Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 64 - The Treaty of Hudaybiyya - Part 2 - Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 11th Sept 2013

We continue with the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. And we discussed the incident of Hudaybiyyah, how the Prophet PBUH entered into the area, and that Allah caused the Prophet's PBUH camel to camp at the Plain of Hudaybiyyah. The Prophet PBUH realized Allah wanted them to stop, so they set up their camp.

During the course of the next few days many things happen, and the standard problem of the whole seerah is that we have tidbits of various incidents, but how do you piece it together? What is the correct chronological order of events? We have lots of small narrations but piecing them together is difficult. One sahabi gives us one incident, another gives us other incidents etc. One of the jobs of modern scholars is to piece it together because the chronology is something we have to do.

 

The Quraysh Tried to Surprise Attack the Muslims

One thing is that the Quraysh tried to surprise attack the Muslims who are camped in Hudaybiyyah. When did this happen? Nothing is mentioned so we have no idea. It might have happened right at the end or right at the beginning.

 065 - The Treaty of Hudaybiyya - Part 3

We mention it separately because it's one incident - the rest will be the sending of emissaries back and forth between the Quraysh and the Prophet PBUH.

 

So the Quraysh launched a surprise attack; this is reported in Sahih Muslim. 80 people from the Quraysh launched a surprise attack from the mountain area of Tan'im and the attack was right around Fajr time, hoping to catch them unprepared. However the Muslims were well prepared; they had scouts and envoys, so the Muslims knew they were coming. Thus instead of surprise attacking the Muslims, the plan backfired and the Muslims surrounded them, and forced them to surrender without causing any bloodshed. They brought them to the Prophet PBUH, and the Prophet PBUH forgave all of them and sent them back to the Makkah.

This is an amazing story that clearly demonstrates the Prophet PBUH has NO interest in bloodshed. He has the full right to kill these people - if the whole 80 people had been decimated, every legal system in the world would say it's fully justified. Yet not a single drop of blood is shed and they are returned to Makkah. Allah mentions this in the Quran, Surah al-Fath verse 24:

وَهُوَ الَّذِي كَفَّ أَيْدِيَهُمْ عَنكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ عَنْهُم بِبَطْنِ مَكَّةَ مِن بَعْدِ أَنْ أَظْفَرَكُمْ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرًا

"And it is He who withheld their hands from you and your hands from them within [the area of] Makkah after He caused you to overcome them. And ever is Allah of what you do, Seeing." [48:24]

And note all of Fath is a reference to Hudaybiyyah. It's not the conquest of Makkah. 'Fath' means any conquest - but Surah al-Fath has nothing to do with the conquest. It was revealed in it's entirety right after Madinah. So, "We have given you a great victory" is Hudaybiyyah. Verse 24 says: "He is the One who stopped their hands from reaching you, and your hands from reaching them in the valleys of Makkah even after you had victory over them." Imagine 80 people fully armed attacking people who were all sleeping - hundreds of sahaba would have died but Allah protected them. And similarly Allah said He stopped the Muslims from killing a single person. And this is crucial. Why? If the Prophet PBUH even killed one of them there would never have been a Hudaybiyyah.

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An Emissary From the Tribe of Khuza'a

 

Now we will discuss at length the negotiations and emissaries which went back and forth. Many scholars have tried to reconstruct who went first etc. but we simply don't know. The following viewpoint is just one theory. The first person who appears to be an emissary is neither Qureshi nor Madani. He is from the tribe of Khuza'a which was generally sympathetic to Islam but was neutral overall and hadn't embraced Islam. One of the leaders of Khuza'a volunteered to be an emissary since he was a neutral party. He is a noble Arab and does not want any civil war, so he was an emissary at this time (eventually he accepts Islam but right now he isn't a Muslim). So he offers the Prophet PBUH, "Ya Muhammad I have just come from the other side of Hudaybiyyah and I've left the sons of Amr ibn Luhay armed to the tee." Who is Amr ibn Luhay? The great-great-grandfathers of Quraysh. "And they are waiting to fight you and prevent you from entering Makkah." Meaning he is trying to tell the Prophet PBUH to calm down. The Prophet PBUH said, "We have not come to fight; rather we've come to show honor to the house of Allah (by performing Umrah)." And he says the same phrase he said to the Muslims, and he will say again and again to every emissary who comes, "Indeed war has damaged the Quraysh, and they have been hurt by it. If they wish we can negotiate and be peaceful. If they wish, I will show them what we are made of, and my neck will be chopped off until Allah decides the matter," meaning it's up to them. And then he said, "If they want I can give them some time and leave the city for us" i.e. for a short time the Quraysh go out, the Muslims can go in, perform the Umrah and then leave. This suggestion the Quraysh accepted but their condition was NEXT year, not this year. So the Prophet PBUH is saying, "If it's awkward for them to see us here, I understand, I will give them a few days and they can leave Makkah. We will enter, do the Umrah and leave. If they refuse, I swear by Allah I will fight them until my neck is cut off and Allah's decree be done."

So Budayl said he will inform the Quraysh about the Prophet's PBUH position. As of yet the Quraysh do not officially know why they are here. So Budayl told the Quraysh, "I have spoken to this man and I've heard him say something. If you wish I can repeat it for you." Ibn Ishaq says the foolish amongst them said, "We have no reason to listen to you, you've nothing new to tell us." But the ones of intelligence said, "Let him speak." And so Budayl informed him of the Prophet's PBUH peaceful intentions, that, "War is a lose-lose, let us be in peace, let me visit the Ka'bah and we will return to Madinah, and if you refuse I will fight you to death."

Notice over here it's always the ignorant and closed minded who don't even want to hear what the other side of the story is. It doesn't matter how reasonable or rational something is, they've decided already what Islam is. This is the foolish amongst them. The people of wisdom are open minded and control their emotions. And also this shows us the evils of arrogance: The foolish don't even care about the Prophet's PBUH reason for coming. They don't even want to listen! All they want is war and bloodshed. And arrogance is so foolish it blinds you. And indeed this is the case of Iblis too. So Budayl summarized the message of the Prophet PBUH and then he gave his own advice, "You are being hasty with this man, he has not come to fight, he has come to visit this house honoring its sanctity." So Budayl understands the Prophet's PBUH message, and he is sowing the seeds of doubt into the Quraysh. Budayl is the first person and many more side with the Prophet PBUH. The Quraysh responded, "By Allah we will never let him enter Makkah and the Arabs will say he had the better hand over us." And sadly the Quraysh stuck with this to the very end. Why? It's all a matter of pride and honor - that, "My pride will be harmed if the Arabs hear the Prophet PBUH entered Makkah." And in the end they got this condition. So the matter of Budayl ended and no negotiations were done.

 

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An Official Emissary of Quraysh From the Tribe of Thaqif

Therefore what began after this was another exchange of messages, but this time the emissaries are directly from either side. It appears the first person to go from the Quraysh was Urwah ibn Mas'ud, from the tribe of Thaqif. It's based in Ta'if, and Ta'if was the sister city of Makkah. There was a little bit of tension between Quraysh and Thaqif but there's alliances against the Prophet PBUH and Islam. So Urwah stands and says, "Am I not a father to you? Don't you know my loyalties lie with you?" He is beginning this way to get the approval of the Quraysh to be an official emissary. And Urwah continues asking rhetorical questions, "Do you accuse me of being unjust?" etc. And they keep on saying, "No, no. We know who you are." Then Urwah mentions his resume and blessings, that, "Did I not help you here, cause some bloodshed to be averted etc." And he's presenting all these to make them realize that he will look after their best interests. And so they praised him until finally he said, "Budayl has come to us with some news, let me go back and see what I can negotiate." So Urwah ibn Mas'ud becomes the first real emissary the Quraysh send to negotiate and see what can be done.

The Prophet PBUH tells him the exact same thing he told Budayl. The exact same paragraph. That, "Why don't the Quraysh let us be, we are just like the normal people let us do tawaf and we will go back." And the exact same conditions he offers and it's very reasonable. He is appealing to the emotions of the Quraysh, "Why the bloodshed, enough is enough, I'm just coming for peace, let me go like all others and if you feel awkward I'll give you some time, you leave the city, we'll enter, do tawaf and then go back." So the same plan is given to Urwah and Urwah says, "What is really the matter with you? You say you call to Allah, but then you come with people whom we don't know. And you break the ties of kinship (meaning the Aws and Khazraj etc.). We don't know who these people are. And you break the sanctity of the haram and you intend to spill blood." It's as if he didn't hear anything the Prophet PBUH said. He already has something in his mind: So the Prophet PBUH refutes everything, "I've only come to fulfill the ties of kinship not to break them, and I've come to better the religion of my people, and I've come to make their lives a better life."

 

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The Accusations of the Nonbelievers Against the Prophet PBUH

 

Look at what he is smearing the Prophet PBUH with - breaking the ties of kinship, bringing forth a new religion and breaking the haram sanctity.

In reality, in all of these smears, there is a kernel of truth that has been layered with lies. From their perspective they genuinely believe all of this: The Prophet PBUH is bringing something new so HE is breaking the ties. HIS religion is the strange religion and he is bringing new people. Why are we mentioning this? Because every single smear and attack against Islam and the Prophet PBUH, deep down inside has perverted truth. There's a mixture of truth and a lot of falsehood. It's the sunnah of Allah that mankind with bad intention take this small truth and coat it with lies. It's because of this kernel of truth that even the worst allegation people believe in it. For example being a magician - did not our Prophet PBUH have miracles? They also accused him of being a poet - and what is the most beautiful poetry? The Qur'an. So there's a kernel of truth but it's put with so many lies. Thus we as Muslims need to have the perception and wisdom to see through the kernel of truth. Imagine if all you see is violence coming from Muslim lands, you will think Islam is violent. But of course it isn't - thus we need to understand the kernel of truth people speak with and then respond back. So the Prophet PBUH responds back: "I am fulfilling ties, I want good for my people etc." This is the same reality to this day: That Islam exploits women, etc. Look at the culture around us - who is the one exploiting women? We protect and honor them but just because we do, that protection becomes exploitation. So we need to understand people's perspectives.

 

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Urwah's Tribal Mentality

So Urwah responded: "O Muhammad if you were to remove the matter of your people, have you ever heard of an Arab who destroyed his own tribe before you?" Meaning you and the Quraysh are at such odds you might even cause their destruction. "And if it's the other (meaning if they fight you and they win)" So he's trying to reason with him from a Jahiliyyah perspective, that you will kill your own tribe if you win, is that what you want? And if it's the other, then, "By Allah I don't see around me men I recognize, rather they seem to be a mixture of bandits who will run away and leave you at the earliest chance possible." What's he saying? He is suggesting the sahaba will not be loyal because they are all of different tribes. From Urwah's perspective, it's unbelievable this mixture of Arabs are behind the Prophet PBUH. The way he's viewed the world is just division by tribe. It's a gang mentality, that you are with your tribe no matter what the cost or who does what. So now for the first time in his life he is seeing a group of people together but nothing unites them from his perspective. He doesn't understand the unity of Islam. It's completely blind to him. Right now he has no Iman at all - all he can see are people 'disunited.' He is saying, "Why will Aws guard your back?" Indeed the bulk of the 1400 were non-Qureshi.

So he's saying, "They aren't even men, I don't recognize any of them." When Urwah said this, he heard a vile curse and it's very vile and vulgar. And it came from the last sahabi you would ever expect: When Urwah said, "I don't see any men around you - who are these people? The minute you start fighting they will abandon you," he heard a loud shot. And he heard a voice say a very vulgar phrase. Urwah said, "Who is that?!" Abu Bakr said, "Ibn Abi Quhafa." Urwah says, "Wallahi had it not been for a favor you did to me and I hadn't yet paid you back, I would respond with a similar remark." The vulgar thing has to do with a private part of a female, al-Lat is the god mentioned and 'umsus' (Arabic phrase) means to suck on - so you can piece the phrase together. So Abu Bakr utters this extremely vile curse to al-Lat, and why? Because al-Lat was the god of Thaqif which was where Urwah was from. And it was the most famous of the vicinity of Thaqif. So Urwah is the chieftain and guardian of al-Lat. So Abu Bakr utters those words and then he says, "Do you really think we will abandon the Prophet PBUH?! That's what you think?!"

What we find is here amazing: His anger goes to 0 to 100 in 0.1 seconds. Instantly - why? Because this man has accused the Muslims of abandoning the Prophet PBUH. And he becomes so angry that the most gentle, shy, kind, etc. loses his anger and temper and he curses a vile curse. This shows us the Iman of Abu Bakr - he wasn't angry he was insulted. He was angry the Prophet PBUH is being insulted that his own people will leave him. And he felt such anger he uttered a phrase that is very inappropriate. This shows us there are very rare exceptions that sometimes being vulgar gets the point across. And the Prophet PBUH did not rebuke Abu Bakr - his anger just got the better of him, and sometimes being vulgar has some benefit (but only once in a blue moon). Also Urwah had a debt, so Abu Bakr gave him the money to pay that debt off - so Urwah says, "You still have a favor I haven't repaid, had it not been for that I would have responded the same way" i.e. he is saying the repayment of the favor is that he won't insult Abu Bakr. Urwah doesn't realize what he is saying, he thinks he is being sympathetic to the Prophet PBUH that, "Muhammad come to your senses look around you! These people won't fight for you," but he doesn't know what Islam or Iman is - nor the anger Muslims feel when the Prophet PBUH is insulted.

Urwah continued to try and convince the Prophet PBUH to give up and it was the custom of the people of those times that when two leaders met they would hold on to each others beards as a gesture of brotherliness and being equals. And he did this a few times, but every time he did it the handle of a sword would strike him on his hand. And the hitting got harder and harder until finally he heard a voice which said, "Get your hand away from the beard of the Prophet PBUH before the hand is cut off." And he said, "Who is this voice?" And it turns out it is his own blood nephew Mughira ibn Shu'ba al-Thaqafi. He is his brothers son.

 

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Highway Robbery is Unacceptable

And Mughira has a story too - in his early days he was a 'playboy' and bandit. He got involved with the wrong company and became one of the thugs and he began participating in robberies, etc. Until one day he participated in pure highway robbery where he used to kill people and steal all their goods. And so he was a part of this group, and one time he did this highway robbery to another tribe. That tribe however declared war against the Thaqif, so the Thaqif, had to pay a lot of blood money to calm down the situation. At this Mughira and all his companions had to rush away from Thaqif; and Mughira eventually heard of Islam, converted and came to Madinah. So he's turned over a completely new life. So the Prophet PBUH told him many years ago, "As for your Islam we will accept it so you can join us; but as for your money that you stole we will not accept it."

This shows us the wisdom of the Prophet PBUH. Mughira had haram money so the Prophet PBUH did not accept it. This shows us the fairness of Islam - in Islam the lives of non-Muslims are sacred and indeed many people claim the Prophet PBUH was a robber but who did he attack? Only the caravans of the Quraysh - never of neutral tribes. So this incident of Mughira shows us the Prophet PBUH and the sahaba were not only NOT highway robbers, they refused any money from highway robbery. There are many hadith from Mughira, he is a famous companion, and when his own uncle is putting his hand on the Prophet PBUH he said, "Get your hand away." After all Urwah is the chieftain of Thaqif so the other sahaba were wary but Mughira was the one who had the courage to do this.

 

So Urwah said, "Who said that?!" And Mughira said, "It is Mughira ibn Shu'ba" i.e. Urwah's own nephew. And Urwah responds back, "O traitor, are you still not basking in your deceit?" i.e. you've ruined our reputation and you are still living like an evil traitor. This shows us again the Prophet's PBUH fairness but Mughira could not respond because it was a valid point: The tribe of Thaqif had to pay a lot of money to avoid war with the tribe that Mughira killed in Jahiliyyah days.

 

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Urwah's Description of the Sahaba

 

So eventually, the negotiations broke down and Urwah returned to the Quraysh and his description of the sahaba is one of the most amazing descriptions in the whole seerah. Why? He describes the sahaba as an outsider. Indeed at the time he is an outsider, later on he will become a Muslim. This is the first exposure to Islam for himself.

So we hear descriptions of the sahaba now that no other sahaba has said. What does he say? Urwah says to the Quraysh, "O people, I have visited the kings, and entered the palace of Rome, and Kisra of Persia, and Najashi of Abyssinia." Because he's the chieftain of Thaqif he has the honor of going to all these kings palaces. He is a true nobleman - he can say he's been to all of these leaders. "Wallahi, by Allah, I've never seen any king being shown respect the way that the companions of Muhammad show respect to him. No one has that amount of honor - wallahi he didn't even spit except that one of the companions caught that spit before it touched the ground and rubbed it on his face and body. And never did he wash himself except that it is as if they were fighting one another to catch the drops of water coming from him." Now subhan'Allah none of the sahaba told us this. Why? Because they took it for granted - it was natural for them, and there was an element of modesty. But here we have Urwah ibn Mas'ud as an outsider who has never seen such a bizarre scene in his life. What king has people that when he spits the people catch that spit? Wallahi this is not normal. And Urwah continues, that, "If he wanted to command them something, he only needed to raise his face and look and they would race to do it. When he spoke, they all lowered their heads and voices, and none of them would look at them directly out of respect." Subhan'Allah. It is an amazing situation and description. And the Prophet PBUH did not command them to do this - but they had such an immense respect they aren't even looking at his eyes. This reminds us of that famous hadith of Amr ibn al-As, who was one of the last sahabi to accept Islam. He said, "Wallahi there was nothing more beloved to me than to stare at the Prophet PBUH but I could never raise my head and look at him out of respect for him." Subhan'Allah. He loves to look at him but at the same time he can't look at him so he's battling with himself.

What happens to Urwah in one hour? What was he saying at the beginning?, "Who are these people?! They will abandon you at the first sign of a sword!" Then in ONE hour what happens? Look - "wallahi I've never seen any group like them! Neither Najashi nor Kisra nor this nor that. They can't even look at him or.." Just one hour of looking at the sahaba with the Prophet PBUH is enough to convert Urwah into a believer of the sahaba. Think about this. He doesn't see beyond Islam, but after one hour he tells the Quraysh what we've said. And he says, "Know, if you wish the sword, they will give what you wish." Look again the change - he's telling the Prophet PBUH first that the sahaba will abandon him. Now when he goes back to the Quraysh without the Prophet PBUH opening his mouth to defend the sahaba; to see his own nephew take a sword and poke him; to see Abu Bakr utter such a vile phrase; he comes back a convert not yet to Islam but a convert in the ultimate Iman of the sahaba. so he says, "I've seen a group who don't care what happens to them if their companion is harmed. They will do everything to protect him, even the women amongst them will never hand him over whatever the cost." Look at how powerful this is - he says, "Take my advice, you will not be able to win over him." Even though quantity wise the Quraysh are triple.

 

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Urwah Changes Sides

 

Then Urwah adds, "Besides, he is a man who has come to this house wishing to honor it, with sacrificial animals, but instead he is being deprived and prevented." Immediate change of sides. Look at what he was saying when he left Makkah, after one hour meeting the Prophet PBUH, his heart is now with the Prophet PBUH. (Subhan'Allah this comes only from raw Iman - when people see and sense the Iman of a group they will respect it. Our main weapon is not arms, it's our belief in Allah. If we have that, the rest will fall into place. This clearly shows this. The Prophet PBUH never intellectually responded - all that was shown was Islam and the Muslims.)

At this the Quraysh got angry, and they said, "If only someone else besides you had said this," meaning 'we thought better of you!' And they accepted what he said but still insisted, "We will not allow him this year." So once again their arrogance and stubbornness is being shown, and they stick to this right to the end.

 

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Points of Benefit We Can Derive So Far

 

And here we find so many benefits:

Wallahi a kafir, pagan, idol worshiper recognizes the status of the sahaba. What do we say to those who claim to be Muslim but do not recognize the maqam and status of the sahaba? A pagan is saying he is so impressed and that he's never seen a group of people like these before. Yet, and it is shameful and sad that there are people who do not respect the sahaba, and yet they claim to be worshiping Allah. Also we see the Prophet PBUH is waging a type of psychological battle, and clearly he is winning. Anyone who comes to see him goes back convinced. Therefore the battle is not just verbal or physical, there is a psychological side, and one of the best ways to win this battle is simply to stick to your principles. Be firm in what you believe and people will respect you for that firmness. Unfortunately we are too embarrassed to stand up for Islam. We also witness the long term thinking, strategy and diplomacy of the Prophet PBUH. His ways of dividing the Quraysh up so bit by bit people will break away from the Qureshi position. This is the long term strategy.

 

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Urwah After Embracing Islam (Much Later on)

After the conquest of Makkah, Urwah accepted Islam in the 9th year of the Hijrah. And we will discuss his story insha'Allah when we get to the story of Thaqif. He was one of the first elders of Thaqif to accept Islam and Thaqif was perhaps THE most difficult tribe. After all they did what they did in Ta'if, and it was the most stubborn tribe right to the end. Even when they accepted Islam, they gave the most bizarre conditions: "Ya Rasulullah it's cold in Ta'if, we don't want to do wudu (literally). We don't want to do jihad with you; how about zakat we don't want to give our money to you?" This is Thaqif - even when they converted they had all these conditions and issues. And Urwah eventually accepted Islam, and he traveled to Madinah to embrace Islam at the hands of the Prophet PBUH and the Prophet PBUH told him, "I'm scared for you - when you go back to your tribe, what they might do to you." And Urwah was very confident. He said, "Ya Rasulullah, if I am sleeping they would never wake me up," i.e. they respect him so much. Well they respected him before Islam. Now he's a Muslim it's a different story. So he felt so confident despite the Prophet PBUH knowing his people. The Prophet PBUH was more respected amongst the Quraysh than Urwah was amongst the Thaqif, yet look what happened to the Prophet PBUH. But he insisted so the Prophet PBUH let him go back home.

And Urwah returns to his people and starts preaching Islam, but he starts hearing vile and vulgar phrases that he would never imagine. And so he goes back to his house, saddened and distressed, and spends the night. The next morning it's Fajr time so he goes on his roof, gives the adhan and starts praying. But when someone saw him praying, someone got their bow and arrow out and killed him. And it's said the arrow pushed him back so he fell right down into the valley. When the news reached the Prophet PBUH he said, "Urwah is like the one of Ya-Sin" meaning Surah Ya-Sin. So he is like that person who called his people to Allah, and in response they killed him.

 

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In any case, this is Urwah. But at this stage he isn't a Muslim. Clearly at this stage Islam first entered his heart when he saw the respect the sahaba had for the Prophet PBUH. And he realized it's not human - something divine and special is happening here. That Allah has given a level of respect to the Prophet PBUH that the kings don't even get. And wallahi it's so true: Every politician, even in power, the people respect him only for his chair and what he can offer. Whereas we love and respect the Prophet PBUH for who he was, not for worldly gain. The love is unconditional.

 

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The Prophet PBUH Sends Khirash ibn Umayyah al-Khuza'i

So Urwah goes back and he sides with the Prophet PBUH, so Thaqif cuts off now. Thaqif will not participate with the Quraysh. And bit by bit the size of the Quraysh is being cut off. Here the Prophet PBUH felt the need to send someone from his side and he chose Khirash ibn Umayyah from the tribe of Khuza'a, not from the Quraysh, Aws or Khazraj so he is not an Ansari or a Muhajir. So perhaps the Prophet PBUH chose him because he was from a neutral tribe. So he is sending him so the Quraysh don't get riled up - clearly they will have some things against Abu Bakr, Umar, etc. as they are fellow Qureshis.

So the Prophet PBUH sends Khirash ibn Umayyah and to demonstrate he wanted peace, he sent Khirash on one of his own camels by the name of al-Tha'lab (الثعلب). And in those days people knew each other's camels, so the Quraysh knew this camel was the Prophet's PBUH. So by sending his own personal camel the Prophet PBUH is sending a peace message. When the Quraysh saw the camel, their tensions riled up and a mob gathered, they cut a ligament off the camel's leg and they are about to kill Khirash until finally another person from Khuza'a calms them down who was in Makkah. He says, "This is a Khuza'i etc." and the Quraysh send him back without any discussions taking place.

 

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Quraysh Sends al-Hulays ibn Alqama al-Kinani

Now it's the Quraysh's turn. And they send someone called al-Hulays ibn Alqama al-Kinani from the tribe of Kinana. It was the largest tribe in the surrounding areas outside of Makkah, al-Ahabish which was the name given to tribes around Makkah. The biggest of them is Kinana, so al-Hulays volunteers. Again other tribes are getting involved: It's a major issue. There is not only tension from the past, but there is a theological issue that the Quraysh are preventing a group from entering Makkah and this is a very big deal because they aren't allowed to do this. So al-Hulays volunteers and the Quraysh agree to send him. When al-Hulays approaches the Prophet PBUH recognizes from a far away distance, and the Prophet PBUH says, "This is al-Hulays ibn Alqama from Kinana and his people show respect, and consider sacred the sacrificial animals." So this particular tribe valued the decorations of animals. So the Prophet PBUH said, "Show him our sacrificial animals." As Hulays is walking towards the Prophet PBUH, the sahaba take out hundreds and hundreds of camels that were decorated for sacrifice. Remember the Prophet PBUH alone had 70, the sahaba had many more. And these are just the camels - on top of this there were sheep, goats etc. All of them are decorated with markings, ribbons and strings etc. all demonstrating it's a camel dedicated for the sake of Allah, and the poor people of Makkah.

So al-Hulays is coming, and before he even gets to the camp, the sahaba bring out hundreds of camels, and they bring them to the valley he is entering, and he sees the entire valley full of camels that have been decorated for the poor of Makkah. And he sees the Muslims in ihram doing the talbiyah, and al-Hulays doesn't even enter the camp of the Muslims. He turns around and goes to the Quraysh and says, "Subhan'Allah it is NOT allowed for you to prevent these animals to reach their destination, and to prevent the pilgrims from visiting the house of Allah." Without even speaking to the Prophet PBUH he is converted over.

Again we see the wisdom and diplomacy of the Prophet PBUH. It's psychological warfare - he sees Hulays and recognizes his soft spot. And that is showing him the camels, showing the sahaba in ihram doing talbiyah etc. And also because of the difficult journey the sahaba went through, not only were the sahaba hungry but the camels were tired and hungry. And this is dangerous because these camels if they don't get to the Ka'bah the meat will be gone to waste - you could see the camels thinning up, so Hulays feels a sense of great anger against the Quraysh. When they heard him switch sides, they insulted him and said, "Who are you - you are just an ignorant Bedouin, our mistake was to send you." Subhan'Allah as soon as he said this, al-Hulays swore by Allah none of the Ahabish will support the Quraysh. And that's a massive loss. Subhan'Allah we see here the truth always win. It's clear black and white - the Muslim had 110% truth, they just want to do Umrah. And the Quraysh are clearly wrong. And thus honest people can see this - even though they are pagans, they realize what the Quraysh is doing is wrong. And it's mentioned Hulays was considered to be a wise man, a person of intelligence. So when they insult him and say, "You're just a Bedouin" it's 100% racism that, "Who are you? We shouldn't have even sent you" so he swears by Allah none of his people will be on their side. So bit by bit people are leaving the Quraysh, and eventually it will only be them left.

 

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Points of Benefit From the Story of al-Hulays

1. We see over here that every community has its righteous people. This is a point that unfortunately a minority of Muslims in their overzealousness become so narrow-minded about, that they truly think if you're not a Muslim you don't have any good in you. This is ridiculous. If you are not a Muslim, they no doubt your theology is wrong, but does this mean you cannot be honest, or truthful or stand up for justice? In the whole seerah we have so many examples of idol worshipers standing up for what is true. And the Prophet PBUH appreciated and acknowledged this. And it's similar in our times. A lot of non-Muslims stand up for the rights and values of justice, and even Islam. So many American non-Muslim people helped prevent anti-sharia bills being passed. Every society has good and bad, and the Muslims takes advantage of this.

 

2. We also see that it's a part of prophetic wisdom to use psychological factors that appeal to every group. And no doubt we do not change what Islam says: If some people say it's 'unethical' to kill animals for food, we draw the line here and point out this is where the boundary of Islam stops. It is sunnah to eat meat and alhamdulillah for this. No doubt we don't change the sharia, but if there's a trend going on in society is there anything wrong with talking about it within Islam? This is clearly what the Prophet PBUH did to Hulays.

 

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Muslim Deciding the Official Emissary

So now it's back to the Prophet PBUH and he decides to send a Qureshi. Who? The Prophet PBUH chooses Umar ibn al-Khattab. Why? Because of his strength and bravery. Because whoever is sent will be walking into real danger. However Abu Bakr is there, Ali is there, Uthman is there so these sahaba could have been chosen - why Umar? Perhaps because he was physically the most strongest and bravest. And this is the very first time an official emissary has come from the Prophet's PBUH side back into Makkah. Subhan'Allah. 6 years have gone by and no Muslim has sent foot in Makkah as an emissary. Yes there has been prisoners of war, but no Muslim has walked into the lion's den. That requires true courage. And who better than he who announced his Islam publicly and then said, "Whoever wants his mother to cry for him tonight, let him meet me tonight for I am leaving for Madinah."

And Umar RA says, "Ya Rasulullah my animosity to the Quraysh is well known, and I fear they will kill me. And I don't have anyone from my tribe to protect me (i.e. people from the Bani Adi). So if you want me to go I will go, but Uthman ibn Affan has more nobility in their eyes than I do." Remember, in the eyes of the Quraysh what protects you? It's not physical strength - it is lineage and nobility. No one will ever accuse Umar RA of being a coward, but he is suggesting perhaps Uthman RA is the better choice. By the way Uthman was the closest in lineage to the Prophet PBUH. Abu Bakr and Umar were literally 6th and 8th cousins however Uthman is from Banu Abd Shams. Hashim and Abd Shams are brothers, therefore it's only 2-3 generations back. And who is Banu Abd Shams? Abu Sufyan. He is Banu Abd Shams and he is a second cousin to Uthman, and that's very close for the Arabs. And Abu Sufyan is the undisputed leader of Makkah so he will have more sympathy towards Uthman RA. So, Umar's idea is accepted by the Prophet PBUH and again it shows: The Prophet PBUH made ijtihad, and he saw a better position and he took it. So the Prophet PBUH sent Uthman ibn Affan RA.