VI- Prophet's Biography

Lesson 99
Emissaries to Conquest of Makkah

 [39]The Prophet’s (SAWS) writings to the kings

 After this truce, which was done through the treaty of Hudaybiyah, the Muslims were safe from the evils of Quraysh. Channels of communications were wide open with others. 

The Prophet (SAWS) started to spread and extend the Da`wah (invitation to Islam). He wrote to the kings of the world inviting them and their peoples to Islam. He (SAWS) took a seal for himself which he engraved with “Muhammad the Messenger of Allah”. 

He sent Dihyah Al-Kalby with a letter to Caesar, the King of the Romans. He was at Al-Quds (Jerusalem). When the letter reached him, Abu-Sufyân was nearby in Syria  for business, so Caesar called him, and asked him about the lineage of the Messenger of Allah (SAWS). Abu-Sufy â n said, “He comes from  a noble family line.”Then he asked him, “Did anyone else before him talk the same?” He said, “No.” He asked him, “Did you use to accuse him of lying?” He said, “No.” He asked him, “Was there a king among his forefathers?” He said, “No.”  He asked him, “Who are his followers: the noble people or the weak ones?” He said, “The weak.” He asked him, “Are they increasing in number or decreasing?” He said, “No, increasing”. He asked him, “Does any of them convert out of hate to his religion?” He said, “No.” He asked him, “Does he betray his pledges?” He said, “No.” He asked him, “Did you fight him? How was your war like?” He said, “We fought him, and the war between us was alternating, one time for us, and the next for them.” He asked, “What does he enjoin you to do?” He said, “He says worship Allah, and do not associate anything with Him. He forbids that which our ancestors were worshipping. He enjoins prayer, truthfulness, modesty, fulfillment of promises, and returning trusts. 

That king concluded from this that Muhammad is a prophet. He said to Abu-Sufyân, “If what you have told me is true, one day my kingdom will belong to him, and he will rule this place”. 

He then gathered the the Roman noblemen, and tried to talk them into following this prophet, but they refused. The love of his sovereignty won over him, so he did not follow Islam. However, he returned Dihyah in a decent manner. 

The Messenger of Allah sent also Al-Hârith ibn `Umayr with a letter to the Prince of Busrâ in Syria. When he reached Mu'tah, (a village in Syria), Shurahbîl Al-`Assâly confronted him and killed him. He was the only messenger of the Prophet (SAWS) to be killed. 

The Prophet (SAWS) sent a letter to the prince of Damascus, who was appointed by the Roman King. When the letter reached him and he read it, the prince threw it away and planned to fight the Muslims. He asked his king for permission, but it was not granted. 

The Prophet (SAWS) sent Hâtib ibn Abu-Balta`ah with a letter to Al-Muqawqis, the prince of Egypt, also appointed by the Roman King. He was in Alexandria at the time when he read it, he told Hâtib, “What is preventing him, if he was a prophet, from making supplication against those who disagreed with him, and drove them out of his land?” Hâtib told him, “Don’t you believe that `Îsâ (Jesus) the messenger of Allah is the son of Allah? Why didn’t Allah shield him when his people took him to be killed?” Al-Muqawqis said to Hâtib, “Good. I have looked in the matter of this prophet, I found out that he does not enjoin a bad thing, nor does he forbid a desired matter. I did not find him to be a harmful magician, nor a lying monk. I will see.” 

Then, he wrote a reply to the letter of the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) containing neither recognition nor denial. He granted him a gift of two slave women. The prophet married one of them, Mâriyah, and she gave birth to his son Ibrâhîm. 

He (SAWS) sent a letter to An-Najâshy, the king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia). When he read it, he said to the messenger, “I know, by Allah, that `Îsâ (Jesus) spoke of him, but my supporters in Abyssinia are few.” 

He sent to Kisrâ, the king of the Persians, he acted arrogantly and tore down the letter, so Allah Almighty later on tore down his sovereignty completely. 

He sent to Al-Mundhir ibn Sâwâ, the king of Bahrain. He declared Islam together with some of his people. The prophet approved him as a prince representing him in the province of Bahrain. 

He sent to Ja`far and `Abdullâh sons of Al-Julundâ, the two kings of Oman. They declared Islam, after they inquired about what the Prophet enjoins and forbids. The messenger of the Prophet (SAWS) told them that he enjoins the obedience of Allah Almighty and forbids his disobedience. He calls for righteousness and linking blood relationships. He forbids injustice, agression, adultery, drinking alcohol and the worshipping of stones, idols and the cross. 

He sent to Hawdhah ibn `Ali, the king of Al-Yamâmah. He asked the Messenger of Allah for some authorities to himself, but the prophet denied his request. 

[40] The Battle of Khaybar

 After the treaty of Hudaybiyah, the Muslims were relieved from the battles with Quraysh. The Messenger of Allah (SAWS) decided to be relieved as well from his close-by enemies, who had evil intentions for him. Those were the people of Khaybar, who gathered the allies against the Muslims in the battle of the Trench. He (SAWS) set off to Khaybar in the beginning of the 7^th year A.H..

 Khaibar was well-protected by eight forts. The Muslims set camp outside it. The Prophet commanded their palm trees to be cut to scare them off. When he saw that they insist on fighting, he signaled for the archers. 

The light-fighting lasted for seven days. Then, the Muslims charged on the Jews till they exposed their spots. They followed them till they entered the first fort. 

The enemies were beaten to the next one. They fought for it heavily to the extent that they almost caused the Muslims to return back. But the Muslims invaded this fort till they forced them to the next one, where they besieged them, and prevented them from water. So they went out and fought till they were beaten to another fort. And so on till there were only two last forts. Their people did not fight back; rather they surrendered asking to be saved from killing, and to be allowed to get out of the land of Khaybar with their children, each taking only one piece of clothing on his back. 

The Messenger of Allah agreed to their offer. The Muslims gained lots of war  booty from Khaybar: shields, swords, arrows, bows, jewellery, furniture, household items, sheep and food. 

In this battle ninety three were killed from the Jews and fifteen Muslims were martyred. 

During this battle, a Jewish woman gave the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) a piece of grilled meat as a gift (it was from the goat’s shoulder, which was his favorite), but it was poisoned. The Prophet (SAWS) took a bite of it, and then he threw it away. Allah Almighty let him know that it was poisonous. That woman confessed of her action. She said, “I thought if he was a Prophet, he would not be hurt. If he was a liar, Allah will rid us from him.” He (SAWS) forgave her. 

After the victory of Khaybar, the Prophet sent to the Jews of Fadak. They proposed toleave their properties in return for saving their lives. He (SAWS) agreed to that. 

After the Muslims came back from Khaybar, the rest of the Immigrants, who were in Abyssinia, came back, including Ja`far ibn Abu-Tâlib, and Abu-Mûsâ Al-Ash`ary and his people. They have been staying there for ten years. 

After the battle of Khaybar, three distinguished men declared Islam: Khâlid ibn ul-Walîed, `Amr ibnul-`Âa, and `Uthmân ibn Tulayhah Al-`Abdary. 

[41]Compensatory `Umrah

 When a full year passed on Al-Hudaybiyah Peace Treaty, Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) travelled with his companions to Makkah to compensate the `Umrah that they were prevented from, according to Al-Hudaybiyah Treaty.  When they reached Makkah, Quraysh evacuated the city, and then the Muslims entered and made their `Umrah. They spent there three nights before returning back to Al-Madînah Peacfully.   

[42] The Mu'tah Brigade

 In the mid of the 8^th year A.H., Prophet Muhammad (SAWS), sent an army of 3,000 warriors to take revenge of `Amr ibn Shurahbîl, the prince of Busrâ assigned by Romans, because he killed Al-Hârith ibn `Umayr, whom Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) sent for the prince to invite him to Islam. When this army reached the land of Mu'tah, they faced the Romans and their Allies from the Christian Arabs in an army of 100,000. 

 Zayd ibn Hârithah was at the head of the Muslims’ army, but after his killing he was replaced by Ja`far ibn Abu-Tâlib, who was also killed. He was followed by `Abdullâh ibn Rawâhah, as leader, but he had the same fate as the two leaders before him. Those commanders  were commissioned by the Prophet (SAWS), in that order.  After the martyrdom of those who were nominated by the Prophet (SAWS), the army agreed on appointing Khâlid ibn ul-Walîd as a leader of the army. He started tricking the enemies until Allah (SWT) threw fear in their hearts and made them move away. 

[43] The Conquest of Makkah

 Khuzâ`ahh tribe was in the covenant of Prophet Muhammad (SAWS); and Banu Bakr ibn Wâil were in the covenant of Quraysh. There was blood between these two tribes, so Banu Bakr attacked Khuzâ`ah. Quraysh assisted Banu Bakr with weapons and men, and fought them.  A band of Khuzâ`ah came to Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) and told him that Quraysh revoked the armistice. When Quraysh felt that, they sent Abu-Sufyân to reinforce and increase the time of the armistice, but Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) did not accept.  

When Muslims became sure that Quraysh breeched their convention, Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) ordered Muslims to get prepared without telling them of the destination.  Ten thousand Muslims from Al-Muhâjirîn (immigrants), Al-Ansâr (supporters) and some Arab tribes met for the purpose. Then Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) went out with them in the 10th of Ramadan of the 8 A.H. He moved on until they stopped at Mar Adh-Thahran near Makkah, while Quraysh knew nothing about their destination.

Al-`Abbâs ibn `Abdul-Muttalib, the Prophet's uncle, was immigrating to Al-Madînah with his family, when he met the Prophet (SAWS) in his way, who  took him back with him and sent his family to Al-Madînah.  While the Muslims army was in Mar Adh-Dhahrân Abu-Sufyân with two of his men went to spy on Muslims, since they were expecting Muslims' reaction on their revoke of the armistice.  However, the Muslims soldiers caught them and Al-`Abbâs ibn `Abdul-Muttalib was the first one to meet him. He took Abu-Sufyân to the Prophet's tent. The Prophet (SAWS) safeguarded him and delivered him to Al-`Abbâs.  Next morning, he embraced Islam and bore witness to the truth. Al-`Abbâs said to the Prophet (SAWS), "Abu-Sufyân is a man who likes bragging, so make something for him." The Prophet (SAWS) said," whoever enters the home of Abu-Sufyân would be safe." 

Then Al-`Abbâs was ordered to let Abu-Sufyân stand where the army will march, to enable him from watching the Muslim army. Tribes began to pass in front of him, battalion after battalion, until they finished. In response, Abu-Sufyân hurried to Makkah and shouted, "O' folk of Quraysh, Muhammad came to you verily with an army that you can not resist”. 

After that, the Prophet (SAWS) ordered to put his flag on Al-Hajûn, the highest mountain around Makkah, al-Hujoon mountain; and ordered Khâlîd to enter Makkah with his battalion from Kudayy, a mountain at the south of  Makkah. The Prophet and those with him entered from Kadâ', a mountain at the north of Makkah, and asked his herald to announce: "Whomever enters his house and closes his door would be safe, whomever enters the mosque would be safe and whomever enters the house of Abu-Sufyân would be safe". Yet, the Prophet excluded a group whom he declared their killing lawful, because they inflicted so much harm on Muslims. Among them were: `Abdullâh ibn Abu-Sa'd ibn Abu-Sarh, `Ikrimah ibn Abu-Jahl, Ka`b ibn Zuhayr, Wahshiy who killed Hamzah, Hind bint `Utbah (Abu-Sufyân's wife0, Habbâr ibnul-Aswad and Al-Hârith ibn Hishâm; but they were all forgiven later for they embraced Islam. 

The army of Khâlid ibnul-Walîd encountered resistance from some reckless people of Quraysh. He fought them and killed twenty-four of them, while only two men were killed from his squad battalion. On the contrary, the Prophet's (SAWS) army did not face any resistance. The Prophet (SAWS) entered Makkah riding his camel, bending over it, showing humbleness and gratitude to Allah (SWT) on this great grace. This was on Friday morning the10th of Ramadan, year 8 A.H.  

A dome was built where the Prophet (SAWS) had his flag posted, where he (SAWS) rested for a while. Then he moved on reading Sârah Al-Fat-h (Conquest) while Abu-Bakr was on his side, until the prophet (SAWS) entered the Ka`bah, the Holy Mosque. There he (SAWS) circumambulated seven times around the Ka`bah, riding his camel, and touching the black stone corner of the Ka`bah with his crosier every time he passed by it. There were many idols around the Ka`bah; and the Prophet (SAWS)  was stabbing them by a stick in his hand and reciting  what can be translated as, "Say, “The Truth has come; and in no way (can) untruth start (anything) and in no way (can) it bring back (anything)." (TMQ, Saba': 49). 

When the Prophet (SAWS) completed his circumambulation around the Ka`bah, he ordered to get rid of all idols from around the Ka`bah; and the Ka`bah was cleared from these absurd idols. Then the Prophet (SAWS) took the keys of the Ka`bah from its custodian, `Uthmân ibn Talhah ash-Shayby. He entered it, proclaimed "Allahu Akbar" (Allah is Greatest) in every side therein, then got out to the station of Ibrâhîm and prayed there.  Later on, the Prophet (SAWS) sat in the mosque, while people around him were waiting what he will decide about Quraysh? Then the Prophet (SAWS) said,"O' Folk of Quraysh what do you think I am going to do with you?". ?They answered, "Righteousness, a generous brother, son of a generous brother." The Prophet (SAWS) said "go, you are free". He gave the keys of the Ka`bah back to its custodian, and then he delivered a sermon for people,  in which he clarified many rulings of Islam.  After he finished people began to pay homage to him on Islam. Thus many people from Quraysh embraced Islam on that day. 

Among them, was Mu`âwiah ibn Abu-Sufyân, Abu-Quhâfah (Abu-Bakr's father), and some of those the Prophet has declared their killing lawful on that day. Their homage was accepted.  After the homage of men was over, women came to pay homage as well.

After that, the Prophet ordered Bilâl to deliver the Adhân (calling for prayer) on the roof of the Ka`bah, and this was the first time in which Islam was declared there. 

The Prophet (SAWS) stayed in Makkah, after its conquest, for nineteen days. During these days, the Prophet (SAWS) sent Khâlid ibnul-Walîd, on the head of thirty knights, to pull down the idol "Al-`Uzzâ", Quraysh's greatest statue, and sent `Amr ibnul-Âs to pull down "Suwâ`", Hudhayl's (tribe) greatest idol, and sent another to pull down "Manât", an idol for Khuzâ`ah.