General Amnesty on the Day of the Conquest of Mecca

After the conquest, the Prophet gathered the Quraysh at the Ka'bah and asked: 'O people of Quraysh, what do you think I will do with you?' They replied: 'We expect nothing but good. You are a noble brother, the son of a noble brother.' The Prophet declared: 'Go, for you are free (idh'habu fa antum al-tulaqa).' This remarkable act of mercy was extended to people who had persecuted him, tortured his companions, killed his family members, waged wars against him, and driven him from his home for over twenty years. Among those forgiven were Hind bint Utbah (who had mutilated Hamzah's body at Uhud), Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl, Wahshi ibn Harb (who had killed Hamzah), and Abu Sufyan. Only a small number of specific individuals were excluded from the general amnesty for particularly egregious crimes, and most of these were also eventually pardoned. This act of collective forgiveness has no parallel in the history of conquest.