The conquest of Makkah is the only battle in recorded human history in which no fighting and bloodshed took place and the enemy forces surrednered to the victor. The victor, in this case Prophet Mohammad, did not punish his enemies but granted general amnesty for all of them. It was also accompanied by the rival party, their leaders and followers, embracing the faith of the victor without any force.
By Ayaz Ahmad Islahi*
LUCKNOW—The 20th day of Ramadan (popularly called Ramzan in India) every year marks the Day of Conquest of Makkah, the only battle won without bloodshed, detention, or destruction of enemies’ property. The 20th Ramzan this year fell on April 22 in India.
The battle of Makkah, where no death on either side took place, was fought between the 10th and 20th Ramazan in December 629 or January 630 AD, the eighth year of the Hijri calendar. The rival Quraish army surrendered to the Prophet without fighting.
Hijri calendar is based on the migration (Hijrat) of the Prophet from Makkah to Madina in 622 AD. Prophet had left Makkah and settled down in Medina due to the harassment by the Quraish.
Why was Makkah attacked?
Under Prophet’s leadership, the nascent Islamic state of Madina had signed a treaty called the Treaty of Hudaibiya with the Quraish of Makkah in 628 AD. The treaty was valid for ten years. Under the terms of the treaty, Arab tribes were free to join either of the two powers-Muslims under the leadership of the Prophet or the Quraish, and they would not attack each other for ten years. The basic objective of the treaty was to establish peace and avoid bloodshed.
However, the treaty broke down within two years as allies of the Quraish attacked Banu Quraizah, an ally of the Muslims, in 630 AD. Besides, the Quraish and their allies also indulged in harassing the Muslims and their allies. This meant that the treaty’s terms were no longer binding on either party because one party had openly violated its terms.
This prompted Muslims to attack Makkah because that was the epicentre of violence against Muslims. The Muslim army led by the Prophet entered Makkah on 20th Ramzan. However, the Muslim army was strictly ordered not to indulge in violence and avoid fighting unless attacked by the Quraish. As the Quraish were surprised by the Muslim army having encircled Makkah from all sides, they could not muster the courage to fight.
Prophet declared a general amnesty for all
History is a witness that the victor indulges in the killing of the enemy and destruction of their properties. But it was a war of a different kind never witnessed in history, either before or after it.
The Quraish and their leaders had committed atrocities on the Prophet, his family, and the rest of the Muslims in Makkah. Because of their torture and their opposition to the propagation of Islam, the Prophet left Makkah and migrated to Medina. But, as a victor, the Prophet announced a general amnesty for all Makkans who were helpless before him. The Prophet forgave even Abu Sufiyan, a top Quraish leader and a staunch enemy.
Abu Sufiyan announces his conversion to Islam
When Abu Sufyan announced his conversion to Islam, the Prophet asked him: “Why did you embrace Islam?” Abu Sufiyan replied that the idols whom he worshipped as gods proved powerless and failed to help them. Abu Sufyan said he was now confirmed that “There is no God, but Allah”. Therefore, he rejected idols as gods.
While announcing general amnesty, the Prophet said the following words, “Even he who enters the house of Abu Sufyan will be safe, He who lays down arms will be safe, He who locks himself in his house will be safe.”
The Decisive Victory
Allah Taala in the Quran has called this victory the “Fath- e- Mubin”, or the Decisive Victory. What is essential about this victory is that it saw no bloodshed, no destruction, no detention, and no cruel fighting. Instead, it witnessed the declaration of general amnesty from Prophet Mohammad for his opponents who tried to kill him several times. Indeed this was a rare gesture in the world of that period and even today, in the modern age. However, it shows a difference between the ordinary warriors and leaders of the nations and a prophet.
After dealing with Abu Sufiyan, Prophet turned towards the commoners of Makkah, who were afraid that they would be punished now for what they had done in the past with the Prophet and Muslims.
Prophet asked them, “O Quraish, what do you expect from me today?”
And they said, “Mercy, O Prophet of Allah. We expect nothing but good from you.” So the Quraish appealed for mercy from a person upon whom they had committed all sorts of cruelty.
Prophet replied, “Today I will speak to you as Yusuf spoke to his brothers. I will not harm you, and Allah will forgive you, for He is Merciful and Loving. So go, you are all free.” This was the greatness of the Prophet and the highest degree of kindness in behaviour with the vanquished. While declaring that he would not cause any harm to them, he also prayed to Allah to forgive them for what they had done with the Prophet in the past.
It may be recalled here that Prophet Yusuf had forgiven his brothers even though they had thrown him in a well so that he would die. But he was saved by Allah Taala and later rose to a prominent position in the court of Egypt’s ruler. Prophet Mohammad gave reference to Hazrat Yusuf because as Yusuf was abandoned in a well by his brothers, the people of Quraish had contrived every plot to assassinate the Prophet, but Allah Taala saved the Prophet. Therefore, as Prophet Yusuf forgave the sins of his brothers, Prophet Mohammad declared he would not take revenge but pardon their sins.
And Prophet’s pardon for the Quraish was followed by an immediate revelation from Allah. This was an essential instruction to the Prophet. The revelation’s translation reads: “When comes the Help of Allah [to you, O Muhammad, against your enemies] and the conquest (of Makkah), And you see that the people enter Allah’s religion (Islam) in crowds, So glorify the Praises of your Lord, and ask for His Forgiveness. Verily, He is the One Who accepts the repentance and forgives. (Quran, chapter An-Nasr 110/1-3). After granting victory, Allah instructs the Prophet to praise Allah and seek His Forgiveness. The lesson for the people is that one should be thankful to Allah in case of victory and success and not show arrogance because Allah does not like haughtiness. In this sense, the conquest of Makkah was also totally different from other victories in which the victor committed atrocities on the vanquished.
Kaaba Liberated from idols
After granting amnesty to all, Prophet and his companions moved towards Kaaba, the first House of Allah built by Hazrat Adam and then rebuilt at the same site by Hazrat Ibrahim and his son Hazrat Ismail for ‘ibadat’ or worship of One and only One Allah by people all over the world. However, idols were installed inside it when the belief in monotheism got corrupted over time. According to available literature, there were 360 idols installed inside Kaaba. Prophet, with his own hands and with the help of his companions, broke all the idols and made Kaaba free of idols.
He then called Bilal, one of his companions, who climbed the top of Kaaba and gave Azaan (call) for Salat or prayers.
*The writer is a professor at Lucknow University.
