The Events of the Month of Dhul-Qa`dah

The Treaty of Al-Hudaibiah (6 A.H.)

In the month of Dhul-Qa`dah 6 A.H. the Prophet (peace be upon him) decided to go to Mecca to perform `Umrah along with his Companions. However, the Quraish rejected that decisively and arrogantly, despite they were sure that the Prophet had no intention to wage war against them. In fact, they had no right to prevent the Prophet and his Companions from visiting Allah’s House. Thus, the Prophet (peace be upon him) camped in Al-Hudaibiah near Mecca. Negotiations ensued between the Muslims and the Quraish with the aim of preventing bloodshed and maintaining peace. At the end, an agreement was reached, which was called the Treaty of Al-Hudaibiah, which provided for the following conditions:

1.         A cease-fire between the two parties for ten years, during which it will be secure for both parties to travel and move from one place to another.

2.         The Muslims should return home without performing `Umrah this year, on the condition that they will be able to perform it next year. The Quraish will be responsible for evacuating Mecca for the Muslims for three days to perform their rituals, after which they will return to Medina.

3.         A convert who joins Muslims in Medina without the permission of his guardian should be returned to the Quraish, while a renegade who abandons Muslims and return to the Quraish will not be returned to Muslims.

4.         Any Arab tribe has the right to join either of the signed parties.

Based on the last provision, the tribe of Khuza`ah joined the Muslims while the tribe of Banu Bakr joined the Quraish.

Though this treaty superficially seemed inequitable on the part of the Muslims, which led some Muslims such as `Umar bin Al-Khattab to protest on it, in reality it was a clear victory to the Muslims. This incident was dealt with in Surah Al-Fath, which was revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him) on his way back to Medina. This treaty was a prelude to the conquest of Mecca, which took place two years later on.