ABSTRACT
A place of historic significance in the
history of Islam, Hudaybiyya lies ten
miles outside of Mecca to the north. It
gave its name to the so-called Truce (or
Treaty) of Hudaybiya, which the Pro-
phet concluded with Meccans in 628 CE,
six years after the hijra. It is a place where over a thousand
Muslims from Medina, led by the Pro-
phet, were stopped by the Quraysh and
refused permission to enter the precincts
of Mecca; they were on their way to
perform the ( umra (lesser pilgrimage) at
the Ka ( ba. The Muslims were unarmed
and decisively dressed in ihram for the
purpose of making the pilgrimage – which,
according toArab custom, they were fully
entitled to do during the sacred months. This action was based on a vision
Prophet Muhammad had concerning his
entry into the haram sharif (sacred pre-
cinct), as mentioned in 48.27. The events
at Hudaybiya were deemed to be the
fulfillment of that vision and are described
in the Qur ) an as a ‘victory’ granted by
God. The peace treaty signed between the
Muslims and the Meccans was not see-
mingly favourable to the Muslims,
because (among other things) it included
the following stipulations:
1. Muslims would not perform the
pilgrimage that year but instead
would do so the following year,
when the Meccans would vacate
the sacred precinct for three days
allowing full access to Muslims. 2. Tribal alliances would be freely
allowed. 3. Meccans who, without proper
authority from their guardians
join the Muslims in Medina,
would be returned, but not the
other way around.
