet PBUH to have armed guards, at Hudaybiyyah, this took place to show the Quraysh that the Muslims respect their leaders the most, by utilizing the protocol that they were accustomed to. If the sahaba had all been sitting down in a haphazard fashion, the emissaries would have thought, "You are not going to do anything for your leader." So in this case, it was allowed.
2. The issue of al-fa'l (الفأل - optimism, good omens, reading in something positive) [see episode 65]. As we have discussed, there are two conditions that if they are met, a good omen is recommended in our religion:
i) To read a positive sign or message into something; not a negative message
ii) The message is linked to Allah SWT
3. At one point in time, it rained very hard during the 20-day camp of Hudaybiyyah, and one or two of the Muslims remarked, "It rained because of such-and-such a star." The next morning, after Fajr salah, the Prophet PBUH said, "Do you know what Allah said last night? He said, 'Some of My believers have woken up believing in Me, and some of them have woken up believing in the stars and rejecting Me.'" (Those who said it has rained because of the star have rejected Allah and believe in the star, and those who said it has rained because of the blessings and mercy of Allah are believers in Allah.) A lot of theology here, but we don't have time, so briefly: Some of the sahaba still believed in some pre-Islamic superstitions and they attributed the rain to a particular star — and in our religion, this is clearly haram. And in our times, we have similar things —good luck stones, etc.— and these are all haram. There is no doubt when the sahaba said what they said, they did not mean to reject Allah in their hearts; yet Allah SWT still said they had rejected Him. So we derive from this that if you say something of this nature without meaning it, it is a minor shirk; and if you say it and you mean it, it is a major shirk. Therefore, we must ascribe everything directly to Allah. We don't say, "I was sick but the doctor cured me," or, "That house was under fire but the firemen saved the house"—these are inappropriate. We say, "I was sick but Allah cured me through the efforts of the doctor," "The house was on fire but Allah saved it through the efforts of the firemen"—we link it to Allah. This is the proper adab with Allah. Of course, we believe in causality, but we don't ascribe blessings except to Allah SWT. This is proven in this hadith. You never say, "It rained because of the star."
4. The issue of tabarruk with the remnants of the Prophet PBUH (his wudu, spit, sweat, hair, etc.). We see from ahadith that this was something that is clearly allowed, and no one can deny this. But it is only allowed with the remnants of the Prophet PBUH, and not anybody else. (But of course, there are no remnants of his in our times.) There is an authentic hadith in al-Tabarani wherein the Prophet PBUH said to the sahaba who were taking the remnants of his water, "Why are you doing this?" They said, "Because we wish to get blessings." The Prophet PBUH said, "Whoever wishes that Allah and His Messenger love him, let him be truthful in his speech, trustworthy in his amanah, and let him not irritate his neighbors." What this means is the Prophet PBUH didn't forbid the sahaba from doing tabarruk from his remnants, but he told them if they really wanted to get barakah, then speak truthfully, be trustworthy, and don't irritate neighbors.
5. Of the greatest benefits of the Incident of Hudaybiyyah is the issue of tawakkul. And that is that, sometimes things happen and we don't understand why they happen. On the surface, it appears nothing but wrong, chaos, evil, and harm; yet Allah knows and we do not know. Indeed, one of the fundamentals of tawakkul is to put your faith in Allah. And you expect the best from Allah. Allah says, "You might hate something but it is good for you" [see Quran, 2:216], and in another verse, "It is possible you hate something but Allah will bring a lot of good from that which you hate" [see Quran, 4:19]. The Incident of Hudaybiyyah is the perfect example. Even the Prophet PBUH did not know what to say to Umar RA; all he said was, "Allah will help me." Indeed, at face value, the treaty seemed like a complete humiliation — but it turned out to be the single greatest victory Islam had ever seen up until that point.
6. From the incident, we learn to never ever assume we know better than the Quran and Sunnah. Umar RA and Sahl ibn Hanif both said, "Accuse your own opinions before you accuse the religion." Subhan'Allah. And obviously, this only applies when there is an explicit text of the Quran and Sunnah. You don't say, "I think," or, "My opinion is," when Allah and His Messenger have spoken. When there are clear-cut explicit verses/hadiths, our opinion doesn't matter. When the Quran and Sunnah is explicit, we obey.
7. Very interesting tangent: A huge controversy erupted in Andalus over the question, "Did the Prophet PBUH read and write or not?" One of the great Maliki scholars, Abu al-Walid al-Baji (أبو الوليد الباجي) (d. 474 AH) in Andalus, he claimed that the Prophet PBUH could read and write. And this spread amongst the masses, then other scholars got involved and said, "Anyone who claims the Prophet PBUH can read and write is a kafir." Why? Because the Quran says the Prophet PBUH was an "unlettered prophet" [see 7:157]. So there was an actual court case brought against Abu al-Walid al-Baji, the most famous scholar of his time. The Sultan had to get involved and he basically said, "Look, all of the scholars are accusing you of being a kafir, because you have rejected the Quran, because you say the Prophet PBUH can read and write." To which, al-Baji said, "I have clear evidences that he can read and write." Sultan said, "What?" The number one evidence al-Baji gave was one version of hadith in Sahih Bukhari related to the Incident of Hudaybiyyah; he said: "When Ali ibn Abi Talib refused to erase 'Rasulullah,' the Prophet PBUH took the kitab —and he did not know how to write— and HE WROTE 'Muhammad ibn Abdillah.'" The scholars then asked in response how about the verse in the Quran that says he PBUH was an unlettered prophet? Al-Baji said the verse describes the Prophet PBUH in the early stage of his prophethood, but later on, he did learn how to read and write. Then they asked about this verse, how do you explain it?:
وَمَا كُنتَ تَتْلُو مِن قَبْلِهِ مِن كِتَابٍ وَلَا تَخُطُّهُ بِيَمِينِكَ ۖ إِذًا لَّارْتَابَ الْمُبْطِلُونَ
"And you did not recite before it any scripture, nor did you inscribe one with your right hand. Otherwise, the falsifiers would have had [cause for] doubt" [29:48].Al-Baji said, "This ayah is an evidence for me and against you." Why? Because it says, "From before the revelation of the Quran, you didn't recite a book or write," which means —according to al-Baji— after the Quran was revealed, the Prophet PBUH did learn how to read and write.
And the other scholars could not defeat him. In the end, the case was dismissed because he had legitimate Quranic and Sunnah evidences, and so they could not say it was kufr. Al-Baji held his position until he died, but the position remained a minority, and later scholars wrote entire treatises on this issue to refute him. The majority opinion of the ummah remains that the Prophet PBUH was unlettered. As for the version in Bukhari that says he PBUH wrote his name, there are two interpretations: (i) First is that he wrote his name only, and the evidence for this is that most people who can't read or write can at least write their name. (ii) The second stronger interpretation —sticking to the verse of the Quran that says he was an unlettered prophet— is that it doesn't literally mean he PBUH wrote; and this interpretation is allowed in any language, e.g., when we say, "The governor rebuilt the highway," it does not literally mean the governor rebuilt the highway, rather it means the governor commanded the rebuilding of the highway. We are allowed to speak in this type of language when it's the leader involved. So the way we understand the hadith is: "The Prophet PBUH didn't know how to write, and he commanded somebody to write." Also, with regards to verse [29:48], just because the verse says the Prophet PBUH didn't write BEFORE, it doesn't mean he did AFTER — in Usul al-Fiqh, this is called mafhum al-mukhalafah (مفهوم المخالفة), but it's not a very strong istidlal (استدلال). So to conclude, in the end, we stick with verse [7:157] and say our Prophet PBUH was an unlettered prophet.
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III. Fiqh Benefits From the Incident of Hudaybiyyah
1. The most obvious fiqh benefit is the permissibility of engaging in peace treaties with an otherwise evil enemy. The Quraysh are the worst enemies the ummah has ever seen. Why? Because nobody has ever opposed the Prophet PBUH directly except the Quraysh. Anytime another group, another nation, another country opposes Muslims, they are not opposing the Prophet PBUH directly. The only people who actually directly opposed the one man whom Allah sent to this ummah were the Quraysh. They even tried to kill him PBUH. What can be a greater injustice than this? Yet still, the Prophet PBUH engaged with them and had a peace treaty with them. And this shows us you can engage in a peace treaty with even the vilest, evilest, and most crooked people. Scholars have differed on whether you should put a 10-year time clause: Imam al-Shafi'i says the maximum is 10 years but you can keep on renewing if you want; and Imam Abu Hanifa says 10 years was just what the Prophet PBUH did, and you can have more or less depending on your circumstances — and this is the stronger position. Some modern scholars —Dr. Wahbah al-Zuhayli and Sh. Yusuf al-Qaradawi— hold a position that is unique for our times and say: In light of current circumstances, we can in fact extrapolate there can be permanent peace if that is the way the world is expected to be.
2. The one who cannot continue Hajj or Umrah must stop where he is, sacrifice the animal, shave or trim his hair, and then he can resume his normal life [see episode 66].
3. The ruling for ihram is that you can get out of it for a legitimate reason. A sahabi, Ka'b ibn Ujrah (كعب بن عجرة), suffered from a major medical issue which was that he was infested with lice. When the Prophet PBUH saw him, he said, "Why didn't you tell me it was this bad? Shave your hair off and then give a fidyah (فدية)." So we learn from this that in ihram, if you have a medical issue because of which you must wear other clothes, it's completely halal, as long as you give the fidyah. Any legitimate reason for breaking from the ihram is allowed as long as you give the fidyah.
4. Yet another fiqh benefit we derive, as Ibn al-Qayyim mentions, is the permissibility of seeking the help of a pagan, even in extremely sensitive matters, if you trust him. According to Ibn al-Qayyim, the scout that the Prophet PBUH sent (Bishr/Busr al-Sufyan al-Khuza'i) was a pagan; others say he was a new convert to Islam — and in our seerah, we took this line [see episode 63]. In any case, we still can derive this same lesson from other instances in seerah, e.g., the story of Hijrah and the Battle of Uhud.
5. The permissibility of being strictly literal about a treaty even if it means you contradict the spirit of the treaty. One example is that of women migrating. The treaty said, "Not a single MAN from the Quraysh can renegade or defect over to the Muslims," so in this case, the Prophet PBUH stuck by the letter, and retained any women who sought protection in Madinah. Another example is the story of Abu Basir [see episode 66].
6. In times of difficulty (tornado, blizzard, etc.), you are not required to come to the masjid to pray fard in jama'ah. We mentioned that on one of the days of Hudaybiyyah, it rained severely. And on that night, the Muslims didn't pray Maghrib and Isha in jama'ah, and in fact, the muezzin changed the adhan from "hayya alas-salaah, hayya alal-falaah (حي على الصلاة ، حي على الفلاح - hasten to salah, hasten to salvation)" to "salluw fiy rihaalikum (صلوا في رحالكم - pray in your tents)." And to this day, we are supposed to change the adhan if Muslims are prohibited from coming to the masjid: we change "hayya alas-salaah, hayya alal-falaah (حي على الصلاة ، حي على الفلاح)" to "salluw fiy buyuwtikum (صلوا في بيوتكم - pray in your homes)" or "as-salaati fiy buyuwtikum (الصلاة في بيوتكم)."
7. If you oversleep Fajr, pray it as soon as you can [see episode 66].
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IV. Modern Political Thought Benefits From the Incident of Hudaybiyyah
The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah teaches us that it is allowed for Muslims to have different political treaties. Not all Muslims have to have the exact same treaty. What might be allowed for one group might not be allowed for another, and what might be haram for one group might be halal for another. And for Western Muslims, to be living in this land with a visa, with a passport, this is the treaty. You cannot obtain a visa or a passport without having an understanding. What is that understanding? That you're going to be a law-abiding citizen. That's the understanding. You're not going to break the law, you're not going to be treacherous, you're not going to do something that goes against the security of the land. If you have such a visa and such a passport, well, then, the laws become binding, even if you see Abu Basir and Abu Jandal and you cannot help them.
[Transcribed by Br. Safwan Khan & Faizan]
safwan-khan@hotmail.com
[Revised by Br. Syed Haq & MAR, October 2021]
safwan-khan@hotmail.com
[Revised by Br. Syed Haq & MAR, October 2021]
