# The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah

The March to Mecca

In Dhul-Qa'dah 6 AH, the Prophet ﷺ led approximately 1,400 Muslims from Medina toward Mecca, their intention declared as Umrah — the lesser pilgrimage — not war. They wore the white garments of pilgrimage (ihram) and brought sacrificial animals. The Quraysh, who had received intelligence of the approach, sent armed forces to block access to Mecca. The Prophet ﷺ learned of this and redirected the column toward Hudaybiyyah — a place on the outskirts of Mecca, at the boundary of the sacred territory.

At Hudaybiyyah, the Prophet's ﷺ she-camel al-Qaswa sat down and refused to rise — a sign the companions initially interpreted as stubbornness. The Prophet ﷺ said: "She has not been restrained by stubbornness. But He Who restrained the elephant from Mecca has restrained her." He was referencing the miracle of the Year of the Elephant, when Allah had stopped the army of Abraha. The community camped at Hudaybiyyah.

The Negotiations

A series of Qurayshi envoys came to negotiate. Among the most significant was Urwah ibn Mas'ud al-Thaqafi, who returned to the Quraysh after his meeting with the Prophet ﷺ and told them — having observed how the companions caught the water of the Prophet's ﷺ wudu before it reached the ground, how they raced to pick up anything that fell from him — that he had never seen a king honored by his followers as Muhammad ﷺ was honored by his companions. The Quraysh would not be able to detach the companions from him by political negotiation.

The Prophet ﷺ sent Uthman ibn Affan as his own envoy to Mecca — Uthman, from the Umayyad clan, had clan protection that the Prophet ﷺ lacked. Uthman's delay in returning led to a rumor that he had been killed. The Prophet ﷺ sat under a tree and called the companions to pledge — to fight to the death if necessary. Every companion pledged. The Prophet ﷺ pledged on behalf of Uthman with his own hand. This pledge became known as Bay'at al-Ridwan — the Pledge of Good Pleasure — and was honored by the Quran: "Allah was pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you under the tree." (Surah al-Fath 48:18)

Uthman returned unharmed. The Quraysh sent Suhayl ibn Amr as negotiator. A treaty was agreed.

The Terms

The terms, as the companions heard them announced, seemed deeply unfavorable to the Muslims:

A ten-year ceasefire
Any Meccan who came to Medina as a Muslim would be returned to the Quraysh (Muslims in Mecca who wished to come to Medina would not be sent back to Mecca)
The Muslim community would turn back this year without performing Umrah
They could return the following year and perform Umrah, remaining for three days only

Umar ibn al-Khattab was furious. He went to Abu Bakr: "Is he not the Messenger of Allah? Are we not Muslims? Are they not polytheists? Why do we accept humiliation in our religion?" Abu Bakr said: "Cling to his stirrup. He is the Messenger of Allah. Allah will not abandon him." Umar went directly to the Prophet ﷺ with the same objections. The Prophet ﷺ said: "I am the servant of Allah and His Messenger. I will not disobey His command and He will not abandon me."

When the scribe wrote the treaty and began with "In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever-Merciful," Suhayl objected — he did not recognize these names. The Prophet ﷺ accepted "In Your name, O Allah." When the scribe wrote "Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah," Suhayl again objected — if they recognized him as a messenger they would not be at war with him. The Prophet ﷺ told Ali to erase it. Ali said he could not bring himself to do so. The Prophet ﷺ took the document, asked where the phrase was, and erased it himself, writing instead "Muhammad ibn Abdullah."

The Apparent Defeat, the Actual Victory

The companions sacrificed their animals and shaved their heads at Hudaybiyyah — outside Mecca, without having performed Umrah as they had come to do. The mood was one of dejection. Then the revelation came: "Indeed, We have given you a clear conquest." (Surah al-Fath 48:1)

The treaty proved transformative. The clause returning Meccan Muslims to Mecca applied only to men — a follow-up revelation (60:10) addressed women separately. The ten-year ceasefire gave the Muslim community freedom of movement and preaching throughout Arabia that was more valuable than any single battle. Tribes that had been unable to approach the Muslim community without Qurayshi interference could now engage freely. Thousands entered Islam in the two years between Hudaybiyyah and the conquest of Mecca — more than in the entire preceding decade. The Prophet ﷺ later described Hudaybiyyah as a greater victory than any battle. In 8 AH, the Quraysh violated the treaty's ceasefire by attacking Muslim allies, and the Prophet ﷺ marched on Mecca with 10,000 — the consequence of two years of unopposed growth that Hudaybiyyah had enabled.

Surah al-Fath

The revelation of Surah al-Fath (48) in the aftermath of Hudaybiyyah is among the most celebratory in the Quran. It opens with what appears paradoxical — declaring a "clear conquest" at a moment that felt like retreat — and then explains the multiple dimensions of the conquest: Allah's forgiveness of the Prophet's ﷺ past and future shortcomings (48:2), the completion of His favor upon him (48:2), His guidance on a straight path (48:2), and His mighty assistance (48:3). The surah goes on to describe the conquest of Mecca that will follow, promising the Prophet ﷺ and the believers that they will enter the Sacred Mosque in safety, heads shaved or hair cut, without fear (48:27). Every element of this promise was fulfilled precisely two years later.

The surah also contains the verse that has served as the template for describing the companions across fourteen centuries of Islamic tradition (48:29): "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those with him are firm against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and prostrating, seeking bounty from Allah and His pleasure — their mark is on their faces from the trace of prostration." This single verse — given at Hudaybiyyah, in the aftermath of what looked like capitulation — became the permanent portrait of the companions in the Quranic text.

Sources: Sahih al-Bukhari (Kitab al-Shurut, Kitab al-Maghazi); Sahih Muslim (Kitab al-Jihad); Ibn Hisham, al-Sira al-Nabawiyya; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah; Surah al-Fath (48:1-29)