Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 66 - The Treaty of Hudaybiyya - Part 4 - Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 25th Sept 2013
Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 66 - The Treaty of Hudaybiyya - Part 4 - Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 25th Sept 2013
(Cont.) The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah
So we began the writing of the treaty and it was clear the Quraysh had the non-negotiable condition that the Prophet PBUH and sahaba could not do Umrah this year. The rest they left to Suhayl; as we said, Suhayl ibn Amr had his own personal agenda too. He already 'lost' one son to the Muslims, the other son was in his basement and in the qadr of Allah his son. And Suhayl said, "Not a single man will come to you from us except that he is returned." So before this condition is written down, a number of sahaba reject and they say, "Subhan'Allah how can we return one of ours to the mushrikun when he has chosen us as his protection?" And realize if this condition was applied 6 years ago there would be no Islam. And note every one of the Muhajir in the Madinah, this condition would have applied to them. So they feel personally - every few days people migrate and flee from persecution and get protection in Madinah. However implementing this condition would mean this would cut off completely and there would not be a surge of Islam. And no doubt it's a big factor. There's the issue of quantity and quality for the ummah - also, the moral issue of helping fellow Muslims who want protection. So the Muslims find this condition to be very harsh, and they are objecting to Suhayl. The very fact they are objecting while it's being said shows how emotional they were. Technically it's not their place to be getting involved. And a number remarked, "How can we return a Muslim to the pagans when he has come to us?" But Suhayl insists, "No this is the condition." And subhan'Allah by the qadr of Allah right when they are discussing this decision Suhayl's own captive son, Abu Jandal, comes to the army of the Muslims.
His chains are still tied to his hands, the torture marks are clearly visible, his upper chest is clearly exposed - he was deprived for 4 years plus. When he hears the Muslims are outside the city, he realizes now, "This is my chance - I can escape right to the army." As we explained what are you going to do after you escape? How can you get to Madinah? But the Muslims were right outside Makkah so this was his golden opportunity. So he throws himself upon the Muslims and he calls out, "Oh Muslims help me, oh Muslims save me." And Suhayl sees his own son in the distance and he recognizes this is Abu Jandal. Of course Abu Jandal 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." So he is saying, "He is the first one you shall return to us as per this condition." And the Prophet PBUH said, "We haven't written down this condition yet, we are still discussing them." But Suhayl said, "If you don't agree to this then the treaty will be over." And obviously this is Suhayl's son - so he is saying, "If you refuse I will not agree with anything ever after this." The Prophet PBUH said, "Gift him to me, then we'll start the condition after. Just one gift." And Suhayl said, "No." And the Prophet PBUH pleads multiple times, and in our entire reading of the seerah there is no other place where the Prophet PBUH plead this many times. He plead multiple times, "Just make an exception, gift him to me etc." But of course Suhayl is his father and he said, "No - this is the condition take it or leave it."
This went back and forth until finally Mikraz, Suhayl's companion, said, "Okay we will guarantee his safety i.e. he won't be tortured." So Mikraz said this to break the deadlock, and Abu Jandal is watching the entire proceedings. His father on one side, the Prophet PBUH on the other. And it's clear that the negotiations are against him. Abu Jandal cries out, "Oh Muslims will you return me to the pagans while I come to you as a Muslim?" Put yourself in his shoes. For three, four years he is hoping to make his way to Madinah. He is constantly dreaming, "When will I get safety, when will I get to Madinah?!" And subhan'Allah look at how he was tested. He freed himself, made to the Muslims but now he is being turned away. So he is begging for his life, "Don't you see what they've done to me?" And the narrator in Ibn Hisham said the marks of torture were very clear. The whips, lashes, chains, blood etc. all very clear. And the Prophet PBUH addressed him directly, "Be patient Abu Jandal, for Allah will make a exit out for you." And we see here how persistent the Prophet PBUH was, but when he could not get it, he at the very least gave Abu Jandal a direct consolation.
When Umar RA saw this happening, he stood up and walked towards Abu Jandal and he said to him, "Be patient oh Abu Jandal, and realize that their blood is not worth anything." And he said this he is pointing with his eyes to his sword. That, "Look, here's the sword, use it against them (Suhayl and Mikraz)." Umar is saying here, "We can't do anything. But if you were to get rid of them, that's your business and we won't get involved." So he gave him this opportunity - that, "Here's the sword, take it and do something with it." But at the end of the day Suhayl is his father, and so he did not do this. And Abu Jandal was therefore put back in his chains and returned to Makkah. But as Mikraz said he was not tortured thereafter. And other conditions were placed.
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The Conditions of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah
Let us list them from the start:
1) No Umrah this year because "let not the Arabs say you had the upper hand." But Umrah was allowed next year - and this was a big blow for eagerness of the Muslims. They had been marching for a week, plus being camped for days outside.
2) When Umrah takes place next year, the Quraysh will vacate the city for three days and the Muslims can complete their Umrah.
3) Not a single man from the Quraysh can renegade or defect over to the Muslims even if he be on Islam except that he is handed back. So if any Muslim rejects the people of Makkah and goes to Madinah he will be returned.
4) If any Muslim came to Makkah after having rejected Islam and becoming a pagan again, he shall NOT be returned. So it's clearly a one way street.
5) There would be a peace for 10 years. For 10 years neither side will fight, and both sides said the common Arabic phrase, "No armor and no swords."
6) Both of the two sides can engage with treaties with any other entity. And if any tribe entered with the Muslims, all of these conditions are applied to that tribe, and same for the Quraysh. So there is now this sense of political separation. There is a full right for each camp to negotiate with any other group
So the conditions were very harsh - especially the first four which was almost a slap in the face of the Muslims. We mentioned it was Ali RA who wrote the contract, except for one phrase 'Rasulullah.' And both sides had their witnesses. On the side of the Muslims was Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali i.e. all of the four rightly guided khalifas. On the side of the Quraysh there was Suhayl, Mikraz and a few more.
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Islam as a Political Entity
Before we move on: Whatever negatives that we will feel at this point in time, the one biggest positive that is clearly occurring, is that for the very first time the Muslims are being treated as an independent, powerful entity. Yes we feel anger at the conditions, and the sahaba's anger was far more than ours, obviously a million times more. But for the first time the Muslims and Quraysh are on the same political table. Because you don't write a treaty except with an equal. This shows the Muslims have been upgraded to a status and honor of being a separate political entity. So much so, notice on one side you have a religious identity: Muslims. On another side, you have a tribal identity: Quraysh. And we see here the clear beginnings of the divide between Islam (truth) and Paganism (falsehood). That in Islam your religion ties you together, whereas in all other societies there are things that trump your religion. So even though they are two different entities, the Muslims was a religious entity. And regarding the 6th clause: The entire Arabian Peninsula is being divided into two. Islam and Kufr. It is the precursor to the conquest of Makkah and the conquest of entire Arabia.
In the beginnings of Islam it was just Banu Hashim vs Quraysh i.e. something relatively small. Slowly but surely the entire Arab race is being dragged in. Until finally and this is amazing, within a few years there will be no more Arabs who worship idols. Subhan'Allah. Think about this - how they were and what happened. So this is the camp being divided. On the one side Islam, on the other side paganism, idolatry, tribalism, Jahiliyyah etc. So people have to decide to be Muslim or not.
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Back-and-Forth Between Umar RA and the Prophet PBUH
So Suhayl returns back happy and content.
At this Umar RA was the one verbalized what was in the minds of many Muslims. And he came up to the Prophet PBUH and asked him a series of rhetorical questions.
1. "Are you not the messenger of Allah?"
2. "Are we not upon the truth and the enemies upon the misguidance?"
3. "Then how can we accept the lower hand, the humiliation and being disgraced in Islam?"
Put yourself in his shoes and the shoes of the sahaba. The majority of the sahaba are feeling very angry at the Quraysh. They must be thinking, "How could they have done this to us - and why did we accept? We came in peace, we've been waiting here for weeks. We are tired, hungry, away from home - we just want to go to the Ka'bah but we've been stopped. On top of that now there are all these other conditions. We have to return every Muslim back to them?! And we can allow people from us go to them?" And the Prophet PBUH replied to all of this, "I am the messenger of Allah, and I will not disobey Him, and He will help me." Meaning this was what the Prophet PBUH was commanded to do. And he is saying he doesn't know where this is leading or why Allah wanted it to happen. But, "Allah has told me to accept the conditions, and I will not disobey Him. And He will help me." And this is a solid response: That Allah will help him. So Umar RA cannot argue. So Umar RA backtracks and attempts a new line of reasoning. He said, "Ya Rasulullah didn't you tell us we would be doing tawaf around the Ka'bah? You told us but we are not doing it now." The Prophet PBUH said, "Indeed I told you, but did I say we will do it this year?" Umar RA said, "No." So the Prophet PBUH said, "So you'll do it next year - my vision will come true, Allah didn't tell me what year, I assumed it's this year but we now know it's next year."
Here we say Umar's RA anger is for the religion of Islam. He is angry because he feels the Muslims have been short changed. His anger is coming for Islam - however it's clear he made an error and mistake. Because the Prophet PBUH represents Islam completely, and Umar RA does not. And emotions make a man do things they regret. This is why when a man came to the Prophet PBUH and said, "Advise me." The Prophet PBUH said, "Don't get angry." And the Prophet PBUH repeated this three times. Because in anger a man does what he regrets. Even though the base of this anger was Islam and Iman, he genuinely felt the religion of Islam was humiliated, but he went beyond his bounds and he himself realizes this. But not yet - he needs someone else to put him in his place.
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Back-and-Forth Between Umar RA and Abu Bakr RA
And what man is there to do this, except Abu Bakr RA. So he goes to Abu Bakr after the Prophet PBUH, and this again shows us the rank of Abu Bakr. Out of all of the sahaba even Umar knew only Abu Bakr was second to the Prophet PBUH. And Umar RA asked Abu Bakr the exact same three questions he asked the Prophet PBUH. And Abu Bakr replied, "Ya rajul" and that is a very harsh thing to say. That, "O man!", "Hey!", "YOU!" so he said, "O rajul, watch out, he IS the Messenger of Allah, and he will not disobey his Lord, so you hang onto the stirrup of his saddle otherwise there is no hope for you." And we clearly see Abu Bakr has analysed everything, and yet he has no issues accepting what has happened. That Abu Bakr, even though he is angry and hurt, he understands Allah knows best. So he said the exact same things to Umar, "Yes indeed he said we will do tawaf, but he didn't say this year, so we'll come back and do it next year." And this shows us that without the Prophet PBUH telling Abu Bakr, Abu Bakr said the same things as the Prophet PBUH.
We also see a side of Abu Bakr that is overlooked: Our image of Abu Bakr is an extra polite, crying (soft-hearted), and humble. This is valid - but there is a harsh side that comes out to protect his messenger and Islam. And later on when the Prophet PBUH passes away Umar RA cannot fathom it - he cannot imagine a world without the Prophet PBUH; it is Abu Bakr that puts him in his place. It is Abu Bakr that quotes him the verse. Nobody has the audacity to speak to Umar, except Abu Bakr. Subhan'Allah. When push comes to shove, nobody beats Abu Bakr as well, including Umar. And Umar RA later on said, "After this I continued to perform good deeds hoping Allah will forgive me for what I've done." And it's said he freed so many slaves, fasted so many days, prayed so many nights i.e. meaning he realized he done more than what was allowed. And he said, "I continued to do things until I feel I had made it up." And he later remarked during his khilafa that, "On the day of Hudaybiyyah, the Prophet PBUH put a condition on us, that if any other leader put it on me I would never have accepted this." He cannot understand the idea of giving up Muslims (as in Hudaybiyyah), except that it came from the Prophet PBUH.
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"O People! Always Find Your Own Opinion Blameworthy Over the Quran and Sunnah"
Also it's important to note Umar RA was not alone. Yes he was the only one who went direct to the Prophet PBUH, but the frustration and anger was common among the sahaba. We have another sahabi, Sahl ibn Hanif (سهل بن حنيف), many years later in the Battle of Siffin when the Muslims were lined up to fight other Muslims, he is trying to calm them down. And he says, "O people! Always find your own opinions blameworthy over the Quran and Sunnah" - meaning accuse your own opinions before the Quran and Sunnah. "Verily, I remember myself on the day of Abu Jandal.." Notice he didn't even call it Hudaybiyyah. Can you imagine the trauma and shock he had to endure. The sahaba would rather have died in battle defending Abu Jandal that willingly hand him back. This is their Iman. So the whole day is called "the day of Abu Jandal." And he continues, "If I could have rejected the command of the Prophet PBUH, I would have done so." This is an amazing quote. Sahl ibn Hanif is a great sahabi. And he confesses something to an open group - because the Battle of Siffin was very traumatic and there was a lot of tensions in both camp, so Sahl wanted to calm them down, "Just obey Allah and His Messenger, accuse your own opinions first," i.e. he is trying to prevent the fighting.
Wallahi this quote needs to be memorized by everyone, especially in our times where everyone thinks their opinion holds more weight than the Quran and Sunnah. This type of attitude is common in the ummah that when we are quoted a hadith or a verse in the Quran we think, "Oh, no no, we know better." This is not Islam - rather Islam is "we hear and we obey." And this is what Sahl is saying - accuse your own opinions, because, "I was about to reject the command of the Prophet PBUH, and if I could have done it I would have." Of course later on he himself realized Hudaybiyyah was a victory, but at the time all he could see was, "We have lost and accepted humiliation." So many sahaba felt this way.
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Making Up for One's Mistake
We also see a very important lesson in making up one's mistakes. Umar RA made a mistake and he made it up by doing good deeds. Thus the best way to come closer to Allah and make up our bad sins is to increase our good deeds. And this is why REAL tawba should bring about extra actions and a change in lifestyle. Allah says, "Excepts who repents and believes AND does righteous deeds." This is what Umar RA himself understood - he made a mistake so he did a lot of good deeds to compensate. Also, no doubt what Umar RA did was beyond what was appropriate.
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Accusation of the Non-Sunni Group
The non-Sunni group use this type of stuff and say about Umar what they say. But this is ludicrous: His anger isn't coming from his own ego, it's not personal, it's not, "I'm not going to listen you" like Abdullah ibn Ubayy said at Uhud - that is nifaq and kufr, but rather as for Umar, there is no doubt he went beyond the boundaries, his emotions and anger got the better of him, but the mistake was a mistake of emotion stemmed from Iman, not of arrogance. (Similar to the man who's mentioned in one hadith, who made a mistake by stating a statement which normally would be considered kufr, out of overwhelming joy when he found his camel in the middle of the desert. He mistakenly said, "O Allah, You are my servant and I am Your Lord" when what he meant to say was "O Allah, You are my Lord and I am Your servant.") Secondly, where does the emotion come from? For the love and sake of Islam. We need to take this into account, and the Prophet PBUH and sahaba all understood this, so they let it be. And Umar RA himself made up for it - so the non-Sunni groups have no grounds.
The main point is that objecting to, and arguing with, the leader is something the sharia allows. So bringing another point of view and trying to see your viewpoint is allowed. You can criticize and give other positions to the rulers. Of course you cannot make fun of Allah and His Messenger - there is a line there. But you have the freedom to argue a point. Umar RA was arguing with three/four tactics. And if this is being done with the Prophet PBUH, how about normal people? No doubt if it's a legitimate khalifa and he insists then you should follow, but you have the right to object and give a new viewpoint.
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Shaving of the Head and Making Way Back to Madinah
So now that this was done, the Prophet PBUH told all the sahaba, "Stand up, shave your heads and let us return." This was such an anti-climatic moment. The sahaba had to wrap up their bags after having been built up that, "Insha'Allah we will go to the Ka'bah, Suhayl will make things easy for us etc." And the sahaba were so depressed that the only time in the whole seerah, nobody had the heart to implement what the Prophet PBUH said. This really shows us how traumatized they were. One humiliation after another. And then finally, "Shave your hair and let's go." Subhan'Allah. By the way, this is a new part of the sharia: That if you cannot go to the Ka'bah, you get out of your ihram, shave your head and return. It's now a standard part of our sharia - if any of us are prevented to go to the Ka'bah (political or economical etc.), this is what you do. Wherever you are stuck, then you will shave there, sacrifice your camels there, get out of ihram right then and there and make it up later on. Now this ruling was new and indeed it was the first time in the history of the seerah they are applying such a ruling. So not only is it anticlimactic, not only is it humiliation, now they are faced with a bizarre ruling. Indeed these animals were meant for the Ka'bah, and they thought, "Our ihram cannot be removed until we do tawaf." Now they're being told, "Don't worry about it - it's done, shave your hair, sacrifice your camel, get out of ihram and let's go home." So what happened is the entire congregation just sat there and did not move. Of course when no single person is being commanded and all of them sit there, there is a complacency with the mob. So the Prophet PBUH repeated himself a second time, yet nobody moved. He repeated it a third time and nobody moved.
Clearly the tension is great, and the Prophet PBUH returns back to his tent. And Ummi Salama is in his tent, and the Prophet PBUH is visibly agitated and he tells her, "I commanded them to shave their heads, but not one of them follow me." Ummi Salama then said, "Do you wish they follow you?" He said, "Yes." So she said, "Why don't you show them you are doing it, when they see you doing it they will follow you." Subhan'Allah basic human psychology. And the Prophet PBUH took this advice, went outside, called for his barber and began to shave his hair off in front of everyone. When the sahaba saw the Prophet PBUH shaving his hair off and they realized this really is it now, they started fighting one another to shave each others heads. Subhan'Allah. So everyone is fighting to shave their hair off, and it's here as well the Prophet PBUH made du'a for shaving ones head, that the Prophet PBUH said, "May Allah have mercy for those who shave their head," and some sahaba said wishfully asking the Prophet PBUH to include them, "And those who cut?" So the Prophet PBUH repeated, "May Allah have mercy for those who shave their head" three times, and on the fourth time he added, "And those who cut." From this we derive clearly that shaving is much more rewarded than trimming. So the animals were sacrificed and it is said the meat was still sent to Makkah. And it's also said the first camel which the Prophet PBUH sent was Abu Jahal's camel that he captured during Badr. It was a well known expensive camel, and they recognized it was Abu Jahal's. And this was painful for the Quraysh. So nonetheless the Prophet PBUH shaved his hair, sacrificed the camels and made his way back to Madinah.
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The Revelation of Surah al-Fath
On the way back, Umar RA feels greatly troubled by what he has done. When he calms down he realizes he needs to apologize and make up to the Prophet PBUH. So he rides up to the camel of the Prophet PBUH and tries to engage in conversation. He says 'salaam' but there's no response. He says 'salaam' for a second time, and no response. Says 'salaam' for the third time, and this is the maximum you are meant to say, and again there was no response. So Umar RA thought the worst that, "I am now finished." And he said to himself, "Let Umar's mother mourn the loss of her son." And he thought that because of what he did, he has lost any chance of mercy and it appears that his fears were confirmed by a rider who says to him, "The Prophet PBUH is calling you." So he is thinking, "This is it I am going to end" - he rides up to the Prophet PBUH and he sees the Prophet's PBUH face beaming with joy. Just light coming out of it. And the Prophet PBUH started reciting the famous verses of Surah al-Fath that:
إِنَّا فَتَحْنَا لَكَ فَتْحًا مُّبِينًا
لِّيَغْفِرَ لَكَ اللَّهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِن ذَنبِكَ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ وَيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكَ وَيَهْدِيَكَ صِرَاطًا مُّسْتَقِيمًا
وَيَنصُرَكَ اللَّهُ نَصْرًا عَزِيزًا
"Indeed, We have given you, [O Muhammad], a clear conquest. That Allah may forgive for you what preceded of your sin and what will follow and complete His favor upon you and guide you to a straight path. And [that] Allah may aid you with a mighty victory." [48:1-3]
And subhan'Allah the entire Surah was revealed right then and there. The beginning of the Surah summarizes: "we have surely given you a CLEAR victory." And Umar RA said, "Is this a victory?!" And the Prophet PBUH said, "By Allah it is a victory." So Umar RA began shouting, "Allahu'akbar" and started racing up and down saying, "Allah has given us the biggest victory." And the Prophet PBUH said, "Allah has sent down a Surah that is more beloved to me than everything on this earth." And Surah Fath of course predicts many things, but one of the main themes of the Surah is praising the sahaba. And Allah praises them with one of the most poetic examples: He compares them to a beautiful tree that has been planted by a farmer, and the farmer is happy with the tree, and the farmer here is the Prophet PBUH and he is happy with what the sahaba have done. Indeed no doubt it was a difficult test. But in the end when push comes to shove they followed through. Imagine how much they went through yet they still obeyed. And so Allah praises the sahaba throughout Fath and He promises them a large victory which was the Battle of Khaybar. And Surah Fath changed the Muslims' attitudes from depression to thanking Allah.
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The Sahaba Knew That the Prophet PBUH Was But a Messenger of Allah
And in this there is a very controversial theological point. The fact that the sahaba's psychology changed instantly at the revelation of Surah Fath, most notably Umar RA, this clearly demonstrates they realized the humanity of the Prophet PBUH, and the infallibility of Allah's wahy. Because the whole point was they were worried that, "Maybe this is the Prophet's PBUH ijtihad" - they weren't certain this is all because of Allah. That's why they were feeling, "This isn't the best." Until Allah confirms it, and this is a very controversial point that the Prophet PBUH was allowed ijtihad by Allah, and that ijtihad is binding on the ummah regardless of whatever it is - but the sahaba felt that even though we will follow it, maybe there could have been a better option etc. But Allah says, "No this was the greatest victory." The change of psychology clearly demonstrates that ijtihad of the Prophet PBUH is something Allah allowed. And if He wanted to change it He would send wahy, if not Allah would be silent.
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The Treaty Worked Out in Muslim's Favor
So the sahaba returned to Madinah. They stayed at Hudaybiyyah for 20 days, and the entire trip lasted a month and a half. Subhan'Allah what a difficult trip. And when they returned back the first incident occurred that will test this treaty and that is of Abu Basir. He is someone who lives in Makkah, and his tribe, Khuza'a, is associated with Makkah. He is the first Muhajir after Hudaybiyyah, and he comes, but the Prophet PBUH does not say anything. After two or three days, the Khuza'a tribe sends an emissary and says to the Prophet PBUH, "Hand us back Abu Basir in accordance to the treaty." So the Prophet PBUH calls Abu Basir and says to him, "These two men have come to take you, and you came knowing the treaty we signed, and I won't be treacherous so return to your people." Now, notice here Abu Basir and everyone knows the treaty. But he must feel, "Come on you won't really do it." So he leaves Makkah and comes to Madinah. And notice when he comes the Prophet PBUH does not turn him away, why? Because he is following the letter and not the spirit of the contract. The letter did not say, "YOU have to return the person." The enforcement of the contract is not up to the Prophet PBUH. It's open - so the Quraysh come for their people. And when they come the Prophet PBUH gave them back. So if they had not come, it's not the Prophet's PBUH job to enforce. So Abu Basir lived for a few days in Madinah, and when his tribe came the Prophet PBUH had to give him back. And Abu Basir says the same thing Abu Jandal says, that, "Are you going to return me after Allah has saved me?" And he was told, "Allah will make a way out for you."
So Abu Basir was handed back, and the story goes when he was with their company, he started chatting with them and became friendly with them. And Abu Basir starts praising one of the man's swords: "I've never such a beautiful sword." So the man starts bragging and saying, "I went to this battle, killed so and so etc." So Abu Basir says, "Oh great etc." and made the man's ego bigger. Then Abu Basir says, "Let me see it!" And of course the man hands him the sword naively - instantly, Abu Basir chops off his head, turns to the other man but he just runs and screams and races back to Madinah. And he makes it back to Madinah before Abu Basir made it back. And it's barely been two hours since the Prophet PBUH handed Abu Basir over, and this Qureshi comes yelling and screaming into the masjid, "My companion has been killed and I am next so protect me!" And after a while Abu Basir came and said, "Ya Rasulullah you fulfilled your responsibilities but Allah allowed me to escape!" And the Prophet PBUH didn't address him directly, he turned to the air and said, "Woe to his mother" meaning he won't be alive any longer. By turning away the indication is given that 'before anyone else comes you better get out of my sight. You cannot live here because the treaty clearly says no one can live here.' And so the Prophet PBUH hinted 'I can't help you' and so Abu Basir understood this, and he instantly fled and ran away. And he eventually set up a small place to live in close to Jeddah, and he sent a message out that, "I'm over here at such and such a place." At this Abu Jandal hears of this, manages to escape and meets up with Abu Basir. So the news spreads that, "You can't go to Madinah so come over to us." And so 10, 15, 60, 80 people eventually congregate and they form a full settlement.
And what will they do now they are 80 strong? Attack the caravans of the Quraysh. And they made it their livelihood and this is fully justified. The Quraysh did not let them live in Makkah in peace, they didn't let them go to Madinah, so now they will attack back. And notice as well the treaty said there will be peace for 10 years: But this group is not being allowed to sign a treaty with the Prophet PBUH, by the orders of the Quraysh. So they aren't on the side of the Prophet PBUH officially, so the treaty doesn't apply to them. Thus they make it their livelihood that every caravan that went to Syria would be attacked. And the situation became so bad because it was impossible to protect a caravan on 90 camels against fighting men that lived in a desert. The Quraysh had no idea where they would attack from. So within a year and half, the Quraysh sent a delegation to Madinah begging the Prophet PBUH to take the 80 people and put them in Madinah. He begged the Prophet PBUH by the rights of kinship that, "If you really are our blood, have mercy and take these people and keep them with you in Madinah." And so the Prophet PBUH sent a messenger to Abu Basir and told him to bring all his people back. Abu Basir however died out of sickness before he reached Madinah, but the rest of the sahaba went to Madinah and settled there. And here we see a first sign of the 'victory' of Hudaybiyyah. And we see here again Allah is the best of all planners. And look at the wisdom of Allah: The pagans have to beg the Prophet PBUH to take back the very people they stopped in the first place. And the very person who set it all off, Abu Jandal, he is the one who led the camp back into Madinah.
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The Iman of Abu Jandal and Abu Basir
Also an amazing lesson is the Iman of Abu Jandal in particular, and then Abu Basir. Can you think of a test more difficult than being rejected for political reasons by the very prophet you believe in? Abu Jandal was tortured for four years, and he finally saw the Muslims and the Prophet PBUH, and yet the Prophet PBUH said, "I can't help you." Can you imagine how their Iman was shook to the core? Look at how weak our Iman is compared to Abu Jandal. The very messenger he trusts tells him, "I can't do anything." Abu Jandal remained firm and what happens out of nowhere he returns to Madinah leading an entire caravan with lots of ghanima from the Quraysh. Subhan'Allah. He who puts his trust in Allah, Allah will always fulfill that trust. And Abu Basir shows this too. Twice he comes to Madinah yet still the Prophet PBUH says 'I can't help you.' Abu Basir can't go back to Makkah, he can't go back to Madinah, and every other city has a treaty either with the Quraysh or the Muslims. There is no neutral land! What does he do? He finds his own settlement and village. One person all alone. And can you imagine how long he was alone for, how he survived etc. Put yourself in his shoes: No wife, no family and no society. But then Abu Jandal hears where he is and he manages to meet up with Abu Basir. Both of them are legends and instantly one, two, ten, 70, 80 build in one place. This is what happens when you have ultimate tawakkul in Allah.
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Ummi Kulthum bint Uqba ibn Abi Mu'ayt
After Abu Basir another immigrant came but this was Ummi Kulthum bint Uqba ibn Abi Mu'ayt. And Uqba was the one who threw the camel's intestines on the Prophet PBUH. He had a daughter, Ummi Kulthum who converted to Islam at around this time. And she flees persecution and she finds her way to Madinah. Now this is very sensitive. It's one thing to return a man to be tortured, but to return a woman? This is very painful. Even the Prophet PBUH did not know to do. And then Allah revealed Surah al-Mumtahanah, verse 10:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا جَاءَكُمُ الْمُؤْمِنَاتُ مُهَاجِرَاتٍ فَامْتَحِنُوهُنَّ ۖ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِإِيمَانِهِنَّ ۖ فَإِنْ عَلِمْتُمُوهُنَّ مُؤْمِنَاتٍ فَلَا تَرْجِعُوهُنَّ إِلَى الْكُفَّارِ ۖ لَا هُنَّ حِلٌّ لَّهُمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحِلُّونَ لَهُنَّ ۖ وَآتُوهُم مَّا أَنفَقُوا ۚ وَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ أَن تَنكِحُوهُنَّ إِذَا آتَيْتُمُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ ۚ وَلَا تُمْسِكُوا بِعِصَمِ الْكَوَافِرِ وَاسْأَلُوا مَا أَنفَقْتُمْ وَلْيَسْأَلُوا مَا أَنفَقُوا ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ حُكْمُ اللَّهِ ۖ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ ۚ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ
"O you who have believed, when the believing women come to you as emigrants, examine them. Allah is most knowing as to their faith. And if you know them to be believers, then do not return them to the disbelievers; they are not lawful [wives] for them, nor are they lawful [husbands] for them. But give the disbelievers what they have spent. And there is no blame upon you if you marry them when you have given them their due compensation. And hold not to marriage bonds with disbelieving women, but ask for what you have spent and let them ask for what they have spent. That is the judgement of Allah ; He judges between you. And Allah is Knowing and Wise."
So you must first test the women and if they are genuine converts, "Don't return them to the kuffar." And Ummi Kulthum was married to Zayd ibn Harithah, but any other women with mahr has to return that mahr. Now why was it allowed to have the women stay? Because once again the Prophet PBUH is following the letter of the law. It was Suhayl who said, "No MAN shall come to you except you return HIM to us." It's understood 'man' here applies to a person, male or female. And so no doubt it includes women but it doesn't literally say so. So Allah confirms this and says, "You did not agree to sending women back, only men." And thus Allah made the decree it will not apply to women, and therefore women were allowed to immigrate.
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Missing Fajr
One last thing occurred on the way back of Hudaybiyyah. After a long day of heavy marching, and it was the sunnah of the Prophet PBUH to march as much as he could at night time. In a hadith the Prophet PBUH says, "Land shortens at night" meaning you can cover much more distance at night. So the Prophet PBUH traveled as much as he could, until finally when everyone is exhausted the sahaba all settle down, and the Prophet PBUH says, "Who shall protect us and wake us for Fajr?" And Bilal RA volunteers to be the guard, protector and the alarm clock. But everyone is dead tired, and the first to wake up was either Abu Bakr or Umar when they felt the rays of sun on their head. So this was around 8:00 in the morning. Imagine how tired they were. For a group that never ever sleeps past the crack of dawn - they are programmed to wake up at dawn, not just because of Fajr but their livelihood. The entire 1400, not a single one woke up until the heat of the sun got to them. And Abu Bakr or Umar start saying, "Allahu'akbar!" - of course they never had the audacity to wake the Prophet PBUH up by shaking him. So the Prophet PBUH woke up, and lo and behold Bilal RA is still asleep. They all surround Bilal RA and he is still asleep. Obviously he tried his best, but sleep got the better off him. And he was the last to fall asleep so he is the last to wake up. So he wakes up and everyone is staring at him, and so he said, "Ya Rasulullah I tried but the One who took my soul took my soul." So the Prophet PBUH said, "Let us get away from this place," (since shaytan caused them to miss Fajr) and they prayed Fajr a little bit further away.
Did this happen twice or once? We already mentioned this story in a previous episode - some scholars say it happened twice in the life of the Prophet PBUH, others only once. And note the only salah to be missed by the Prophet PBUH is Fajr which was this time. Only Asr was missed during Khandaq, not out of laziness but war. And the Prophet PBUH made Asr up before he prayed Maghrib which is what we do now (make up first and then pray the current). Here it's no doubt a blessing in disguise: The one salah humanity oversleeps is Fajr. In the entire 23 years of the Prophet PBUH, once OR maybe twice max he missed Fajr. Both of them never once at home. He only missed them after something like this - a long day of camping and oversleeping. In this there is some consolation that it's human once in a blue moon to miss Fajr. Of course there is no comparison, we have beds, heaters, alarm clocks etc. But the point is if Allah wanted Jibril AS could have woken him up. But there is a wisdom here and that is that, even the best of us, once a while if something happens, the alarm clock doesn't go off, we don't wake up etc. and we miss Fajr, we ask forgiveness and make it up right away.