Many of the Muhaajiroon (Emigrants) yearned for Makkah. It was a blessed place they loved deeply, where they had been born and raised but had been forced to leave by the hostile Quraish. One day, the Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), told his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, of what he had dreamt the night before. He, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), dreamt that he entered Makkah and performed Tawaaf (circumambulation) around the Ka'bah. The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, were filled with joy on hearing about this dream. Shortly after, the Muslims began to prepare for 'Umrah (the minor pilgrimage).
The Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), set out for Hudaybiyyah in Dhul-Qi'dah, 6 A.H., with fifteen hundred Muslims. They were dressed as pilgrims in order to show people that they had come to visit the Ka'bah to perform 'Umrah and that they had come in peace. They brought sacrificial animals with them.
The Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), sent out a scout in advance to inform him about the reaction of the Quraish. When he was near 'Usfaan, the scout returned and reported, "I left Ka'b ibn Lu'ayy gathering an army against you to prevent you from reaching the Ka'bah." In spite of the daunting prospect of facing an army while they were themselves unarmed, the Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), and the Muslims continued onwards until they reached the furthest part of Hudaybiyyah, where they set up camp. The water supplies depleted, and there was insufficient water for the fifteen hundred Muslims. People began to complain to the Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), of thirst. He, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), took an arrow from his quiver and told them to put it in the waterhole. Immediately, it began to gush with water and continued to flow until they had all quenched their thirst.
The Quraish were apprehensive and uneasy upon receiving news of the Muslim encampment at Hudaybiyyah. The Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), decided to send one of his Companions to them. He, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), summoned 'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan, may Allah be pleased with him and sent him to inform the Quraish that they had not come to fight but had come to perform 'Umrah, and to invite the Quraish to Islam. The Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), also instructed 'Uthmaan, may Allah be pleased with him, to visit the believing men and women in Makkah, give them glad tidings of victory and tell them that Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, would make His religion victorious in Makkah and soon they would no longer have to conceal their belief.
'Uthmaan, may Allah be pleased with him, went to Makkah and conveyed the message to Abu Sufyaan and the nobles of Quraish. When he, may Allah be pleased with him, had finished delivering the message, they gave him an enticing offer. They said, "If you yourself wish to do Tawaaf of the House, go ahead."
"I will not do it," was 'Uthmaan's reply, "until the Messenger of Allah has done Tawaaf."
The Pledge of Ar-Ridhwaan: Uniting for a Muslim brother
'Uthmaan, may Allah be pleased with him, was in Makkah for an unexpectedly prolonged period, so much so that it was rumored that he had been killed. The Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), called for a pledge of allegiance. He, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), sat beneath a tree and the Muslims promised that they would fight with him to the last man. The Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), took his own hand and said: "This is for 'Uthmaan." Soon afterwards, 'Uthmaan, may Allah be pleased with him, returned to the Muslims unharmed.
The Pledge of Ar-Ridhwaan, as it was known, took place under an acacia tree in Hudaybiyyah and is mentioned in the Quran. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Allah was pleased with the believers when they were pledging their allegiance under the tree.}[Quran, 48: 181]
The deadlock between the Quraish and the Muslims continued until four envoys came to the Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), who assured each one that the Muslims had not come with the intention to cause violence to erupt between the two parties: "We did not come to fight anyone. Rather we came to perform 'Umrah." Nevertheless, the Quraish obstinately refused to allow the Muslims through, even after their own envoys described and expressed admiration for the ways of the Muslims and the Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ).
