Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) demonstrated patience and perseverance during the Meccan period and fought in battles during the early years of the Medinan period. Finally, in the sixth year of the Medinan period he got the opportunity to make peace with the treaty of Hudaibiyah. The climate of peace generated by the treaty was a turning point for Islam. Due to that Allah the Almighty called this treaty a “fath mubin or a clear victory.” (al-Fath 48; 1) When the Meccans did not allow the believers to circumambulate the Ka’bah at Hudaibiyah, believers got upset and wanted to fight them, but the Messenger of Allah told them to be patient and wait for the following year. When he called Hudaibiyah a great victory, one of his Companions grumbled:
“We were prevented from circumambulating the Ka’bah and slaughtering our animals in the Haram. The Messenger of Allah gave two new converts back to them. What kind of a victory is this?”
When the Prophet (pbuh) heard his complains, he explained how the peace would help Islam to spread saying:
“Yes, this treaty is a victory. The polytheists are content with you to come to their lands and to take care of your works and to be safe while coming and going back. They will learn Islam from you whom they did not want and did not like so far. Allah will make you victorious and you will come back safe and sound. This is the greatest of all victories.” (Halabi, II, 715)
Abu Bakr (r.a.) made the following evaluation about the treaty of Hudaibiyah:
“There had never been a greater victory in Islam than the treaty of Hudaibiyah, but the narrow- minded people opposed it. People were impatient about the matters between Allah and His Messenger (pbuh), but Allah the Almighty is not hasty in His actions and He does not do anything until it becomes the right time.” (Waqidi, II, 610; Halabi, II, 274)
Peace is always better and blessed. This is stated by Allah the Almighty as:
وَالصُّلْحُ خَيْرٌ
“…Peace is better…” (al-Nisa 4; 128) The climate of peace that emerged out of the treaty of Hudaibiyah brought many advantages for the spread of Islam just as the statement of this verse.
First of all, by this means the people of Quraish, who saw Muslims as minorities and hoped to erase them from the pages of history, had to formally acknowledge the Islamic state.
During the period of peace Islam found new opportunities and area to spread to. By this means, Muslims began to get together with polytheists, recite from the Qur’an to them, and talk to them about Islam. Moreover, those who kept their conversion secret were able to fearlessly announce it. (Ibn Qayyim, III, 309-310)
However, before then, the two parties were not able to see each other easily. After the treaty, the polytheists began to visit Medina and the believers were able to go to Mecca freely. They had the chance to visit their relatives and old friends. Thus, people were able to see the Prophet’s good manners, miracles, and the beauty of his path. They began to listen to the principles of Islam and advice from Muslims. The polytheists’ hearts softened and began to tend towards Islam and the desert bedouins waited for the people of Quraish to convert to Islam. (Qastallani, I, 168)
During this period, Islam spread all around Arabia and prominent polytheists, such as Amr b. al-As, Khalid b. Walid (r. anhum) and others, converted to Islam. (Waqidi, II, 624)
Representatives of Islam were able to go to different places in safety and found the opportunity to tell people about Islam. During this period the number of Muslims multiplied. Imam Zuhri explains the consequences of the Hudaibiyah treaty on the basis of the traditions of the Prophet (pbuh) as follows:
“Before, Muslims and polytheists were fighting everywhere they met. After the treaty of Hudaibiyah they ceased to fight. A state of trust was established between the parties. They got the chance to meet and socialize and they even began to cooperate in various matters.
At the time, to whomever Islam was related they realized the Truth and embraced Islam after a short period of reflection. The number of those who converted to Islam in two years after the agreement reached and even surpassed the number of converts during the previous nineteen years.”
As Ibn Hisham noted:
“According to the narration of Jabir b. Abdullah, Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) went to Hudaibiyah together with 1400 men. Two years later, during the conquest of Mecca, he had 10000 men with him. According to another report, the number was 12000 Muslims with 2000 men joining them on their way to Mecca. These numbers prove how exact Zuhri had been in his evaluation.” (Haythami, VI, 170; Ibn Hisham, III, 372)
Even though Meccans broke the agreement two years later, Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) exerted great effort to keep the peace agreement. Even though he wanted to go for an expedition to Mecca, upon their violation of the agreement, he waited and took some strategic precautions to resolve the issue without shedding blood. First he told his Companions to get ready for an expedition but did not reveal his intentions and tell them where he was going to be. (Ibn Sa’d, II, 134)
Even Abu Bakr (r.a.), his best friend and partaker to his secrets, did not realize they were going to Mecca. He asked Aisha (r. anha), his daughter and the Prophet’s wife, where the campaign was going to be and she said:
“I do not know. Maybe he (the Holy Prophet) wants to go to Bani Sulaim, maybe to the people of Saqif, or maybe to the people of Hawazin.” (Ibn Hisham, IV, 14)
Once again Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) held the passages to prevent Meccans from making preparations to fight and thus to make possible a peaceful conquest. He did not let any news or agent go in and out of Mecca. Indeed, his following prayer also manifests this intention:
“O Allah! Hold the agents and messengers of Quraish and make them blind and deaf until we suddenly arrive at their lands. Blindfold the eyes of Quraish so that they may find us suddenly in front of them.” (Ibn Hisham, IV, 14)
After departing from Medina, the Muslim army stopped by some allied tribes on its way to deceive the people of Quraish. It traveled on a circle-shape route in order to hide its real destination. When it came close to Mecca, every soldier was ordered to light a separate fire in order to look larger. (Hamidullah, İslâm Peygamberi, I, 264-265)
Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) struggled for nineteen years to provide peace for Islam and Muslims. After gaining enough strength and power, he did not use them to destroy people and capture their lands but to open their hearts to Islam. Of course, this is what was expected from a Prophet who was sent as a mercy to the universe. Allah the Almighty emphasizes believers’ idea of war and peace as follows:
اَلَّذِينَ اِنْ مَكَّنَّاهُمْ فِى الاَرْضِ اَقَامُوا الصَّلوةَ وَاتَوُا الزَّكوةَ وَاَمَرُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَنَهَوْا عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَللهِ عَاقِبَةُ الاُمُورِ
“Those who, if We give them power in the land, establish worship and pay the poor-due and enjoin kindness and forbid iniquity. And Allah’s is the sequel of events.” (al-Hajj 22; 41)
Even though Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) had the power to enter Mecca by force, his efforts to enter it peacefully is the most apparent proof in this matter, because his greatest wish was that all people, without exception, embrace Islam. Announcing a general amnesty after the conquest of Mecca, when he was at the peak of his military strength, was also another magnificent manifestation of this.