Fath al-Rabbani

From Ma'mar, al-Zuhri said: 'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr informed me from al-Miswar ibn Makhramah and Marwan ibn al-Hakam, each of them confirming the narration of his companion. They said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, set out during the time of al-Hudaybiyyah with a group of his companions numbering over a thousand. When they reached Dhu al-Hulayfah, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, garlanded and marked the sacrificial animals and entered into ihram for 'umrah. He sent ahead of him a scout from Khuza'ah to inform him about Quraysh. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, continued until he reached Ghadir al-Ashat, near 'Usfan. His Khuza'ah scout came to him and said: "I have left Ka'b ibn Lu'ayy and 'Amir ibn Lu'ayy, who have gathered the Ahabeesh and other groups for you. They are going to fight you and prevent you from the House." The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: "Advise me. Do you see that we should turn towards the children of those who helped them and attack them? If they sit, they will sit bereaved and plundered, and if they escape..." Yahya ibn Sa'id from Ibn al-Mubarak said: "...grieved, and if they incline, it will be a neck Allah has cut. Or do you see that we should head for the House, and whoever prevents us from it, we fight him?" Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "Allah and His Messenger know best, O Prophet of Allah. We have only come to perform 'umrah and not to fight anyone, but whoever comes between us and the House, we will fight him." The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: "Then proceed." Al-Zuhri said: Abu Hurayrah used to say: "I never saw anyone consult his companions more than the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family." Al-Zuhri said in the narration of al-Miswar ibn Makhramah and Marwan ibn al-Hakam: They proceeded until they were on part of the road. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: "Khalid ibn al-Walid is at al-Ghamim with a cavalry of Quraysh as a vanguard, so take the right path." By Allah, Khalid did not notice them until he saw the dust of the army, so he rushed off as a warner to Quraysh. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, continued until he reached the pass from which they would descend upon them. His she-camel knelt down. Yahya ibn Sa'id from Ibn al-Mubarak said: "His she-camel knelt down." The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: "Hul, hul!" but she persisted. They said: "Al-Qaswa' has become stubborn." The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: "Al-Qaswa' has not become stubborn, nor is that her nature, but the One who restrained the elephant has restrained her." Then he said: "By Him in Whose hand is my soul, they will not ask me for a plan by which they honor the sanctities of Allah except that I will grant it to them." Then he urged her on, and she stood up with him. He turned aside until he camped at the farthest part of al-Hudaybiyyah, at a small waterhole which people were barely able to draw water from. The people soon exhausted it, and they complained of thirst to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family. He took an arrow from his quiver and ordered them to place it in the waterhole. By Allah, it continued to gush forth with water for them until they left it. While they were in that state, Budayl ibn Warqa' al-Khuza'i came with a group of his people, who were sincere advisers to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, from the people of Tihamah. He said: "I have left Ka'b ibn Lu'ayy and 'Amir ibn Lu'ayy camped at the water sources of al-Hudaybiyyah, with their young camels, and they are going to fight you and prevent you from the House." The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: "We have not come to fight anyone, but we have come to perform 'umrah. Quraysh has been worn down by war and it has harmed them. If they wish, I will make a truce with them for a period, and they should allow me and the people to go. If I prevail, and if they wish to enter into what the people have entered, they may do so, otherwise they have had time to consider. If they refuse, then by Him in Whose hand is my soul, I will fight them over this matter until my neck is severed or Allah brings about His command." Yahya from Ibn al-Mubarak said: "...until my neck is severed." He said: "If they wish, we will make a truce with them for a period." Budayl said: "I will convey to them what you say." He went to Quraysh and said: "We have come to you from this man and heard him say something. If you wish, we will present it to you." Their foolish ones said: "We have no need for you to tell us anything about him." Those of sound judgment among them said: "Bring us what you heard." He said: "I heard him say such and such," and he told them what the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, had said. 'Urwah ibn Mas'ud al-Thaqafi stood up and said: "O people, am I not your son?" They said: "Yes." He said: "And am I not your father?" They said: "Yes." He said: "Do you suspect me?" They said: "No." He said: "Do you not know that I called the people of 'Ukaz, and when they failed me, I came to you with my family and those who obeyed me?" They said: "Yes." He said: "This man has offered you a wise plan, so accept it and let me go to him." They said: "Go to him." He went to him and began speaking to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, saying to him something similar to what he had said to Budayl. 'Urwah then said: "O Muhammad, what do you think if you destroy your people? Have you ever heard of any Arab who destroyed his own people before you? And if it is the other case, by Allah, I see faces and a rabble of people who may flee and leave you." Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, said to him: "Suck the clitoris of al-Lat! Would we flee from him and leave him?" He said: "Who is this?" They said: "Abu Bakr." He said: "By Him in Whose hand is my soul, were it not for a favor you have with me which I have not repaid, I would have answered you." He continued speaking to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, and whenever he spoke to him, he would take hold of his beard, while al-Mughira ibn Shu'bah was standing over the head of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, with a sword and helmet. Whenever 'Urwah reached out his hand to the beard of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, al-Mughira would strike his hand with the blade of the sword and say: "Remove your hand from the beard of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family." 'Urwah raised his hand and said: "Who is this?" They said: "Al-Mughira ibn Shu'bah." He said: "O traitor! Was I not striving to make peace for your treachery?" Al-Mughira had accompanied some people in the Jahiliyyah, killed them, and taken their wealth, then came and accepted Islam. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: "As for Islam, I accept it, but as for the wealth, I have nothing to do with it." Then 'Urwah began to observe the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family. By Allah, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, never spat except that it fell in the hand of one of them, who would rub it on his face and skin. When he ordered them, they hastened to carry out his command. When he performed ablution, they almost fought over his water. When they spoke, they lowered their voices in his presence, and they did not look at him directly out of reverence for him. He returned to his companions and said: "O my people, by Allah, I have visited kings and I have visited Caesar, Chosroes, and the Negus. By Allah, I have never seen a king whose companions honor him as the companions of Muhammad honor Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family. By Allah, he never spat except that it fell in the hand of one of them, who would rub it on his face and skin. When he ordered them, they hastened to carry out his command. When he performed ablution, they almost fought over his water. When they spoke, they lowered their voices in his presence, and they did not look at him directly out of reverence for him. He has offered you a wise plan, so accept it." A man from Banu Kinana said: "Let me go to him." They said: "Go to him." When he approached the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, and his companions, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: "This is so-and-so, and he is from a people who honor the sacrificial animals, so send them to him." They sent them, and the people received him chanting the talbiyah. When he saw that, he said: "Glory be to Allah! It is not right for these people to be prevented from the House." When he returned to his companions, he said: "I saw the sacrificial animals garlanded and marked. I do not see that they should be prevented from the House." Then a man among them named Mikraz ibn Hafs stood up and said: "Let me go to him." They said: "Go to him." When he approached them, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: "This is Mikraz, and he is a wicked man." He began speaking to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family. While he was speaking, Suhayl ibn 'Amr came. Ma'mar said: Ayub informed me from 'Ikrimah that when Suhayl came, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: "Your matter has become easy." Al-Zuhri said in his narration: Suhayl ibn 'Amr came and said: "Bring, let us write an agreement between us and you." The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, called the scribe and said: "Write: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful." Suhayl said: "As for the Most Gracious, by Allah, I do not know what it is." Ibn al-Mubarak said: "What it is, but write: In Your name, O Allah, as you used to write." The Muslims said: "By Allah, we will not write except: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful." The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: "Write: In Your name, O Allah." Then he said: "This is what Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, has agreed upon." Suhayl said: "By Allah, if we knew you were the Messenger of Allah, we would not have prevented you from the House nor fought you, but write: Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah." The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: "By Allah, I am the Messenger of Allah even if you deny me. Write: Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah." Al-Zuhri said: "That was because of his saying: 'They will not ask me for a plan by which they honor the sanctities of Allah except that I will grant it to them.'" The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: "On the condition that you allow us to reach the House and circumambulate it." Suhayl said: "By Allah, the Arabs will not say that we were forced, but you may come next year." So it was written. Suhayl said: "On the condition that no man from us comes to you, even if he is upon your religion, except that you return him to us." The Muslims said: "Glory be to Allah! How can he be returned to the polytheists when he has come as a Muslim?" While they were in that state, Abu Jandal ibn Suhayl ibn 'Amr came dragging his chains. Yahya from Ibn al-Mubarak said: "Dragging his chains." He had come from the lower part of Mecca until he threw himself among the Muslims. Suhayl said: "This, O Muhammad, is the first thing I require of you, that you return him to me." The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: "We have not concluded the agreement yet." He said: "By Allah, then we will never make peace with you on anything." The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: "Then grant him to me." He said: "I am not granting him to you." He said: "Yes, do so." He said: "I am not doing it." Mikraz said: "Yes, we have granted him to you." Abu Jandal said: "O assembly of Muslims, am I to be returned to the polytheists when I have come as a Muslim? Do you not see what I have suffered?" He had been severely tortured for the sake of Allah. 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "I went to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, and said: 'Are you not the Prophet of Allah?' He said: 'Yes.' I said: 'Are we not upon the truth and our enemy upon falsehood?' He said: 'Yes.' I said: 'Then why do we accept humiliation in our religion?' He said: 'I am the Messenger of Allah and I do not disobey Him, and He is my Helper.' I said: 'Did you not tell us that we would come to the House and circumambulate it?' He said: 'Yes.' I said: 'Did you tell me that you would come to it this year?' He said: 'No.' He said: 'You will come to it and circumambulate it.'" 'Umar said: "I went to Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, and said: 'O Abu Bakr, is he not truly the Prophet of Allah?' He said: 'Yes.' I said: 'Are we not upon the truth and our enemy upon falsehood?' He said: 'Yes.' I said: 'Then why do we accept humiliation in our religion?' He said: 'O man, he is the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, and he does not disobey his Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, and He is his Helper, so hold fast.' Yahya ibn Sa'id said: 'To his stirrup.' He said: 'Hold fast to his stirrup until you die, for by Allah, he is upon the truth.' I said: 'Did he not tell us that we would come to the House and circumambulate it?' He said: 'Yes.' I said: 'Did he tell you that you would come to it this year?' He said: 'No.' He said: 'You will come to it and circumambulate it.'" Al-Zuhri said: 'Umar said: "I did many deeds because of that." When the agreement was concluded, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said to his companions: "Stand up, slaughter your sacrifices, and shave your heads." By Allah, not one man among them stood up until he had said that three times. When none of them stood up, he entered upon Umm Salamah and mentioned to her what he had encountered from the people. Umm Salamah said: "O Messenger of Allah, do you want that? Go out and do not speak to any of them a word until you slaughter your sacrifice and call your barber to shave you." He stood up, went out, and did not speak to any of them until he had done that—he slaughtered his sacrifice and called his barber, who shaved him. When they saw that, they stood up, slaughtered, and some of them began shaving each other until some of them nearly killed others out of grief. Then believing women came to him, and Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, revealed: "O you who believe, when believing women come to you as emigrants..." until "...the bonds of the disbelievers" [الممتحنة: 10]. 'Umar divorced two wives he had who were in shirk that day; one of them was married by Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan and the other by Safwan ibn Umayyah. Then he returned to Madinah. Abu Basir, a man from Quraysh who was a Muslim, came to him. Yahya from Ibn al-Mubarak said: "Abu Basir ibn Usayd al-Thaqafi came to him as a Muslim emigrant." Al-Akhnas ibn Shurayq hired a disbeliever from Banu 'Amir ibn Lu'ayy and a freedman with him, and wrote with them to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, asking him to fulfill the agreement. They sent two men in pursuit of him and said: "The covenant you made with us." He handed him over to the two men, who took him until they reached Dhu al-Hulayfah. They stopped to eat some of their dates. Abu Basir said to one of the two men: "By Allah, I see your sword, O so-and-so, is a fine one." The other drew it and said: "Yes, by Allah, it is fine. I have tried it and tried it again." Abu Basir said: "Let me see it." He gave it to him, and he struck him with it until he was dead. The other fled until he reached Madinah, entered the mosque running. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: "This man has seen something frightening." When he reached the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, he said: "By Allah, my companion has been killed, and I am about to be killed." Abu Basir came and said: "O Prophet of Allah, by Allah, Allah has fulfilled your obligation. You returned me to them, then Allah saved me from them." The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: "Woe to his mother! He is a war kindler if he had anyone with him." When Abu Basir heard that, he knew that he would be returned to them, so he left until he reached the seashore. Abu Jandal ibn Suhayl escaped and joined Abu Basir. No man from Quraysh who had accepted Islam would leave except that he joined Abu Basir, until a group of them gathered. By Allah, whenever they heard of a caravan of Quraysh heading to Syria, they would intercept it, kill them, and take their wealth. Quraysh sent to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, imploring him by Allah and kinship to send word to them that whoever came to him would be safe. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, sent to them. Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, revealed: "And He it is Who withheld their hands from you and your hands from them..." until "...the zealotry of the Age of Ignorance" [الفتح: 24]. Their zealotry was that they did not acknowledge that he was the Prophet of Allah, nor did they acknowledge 'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,' and they prevented him from the House. (Musnad Ahmad: 19136)

(Second Chain) It is narrated from Sayyiduna Miswar bin Makhramah (may Allah be pleased with him) and Marwan bin Hakam that in the year of Hudaybiyyah, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) set out with the intention of visiting the House of Allah. He had no intention of fighting. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took seventy camels with him for sacrifice, and the number of his companions was seven hundred. There was one camel for every ten people. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) set out, and when he reached the place of Usfan, Bishr bin Sufyan Ka‘bi met him. He informed him, “O Messenger of Allah! The Quraysh have been informed of your departure. They have come out to confront you and block your way, bringing with them she-camels with newborn calves and wearing leopard skins. They have sworn by Allah that they will not allow you to enter Makkah by force. Khalid bin Walid is advancing with his cavalry towards Kura‘ al-Ghamim.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Woe to Quraysh! Wars have ruined them. What harm would it have been to them if they had let me and my companions pass and enter the Sacred Sanctuary? If they inflict harm on me as they intend, so be it. But if Allah grants me victory over them and they enter Islam, while they are many in number, so be it. Otherwise, if they do not do so, they will fight, even though they have strength. But what do the Quraysh think? By Allah! I will continue to fight them on this principle until Allah makes this religion prevail, or this side of my neck is severed (i.e., until I die).” Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered the people, so they passed through the Hamd herb, moving to the right on a path that led to the pass of Marrar and Hudaybiyyah. This was a low-lying area from Makkah. The army took this route. When the cavalry of the Quraysh saw the dust of this army and that they had changed their route, they returned to the Quraysh. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) also proceeded, and when he entered the pass of Marrar, his she-camel sat down. The people said, “The camel has become stubborn, it is refusing to move.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “It has not become stubborn, nor is that its habit. Rather, it is Allah who has stopped it from going forward, just as He stopped the elephants. By Allah! If these disbelievers ask me for anything by which they seek to maintain ties of kinship, I will grant it to them.” Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the people, “Dismount.” The people said, “O Messenger of Allah! There is no water in this area for the army to camp.” So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) took an arrow from his quiver and gave it to one of his companions, who planted it in the well, and water gushed forth abundantly. (The people drank) until they had watered their camels as well.

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had just become content when Budayl bin Warqa arrived with some men from Banu Khuza‘ah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told them the same thing he had told Bishr bin Sufyan, so they returned to the Quraysh and said, “O assembly of Quraysh! You are rushing against Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), while he has not come to fight. He has only come to visit this House and to honor its sanctity.” But the Quraysh did not believe them. In fact, the Muslims and polytheists of Banu Khuza‘ah were confidants of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him); whatever happened in Makkah, they would not hide anything from him. The Quraysh said, “Even if Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) has come for this purpose, no, by Allah! He will not enter by force, and the Arabs will not say different things about us.” Then they sent Makraz bin Hafs bin Akhif, a man from Banu Amir bin Lu’ayy, to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw him, he said (warning his companions), “This is a deceitful man.” When he reached the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the Prophet spoke to him as he had spoken to his companions before. He too returned to the Quraysh and informed them of the statements of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). This time, the Quraysh sent Hulays bin Alqamah al-Kinani, who was the chief of various tribal groups. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw him, he said, “This man is among those who respect the rights and sanctity of Allah. Bring the sacrificial animals before him.” The companions did so and brought the sacrificial animals before him. When this man saw the sacrificial animals in the valley, with collars around their necks, and saw that their ropes had been worn out due to being kept for a long time, he was so moved by the sight that he returned out of respect for these things and did not even reach the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He returned and said, “O assembly of Quraysh! I have seen things that it is not lawful to prevent. These are sacrificial animals, with collars around their necks, and their ropes have been worn out due to being kept for a long time.” The Quraysh replied, “Sit down, you are a Bedouin and you have no knowledge.” This time, they sent ‘Urwah bin Mas‘ud al-Thaqafi. He said, “O assembly of Quraysh! I see what you are suffering from the comments of those you send to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and the rebuke and harsh words you hear because of their comments. You know that I am like a father to you and you are like my children (so I will look after your interests). I have heard what you have had to face. Then I gathered those among my people who obeyed me, and I have come and supported you with my life.” The Quraysh said, “You are right, and you are a trustworthy man to us.” So this man set out until he reached the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and sat before him and said, “O Muhammad! You have gathered various people who are not steadfast in battle and brought them here to destroy their roots. The Quraysh have come out, and with them are pregnant and milking she-camels (meaning this is their food and drink). They are wearing leopard skins and have made a covenant with Allah that you will never enter by force. By Allah, I think that tomorrow (when the battle is set) they will flee and leave you.” Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) was sitting behind the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). When he heard this, he said, “Suck the clitoris of Lat! Would we ever leave the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?” He (‘Urwah) said, “O Muhammad! Who is this man?” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “This is the son of Abu Quhafah.” ‘Urwah bin Mas‘ud said, “By Allah! If I did not owe you a favor, I would have repaid you for this. Let this be in return for that favor.” Then ‘Urwah grabbed the blessed beard of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), while Sayyiduna Mughirah bin Shu‘bah (may Allah be pleased with him), armed, was standing by the head of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He struck ‘Urwah’s hand and said, “Keep your hand away from the blessed beard of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). By Allah! Otherwise, your hand will not reach you (i.e., I will cut it off).” ‘Urwah replied, “May you perish! How harsh you are!” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) smiled. He (‘Urwah) said, “O Muhammad! Who is this?” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “This is your nephew, Mughirah bin Shu‘bah.” ‘Urwah said, “O deceiver! You have just recently washed your private parts (i.e., you have just recently spent money to remove the harm of your treachery).” In any case, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) spoke to this man as he had spoken to his companions before, that he had not come with the intention of fighting. So this man left the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and saw how his companions treated him. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ablution, they rushed to catch the water that fell from his blessed limbs. When he spat, they rushed to catch his saliva, and whenever a hair fell from him, they would pick it up. ‘Urwah returned to the Quraysh and said, “O assembly of Quraysh! I have visited the courts of Chosroes in his kingdom, Caesar, and the Negus in their kingdoms. By Allah! I have never seen any king respected as much as Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is respected by his companions. I have seen that they will never hand him over to any unpleasant situation. Now you should think carefully.”

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had previously sent Khirash bin Umayyah al-Khuza‘i to Makkah. He had him ride a camel named Tha‘lab. When he reached Makkah, the Quraysh hamstrung his camel and wanted to kill him, but some people prevented them from killing him. He returned to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called for ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) to send him as an envoy to Makkah, but he said, “O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), I fear for my life from the Quraysh, and there is no one from Banu ‘Adi in Makkah who can protect me. The Quraysh know well how much enmity I have towards them. However, I will tell you of a man who is more honored and respected among the people of Makkah than I am, and that is Sayyiduna ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan (may Allah be pleased with him).” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) called him and sent him as his envoy to the Quraysh to inform them that we have not come to fight, but only to honor the sanctity of the House of Allah and to perform visitation and circumambulation. Sayyiduna ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) set out and reached Makkah. He met Aban bin Sa‘id bin al-‘As, who dismounted and seated him in front of himself and sat behind him, granting him protection so that he could deliver the message of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Sayyiduna ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) went to Abu Sufyan and other leaders of the Quraysh and delivered the message that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had sent. They said to Sayyiduna ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), “If you wish to perform tawaf of the House, you may do so.” He replied, “I cannot do so until the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performs tawaf.” The Quraysh detained him. News reached the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Muslims that ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) had been killed.

The Quraysh sent Suhayl bin ‘Amr, who was from Banu Amir bin Lu’ayy, and said, “Go and negotiate peace with Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).” It was stipulated that he should return this year without performing ‘Umrah, so that the Arabs would never say that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) entered by force. Then Suhayl came, and from here the narration is the same as previously mentioned in the first chain, until the treaty was concluded.

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) called Sayyiduna ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) and said, “Write: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.” Suhayl bin ‘Amr said, “I do not recognize this phrase. Instead, write: ‘In Your name, O Allah.’” So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyiduna ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), “Write: ‘In Your name, O Allah.’” This is the treaty that Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), makes with Suhayl bin ‘Amr. Suhayl bin ‘Amr then said, “If I testified that you are the Messenger of Allah, I would never have fought you. Write instead: This is the treaty under which Muhammad bin ‘Abdullah and Suhayl bin ‘Amr agree that there will be no fighting between them for ten years. During this period, people will live in peace and security and will refrain from attacking each other. Also, if any Muslim from (Makkah) comes to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) without the permission of his guardian, he will return him to the people of Makkah, and if any of the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) comes to the Quraysh, they will not return him. During this time, our hearts will be free from malice towards each other, there will be no secret thefts, nor will there be any hatred in the hearts. The treaty also stipulated that any tribe that wished to become an ally of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) could do so, and likewise, any tribe that wished to become an ally of the Quraysh could do so. The tribe of Khuza‘ah quickly said, “We enter into the alliance and covenant of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him),” and the tribe of Banu Bakr said, “We enter into the alliance and covenant of the Quraysh.” Also, you will return this year without performing ‘Umrah and will not enter Makkah. Next year, we will not prevent you. You may enter Makkah with your companions and stay for three days. You will have only such weapons as a traveler carries, and your swords will remain sheathed.”

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was still dictating this document when Abu Jandal (may Allah be pleased with him), the son of Suhayl bin ‘Amr, managed to escape in chains and reached the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). When the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had set out from Madinah, they were certain of victory based on the Prophet’s dream. But when they saw this situation—that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was making peace with the disbelievers and was ready to return without performing ‘Umrah, and had apparently accepted conditions against himself—the companions were deeply shaken, and it was almost as if some of them would perish from grief. Suhayl saw Abu Jandal and got up, slapped him on the face, and said, “O Muhammad! The peace treaty between you and me was concluded before he came.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Yes, that is correct.” So he got up, grabbed Abu Jandal’s clothes, and shook him violently. Abu Jandal (may Allah be pleased with him) cried out loudly, “O Muslims! Will you return me to the polytheists so that they may torture me further for the sake of religion?” The companions’ hearts, already troubled, became even more disturbed at this sight. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Abu Jandal (may Allah be pleased with him), “Be patient and hope for reward from Allah. Allah will soon provide a way out for you and for all the weak ones with you. We have made a peace treaty with these people, and we have given them our word, and they have given us theirs. We will never break our promise.” Sayyiduna ‘Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) rushed to Abu Jandal (may Allah be pleased with him) and walked alongside him, saying, “Abu Jandal! Be patient. These people are polytheists; their blood is like that of dogs.” At the same time, Sayyiduna ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) brought the hilt of his sword close to Abu Jandal (may Allah be pleased with him). I thought he would strike Abu Jandal’s father with the sword, but he saved his father, and the matter was settled.

After this, the narrator mentioned in detail that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered the companions to sacrifice their camels and shave their heads. They hesitated to comply until the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) himself sacrificed his camel and shaved his head, as has been detailed in the first chain. After that, the people got up and began to sacrifice their camels and shave their heads. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was still on the way between Makkah and Madinah, Surah al-Fath was revealed.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that some men from the Quraysh came to the service of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Muhammad! We are your neighbors and allies. Some of our slaves, who have neither any interest in religion nor any inclination towards understanding, have come to you. These people have come merely by fleeing from among our families and wealth; please hand them over to us. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him): What do you say about this? He said: Their statement is correct; indeed, they are your neighbors. The blessed face of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) changed, and then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): What do you say? He also said: Their statement is correct; these people are your neighbors and allies as well. Upon hearing this, the radiant face of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) changed.