Hudaybiyah: A Victory in the Long Term

Sometimes, events happen that are deemed disturbing by those that witness them first hand. But later on, history will describe these same events as significant positive turning points. The Treaty of Hudaybiyah (6AH, 628CE) is one such example. Allah describes this treaty in Surah Fath as the ‘Manifest victory’ (verse 1). This surah was revealed as the Muslims were returning to Madinah after the treaty had been signed. At the time it was not such a clear-cut issue, even amongst some of the senior companions. Before we describe some of the reasons why it was such an unparalleled momentous victory, let us remind…