Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 65 - The Treaty of Hudaybiyya - Part 3 - Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 18th Sept 2013
Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 65 - The Treaty of Hudaybiyya - Part 3 - Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 18th Sept 2013
We mentioned that the Prophet PBUH and the Quraysh had a back and forth until finally the Prophet PBUH decided to send Umar RA. And he most likely chose him because of his very strong physical presence, he was intimidating and he had the courage to walk into Makkah. But Umar said as we mentioned, "Ya Rasulullah, I fear the Quraysh might not accept me, as my animosity is well known, and I don't have anyone from the tribe of Bani Adi to protect me. If you wish, I will go, but if you wish send someone more noble than I, that is Uthman ibn Affan."
The Fiqh of Umar al-Khattab RA
This shows us the true fiqh of Umar RA. There is no one more fearless than Umar - this is very well known. Had it been an issue of ego, he would be at the front, "Let me go, so what whatever happens etc." But he is looking at the bigger picture: He is worried his animosity with the Quraysh will cause the Quraysh not to have a solid treaty with the Muslims. So he is sacrificing his ego for the sake of the Muslims. No one can accuse him of backing down - but they know who he is, they know what he's done at Badr, Uhud etc. So he is saying, "They might even kill me so the purpose of sending me will be pointless. So send someone they genuinely look up to and that is Uthman ibn Affan." And the main thing Uthman is the great grandson of the Banu Abd Shams, and he was closest to the Prophet PBUH (except for Ali RA). Abu Bakr and Umar was 6 and 8 generations apart. Uthman is Banu Umayyah, and they are relatively close to the Banu Hashim. Not only that, the Banu Umayyah have people of power still alive and that is Abu Sufyan. So Umar RA sacrificed his own spotlight - this is not cowardice. To claim he was a coward is purely ridiculous. His entire life demonstrates how immensely brave he was. And the Prophet PBUH agreed and sent Uthman ibn Affan RA.
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Uthman ibn Affan RA Enters Makkah
As Uthman entered Makkah, there were protectors blocking the roads to Makkah. When he comes in he crosses a road called Baldah and the group there stopped him, mocked him, and told him to go back. So he was about to go back, but in that group there was his own cousin: Aban ibn Sa'id ibn al-As. And Uthman was Uthman ibn Affan ibn al-As ibn Umayyah thus they are first cousins. When Aban saw how the people were treating his own cousin, he got off his own horse, took it to Uthman and he said, "You ride and I will protect you in Makkah." And these were the ways the jahili Arabs gave 'visas.' You needed someone to say THEY will be your protectors. You needed someone to say, "You are under my aman (protection)" and this is what Aban did for Uthman. And he led him into Makkah and he took Uthman ibn Affan to meet the leaders of the Quraysh.
Uthman met with Abu Sufyan, and remember they are direct relatives from the Banu Umayyah tribe. Abu Sufyan and Affan are first cousins, which is why in the civil war [many years later] when Uthman RA was killed, Muawiyah (Abu Sufyan's son) said, "You have to avenge the death of Uthman." So to reiterate, Abu Sufyan and Uthman are uncle and nephew through first cousins. So he meets his uncle Abu Sufyan and the other leaders, but none of them allow the Muslims to come this year. Each one of them says the exact same phrase, "Let not the Arabs say we were forced to let them in." Also the Prophet PBUH told Uthman that if he is able to get into Makkah, he should meet all the Muslim converts who were in dire situations and trapped, and tell them Allah is aware of their situation, and He will make a way out for them soon. So Uthman met these Muslims who were in chains and this shows us, there were a group of Muslims still trapped in Makkah, not out of personal choice but by force of torture and persecution.
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It Took Much Longer Than Expected
So in the whole negotiations, it took much longer than expected. We can imagine it took multiple hours, even the better part of a whole day. And that is way beyond what anyone was expecting, and no news was coming out. So it is understandable how and why some of the sahaba panicked. And small rumors got bigger and bigger, until it becomes a solid fact. The details we don't know: But it's self evident, someone must have said, "What if he's been killed?" As it's passed along people are saying, "Most likely he's dead" and as it passes further it becomes, "For sure he is dead." Until finally there was this dread amongst the Muslims, therefore the news was accepted as a fact that he is dead. Surely if he were alive he would have come back by now. When the rumors spread to the Prophet PBUH, he said, "We will not leave until we exact revenge upon them and we fight them" i.e. It's simply too much. Look at the circumstance: The Quraysh are at least 3x greater in number. The Muslims are tired, hungry and thirsty whereas the Quraysh are full rested. Additionally the animals of the Muslims are tired. The Quraysh are fresh and rested in their houses with unlimited food, water, armor etc. The Muslims, everything is limited and running out. Most importantly, they weren't prepared for battle. They had no war preparations. This was only an Umrah trip.
When the Prophet PBUH is calling them for a battle, this really is almost certain death. You are outnumbered, outflanked etc. There's no chance to win. And this is why this oath is so important in our religion that Allah and His Messenger have both praised it immensely.
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Bay'at al-Ridwan
A crier was sent to all the Muslims that Jibril AS has come down to the Prophet PBUH and he is calling you to give the allegiance to him. Of course Allah knows full well Uthman is perfectly fine. This is a test for the believers to see if they would give their oath. So the crier went out, and the Prophet PBUH is calling all the Muslims for an oath and pledge to fight the Quraysh to the death. The pledge was, "Fight the Quraysh and do not turn back." So you cannot flee backwards, if you die in battle you die. And this oath was eventually called Bay'at al-Ridwan. And 'Ridwan' means pleasure - why? Because Allah revealed in Surah al-Fath verse 18:
لَّقَدْ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ يُبَايِعُونَكَ تَحْتَ الشَّجَرَةِ فَعَلِمَ مَا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ فَأَنزَلَ السَّكِينَةَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَثَابَهُمْ فَتْحًا قَرِيبًا
"Certainly was Allah pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you, [O Muhammad], under the tree, and He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down tranquility upon them and rewarded them with an imminent conquest."
The Prophet PBUH was sitting under a tree at the time, and the Prophet PBUH took an oath of allegiance from all the people except for one person who was a hypocrite, and when the call came out he hid behind his camel. Some say this is the same person who was the owner of the red camel. And when all of the sahaba finished the bay'ah (oath), the Prophet PBUH in front of everyone, took his left and put it in his right hand and said, "This is for Uthman." So he took the oath on behalf of Uthman ibn Affan. His left hand symbolized Uthman's RA hand. So this is the Bay'at al-Ridwan. And obviously it shows us the bravery of the sahaba: They were unarmed, defenseless, travelling, not having proper weapons, willing to fight people that are fully rested, healthy, firm and 3x their number. Yet they are still willing to fight to the death. And that is why, the people who swore allegiance to the Prophet PBUH on Bay'at al-Ridwan are given a status that is second only to Badr. Only to Badr as a whole group. Subhan'Allah. Of course above Badr are individuals i.e. the promised 10. But generally as a group Badr is at the top, and then the sahaba of Bay'at al-Ridwan are right below them.
There are many ayat and hadith to show this. And there many references in Surah Fath. And Allah mentions in the Quran that, "Allah is pleased with them" and He says, "Allah knows what was in their hearts" and this is the highest testification. None of them were cowards: Allah knew their hearts were ready to fight for His sake, so Allah revealed the sakina i.e. peace. And Allah says His own hand is above their hand. Subhan'Allah. So what happens is the sahaba's hand would grab the Prophet's PBUH hand and swear an oath. So Allah is saying His own hand was above their hand when they made the oath. What a praise for these sahaba. What a praise and blessing, and what a great honor they had. They took the oath of allegiance from the Prophet PBUH but Allah's hand was above theirs too.
And the Prophet PBUH said, "You are the best people on earth." And in one hadith he said, "No one who has given the Bay'at al-Ridwan should ever enter the Fire of Hell." And this is in Sahih Muslim. Therefore Allah gave these people glad tidings, that Allah will give them a major victory. And we will discuss this victory was the Battle of Khaybar. Remember Surah Fath has nothing to do with the Fath-Makkah (conquest of Makkah). It was revealed before. In Surah Fath, Allah says he will give the Muslims 'ghanima' and a major victory. And indeed in a short while the Muslims will win the Battle of Khaybar, and the ghanima from this battle was the greatest financial income in the history of Islam to date. It changed the financial situation of the entire ummah. And Allah says THAT is the ghanima that will happen. This shows us again a direct correlation: When you stand up for Allah, He will give you much more in this dunya and the next. We've seen this constantly throughout the seerah. In Badr, Allah says He will give the Muslims one of two things (victory or caravan) and they ended up getting both. And here as well, at a point where they are facing death, they pledged allegiance and Allah says He is, "Well pleased with them." And only Hunayn was a bigger financial boost during the seerah than Khaybar - it was a massive financial income boost. Also, we see the great blessings of Uthman ibn Affan. They had such an honor. All the sahaba had such a great honor that they gave allegiance in the hand of the Prophet PBUH - but Uthman had an even higher honor because the Prophet PBUH represented Uthman with his own body and hand. How much more noble do you want? The Prophet PBUH is saying, "Since he is not here, let ME stand in his place." Subhan'Allah. Here you have Rasulullah testifying for Uthman. How can anybody utter one word against this man?
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Tangent: Sunni View of Uthman ibn Affan RA and Other Sahaba
And subhan'Allah the bitterness about Uthman is nothing new. It goes back to the very earliest: the Khawarij criticized and killed him. And in Bukhari it's narrated one of the kharijites saw a large gathering around an old man in Makkah so he said, "Who is he?" and they told him, "This is Abdullah ibn Umar." So he made his way through the crowd and said, "O Ibn Umar, I have some questions to ask you," and it's their methodology to be rude and harsh and fanatic, "I ask you by Allah did Uthman turn his back and run away at Uhud?" Right now Uthman is the khalifa, so he is trying to find faults within Uthman. Eventually him and his group will kill Uthman. Ibn Umar says, "You ask me by Allah I answer yes." The man said, "Was Uthman absent at Badr?" Ibn Umar said, "You ask me by Allah I answer yes." And the man said, "Was he missing at Bay'at al-Ridwan?" Ibn Umar said, "You ask me by Allah I answer yes." So the man said, "Allahu'akbar!" and he turned around and walked away.
Ibn Umar said, "Come back here." As for your first question, "Yes Uthman fled Uhud, but Allah testified in Surah Ali Imran that Allah has forgiven them, so I testify he is forgiven. As for your second question, he was married to Ruqayyah bint Muhammad (who eventually died) and the Prophet PBUH commanded him to stay in Madinah, and he got a share of the ghanima thus he is a Badri. And as for your third question, Ridwan only occurred because of Uthman! And the Prophet PBUH used his own hand to take the oath on behalf of Uthman, so go back now with all of this to your people."
And this shows us the blessings of Uthman ibn Affan RA. And there are so many hadith, the Prophet PBUH said, "Should I not be ashamed and shy of he whom the angels are shy of?" This is in Bukhari and Muslim. That even the angels are shy of him - he's such a humble and noble person. Subhan'Allah. That is mind-blowing. Anyone who therefore criticizes Uthman is a jahil.
1400 sahaba participated in Bay'at al-Ridwan, and all of the famous sahaba are here. Thus this is one of the most explicit evidences, among million others, that the sahaba are worthy of our ultimate respect. This is the cornerstone of Sunni Islam. What does Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah mean? It's the group who follow the sunnah and the jama'ah which are the sahaba. This is what separates us from all other groups who don't respect the sahaba. And literally the Quran, sunnah, common sense, logic, etc. all tell you the sahaba have the highest status. Who passed down the Quran? Who passed down the sunnah except the sahaba? You would not have the knowledge of Islam were it not for the sahaba. And one of the famous imams said, "If you were to ask the Jews who are the most righteous people. They will say the 70 who accompanied Moses on the Mount of Sinai (al-Tur). And if you ask the Christians, they will say the 12 disciples of Jesus. And if you ask the other group who is the worst and vile scum? They will say those who accompanied the Prophet PBUH." Wallahi it doesn't even make logical sense. By common sense Allah will choose the best people to be around the Prophet PBUH. Anyone who disagrees will be dealt with by Allah. Even if you reject hadith what will you do with Surah Fath? Allah is saying HE is pleased with them. Where do we get 'radi-Allahu-anhu' from?! The Quran. Abu Bakr was there, Umar was there, Uthman, Ali etc. How can anyone criticize them?
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The Tree
As for which tree it was, it's said Jabir ibn Abdullah, who was still a young man 19-20 years old, and he lives a very long life (78 when he dies), eventually he becomes blind and he says, "If only I could see I would show you exactly that tree we sat under." The tree is significant because Allah mentions it in the Quran and the Prophet PBUH sat under it for a long time. At the same time the majority of the sahaba couldn't really recognize it. Simply because all trees look the same. It's narrated in Bukhari that one of the companions said, "When we got there we tried to find the tree but we couldn't agree which one it was." It's also narrated that within a decade after the death of the Prophet PBUH, the Bedouins and new converts began venerating the tree and built a masjid there. And one of tabi-tabi'un saw this masjid in the middle of nowhere outside of Makkah, so he asked the people, "What is this masjid?" And the people said, "This is the tree wherein the Prophet PBUH took the Bay'at al-Ridwan." So he went back to Makkah and there was the student of Ibn Abbas, Sa'id ibn Musayyib, who was very knowledgeable and one of the leaders of the tabi'un. And he said, "My father were of those who took Bay'at al-Ridwan, and HE couldn't figure out what tree it was. Are you telling me these people know better than the sahaba?" And it's authentically narrated Umar RA news reached him the Bedouins had built a masjid there, some of them were rubbing their backs on it for some blessings etc. So he chastised them and commanded the tree they were venerating be chopped down.
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The Issue of Venerating Places, Icons, or Objects
This shows the whole issue of venerating places, icons, or objects that some people believe are sacred. We have a tension between ignorant, or superstitious or emotional practices on the one side, and authentic, academic, knowledge based Islam on the other. And this tension is there to this day. There is a tension between the emotional side. Even if the Prophet PBUH DID sit under this tree, what will you do? Prostrate to it? This was the fiqh and thinking of Umar. This generation were simply rubbing their backs and building a masjid. If this is happening while Umar was alive, what do you think will happen in the next 100-1000 years? Wallahi it would now be an idol that is worshiped besides Allah. In fact what is an idol other than taking a holy place/person and making them bigger and bigger? And all you need to do is look at the bulk of places in Pakistan, India etc. And one finds the grave of a righteous person and people are doing sajdah to the grave, tawaf around the grave, making du'a to the grave. This is unbelievable. And what is the grave of any person with the very tree mentioned in the Quran and where the Prophet PBUH sat there for several hours. And this shows us the difference between emotion and academic Islam. Our religion is not based upon feelings. It's based upon what the Prophet PBUH and Allah told us. As for his droppings of wudu etc. this is allowed. But not where he sat under a tree. The sahaba understood this difference. And it shows us this tension between mystical Islam and academic Islam existed before, and still now. And who followed this mystical Islam? The ignorant Bedouins, while the more intelligent sahaba said, "What are you doing?" This shows us as well if we visit any site of early Islam, we go for historical reasons, NOT for barakah etc. But rather to take lessons of it, and remember, "This is where Badr took place" etc. You go so you are overwhelmed and feel a sense of awe. And who can accuse Umar RA of insulting the Prophet PBUH? This is what people say in response but wallahi their veneration is not something the Prophet PBUH would approve of.
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The Quraysh Sends Uthman Back
The news of the treaty of Ridwan reached Makkah, so the Quraysh panicked and sent Uthman back. When Uthman came back, and the Muslims heard he is coming, some of them said, "How lucky he is, he must have gone inside and done the tawaf" i.e. at least he got to do it. Here the Muslims were waiting for at least 4-5 days at Hudaybiyyah. But the Prophet PBUH said, "I don't think he will do the tawaf, how can he do it when we haven't?" Meaning the Prophet's PBUH realized Uthman's adab and respect would never allow him to do it. But the other Muslims said, "Why not? Why wouldn't he do it if he was protected in Makkah?" And subhan'Allah we see here how eager the sahaba are to do tawaf and Umrah. They've been kicked out of Makkah, they haven't seen the Ka'bah for 6 years and they are missing the tawaf so much, and are feeling jealous that, "Uthman has done it and not us." Look at this. Subhan'Allah. They wanted to respect the house of Allah. And when they saw him return they surrounded him and said, "Have you satisfied yourself with the Ka'bah?" To which Uthman replied, "What an evil thought you had of me, did you think I would do tawaf while the Prophet PBUH is here? Wallahi if I stayed in Makkah for one year I would not do tawaf until the Prophet PBUH did it before me." Here again we have the defense of the Prophet PBUH for Uthman. And again it shows us the respect the sahaba and especially Uthman gave to the Prophet PBUH.
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The Quraysh Sends Official Delegations
According to al-Bayhaqi when the news reached the Quraysh they trembled with fear. And what does that show? A small group of Muslims, unprepared, tired etc. but they have Iman. And they can cause the mighty tribe of the Quraysh to tremble. And this was why they decided 'we need to negotiate.' And so they sent an official delegation.
Initially they sent someone by the name of Mikraz ibn Hafs and it appears this was just a quick sending. They didn't think things through, and when the Prophet PBUH saw Mikraz, he said to the sahaba he is an evil man. And when Mikraz approached he and the Prophet PBUH began negotiating but there was no agreements. Mikraz was giving completely unacceptable conditions.
In the distance, another delegation was coming forth that was genuine and it was a final delegation that would solve the problems. The senior and main person was Suhayl ibn Amr. When the Prophet PBUH saw Suhayl, he said, "Suhayl has come, Allah has made things easy for you now." Subhan'Allah he is saying through Suhayl ease and opening will be reached.
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The Concept of Good Omen in Islam
Here we see another theological point: Good omens. The Prophet PBUH said, "There is no such thing as superstitions or bad omens." And, "Believing in omens is a type of shirk." So the Prophet PBUH said it's all shirk. Then he said, "BUT I like positive optimism." So they asked, "What do you mean?" And he said, "A good word or a good phrase someone hears." What is this? A good omen is to read in two conditions:
1. A positive sign or message
2. The message is linked to Allah
If these two conditions are met, a good omen is recommended and a part of our religion. And a good omen is nothing other than being optimistic in Allah. An example of such an omen we can understand; if one of us is making du'a on a cloudy day, and after finishing we look up and the skies have cleared and we see a beautiful rainbow. If we say, "This is a sign from Allah that my du'a will be answered" there is nothing wrong with this, and in fact it's good. Why? Because, shouldn't we already be thinking Allah will give us what we want? Anything that boosts that optimism is mustahab (recommended). So anything we read as a positive sign that makes our heart brighter and happier is a good omen and allowed. It's okay and it's good as we learn for the Prophet PBUH.
One of the examples from the seerah is when Suhayl came. 'Suhayl' comes from a root word which means 'to make things easy.' Thus when Suhayl came the Prophet PBUH said, "Suhayl has come, Allah has made things easy for you." So he derived a positive omen from this that the matter will be made easy and he linked it to Allah, and that's exactly what happened. And there are other examples: There is a name in Arabic called 'wajid' which means 'the one who finds.' So one of the sahaba said, "Imagine you lose something and you are trying to find it, then somebody calls out to his friend 'Ya Wajid, ya Wajid' and you hear that - you should take this as a good sign and say, "I will be THE wajid."" So it's a sign from Allah. So saying 'insha'Allah my du'a will be answered' etc. - this is allowed and is a positive optimistic omen. Bad luck from a cat crossing a path? This is foolish and stupid.
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Suhayl ibn Amr
Suhayl comes. And who is he? Suhayl firstly is the highest level delegate sent to the Prophet PBUH during Hudaybiyyah. And he is one of those who is a member of the Quraysh parliament called the Nadi. He is a member of that group, so he is a senior politician. This is a man with superior authority. And he is clearly a high profile member of the Quraysh; when he was captured as a prisoner of war, the Prophet PBUH housed him in his house. And where in the history of humanity did a leader house prisoners in his house? Truly this can be said only for the Prophet PBUH. And the Prophet PBUH housed the elite members of the Quraysh; one of them was Suhayl ibn Amr. And one of the wives of the Prophet PBUH rushed back home and sees Suhayl ibn Amr tied to his neck, and she kind of slipped. She said, "Why are you embarrassing us as being a prisoner of war? It would have been more befitting if you died!" In other words seeing someone as noble as Suhayl made her slip, and she said, "You are humiliating US by being a prisoner!" And the Prophet PBUH turned to her and said, "Are you taking sides against Allah and His messenger?!" It just a slip - but she was so shocked because of the great status of Suhayl. And in fact he was called 'khatib al-Quraysh' because he was a powerful orator, and when it came to debates and negotiations, he was the main man.
And this is why he is being chosen to negotiate with the Prophet PBUH at Hudaybiyyah. And also this is why, when Umar RA saw Suhayl captured, he said, "Ya Rasulullah, let me cut his tongue off so he doesn't speak against us again." And the Prophet PBUH said, "I am a prophet and we have not been commanded to mutilate people." So he forbade him; and then he turned to Umar RA and said, "Perhaps one day he will say something that will please you."
And this shows us that this mentality that, "If you aren't a Muslim you are evil to the core" - this mentality is wallahi so foolish. Only those who have no clue about reality spout this black and white world view. No doubt Suhayl is a kafir at this time, and he is an enemy against Allah and His Messenger. And he participated in Badr, Uhud, and Khandaq [on the wrong side]. Yet deep down there was goodness in him, and the Prophet PBUH recognized this, but Umar RA did not. And imagine what must he have said that got Umar RA so angry, "Let me just cut his tongue off." But the Prophet PBUH saw in him good, and indeed Suhayl eventually converted. He converted during the conquest of Makkah, so right at the end. Thus there is no doubt the status of Suhayl is not the status of the earlier converts; Suhayl is not a Muhajir, yet the books of seerah mention out all of the converts that converted after the conquest, the most worship minded was Suhayl. The most salah, the most fasting, the most zakat etc.
And when the Prophet PBUH died, Suhayl was still in Makkah. And the people in Makkah by and large were all converts after the conquest. As we will see none of the Muhajir lived in Makkah after the conquest; they had to go back to Madinah. So who is living in Makkah? All the people who converted 1.5 years ago. Abu Sufyan, Suhayl etc. And when the Prophet PBUH died, so many of the Makkans flirted with the idea of leaving Islam. So much so the sahabi governor of Makkah feared for his life and went into hiding, because commotions began and mobs gathered after the news of the Prophet's PBUH death. Whose the one who calmed them down? Suhayl ibn Amr. He stood in front of the Ka'bah and gave them a fiery lecture. And he warned and admonished them, and he said, "O people of Makkah, do not be the last group to convert, and the first to renegade and apostatize." Subhan'Allah. How elegant is this speech. And he played a major role in bringing them back to Islam, and he was the one who brought the governor out of hiding.
It's also mentioned when Suhayl, Abu Sufyan, etc. visited Umar RA in Madinah, they saw a line. And in that line are Bilal, Suhayb al-Rumi, Ibn Mas'ud etc. - all the people they once considered to be low. And Suhayl and Abu Sufyan had to wait in line while all of these sahaba went before them. At this Abu Sufyan says to Suhayl, "I have never seen a day like this before. We are here!" And realize who these people are. This is the kings of Quraysh, the MPs of Quraysh. And who is Bilal and other people? And they are Muslims but still there is some Jahiliyyah so Abu Sufyan says, "I've never seen a day like this. We are here and these slaves have been given precedence over us." Look at what Suhayl says. And this shows the Iman of Suhayl. Even in Hudaybiyyah we see how harsh he was with the conditions, but deep down inside there was good. And when the Prophet PBUH managed to get to that good, it overwhelmed him. What did Suhayl say to Abu Sufyan?, "I can see the anger in your faces, but if you wish to be angry, then be angry at yourselves. For they were called to Islam and we too were called to Islam; they raced forward and we lagged behind. And the blessings they obtained in racing forward are far more than the honor of them entering the door of Umar before us now." In the eyes of Allah accepting Islam first was a much greater blessing: So he is saying, "Be jealous at THAT good they have, rather the honor they have of entering Umar's door." And Suhayl joined the army to fight the Romans in Syria, and he died a shaheed in Syria. Again an amazing story - out of the converts of the conquest, Suhayl was the most righteous.
However, right now Suhayl is still a bitter enemy, and the Quraysh have sent him to negotiate a treaty with the Prophet PBUH. And they clearly told him: Make sure he does not enter Makkah this year, "For let not the Arabs say he had the better hand over us."
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The Sons of Suhayl ibn Amr
And Suhayl had two sons who were Muslims. And the both of them had given Suhayl and his family much trouble and dishonor. His elder son, Abdullah ibn Suhayl ibn Amr, was a secret convert and there were tensions between him and his father. So he didn't go public with his conversion as he realized it would cause big problems. And so he basically kept him Islam secret. When Badr happens, he sees an opportunity to get to Madinah. How? In the very army he is meant to fight in. So Abdullah volunteers, and he walks literally with them under their noses as a part of the army. And when they camp for the first time, Abdullah takes his horse and sneaks away. And he joins the ranks of the Muslims and fights against the Quraysh. Can you imagine the shame and criticisms Suhayl had to deal with in Makkah? How embarrassed he must have been. He became a prisoner of war and his own son is on the side of the Muslims. And this caused Suhayl so much anguish and pain; guess what - when Abdullah runs over to Madinah, his younger brother Abu Jandal ibn Suhayl also converts and clearly expresses irritation he can't go to Madinah either. And it was clear to Suhayl that Abu Jandal is a Muslim. So Abu Jandal's Islam is certain - so Suhayl locks up Abu Jandal and tells the servants to torture him, thrown him in the dungeon, deprive him of food and water, etc. And he is chained since Badr right the way up to the present day i.e. Hudaybiyyah. That is 4.5 solid years of being chained up. Torturing him, telling him to worship the idols etc. And he refuses to let Abu Jandal go to Madinah, so he has been locked up for all this time.
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The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah
Suhayl then comes as the official delegate, and the Prophet PBUH and Suhayl agree to write a treaty. And this is the famous story that the Prophet PBUH called for a scribe, and Ali ibn Abi Talib was the scribe. So Ali RA began writing down, and the Prophet PBUH dictated. This shows us the assertiveness of the Prophet PBUH. He isn't a meek leader. Every time he says something first. This shows us Suhayl might have been the 'khatib' of the Quraysh, but the Prophet PBUH is even more eloquent. So the Prophet PBUH said, "Let us start writing: 'Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim.'" Suhayl says, "As for this phrase I've never heard it, and I don't know who 'al-Rahman' is, let us write it the way we are accustomed 'Bismik'Allahum.'" Again it's a matter of ego and pride. And remember what the Prophet PBUH said very publicly so the Muslims understand what is at stake, "By Allah, no condition will the Quraysh ask of me, which respects the sign of Allah, except I will give them that condition," i.e. all to avoid bloodshed. Don't forget they are in the haram, in ihram during the sacred months, so fighting would be a major sin. So the Prophet PBUH agreed, and again the Prophet PBUH took charge, "This is what Muhammad, Rasulullah has agreed to with Suhayl ibn Amr." And Ali writes the words 'Rasulullah.' But by the time Suhayl hears this, he says, "As for you being Rasulullah, wallahi if we believed this, neither would we prevent you from the Ka'bah, nor would we have fought you. Rather write it the way your people knew you: Muhammad ibn Abdullah." Again it's major ego - Suhayl wants the Prophet PBUH to know 'we won't let you get away with anything.' And the Prophet PBUH said, "Wallahi I am Rasulullah, even if you deny it, so write down 'Muhammad ibn Abdullah.'" And Ali RA said, "I will not delete 'Rasulullah'" - Ali's RA own anger got the better of him. So it's said in one version, the Prophet PBUH took it and scrapped it out with his own hands. This shows us the humility of the Prophet PBUH and the Iman of Ali RA. Amazingly by disobeying the Prophet PBUH he is honoring him. And the Prophet PBUH understands Ali's dilemma so he rubbed it off himself.
And the Prophet PBUH said, "The Quraysh will let the Muslims do Umrah." Notice again he is no coward - every time he is the one forward. But Suhayl says, "As for this year, NO, we cannot do this, rather that will be for next year." Khalas that is it - there is no compromise on this. And this was the main thing the Prophet PBUH wanted, to do Umrah, but Suhayl did not allow it. He improvised and said, "Yes you can do it, but NOT this year, only next." And then Suhayl put forth conditions, "Not a single man from us, renegades or defects over to you even if he be on your religion except that you hand him back to us." Suhayl especially has been harmed: His son is on the other side, and his own son is chained up. So he wants this condition because they have lost a lot of people from defecting over to Madinah. And the Muslims said, "Subhan'Allah what an unfair condition! How can we return any Muslim back to you?!" And a commotion began; and Ali RA did not write it. There is tension and talks that, "How can we agree to this?!" Then Allah willed one of the most interesting and clearly melodramatic episodes of the seerah takes place. There is no denying this is the will of Allah, that right at this point in time something happens that is so melodramatic and so difficult to stomach, (and this was a test for all of the Muslims), and that is the escaping of Abu Jandal RA.
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Abu Jandal ibn Suhayl RA
Recall Abu Jandal is still chained up, but he's been chained for 4.5 years. So he must have figured out a way to get out. But even if he does escape where would he go? He doesn't have a horse or camel - how would he leave Makkah? On top of that, he would be in chains and people would see him. What would he do? He has no money, no ride, the people of Makkah all know him. Now he's heard for the last three or four days the Muslims are camped outside. However he did, he manages to escape - he still has his chains and he flees hoping to be protected by the Muslims. And while they are discussing this very thing - they hear the dangling of the chains, and in the distance they hear Abu Jandal crying out, "Ya Muslimin I found you yes!" Yet he doesn't know his own father is sitting there. Nor does he know what is being discussed: The very condition being discussed is his freedom. And Suhayl turns to the Prophet PBUH and says, "This is the first one that this condition will be applied on."
And with that very melodramatic Scheherazade ending, we will have to pause and come back insha'Allah ta'ala next week.