Here are the true events behind the revelation of portions of sura Fath
More than 6 years after the Hijra, Muslims were still prohibited from performing their pilgrimage at the sacred House of Ibrahim and Ismail. This prohibition applied only to the Muslims among all the Arabs of the Peninsula while it was open to all pagan tribes, enemies and friends alike during the sacred months when fighting was forbidden.
The fact is that the Quraysh had no authority over the Kaaba which had always belonged to all Arab tribes, each going there to worship a particular idol. Their function was providing all the services to the pilgrims such as hijabah (maintenance of the house and guardianship over its keys), siqayah (water and dates for the pilgrims), rifadah (provision of food to the pilgrims), nadwah (chairmanship of all convocations held) etc.
The Muslims suffered greatly from this situation and especially the Muhajirun (immigrants) who were also banished from their Meccan homes.
In the month of Dhul-Qi'dah 7/629, the Prophet saw a vision in which he was told to go perform the umrah in Mecca (lesser pilgrimage), unarmed, and without any fear for safety. After announcing his vision, the Prophet set out to Mecca with about 1500 of his Companions but many of the bedouin tribes allied to him decided to stay in Medina, not trusting the Quraysh 48:11. Even though they knew the Muslims were coming unarmed and for religious purposes because of the messenger which the prophet had sent to them, it did not prevent the Quraysh from mobilizing their army outside Mecca. They sent Budayl of the tribe of Khuzaah to tell the prophet he will be forbidden entry to Mecca. In case he would disregard the ban, their army would intercept and fight him. Muhammad openly declared that the Muslims weren't intent on fighting, despite their assurance of victory based on their previous battles with the Meccans, but should they be provoked and attacked, they will stand firm and fight back regardless of their lack of preparedness for such outcome. Budayl went back with the report. Urwah one of the notables, went to the prophet after hearing the report, and taking advantage of this rare occasion for a diplomatic exchange between the 2 sides since the beginning of military hostilities, started reproaching the prophet. Why did he severe his ties with his former clan and family for an amalgam of people of all colors, socio-ethnical-tribal origins? It was unheard of in the tribal preislamic mindset.
Urwah spent a considerable amount of time among the Muslims, seeing the way of Islam and the prophet's personality firsthand. Unable to convince the Muslims to turn back, he returned to the Quraysh to whom he related his amazement at the Muslims' upright behavior, the esteem they had for their prophet.
After Urwah, a man of the Kinanah tribe was sent to the Muslims and upon his arrival, seeing the Believers preparing their sacrificial offerings and thus leaving no doubt as to their intentions of peacefully entering Mecca for religious purposes, returned to the Quraysh and reported what he had seen. He advised the Meccans to let the Muslims enter the town peacefully and perform their umrah. Having reached a stalemate, the prophet sent Uthman to the Quraysh. Because the negotiations took long, rumors spread that Uthman was killed or imprisoned. On the spot, the prophet gathers everyone and pledges not to return unless Uthman is avenged should the rumors be true, despite the believers being completely unprepared for a military confrontation. All people accepted the pledge except a few.
This allegiance to the Prophet and Islam became known as the Covenant of al Ridwan and just like the Covenant of Aqabah with the Ansar, it is a landmark in Muslim history as it showed the strength of the bonds which tied the Prophet and his companions, and their readiness to face any dangers or threat to the cause of Islam. The verse 48:10 of sura fath, revealed upon the return of the Muslim pilgrims to Medina, after the signing of the treaty of hudaybiyya and once all matters were settled, crystallized that loyalty
"Indeed, those who pledge allegiance to you, [O Muhammad] - they are actually pledging allegiance to Allah. The hand of Allah is over their hands. So he who breaks his word only breaks it to the detriment of himself. And he who fulfills that which he has promised Allah - He will give him a great reward".
Regardless of whether Uthman was dead or alive, the very fact that the prophet and the believers made that pledge showed the extent of their trust in one another and in their cause, hence Allah Himself described as bearing witness among them and promising them a great reward. This show of unity and determination startled the Quraysh and led to the release of Uthman. Uthman's return did not change anything as regards the pledge of unity in the face of injustice, as well as God's witnessing of the believers' sincerity. His return was a mercy and reward to the believers who were now spared certain death. The pledge further served the purpose of distinguishing believers from hypocrites. As Uthman returned, he informed the Prophet of the success of his negotiations. He convinced the Meccans, who were now sure of the Muslims' purely religious intentions, but they were still firm in not allowing them entrance to the city, out of pride. The Meccans also feared that an armed conflict during the sacred months would result in a loss of trust from all pagan tribes who would never feel secure in the future during their pilgrimage. Such a situation would have had grave consequences on the prosperity and reputation of Mecca.
Now the Quraysh sent Suhayl to end the dispute. He requested for a signed written agreement formulated in a manner that would not compromise his faith nor that of the Muslims. It was to be written in the name of Allah (instead of the typical Muslim formulation that adds the attributes rahman/rahim) and signed in the name of Muhammad ibn Abdullah (instead of Muhammad rasul allah/prophet of Allah). Although some companions protested at the wording out of pride, the prophet in his far-sightedness and humility accepted since from a purely objective perspective no falsehood or denial of faith could, in anyway be derived from the choice of words. The points of the agreement that most caused controversy were that umrah would not be allowed this year but the following one (this would preserve the Quraysh's dignity) and that until then no converts among the Meccan men (it doesnt include women, and the Muslims used that subtlety to shelter sincere Meccan women converts in accordance with 60:12) would be allowed to leave for Medina and remain in it. The son of Suhayl himself, who was tortured by his father for his conversion to Islam, and managed to escape and join the Muslims during those very negotiations had to be turned back, but not after the prophet made sure he would not be returned to his father's household. This convert, along with another one would later escape to a town in between Mecca and Medina from where they would harass Quraysh caravans until the Quraysh themselves allowed them to join the Muslim community of Medina.
All these decisions, despite his peer pressure, were made by the prophet with a clear vision he knew would soon materialize, as described in sura fath.
History has shown that this pact was the product of profound political wisdom and farsightedness and that it brought about consequences of great advantage to Islam: by accepting the right of Muslims to perform pilgrimage the Meccans had for the first time recognized Islam as a religion, Muhammad was not viewed as a rebel anymore but as a political leader of a rising Islamic state. What is interesting from the point of view of the sura's subtle choice of words, is that Hudaybiyya, in the sura's openning statement is not called a victory for Muslims but specifically, to the prophet himself
"fatahna laka (not lakum)".
In hindsight, the companions would recall the episode differently
"Do you (people) consider the conquest of Mecca, the Victory (referred to in the Qur'an 48:1). Was the conquest of Mecca a victory? We really consider that the actual Victory was the Ar-Ridwan Pledge of allegiance which we gave on the day of Al-Hudaibiya (to the Prophet) . On the day of Al-Hudaibiya we were fourteen hundred men along with the Prophet Al-Hudaibiya was a well, the water of which we used up leaving not a single drop of water in it. When the Prophet was informed of that, he came and sat on its edge. Then he asked for a utensil of water, performed ablution from it, rinsed (his mouth), invoked (Allah), and poured the remaining water into the well. We stayed there for a while and then the well brought forth what we required of water for ourselves and our riding animals".
But Muslims were initially disheartened, banned from performing pilgrimage despite the long trip, yet still obeyed the prophet over their overwhelming emotions. They were so restless that Allah describes the heavenly tranquillity sent to appease them, as being injected in their hearts 48:4. The usual wording is that Allah descends tranquillity upon the believers or their hearts. In this case however their emotions necessitated a more intense healing. The believers thus accepted the prophet's command of turning back to Medina despite wanting to invade Mecca and seek revenge. A year later, the relief and reward for all the community would come in the form of the peaceful conquest of Mecca, the ultimate form of victorious conquest, not resulting from destruction of a nation and people.
Up to that time, the treaty provided a relative peace era on the Meccan front which allowed Islam to spread faster than it ever did, allowing the Muslims to strengthen their knowledge of Islam. This era of peace allowed Muslims and non-Muslims to visit eachother and interact on account of their family relationships and trade connections. Many Meccans started visiting Medina, and stayed there for months. They got acquainted with the teachings of Islam and were deeply impressed by the righteous conduct and moral integrity of the Muslims. Islam gained many converts in its ranks during that period. It even allowed the Prophet to start addressing the Kings and rulers of the neighboring territories.
Two years after the signing of the treaty, a procession of 2000 Muslims animated by faith, bursting with religious enthusiasm, was pulling forward toward the universally revered sanctuary. The Quraysh learned of the arrival so they evacuated the whole town as the treaty demanded and erected tents on the mountain side. It was a unique spectacle, defying history itself; the Meccans were witnessing the man they mocked, starved, banished circumambulating the Kaaba with 2000 following him in every move and his mu'adhin, the freed slave Bilal whom they tortured standing on the roof of the Sacred House, still full of idols and giving the call to prayer. This sight softened the hearts of even some of the most prominent opponents to Islam. Such was the case of Khalid ibn al Walid the greatest soldier of the Quraysh and their hero of the Battle of Uhud, who lost family members at the hands of the Muslims, who addressed his people saying
"It has become absolutely clear to any person with the least intelligence that Muhammad is neither a poet possessed nor a magician inspired. His words are truly the words of God, of the Lord of the Universe. It follows then that every man with common sense ought to follow him".
Khalid's conversion was followed by Ibn Talhah, the guardian of the Kaaba and many others. This miracle witnessed by the pagans from their mountains, the promise of God fulfilled through his Prophet would play a decisive role in the imminent return of the Muslims, with Mecca opening its gates without struggle.
It only is once one takes a step back and looks at the global picture and the intricate consequences of the initial journey of umrah that one understands the reason of the vision that triggered the expedition; just as Ibrahim's vision was that he was going to sacrifice his son, not that he had actually slaughtered him, Muhammad's vision was that he was going to perform umrah, not that he had actually performed it on that initial trip.
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