THE PROPAGATION OF ISLAM AFTER HUDAYBIYYAH
After the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, the word of God spread throughout Arabia.
The Prophet of Islam lived in Makkah for a period of thirteen years. Later owing to the severe opposition of the Makkans, the Prophet had to leave Makkah but the anger of the Makkans had yet to subside. Their thinking was that if the Muslims were left in this way, they would become strong enough to attack Makkah one day. That is why they themselves started a war against the Muslims. Two major battles took place at Badr and Uhud and a number of skirmishes also took place. There were as many as eighty such encounters. Even after these wars and skirmishes, the outcome was undecided.
At that juncture, through the guidance of God, the Prophet of Islam made a well-considered plan for furthering his mission. It is this plan, famous in Islamic history, which took its final shape in the Hudaybiyyah Peace Treaty (6 AH). Its details have been recorded in all the books of Hadith.
To put it briefly, after many untoward incidents, a stage came when peace negotiations had to be held between the Prophet of Islam and the Quraysh. The Prophet of Islam offered a ten-year no-war pact between the Muslims and the Makkan non-Muslims. When these peace negotiations started, the Makkans laid down unilateral conditions for their agreeing to accept this no-war peace treaty. For instance, the Prophet of Islam and his Companions had to return to Madinah without performing Umrah. Also, if any member of the Quraysh went over to the Muslims, they would return him to them; and if any one of the Muslims came over to the Quraysh, they would not return him to the Muslims.
Their uncompromising attitude was so rigid that when the treaty was being written, they did not even allow the words “Muhammad, the Messenger of God” to be included in the text. They insisted that “Muhammad, son of Abdullah” should be written instead. There were many such provocative words uttered by them, but the Prophet of Islam refused to be provoked by them. Thus, by accepting all the conditions of the enemy, this ten-year no-war pact was finalized. The conditions of the enemy were unilaterally accepted so that the door to dawah could be thrown open. Consequent upon this treaty, peace was established, and both parties started interacting with one another. The message of Islam began to be passed on to the non-Muslims of Makkah. Islamic teaching began to be disseminated everywhere.
After the cease-fire, the word of God was spread on a large scale. Consequently, a large number of people from different tribes started accepting Islam. Earlier, the Muslims numbered only fifteen hundred. But in a short period of two years, their numbers increased to ten thousand. Therefore, when the Prophet of Islam marched to Makkah along with his Companions, the Makkan leader, Abu Sufiyan, urged his people to lay down arms and submit to Muhammad, for they had no power to resist him.
