Surah Al-Fath (48) — Ayah 27

27. Surely Allah had shown the true dream [41] for His Messenger in truth: you will certainly enter the Sacred Mosque, if Allah wills, in security, with your heads shaved or hair cut short, having no fear. He knew what you did not know [42], so He granted you a near victory (Khaybar) before this [43].

[41]
The Reality of the Dream About ‘Umrah:

Leaving aside the disbelievers or hypocrites, even some Muslims were in doubt about this matter: that the dream of a Prophet is revelation. Then what is the matter that we have been prevented from performing ‘Umrah, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ himself is agreeing to this condition? One answer was given by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to Sayyiduna ‘Umar ؓ: “When did I say that this ‘Umrah would be this year?” (i.e., there was no specification of time in the dream), and the second answer was given by Allah Himself: the dream of the Prophet was indeed true and We showed it, it will certainly be fulfilled. You will surely enter the Sacred Mosque in safety and security and perform ‘Umrah. You will shave your heads and trim your hair. Here, shaving the head is mentioned first, from which it is understood that shaving the head is superior to trimming the hair. Thus, in the year following the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, the Muslims performed the ‘Umrah al-Qada’ and all these things were fulfilled.

An Example of Fulfilling a Covenant:

According to the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, it was agreed that the Muslims would come for ‘Umrah the following year and, within three days, perform ‘Umrah and return to their homeland. When the Muslims arrived, the Quraysh of Makkah could not bear to see the Muslims freely enter the Ka‘bah and perform the rites of ‘Umrah in front of their eyes. Therefore, instead of vacating only the Sacred Mosque, they vacated the entire city and themselves stayed on the surrounding hills for three days. During this time, if the Muslims had wanted, they could have easily taken control of Makkah. But the Muslims considered such opportunism in fulfilling a covenant to be the worst crime. Therefore, no one even thought of such a thing, and after the agreed period of three days, the Muslims performed ‘Umrah and returned.

In What Sense Is ‘Umrah al-Qada’ Called ‘Umrah al-Qada’?

Some people think that since the Muslims were prevented from performing ‘Umrah at Hudaybiyyah, it was obligatory to make up that ‘Umrah, which they performed the following year. The confusion probably arises from the word “qada.” However, here “qada” is used in its literal sense, meaning the ‘Umrah about which it was decided in the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah that the Muslims would not perform it that year but would come and perform it the following year. The proof of this is that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not make any such announcement the following year that those who were prevented from ‘Umrah the previous year should prepare for ‘Umrah, and the Muslims who were present at Hudaybiyyah were free in this matter: those who could come, came, and those who could not, did not. As is clarified in the following hadith: Sayyiduna Ibn ‘Abbas رضی اللہ عنہما says that qada is obligatory upon one who breaks his Hajj by having intercourse with his wife, and upon one who is prevented by an excuse, an enemy, or some illness, he should remove his ihram and no qada is due upon him. And if he has a sacrificial animal with him and cannot send it to the Haram, he should slaughter it there, and if he can send it to the Haram, then until the sacrifice reaches there, he cannot remove his ihram. And Imam Malik and others said that when he is stopped, he may slaughter the sacrifice wherever he wishes, shave his head, and no qada is due upon him. Because the Messenger of Allah and his companions slaughtered their sacrifices at Hudaybiyyah and shaved their heads before performing tawaf and before the sacrifice reached the House of Allah. Then, in no narration is it mentioned that he ordered any of them to perform qada or to repeat it. And Hudaybiyyah is outside the boundary of the Haram. [بخاری۔ کتاب المناسک۔ ابواب المحصر۔ باب من قال لیس علی المحصر بدل]
[42] That is, this ‘Umrah will be next year, not this year.
[43] That is, this victory of Khaybar is being given to you as a reward for your patience and endurance over the difficulties you faced at Hudaybiyyah and for your obedience to Allah and His Messenger.