The Conquest of Mecca

The Conquest of Mecca

One condition among the conditions of the treaty of Hudaibiyah was that any of the tribes of Arabia could sign treaties with either of the parties i.e. with Muslims or the Quraish of Mecca.  Thus, Banu Bakr sided with the Quraish and Banu Khaza’a with the Muslims.

There was a very strong enmity between these 2 tribes.  Banu Bakr with the help of the Quraish, attacked Banu Khaza’a.  The Quraish of Mecca supplied men and weapons for this.  Thus, the treaty of Hudaibiyah was broken by the Quraish themselves.  Banu Khaza’a came to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) came to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and requested his help.  Very peacefully, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) sent 3 conditions to the Quraish and asked them to accept any one of them.

1.  Pay the blood money of those were killed from Banu Khaza’a.

2.  That the Quraish stop supporting Banu Bakr.

3.  That the Quraish declare that the Treaty of Hudaibiyah is terminated forthwith.

The Quraish accepted the 3rd condition that the Treaty of Hudaibiyah is terminated.  They declared this, but later on realized what it meant and persuaded Abu Sufyan to go to Madina and renew the treaty.  Abu Sufyan came to Madina, but could not get the treaty renewed and returned back empty-handed.

Then the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) gave the order of Jihaad and ordered the Companions to make preparations.  However, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) did not tell anyone, even Hadhrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (May Allah be well pleased with him) where they were going to go.  This was with the intention of keeping this news secret.

Hadhrat Hatib (May Allah be well pleased with him) wrote a letter to the Quraish in which the secret preparations were revealed.  He sent this letter to Mecca by a woman.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is the one who has been granted the knowledge about every grain of sand in the universe.  Not only the earthly worlds, but even the heavenly worlds are not hidden from his sight.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) has already described everything that will happen until the Day of Judgment.  How can this small thing be hidden from Him?  He sent Hadhrat ‘Ali, Hadhrat Zubair and Hadhrat Miqdad (May Allah be well pleased with them) and told them at a place called Rauza Khaakh, you will find a woman who has a letter.  Bring that letter to me.  They went there and found it as the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) had said.

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) summoned Hadhrat Hatib (May Allah be well pleased with him) and asked him about this. He said that he had not left Islam or sided with the Quraish.  His only intention through this was to make the Quraish treat his relatives, who were in Mecca, kindly.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) accepted his excuse and forgave him.

Leaving for Mecca

On the 10^th of Ramadhan, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) started for Mecca with an army of 10,000.  On the way 2,000 people joined the army and the army of 12,000 kept covering leagues and nearing Mecca.  Hadhrat ‘Abbas (May Allah be well pleased with him) also joined the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) on the way.  At a certain place, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) asked the whole army to stop.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) ordered that each person should light his own fire and prepare his own food.  When the army of 12,000 lit their own fires, only fire could be seen in the whole expanse of that area.

The Quraish had learnt that the Muslims had set out from Madina. They did not expect them to reach Mecca so early.  They sent out Abu Sufyan and 2 other persons to investigate.  They saw the fires and stopped.  Hadhrat ‘Abbas (May Allah be well pleased with him) was going to warn the Quraish that if they come out and beg for peace before the army reaches Mecca, it will be better for them.  He met Abu Sufyan and took him to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  Abu Sufyan was the one who had fought 2 battles, Badr and Uhud against the Muslims.  He had provoked the Arabs against Muslims.  He had conspired to the martyr the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  In spite of all this, the Mercy for the worlds, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) forgave and pardoned him. Then the Prophet asked Hadhrat ‘Abbas (May Allah be well pleased with him) to take him atop a mountain and show him the army.

On 20^th Ramadhan, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) entered Mecca.  He sent Hadhrat Zubair (May Allah be well pleased with him) to enter from one side and Hadhrat Khalid bin Walid (May Allah be well pleased with him) to enter from another side.  The Prophet warned both of them not to start hostilities and to fight only those who attacked them.  Banu Harith, Hudhayl and some other tribes of Quraish attacked Hadhrat Khalid bin Walid (May Allah be well pleased with him) and he defended against their attack and defeated them.  2 Muslims were martyred and some 20, 22 Quraish were killed.

General pardon for all

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and his followers were troubled by the Quraish for so many years, right from the declaration of Prophethood to Emigration and even after that.  They had troubled Muslims, fought wars against them.  Time and again they conspired to martyr the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  When the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) had these blood-thirsty enemies at his mercy, he gave an order full of mercy and benevolence.  The Prophet said: Today you are free.  This day is the day to show mercy.

When human beings take the reins of rule in their hands, they fail to differentiate between justice and oppression.  All their victories are with the bloodshed of the defeated.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: This is a day of being merciful.  The Prophet said:

1.  The person who surrenders his weapons will be in peace.

2.  The person who closes the door of his house will be in peace.

3.  The person who enters the Ka’aba will be in peace.

4.  The person who enters the house of Abu Sufyan will be in peace.

5.  The person who enters the house of Hadhrat Umme Haani (May Allah be well pleased with her) will be in peace.

However, for those who had insulted the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), there is no peace.  They were all ordered to be killed.  About one of them, the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: Kill him, even if he is clinging to the curtains of the Ka’aba.  Thus, all of them were killed.

Then the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) entered the Masjid al Haraam on His camel.  Hadhrat Usama (May Allah be well pleased with him) was seated behind him.  Hadhrat Bilal and the key-holder of the Ka’aba, Hadhrat ‘Uthman bin Talha (May Allah be well pleased with them) were with him.  He made tied his camel in the Haram and performed Tawaaf of the Ka’aba.  The Prophet entered the Ka’aba and recited the verse: “Jaa al haqqu wa zahaqal batil innal batila kaana zahooqa.”  There were 360 idols in the Ka’aba. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) cleaned the Ka’aba of them and Hadhrat Bilal climbed on the top of the Ka’aba and called out the Adhaan.  Thus, after a long time, the Adhaan of Hadhrat Bilal sounded in Mecca and the atmosphere came alive with the declaration of Oneness of Almighty Allah and the Prophethood of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).