Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 76 - The Conquest of Makkah Part 1 ~ Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 19th Feb 2014
Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 76 - The Conquest of Makkah Part 1 ~ Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 19th Feb 2014
We now move to the actual Conquest of Makkah. Recall in the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah which was made 2 years ago, one of the clauses in the treaty was that either side (Quraysh and Muslim) had the permission to form alliances with other tribes; and if formed, the same conditions of Hudaybiyyah automatically would apply to those tribes. And that included NO warfare. So many tribes entered into an agreement with both sides, and the two tribes that concern us are the tribes of Khuza'a, and the tribe of Banu Bakr.
Brief History of Banu Khuza'a
Now the tribe of Khuza'a is one of the famous and classical tribes, and they have a lot of history. Who are they? They are related to the Prophet PBUH, and they have a history with the Banu Hashim. They are one of the legendary tribes of Quraysh and they are the ones who expelled the tribe of Jurhum, the in-laws of Ismail AS. The Jurhum tribe was in charge of Makkah for a long period of time. Initially they were righteous, but over the course of time they became evil, did a lot of crimes, started to steal money from the hujjaj and so they did not deserve to be the custodians of the Ka'bah. And it was the tribe of Khuza'a who fought them and kicked them out. So for over 300 years they were the custodians of the Ka'bah which is a huge honor. And their chieftain was Amr ibn Luhay al-Khuza'i.
He was that man who first introduced idolatry to the Arabs and brought it into the Ka'bah. And recall he did this when he went to the Amalekites of Syria; he felt an inferiority complex since they were a mighty civilization, and he asked for an idol to take back so they gave him Hubal. And Hubal remained the principle idol of the Quraysh in Makkah. It was the idol of all of Arabia. So Amr ibn Luhay was from the tribe of Khuza'a. It was probably around 300 CE they took charge of Makkah; and we said because of Amr's status and prestige, because he returned the Ka'bah to the Arabs; because he was a noble warrior, a generous man etc. Because of all these reasons they accepted his leadership and his idol worship. And so Khuza'a was in charge of the Ka'bah for over 300 years until finally the Quraysh took it over from the Khuza'a.
Who led the Quraysh when they took it over? Qusayy ibn Kilab, the great-great-great-grandfather of the Prophet PBUH. He was the one who took the Ka'bah back from the hands of Khuza'a to the hands of the Quraysh. And Qusayy married the daughter of the chieftain of the Khuza'a. So the Prophet's PBUH great-great-great-grandmother is from Khuza'a. And believe it or not the Khuza'a bring this up. They knew their genealogy inside out. So when the chieftain dies, Qusayy manages to kick the Khuza'a out and he becomes the next chieftain. But the Khuza'a remained on good terms with the Quraysh, and eventually Abdul Muttalib forms an alliance with the tribe of Khuza'a - and this alliance as well is brought up when the Prophet PBUH is spoken to. This alliance is called 'Hilf.' And Abdul Muttalib forms a treaty that both tribes will be one against anyone who causes distress or harm. And the agreement said, "As long as the generations proceed, this will be a permanent hilf." And the Khuza'a will bring this up too that, "Your grandfather made this treaty with us."
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Banu Khuza'a and Banu Bakr Are Not on Good Terms
After Hudaybiyyah, a lot of members of the Khuza'a accepted Islam. So the tribe agreed to join the Prophet PBUH in the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah on his side. The other tribe was the Banu Bakr, and they were one of the few pagan tribes in Makkah and they joined the Quraysh. The Khuza'a and Banu Bakr - both are located on the outskirts of Makkah, and the Khuza'a are on the side of the Muslim (and most of the tribesmen are also Muslim), whereas the Banu Bakr are fully pagans. This was in the 6th year of the Hijrah.
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Banu Bakr Violates the Terms of the Treaty
In the 8th year of the Hijrah, the Banu Bakr decided to engage in a night raid on Khuza'a. Why? The Khuza'a and the Banu Bakr have had warfare for the last 100 years, just like the Aws and Khazraj. Constant on and off - then Islam came and they were forced to pause. Then the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah came and both tribes split sides. But there is still revenge on the minds of the Banu Bakr. And they have a list of names, "These people were killed many years ago yet we haven't extracted revenge." The second reason was the 'law of the jungle.' They had a code of conduct: That the tribes would raid other tribes, and they would try their best not to kill anyone - and definitely women and children were spared. And it was understood that every tribe has a risk of being attacked by another tribe. And they try their best not to kill. This was the law of the desert.
So the Banu Bakr decided to undertake this type of raid and to get revenge from the past. But they knew they had a treaty. So they sent their noblemen to the Quraysh and said, "Look we want revenge but we've agreed to the treaty - can you give us permission for just one raid?" And the Quraysh not only agreed, but some amongst them i.e. Suhayl ibn Amr, Safwan ibn Umayyah, gave them weapons most likely for a percentage of the booty. One remarked, "Don't worry as long as you attack in the middle of the night how will Muhammad find out?" So the Quraysh knowingly accepted and approved. Not only this, their elders gave weapons to the Banu Bakr. This is a very important point.
So armed with physical weapons, they surprise attacked the Khuza'a in the middle of the night at a small pond called al-Watir, outside of the haram boundary. And they expected everyone would be asleep, they would get camels, booty, maybe kill a few people and then go back. Lo and behold the entire operation botched up. Someone noised the alarm, all the men get up, the women and children are screaming, everyone is awake and they are fighting each other. And a mini massacre ensues: More than 20 people were killed, including women and children. 20 is a MASSIVE amount for a small tribe. Typically in these raids maybe one person is wounded, MAX one person dies. There is one particular incident that proved to be troublesome: When the Banu Bakr attacked, one of the people of the Khuza'a fled and ran away. And he was pursued by the Banu Bakr until finally he entered the haram area. Remember even the Jahiliyyah Arabs realized, "When you are in the haram you cannot fight." So he runs and runs and finally enters the haram area - turns around and says, "O so and so, I am in the haram, fear your God, fear your God." And the man from the Banu Bakr utters, "There is no God today." And he goes in the haram and kills him. Obviously this was not a part of the plan. And Allah completely embarrassed them as this news spread.
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Intervention of the Prophet PBUH
Immediately the chieftain of Khuza'a with a delegation of 40 men left for Madinah. They want WAR. So the chieftain goes to the Prophet PBUH, and his name was Amr ibn Salam al-Khuza'i and he recited a beautiful one page long poem. And in this he mentions both him and the Prophet PBUH have a common ancestor (i.e. great-great-great-grandmother as we discussed). And it's truly amazing how the Arabs took track of their genealogy. Truly amazing. Then he reminds the Prophet PBUH of the treaty of Abdul Muttalib with his own grandfather. That the tribe of Khuza'a and Banu Hashim have this treaty. Subhan'Allah the Arabs might have been illiterate but Allah blessed them with an amazing memory. So he brings this up. And then he mentions the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah as well. Note, it does appear the chieftain of the Khuza'a wasn't a Muslim at this time, but most of his tribe was as mentioned in his poem to the Prophet PBUH that, "They killed us while we were in sajdah and ruku; we tried to seek shelter but they still killed us." In any case the chieftain puts forth three strong reasons:
1. Common lineage
2. Treaty with Abdul Muttalib, the grandfather of the Prophet PBUH
3. Treaty of Hudaybiyyah
And then he mentions the details of the massacre - that they came to them while they were in sajdah, and nothing protected them, even being in the haram. And note in those days this is how the news spread, through poetry. So he gives his poetry and very strong and moving, the Prophet PBUH was moved. And the Prophet PBUH said, "You shall be helped; may Allah never help me if I don't help the Banu Khuza'a." So he is saying there is no question the Muslims will help them. And there was a cloud coming in the horizons, and the Prophet PBUH said, "This cloud shows the victory of the Khuza'a." As we mentioned, this incident shows the importance of genealogy for the Arabs, and how they memorized all their family trees. And the treaties enacted even before Islam are binding as long as the treaties do not have any haram conditions. Finally, it shows us good omens are allowed and encouraged in Islam. And they are, "A good word or a good vision someone sees." And a good omen is optimism allowed on the basis of two conditions: Firstly you read in a positive sign, and secondly you link it to Allah. For example, this hadith. The Prophet PBUH saw a cloud coming and said, "This is the help of Allah." There is no such thing as negative omens. We don't believe in black cats, Friday 13th etc. This is superstition and borders on shirk. But a positive omen where you read in something positive is allowed. And you must link it to Allah, not some medallion or something. This is shirk.
So the Prophet PBUH promises the Khuza'a that they will get help. So what did he do? Here is the big question. Ibn Ishaq mentions he began preparing an army and then he marched to Makkah. This has led the majority of scholars of seerah to interpret that the Prophet PBUH took the attack against the Khuza'a as an automatic breach of Hudaybiyyah, and he did not negotiate at all with the Quraysh. This is the majority interpretation and there's nothing wrong with it. He has every right because the Quraysh knowingly broke the treaty.
However, there is a report that Ibn Hajar and others mentions that suggest the Prophet PBUH tried to negotiate, they refused, and then the Muslims attacked. And this would make more sense, and would give more logic and rationale than to attack Makkah. The version that has this detail is better since it shows the Prophet PBUH is trying to avoid war at all times. So this version narrated by Ibn Hajar says the Prophet PBUH sent an ultimatum to the Quraysh. And he said, "To make up for this deed, you must cut off ties with the Banu Bakr and pay the blood money for those who were killed. If you don't do this, there will be war." And subhan'Allah it is a reasonable clause. When the Quraysh got these demands according to this report they outright refused on both accounts. The blood money for 20 dead people is 2000 camels which is a fortune that would have wiped the Quraysh out. And with regards to the alliance with Banu Bakr the Quraysh said, "They are the only tribe alive on our religion in our vicinity so we cannot cut off ties with them." This shows us everyone else had converted to Islam. The Quraysh are alone, and the Banu Bakr is the only tribe who are pagans. So the Quraysh refused to budge and said, "These two conditions are not acceptable - if we were to give this money we would be left with nothing but the clothes on our back."
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Abu Sufyan's Attempt to Find a Common Ground
So when this happened, it is mentioned that Abu Sufyan tried to find a common ground and he himself went to Madinah to try to sort this out and renegotiate the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah again. They want to reaffirm it, and the Quraysh agree to send Abu Sufyan to Madinah. Abu Sufyan, the chieftain, is now coming to Madinah literally begging the Prophet PBUH to not attack. He has not entered Madinah except to attack the Muslims (at Uhud and Khandaq etc.). He wants to now come to beg and plead for the lives of Quraysh. So he goes to Madinah, and there are two versions mentioned, one by ibn Ishaq, another by ibn Sa'd.
One version has it the Prophet PBUH was the first person Abu Sufyan went to. Then Abu Bakr, then Umar and then Ali RA. The second version has it that Abu Sufyan first went to Abu Bakr, Umar and then Ali RA first, and then he went to the Prophet PBUH. Allah knows best but it would make sense for him to go to the Prophet PBUH first. It seems more logical. So in the version of ibn Ishaq he goes to the Prophet PBUH and attempts to renegotiate. But ibn Ishaq says the Prophet PBUH did not respond to him at all, meaning whatever he demanded the Prophet PBUH didn't give him anything. So Abu Sufyan panicked; he didn't get a verbal yes. He was not answered at ALL. The Prophet PBUH (however he did, maybe he was silent or averted) he did not respond. So Abu Sufyan then saw Abu Bakr, and Abu Bakr told him flat out, "I cannot help you." So he then sought out Umar RA, his business partner in the days of Jahiliyyah, and said, "Can you go to the Prophet PBUH and intercede on my behalf?" Umar outright mocked him, "Do you think I will go for you in front of the Prophet PBUH? Never." So Abu Bakr and Umar turn him down. And then Abu Sufyan goes to Ali RA, his closest relative in all of Madinah. Abu Sufyan is of the second cousin to the Prophet PBUH (Banu Umayyah).
So he says to Ali, "You are the closest person to me (in lineage) and I need your help. So can you please go to the Prophet PBUH and intercede on my behalf? Do not let me go back embarrassed and humiliated to my people." And the books of seerah mentions when he visited Ali, he was at his house and Fatima RA was there and Hasan was playing around her. So he is begging Ali to go to the Prophet PBUH. And wallahi how amazing is this sight: Ali is literally a child in Abu Sufyan's eyes. Yesterday Abu Sufyan instigated Badr, led Uhud, commanded Khandaq and barely few years have gone and he is going door to door begging Abu Bakr, pleading with Umar and Ali. Such is the power and qadr of Allah. Today there is no help for him. So Ali says to him, "Woe to you O Abu Sufyan, wallahi when the Prophet PBUH has decided a matter we do not go to him and ask otherwise" meaning, "We will never interfere with the Prophet's PBUH decision." So Abu Sufyan turns to Fatima and he says to her, "O daughter of Muhammad." Wallahi look at the humiliation of this man. He says, "O daughter of Muhammad, can you go ask this little boy to go to his grandfather and seek protection for us? And if he does so, he shall be respected and the Sayyid al-Arab until the Day of Judgement." Subhan'Allah. Begging Ali, now begging Hasan, a five year old boy. Wallahi you see the fear in Abu Sufyan now that he has to beg a five year old for protection. And he promises to make Hasan a Sayyid of the Arabs, but the Prophet PBUH has made him the Sayyid of this ummah as in Bukhari. So Fatima responded, "My son has not reached the age to grant you security, and no one can offer you protection against the Prophet PBUH." Once he has decided it's the end of the matter. So he turns to Ali again and says, "Ya Ali you see my situation, you see how desperate I am, give me some words what shall I do?" He just wants any little thing. So Ali says, "I don't know anything that will help you, but you are the sayyid of the Banu Kinana (Quraysh)." So Abu Sufyan is the single most honorable person of the entire subtribes of the Quraysh. So Ali says, "Go to the masjid and announce if anyone will protect you."
And so Abu Sufyan went to the masjid and made a public announcement, begging for protection. And what humiliation this is. And once again we see the qadr of Allah - Allah allowed him to live, repent and accept Islam so he was forgiven. But right now he is a pagan, so he has to suffer in the worst manner to him. So he says, "O people, I am Abu Sufyan, is there any who will give me protection?" And as we mentioned several times, this is how the Arabs society worked. They gave each other formal protection: Any member of a tribe could give protection to someone else on behalf of the tribe. And this ruling was adopted in Islam as well that the Prophet PBUH said, "Any Muslim can give protection to someone else." This is why male, female, young and old (even someone very young i.e. 5) can give protection. Recall when the Prophet PBUH came back from Ta'if, no one gave him protection, so he has to go to each tribe and ask. So Abu Sufyan made this announcement, but who would dare stand up after the Prophet PBUH has not said anything. And so Abu Sufyan had not a single response, and so not a single hope of protection.
And before he left he paid one more visit to his own daughter, Ummi Habiba Ramla bint Abu Sufyan. And she had not seen her father for over 13 years now. Because, she had immigrated to Abyssinia during the Makkan era. And her husband was one of the few people who left Islam and became murtad. And she was all alone in Abyssinia, so the Prophet PBUH proposed to her while she was there. And Najashi did the walima on behalf of the Prophet PBUH as we discussed. Najashi himself paid the mahr, and she went back with Ja'far ibn Abi Talib, the day that Khaybar was conquered. Therefore she has not seen her father for over 13 years.
So now Abu Sufyan, before he leaves, visits the house of Ummi Habiba, and as he comes in and wants to sit down, she covers the blanket quickly. The soft mattress, she covers it up and tells him to sit on the hard framework of the bed. So he said, "Are you protecting the mattress from me, or the me from the mattress?" Meaning, "Do you think I'm not good enough for this mattress so you will put down a better one? Or the mattress is not good enough for me?" And so Ummi Habiba said, "This is the blanket of the Prophet PBUH. This is the bed of the Prophet PBUH. And you are not going to sit on his bed." And subhan'Allah what humiliation. His own daughter says go sit on the floor. Even though of course technically you can have a non-Muslim sit and touch our utensils, but this is special respect for the Prophet PBUH. And so even he is turned away from his own daughter. And he says, "I don't know what evil has touched you after you've left me."
He returned to the Quraysh and he told them in vivid detail everything that happened. That Abu Bakr refused to help, Umar RA mocked him, Ali was the softest and most cooperative of the group, but he could not get help from any of them except to ask the gathering in the masjid. And they asked him, "Did you go to the masjid to ask?" He said, "Yes" and the Quraysh said, "You have been made a fool of." That it's a mockery of humiliation. But Abu Sufyan said, "There was nothing else I could do." And truly it is bizarre. Look at who Abu Sufyan was and what has happened to him. Once the Prophet PBUH was asking protection outside of Makkah, nobody gave him protection, and 9 years later the chieftain of the Quraysh comes to Madinah begging for protection and he isn't worthy of anything.
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It's Good to Have a Healthy Spectrum of Responses
And we see three spectrum of responses: Umar was the harshest and said, "You think I'm going to help?" Abu Bakr was in the middle ground, that he was blunt and to the point, but not too harsh yet also not too soft. And we see Ali was the softest, he had an entire conversation with Abu Sufyan and even gave him advice on what to do. Thus we see responses should be varied; it's good to have some people that are harsh, and it's good to have people that are soft. Not everyone should react in the same way. It's good for some people to be extra angry, and it's also good for people to be soft hearted.
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The Untold Destination
So Abu Sufyan returns to Makkah and the Prophet PBUH announces that he will lead a very large expedition somewhere. And everybody MUST follow. In sharia, it is wajib when the leader says, "Everyone should come," it becomes fard to obey, especially when it's the Prophet PBUH. So he said, "Every male that is able to go must go." And he didn't say where. Therefore, you have to give time, a week or so to prepare. And news spread there will be a massive battle but nobody knows where. He didn't even tell his most trusted companions, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and Aisha RA. It's reported Abu Bakr visited Aisha and said, "Did you hear the Prophet's PBUH call?" And she said, "Yes I am preparing his bags." So he says, "Where is he going?!" and she replies, "Wallahi I have no idea." Subhan'Allah it shows the Prophet PBUH did not even tell the people he genuinely trusted. Why? To ensure nothing would spread and get out of hand. It's the reality that you tell someone who you trust a secret, but within a day somehow everyone finds out about the secret. So the Prophet PBUH took utmost secrecy and precaution - such an action is unparalleled in the seerah.
Realize this didn't take place after Abu Sufyan left. A few weeks went by before this happened and Ibn Sa'd mentions the Prophet PBUH intentionally sent out a small expedition up north as a scouting party to give the false impression the massive army will go up north. Remember Makkah is down south. He sends a scouting group of 8 men up north to decide where are the water reserves, where is the best place to camp etc. But this was a complete false impression. The news spread that, "Maybe he is going up north" but eventually of course, the Prophet PBUH has to tell them where he is going, so the day before the journey, the 11th hour, he announces, "We are going to Makkah." And this shows us exactly the interpretation of what the Prophet PBUH said: "War is deceit." This hadith is largely misunderstood by the far-right and Islamophobes. This incident demonstrates what the Prophet PBUH meant by 'deceit.' The Prophet PBUH never lied, and you are never allowed to give an oath or treaty and go against it. This is khiyana, which is treachery, and it is never allowed. However khid'a which is deceit is allowed as in this incident.
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Tables Have Turned
So not a single Muhajir or Ansar remained behind. Every single Muhajir participated, and every Ansari, and additionally the outlining tribes sent in their troops. One sent in 1000, another sent in 1700, until eventually the Prophet PBUH gathered over 10,000 people under his banner. Look again at the wisdom of Allah. Barely 7 years ago, there were only 300 fighting at Badr and the Prophet PBUH begs Allah, "O Allah, if we are destroyed you will never be worshiped on this earth." Look at the astronomical growth. Even 2 years before in Ahzab, 10,000 people were on the other side of Madinah; now 10,000 sahaba are marching to Makkah. And they arrive in the swiftest manner possible. The Prophet PBUH left Madinah on the 10th of Ramadan, 8th Hijrah and arrived on the outskirts of Makkah on the 19th of Ramadan. That is 9 days which is amazing for 10,000 people. It's truly a miracle. And the Prophet PBUH did not want to give any hint anyway, that is why he announced it right before they left.
It was at this point in time one of the famous sahabi fell into the biggest error of his life, and that is as soon as he heard that they were going to Makkah, he wrote a secret letter to Makkah, "Take precautions, the Prophet PBUH is coming, prepare yourselves, you will be attacked," and his name is Hatib ibn Abi Balta'ah. And we will discuss about him in the next episode.