40 Lessons We Should Learn from the Hudaibiyah Expedition

40 Lessons We Should Learn from the Hudaibiyah Expedition

The Study of the Seerah (Biography) of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is an indispensable aid in understanding Islam, to the point that each and every aspect of his life is brimming with lessons for us to learn. The Umrah journey of Zil Qadd 6 AH, widely known as the Expedition of Hudaibiyah was a turning point in the Islamic Movement, heralding the onset of all future victories. Hence it becomes very important for us to delve into it in some detail. Here I would try to highlight what we can learn from the events that unfolded during this expedition in the light of Surah alFath [48] (revealed while returning from the expedition) and the Seerah literature.

Journey to Hudaibiyah

Following the battles of Badr, Uhud and the more recent Battle of the Trench in 5 AH, the relations between the Muslims and the Quraish had reached their nadir. There was an atmosphere of belligerency all around and venturing into enemy territory was fraught with the danger of imminent death. A journey to Makkah, unarmed, in such a volatile state speaks volumes of the dedication of the Sahaba, their devotion to the cause of Islam and the extreme love and trust they had for their leader who led them to Makkah following a dream. It also demonstrates their courage in the time of adversity and the reliance they had on their Lord, ignoring the reservations professed by the hypocrites and the fear exhibited by those weak in faith.

The journey, thus, teaches us these lessons:

1.     The Prophet’s dream is as good as an instruction from Allah.

2.     A true Muslim obeys and follows the Prophet irrespective of whether others are doing so or not.

3.     A Muslim is supposed to march towards Allah’s pleasure even if there is an overwhelming possibility of loss of life, leaving his family and wealth behind in Allah’s care.

4.     The Muslim ladies who cannot participate in person, but nevertheless encourage their men to take part in an expedition, are also worthy of rewards. (Surah alFath ayat 5)

5.     Those who choose to remain behind without any valid excuse are registered as hypocrites and disbelievers in Allah’s register.

6.     The deputation of a person from Bani Ka’ab to gather intelligence on enemy movement and the subsequent change of course teaches us that we should always take necessary precautions while traveling.

7.     The consultation the Prophet ﷺ had with his companions in this regard teaches us that the leader, no matter how accomplished and wise, should seek advice from his followers.

8.     Surah alFath ayat 4 tells us that such virtuous journeys increase the believers’ faith and Allah would reward them for their sacrifices.

9.     Future rewards and blessings of Allah are reserved only for those who assist His cause in tumultuous times (Surah alFath ayat 15)

Stay at Hudaibiyah

During their encampment at Hudaibiyah, the believers were regularly provoked by the enemies to fight, but the believers maintained their sense of discipline and patience.  Another notable episode was when the Quraish’s emissary, Urwah bin Mas’ood Thaqifi was overawed by the Sahaba’s love and adoration for their leader ﷺ, which compelled him to urge the Quraish to seek an armistice.

Upon reflection, we can derive the following lessons:

10.Muslim should be patient in times of distress and not allow themselves to be provoked by the enemy’s overtures. Maintaining a high moral ground ensures a political and diplomatic victory in the long run, in addition to assured divine rewards.

11.The release and pardon of 50 enemy men after being apprehended by the Muslims gave a very positive message to all the Arab tribes and helped in turning public opinion in the Muslims’ favour. This was a very prudent move which should be emulated by all Muslims when the situation so demands.

12.During their encampment at Hudaibiyah, Allah kept the hands of the Quraish off the Muslims. Moreover, Madinah was also not invaded by any tribe during this period. From this we come to understand that Allah takes upon Himself to protect the believers who strive in His cause. (Surah alFath ayat 24).

13.The Prophet ﷺ has taught us to deal differently with people of different mentalities. So while he showcased the best forms of diplomacy in dealing with Budayl bin Warqa, Urwah bin Mas’ood and Suhail bin Amr, in the case of Hulays bin Alqamah Kinani all he had to do was march the sacrificial camels before him to convince him of his peaceful motives.

14.Love and adoration for the Prophet ﷺ is an essential element of Islam and it has its worldly benefits as well- in the form of creating a sense of awe and respect in the eyes of the disbelievers.

Bait-ul-Rizwan

Meanwhile, a rumour broke out that Hazrat Usman (May Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet’s envoy had been assassinated by the Quraish. To avenge his martyrdom, the Prophet ﷺ and all the 1400 Sahaba pledged to fight until death… despite being almost unarmed, despite being very close to enemy territory and despite being miles away from their own base camp, devoid of any hope of reinforcements. The rumour, of course, turned out to be false and the pledge was not acted upon. However, Allah has sent His seal of approval on the participants of this pledge in Surah alFath, to be read by generations to come.

Bait-ul-Rizwan teaches us that:

15.The Sahaba were an epitome of courage, dedication and loyalty. We are duty-bound to follow their pristine example.

16.Their trust in Allah and His Messenger far surpassed the fear of death, given the circumstances under which the pledge of fight-unto-death was taken.

17.Muslims should be ready to lay down their lives for the cause of Islam and never flinch thereafter.

18.Some principles can never be compromised upon, the assassination of an envoy being one of them.

19.Our focus should be on Allah’s help and divine pleasure and not on the material disadvantages overweighing us in comparison to our adversaries.

20.It is not at all difficult for Allah to accomplish His cause by employing angels and other forces under His command; but He, out of His mercy and wisdom, allows us to do it so as to reward us for it (Surah alFath ayaat 4 and 7).

21.Such devotion to the Islamic cause in extreme circumstances brings with it a promise from Allah of future victories (Surah alFath, ayaat 18-21).

22.If at all a fight would have taken place after the pledge, Allah would have helped the believers and granted them victory. This is a general practice of Allah and valid for all times to come (Surah alFath ayat 22-23).

The Treaty of Hudaibiyah

The Quraish then agreed to a truce and sent their envoy Hazrat Suhail bin Amr (who later accepted Islam) to deliberate upon the terms of the treaty. The clauses of this treaty seemed very humiliating to the Muslims at first sight and it appeared as if the Muslims were surrendering to the Quraish’s terms.

Allah opens Surah alFath with an announcement that this treaty is a clear victory, and a victory it indeed was. The months to follow are clear evidence to the fact that each and every clause of this treaty worked in favour of the Muslims and weakened the Quraish disbelievers even further, culminating in their final defeat two years later. More importantly, it made Dawah work easier, bringing unprecedented number of people in the fold of Islam over the next two years.

Some very important things to learn from this treaty and its outcomes are:

23.Peace treaties should always be encouraged, despite being apparently humiliating.

24.Agreeing for a truce should not be perceived as a sign of submission or fear. The Prophet agreed for a truce even after being assured of the Sahaba’s willingness to fight following the Bait-ul-Rizwan.

25.Sometimes, a momentary loss or defeat proves to be a harbinger of many victories to follow. Small short-term setbacks should be accepted in pursuit of a greater cause.

26.The unfolding of future events prove that Allah’s wisdom behind the events occurring in this world cannot be completely or properly understood by us. What seems to be a clear misfortune turns out to be the greatest blessing in the long run. The wisdom of Allah grasps even those aspects that are hidden from our sight.

27.Again, allowing peace under humiliation instead of war was a great blessing in disguise (Surah alFath ayat 25). Hence, Muslims should always have complete tawakkul and sabr.

28.The willingness to omit out ‘Bismillah arRahman arRaheem’ and ‘Rasoolullah’ from the treaty teaches us that for the sake of peace and a greater cause, it is permissible to momentarily compromise on our set practices as long as it does not result in deviation from our basic principles.
29. When the treaty of Hudaibiyah was being signed upon, the Quraish had Suhail ibn Amr and Mikriz ibn Hafs as their witnesses and the Muslims had, among many leading Sahaba, Hazrat Abdullah ibn Suhail as a signatory! Father and son, related by family ties but separated by ideology, chose to stand on either side of the fence. This teaches us that allegiance to Islam surpasses all other ties and bonds. The treaty would have passed even without the signature of Hazrat Abdullah, but this gesture is a message to the Ummah that we should stand firmly for the truth even if it means standing against our own parents.

30.The consent of the respected Sahaba to this treaty despite their personal inhibitions and their forbearance at this crucial and volatile hour explicitly demonstrates that we should always maintain discipline in our ranks and obey our leader come what may.

31.The return of Hazrat Abu Jandal (May Allah be pleased with him) to the Quraish following a clause of the treaty shows the exemplary adherence to treaties that Islam teaches us. Treaties should be followed in letter and spirit despite all odds.

32.Hazrat Umar’s (May Allah be pleased with him) life-long remorse and his atonement by means of prayers, fasts and charity to undo his act of questioning the wisdom behind the treaty is a great example for us to follow. It tells us that it may happen that we, out of out limited understanding, are unable to make sense of some Islamic injunction and may even retaliate against it. Such an occasion should not be allowed to casually pass by and instead calls for a deep sense of guilt and expiation.

33.The Prophet’s act of shaving his head and sacrificing his camel first is a personification of the phrase- ‘Lead by example’. This is the true mark of an ideal leader.

34.The Prophet did this following the advice of his wife, Umme Salamah (May Allah be pleased with her) when he was deeply saddened by the Sahaba’s non-compliance to his orders. From this we infer that in extreme emotional circumstances, seeking advice from a third person not directly involved in the proceedings can reap great benefits.

35.We also learn that seeking advice from ones’ wife should not be looked down upon.

36.The armistice kept the Quraish away from the Muslims’ future campaigns and this opened up the way to conquer Khaiber without any external resistance. From this we learn that peace treaties serve as strategic instruments to suppress foreign resistance.

37.Political maneuvers are an effective means to promote Islamic Dawah. This treaty gave the Muslims the opportunity to spread the message of Islam unhindered. Zuhri has said, “No victory in Islam has been greater than the Hudaibiyah treaty. Earlier to that, fighting started off at any place men encountered each other. But, with the peace treaty, arms were laid down, people met each other in complete peace to discuss and debate. So that, no intelligent man ever opened the subject but ultimately became a Muslim.” Testifying to this is the fact that the number of Muslims accompanying the Prophet rose from 1400 in 6 AH to 10,000 in 8 AH!

38.Diplomatic instruments also accord political leverage in society. After this treaty, Madinah was recognized as a sovereign state; following which, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ wrote official letters to the heads of states of Persia, Byzantium, Alexandria, Bahrain, Abyssinia etc.

39.Since the Muslims were prohibited from emigrating to Madinah under a clause of the treaty, they started migrating towards the coastal areas. Under the leadership of Abu Basir, around 70 Muslims including Abu Jandal started blocking the trade caravans of the Quraish. The Quraish were forced to relent and these Muslims were eventually permitted to emigrate to Madinah. The story of Abu Basir and others in Eis is an example for the Muslims that they have to stay firm on their faith and work to find ways to vindicate and defend themselves against oppressors.

40.The Quraish had set tough clauses in the treaty in its attempt to salvage its honour. However, following the treaty, the prestige of the Quraish was eroded even further. This re-emphasizes the fact that all honour indeed belongs to Allah alone and He grants it to whoever He pleases; all the strategies of the disbelievers ultimately turning out to be futile.

Over and above all this, we learn that:

Such events are part of a chain of regular trials by Allah (Surah atTawbah  ayat 126).

      By means of these trials:

·        Allah helps us differentiate between the true believers and the hypocrites and disbelievers (Surah alAnkabut ayat 3).

·        Allah rewards the true believers and punishes the hypocrites and disbelievers (Surah alFath ayaat 5 and 6).

·        Allah purges the believers of their shortcomings and weaknesses and guides them even further (Surah AlFath ayat 2).

There might possibly be many more lessons that could be learnt from this great expedition and repeated studies of the Qur’an and the Seerah can definitely help us in reaching them.

Dr. Parvez Mandviwala