Setting out
Sirat p. 499, Tabari VIII p. 67
Then Muhammad stayed in Medina during the months of Ramadan and Shawwal and went out on the little pilgrimage in Dhul-Qada with no intention of making war. He called together the Arabs and neighbouring Bedouin to march with him, fearing that Quraysh would oppose him with arms or prevent him from visiting the temple. As they actually did.
One might think he was less than welcome, after the events of the previous six years. Calling for as large a force as possible is perhaps not the best strategy to enter Mecca for pilgrimage.
Many of the Arabs held back from him, and he went out with the emigrants and the Ansars and such of the Arabs as stuck to him. He took the sacrifical victims with him and donned the pilgrim garb so that all would know that he did not intend war and that this purpose was to visit the temple and to venerate it.
It appears sincere. The Quraysh, however, probably did not forget the battles that Muhammad initiated during Ramadan, including Badr, and were on guard. The little pilgrimage mentioned here is called 'Umrah', as opposed to 'Hajj', the greater pilgrimage. Both of these are pagan (polytheist) rituals adopted into Islam. As an aside, it is funny that the Ka'aba itself is venerated. Islamic tradition states that only Allah must be worshipped.
Rejection
Sirat p. 500
When Muhammad was in Usfan, Bishr b. Sufyan al-Kabi met him and said: "There are Quraysh who have heard of you coming and have come out with their milch-camels and have put on leopards' skins and have encamped at Dhu Tuwa swearing that you will never enter Mecca in defiance of them."
The Meccans are, for obvious reasons, sensitive about the situation.
Muhammad said: "Alas, Quraysh, war has devoured them!"
Six years of war is a long time. Muhammad can't really be surprised about this, as the hadith explains in detail who initiated and conducted the wars.
"What harm would they have suffered if they had left me and the rest of the Arabs to go our own ways? If they should kill me that is what they desire, and if Allah should give me the victory over them, they would enter Islam in flocks. If they do not do that, they will fight while they have the strength, so what are Quraysh thinking of? By Allah, I will not cease to fight for the mission with which Allah has entrusted me, until He makes it victorious or I perish." Then he said: "Who will take us out by a way in which we shall not meet them?"
After promising not to stop fighting, Muhammad decides to quietly slip away anyway. A bit later:
Muhammad went as far as the pass of al-Murar, and when his camel knelt and the men said: "The camel won't get up", he said: "It has not refused and such is not its nature, but the One who restrained the elephant from Mecca is holding it back."
This is a reference to a story about an attack on Mecca with an army from Yemen, lead by an elephant, described in the Sirat on pages 24 ff. The grandfather of Muhammad, Abdul-Muttalib, had considered resisting the force, but chose instead to let Allah himself take care of the defense. Legend will it that the elephant refused to walk against Mecca, and the army returned to Yemen without battle. Another variation is that an outbreak of smallpox shattered the army, who gave up. Having to feed and water an elephant in the Arabian desert might also be a cause for giving up.
Here the story is being invoked to explain the camels' refusal to continue.
"Today whatever condition Quraysh make in which they ask me to show kindness to kindred, I shall agree to."
Muhammad is in a peaceful and negotiable mood on this day.
The next half page describes how they managed to find water in a waterhole at their resting place. Then we come to:
When Muhammad had rested, Budayl b. Warqa al-Khuzai came to him with some men of Khuzaa and asked him what he had come for. He told them that he had not come for war but to go on pilgrimage and venerate the sacred precincts.
But the Quraysh suspected them and spoke roughly of them, saying: "He may have come not wanting war, but by Allah he shall never come in here against our will, nor shall the Arabs ever say we have allowed it."
Since pilgrimage was one of their main sources of revenue (caravan trade being the other), the Quraysh were acting to their economical disadvantage by barring Muhammad and his followers. The 'Men of Allah', as the Quraysh described themselves, are firm. Some bickering follows. Then progress:
Muhammad summoned Uthman and sent him to Abu Sufyan and the chiefs of Quraysh to tell them that he had not come for war, but merely to visit the house and to venerate its sanctity.
Muhammad tries again. He emphasises that he is not out to make war this time, and uses quite a bit of effort to convince the Quraysh. Everyone involved shares the notion of the Ka'aba being holy ground, and Muhammad repeats that he simply wants to go on the pilgrimage, as Arabs have done for generations.
Abban B. Said met Uthman and gave his protection until he could convey Muhammads' message to the Quraysh. Having heard what Uthman had to say, they said: "If you want to go round the temple, go round it." He said that he could not do so until Muhammad did so, and Quraysh kept him a prisoner with them. Muhammad and the Muslims were informed that Uthman had been killed.
Uthman's devotion to Muhammad is so intense that it takes precedence over the sancticity of the Ka'aba and the worship of Allah. The Muslims really are devoted followers. It is not clear wether the message about Uthman's death is intentional deception.
When Muhammad heard that Uthman had been killed, he said that they would not leave until they fought the enemy, and he summoned the men to give their undertaking.
While not originally being out for war, a change of mind is always possible. It is a serious offense to kill a deputee, and Muhammad reacts fast.
The pledge of al-Ridwan took place under a tree. Men used to say that Muhammad took their pledge unto death. Jabir b. Abdullah used to say that Muhammad did not take the pledge unto death, but rather their undertaking that they would not run away. [...] Then Muhammad heard that the news about Uthman was false.
Pledges work. In this case, the reason for the pledge turned out to be false alarm, and war is averted. It is worth noting that the pledge is being sworn to Muhammad, not to Allah, a detail that is explicit in Tabari.
The armistice
Sirat p. 504
Then Quraysh sent Suhayl B. Amr to Muhammad with instructions to make peace with him on condition that he went back this year, so that none of the Aras could say that he made a forcible entry. [...] After a long discussion peace was made, and nothing remained but to write up an agreement. Umar jumped up and went to Abu Bakr saying: "Is this not Allahs messenger, and are we not Muslims, and are they not polytheists?", to which Abu Bakr agreed, and he went on: "Then why should we agree to what is demeaning to our religion?". Abu Bakr replied: "Stick to what he says, for I testify that he is Allah's messenger." Umar said: "And so do I."
Muhammad detested dissent, and Abu Bakr knew it. That Umar had a clear recollection in his mind of the superiority of Muslims is secondary to loyalty. But he takes his case to the appeals court:
Then he went to Muhammad and put the same questions, to which Muhammad answered: "I am Allah's slave and his messenger. I will not go against his commandment and He will not make me the loser." Umar used to say: "I have not cased giving alms and fasting and praying and freeing slaves because of what I did that day out of fear for what I had said, when I hoped that (my plan) would be better."
As Abu Bakr was keenly aware, dissent is not tolerated. Umar is scared into obedience.
Then Muhammad summoned Ali and told him to write: "In the name of Allah, Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim."
This is the opening line of every Quranic sura, except the 9th, which was given shortly after these events. Usually, 'Ar-Rahman, Ah-Rahim' is translated as 'the Compassionate, the Merciful', but that makes little sense with what follows. Ar-Rahman and Ah-Rahim were names of Yemenite gods, and leaving them untranslated makes things fall into place.
Suhayl said: "I do not recognize this; but write: "In thy name, Oh Allah".
Obviously, in a common treaty, the parties feel bound only by gods that both sides respect. Allah is the obvious choice.
Muhammad told him to write the latter, and he did so. Then he said: "Write: This is what Muhammad, the messenger of Allah, has agreed with Suhayl b. Amr." Suhayil said: "If I witnessed that you were Allah's messenger, I would not have fought you. Write your name and the name of your father."
This is the core of the matter. Muhammad and the Quraysh were conducting a war over the status of Muhammad (and, by implication, the custodianship of the Ka'aba), not over rituals or who was the greatest god. Both parties agree on worshipping Allah. Let us look at it from the side of Bukhari:
Bukhari:V4B53N408 “When the Prophet wanted to perform the Umrah, the Quraysh stipulated that he could not preach (Islam). So Ali started writing a treaty. ‘This is what Muhammad, Apostle of Allah, has agreed to.’ The (Meccans) said, ‘If we believed that you were the Apostle of Allah we would have followed you. So write, ‘This is what Muhammad bin Abdallah has agreed to.’ The Apostle could not write, so he asked Ali to erase the expression: ‘Apostle of Allah.’ On that Ali said, ‘I will never erase it.’ Muhammad said, ‘Let me see the paper.’ The Prophet erased the expression with his own hand.”
Crystal clear. The war between Muhammad and his clansmen in Mecca was over his claim to be the messenger of Allah. Worshipping Allah was shared by both parties, as were the rituals of pilgrimage and other matters. And Muhammad goes to the extreme capitulation of personally erasing his claim to be a prophet. Not much is left.
Muhammad said: "Write: "This is what Muhammad b. Abdullah has agreed with Suhayl b. Amr: "They have agreed to lay aside war for ten years during which men can be safe and refraind from hostilities on condition that if anyone comes to Muhammad without the permission of his guardian, he will return him to them; and if anyone of those with Muhammad comes to Quraysh, they will not return him to him. We will not show enmity one to another, and there shall be no secret reservation or bad faith. He who wishes to enter into a bond and agreement with Muhammad may do so, and he who wishes to enter into a bond and agreement with Quraysh mahy do so."
Interesting agreement. It is asymmetrical to the advantage of the Quraysh. Ten years of peace is a long time.
Here Khusaa leapt up and said: "We are in bond and agreement with Muhammad," and B. Bakr leapt up and said the same with regard to Quraysh, adding: "You must retire from us this year and not enter Mecca against our will, and next year we will make way for you and you can enter it with your companions, and stay there three nights. You may carry a riders's weapons, the swords in their sheats. You can bring in nothing more."
The Quraysh reasserts their lordship of the Ka'aba. Muhammad obliges.
Disappointed Muslims
Sirat p. 505
Muhammad's companions had gone out without any doubt of occupying Mecca because of the vision which Muhammad had seen, and when they saw the negotiations for peace and a withdrawal going on, and what Muhammad had taken on himself, they felt depressed almost to the point of death.
Waitaminute. We just spent a lot of ink describing that this was a peaceful pilgrimage, with sacrificial animals, pilgrimage garbs and all, and got the impression that the Quraysh was unreasonably cautious, bordering on paranoid. Now we are told of a vision of Muhammad (which is not related right here), and that the Muslims had gone 'without any doubt of occupying Mecca'. This doesn't add up. Let's check Tabari for further details.
Tabari VIII p. 68: The messenger of Allah set out in the year of al-Hudaybiyah, intending to visit the House, not intending to fight. He drove with him 70 fattened camels. The party numbered 700 men, each fattened camel was for ten men.
That's a large entourage for a peaceful pilgrimage. A hint about the magnitude of this expedition was given in the beginning. One can understand that the Quraysh got worried about letting this many of the men they fought for six years into their home town. But only the first of the seven ahadith mentions 700. The remaining six count 1400, 1500, upwards of 2000. One goes:
Tabari VIII p. 70: The people who swore allegiance under the three were one thousand five hundred and twenty-five.
This is a serious force to send against a town of perhaps 5000 inhabitants. The pledge is the one described above, where Muhammad had changed his mind and decided for war.
Tabari VIII p. 71: When Muhammad set out with camels for sacrifice and reached Dhu al-Hulayfar, Umar said to him: "Messenger of Allah, will you without arms or horses enter the territory of people who are at war with you?" So Muhammad sent for Medina and let no horses or weapons untaken.
There we have it. Muhammad and his companions are out in full force, with every steed of war, every piece of weaponry they have, repeatedly telling the Quraysh that this is a mission of peace. No wonder they were suspicious. Any tiny brawl or disagreement, like the one with Uthman, could have turned this pilgrimage into a full-scale war and conquest of Mecca. It is only common sense that the Quraysh keep this force away and demand a peace treaty.
Abu Jandal
Sirat p. 505
Sirat, p. 505: Suddenly Abu Jandal appeared, having escaped to Muhammad [...] When Suhayl saw Abu Jandal, he got up and hit him and took hold of his collar, saying: "Muhammad, the agreement between us was concluded before this man came to you." He replied: "You are right."
Muhammad sticks to the words of the agreement, no excuses. Nice.
Abu Jandal shrieked at the top of his voice: "Am I to be returned to the polytheists that they may entice me from my religion, Oh Muslims?" and that increased the people's dejection.
Apparently, Abu Jandal had expected unconditional protection from Muhammad and the Muslims. But this is a day of peace and of compromises. He is on the losing end of that.
Muhammad said: "Oh Abu Jandal, be patient and control yourself, for Allah will provide relief and a means of escape for you and those of you who are helpless. We have made peace with them and we and they have invoked Allah in or agreement, and we cannot deal falsely with them."
While Abu Jandal is upset about this, it would really be too much to expect Muhammad to tear up a treaty he had signed a few minutes before, for a single person of no particular standing. The scene upsets others, though:
Umar jumped up and walked alongside Abu Jahl, saying: "Be patient, for they are only polytheists; the blood of one of them is but the blood of a dog," and he helt the hilt of his sword close up to him. Umar used to say: "I hoped that he would take the sword and kill his father with it, but the man spared his father and so the matter ended."
This supremacist thinking is creepy. Umar actually expects (and means to help) Abu Jandal to kill his own father for the sake of Islam, immediately after Muhammad signed a peace treaty with him! Abu Jandal, however, spares his father. But probably will remember that the blood of the infidels is as impure as that of a dog. Interestingly, this is an idea repeated by modern-day Islamic leaders. The (moderate) Iraqi cleric Ali Sistani made a similar statement a few years ago, publishing a list of 10 unclean items. Dogs as well as infidels made the list.
After the peace
Sirat p. 505
When the peace was concluded, Muhammad slaughtered his victims and sat down and shaved his head. When the men saw what Muhammad had done, they leapt up and did the same.
Shaving the head was part of the traditional pagan pilgrimage rituals. We saw this shaving in connection with the raid on Nakhla, where the Muslims laying in wait had shaved their heads in order to look like pilgrims and make the caravan guides relax. One may wonder why Muhammad had not done this earlier. But at least he gets it in order now. The Muslims, as always, follow the example of their leader.
Some men shaved their heads on the day of al-Hudaybiya, while others cut their hair. Muhammad said: "May Allah have mercy on the shavers." They said: "The cutters, too, Oh messenger?" Three times they had to put this question until finally he added: "and the cutters." When they asked him why he had repeatedly confined the invocation of Allah's mercy to the shavers, he replied: "Because they did not doubt."
While this story may seem odd at first glance, Muhammad has an important point to make: Doubt about himself or Islam is wrong. Doubt will keep the mercy of Allah from reaching you. Related:
Quran 5:101: O you who believe! Ask not about things which, if made plain to you, may cause you trouble. But if you ask about them while the Qur'ân is being revealed, they will be made plain to you. Allâh has forgiven that, and Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Forbearing.
Quran 5:102: Before you, a community asked such questions, then on that account they became disbelievers.
That's clear enough. Those who questioned the Quran lost their faith. Therefore, don't do this.
Quranic comments
Sirat p. 505, Sura 48
As with most significant Islamic events, this one draws Quranic commentary. Sura 48 is a reaction to the event and the tensions surrounding it.
Muhammad then went on his way back, and when he was halfway back, the Sura al-Fath came down.
Quran 48:1: Verily, We have given you (O Muhammad) a manifest victory.
Quran 48:2: That Allâh may forgive you your sins of the past and the future, and complete His Favour on you, and guide you on a Straight Path.
The Arabic script does not include the parenthesis. Thus, is it unclear wether this message is meant for him personally, or for the disgruntled and doubtful Muslims. Forgiving future sins is interesting, and a thing rarely practised in other religions (the Catholic church five centuries ago being the most notable exception). Technically, it is a license to wrong-doing of any kind, knowing that Allah will be oft-forgiving, merciful. If taken at face value, this is dangerous.
Quran 48:6: And that He may punish the Munâfiqűn (hypocrites) men and women, and also the Mushrikűn men and women, who think evil thoughts about Allâh, for them is a disgraceful torment. And the Anger of Allâh is upon them, and He has cursed them and prepared Hell for them – and worst indeed is that destination.
The condemnation of the hypocrites is interesting. 'Hypocrites' are defined as Muslims who entered faith only to protect their lives and property (from who, one wonders?), but does not heed the call for fighting in Allah's cause. If this expedition truely was a peaceful pilgrimage, there would be no need to condemn the Bedouin tribes who refused to join Muhammad.
Those of the bedouins who lagged behind will say to you: "Our possessions and our families occupied us, so ask forgiveness for us." They say with their tongues what is not in their hearts.
Quran 48:10: Verily, those who give Bai'ah (pledge) to you (O Muhammad), they are giving Bai'ah (pledge) to Allâh.
Muhammad and Allah are indisguishable. That's interesting. Since Allah never spoke to anyone but Muhammad, this might be quite profound, if one ponders this closer.
The Hand of Allâh is over their hands. Then whosoever breaks his pledge, breaks it only to his own harm; and whosoever fulfils what he has covenanted with Allâh, He will bestow on him a great reward.
This is a reference to the pledge under the tree, where some 1500 Muslims renewed their commitment to fight with Muhammad. The 'great reward' referred to is elaborated later.
Quran 48:12: "Nay, but you thought that the Messenger and the believers would never return to their families, and that was made fair-seeming in your hearts, and you did think an evil thought and you became a useless people going for destruction."
This is illuminating in two directions. The context of the hadith makes the Quran understandable, and the Quran verses clarify that the expedtion was indeed military in nature. The Bedouins apparently thought that Muhammad and the Muslims would be defeated, and refused to join.
Quran 48:13: And whosoever does not believe in Allâh and His Messenger, then verily, We have prepared for the disbelievers a blazing Fire.
Condemning the people who did not believe in Allah is more routine. But who would that be? The unattentive listener might assume the Meccans, but we saw at the signing of the treaty that they worship Allah, too, and would never speak evil of their main deity. As in other places, we see Allah preparing Hell for these two groups of people. For a merciful god, Allah spends a remarkable amount of time building up Hell.
Quran 48:15: Those who lagged behind will say, when you set forth to take the spoils, "Allow us to follow you." They want to change Allâh's Words. Say: "You shall not follow us; thus Allâh has said beforehand." Then they will say: "Nay, you envy us." Nay, but they understand not except a little.
Indeed, this can be hard to understand. First the Bedouins are condemned for not joining the expedition, but now it is by the will of Allah that they stayed at home, and they are not permitted to come. What does stand clear, however, is that Muhammad and the Muslims set forth to take spoils.
Quran 48:18: Indeed, Allâh was pleased with the believers when they gave the Bai'ah (pledge) to you (O Muhammad) under the tree, He knew what was in their hearts, and He sent down As-Sakînah (calmness and tranquillity) upon them, and He rewarded them with a near victory.
Quran 48:19: And abundant spoils that they will capture. And Allâh is Ever All-Mighty, All-Wise.
Clear enough. Victory and spoils for Muslims are tangible wisdom. The Quran elaborates:
Quran 48:20: Allâh has promised you abundant spoils that you will capture, and He has hastened for you this, and He has restrained the hands of men from you, that it may be a sign for the believers, and that He may guide you to a Straight Path.
Quran 48:21: And other (victories and much booty He promises you) which are not yet within your power; indeed Allâh compasses them. And Allâh is Ever Able to do all things.
Quran 48:27: Indeed Allâh shall fulfil the true vision which He showed to His Messenger [i.e. the Prophet saw a dream that he has entered Makkah along with his Companions, having their (head) hair shaved and cut short] in very truth. Certainly, you shall enter Al-Masjid Al-Harâm [the holy mosque], if Allâh wills, secure, (some) having your heads shaved, and (some) having your head hair cut short, having no fear.
Here we have it - the vision. It is a dream Muhammad had, he related it to the Muslims, and motivated them (well, most of them) to join the expedition, with full cavalry and weaponry. While it didn't quite play out the way they expected, Allah and Muhammad have declared it a victory. Sura 48 ends in this interesting verse:
Quran 48:29: Muhammad is the Messenger of Allâh. And those who are with him are severe against disbelievers, and merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and falling down prostrate (in prayer), seeking bounty from Allâh and (His) Good Pleasure. The mark of them (i.e. of their Faith) is on their faces (foreheads) from the traces of prostration (during prayers). This is their description in the Taurât (Torah).
Here, disbelief is tied directly to the issue of Muhammad being the messenger of Allah. That probably reflects the truth of the conflict between the Muslims and the Meccans quite accurately.
An aside: The mark from the prostrations is mentioned as being in the Torah. While one would look in vain for it there, the Gospel (Revelation 13:16-18) actually does describe such a sign. However, it is beyond the scope of this commentary to explore the implications of this.
Allâh has promised those among them who believe (i.e. all those who follow Islâmic Monotheism, the religion of Prophet Muhammad till the Day of Resurrection) and do righteous good deeds, forgiveness and a mighty reward (i.e. Paradise).
Without the translators' comments, which would for obvious reasons not be present when Muhammad spoke this, the closing paragraph could be mistaken for a license to sin and a promise of booty. Most likely, it is a short form of "either booty, or martyrdom & Paradise".
Final words
Sirat p. 507
No previous victory in Islam was greater than this. There was nothing but battle when men met; but when there was an armistice and war was abolished and men met in safety and consulted together, none talked about Islam intelligently without entering it. In those two years double as many or more than double as many entered Islam as ever before.
This was convoluted. But everything told, the result is not bad for Muhammad, whose political position is secured by the peace treaty.
