Desire of the Holy Prophet(sa) to Reconcile Rejects the Notion of Compulsion

Another proof that these wars of the Holy Prophet(sa) were not for the purpose of converting people to Islām by force, is that he would always desire reconciliation. The utmost effort of the Holy Prophet(sa) would be to somehow bring these wars to an end, so that a state of peace and security could be brought about in the land. As such, history proves that upon the occasion of the Treaty of Ḥudaibiyyah, the Quraish stipulated the most severest of terms, to the extent that a majority of the Muslims considered the acceptance of these conditions to be a disgrace upon themselves. However, the Holy Prophet(sa) was not bothered by any of this, and as the Quraish demanded, he accepted their conditions and came to a truce. Now this is an instance which calls for contemplation, for if the purpose of the Holy Prophet(sa) in these wars was to convert the disbelievers to Islām by the dint of the sword, the state of affairs would have been different. The Quraish would have pressed for reconciliation and proposed such soft conditions as would be happily accepted by the Muslims. The Holy Prophet(sa) would have in turn followed a course of rigidity and made excuses to avoid a proposal of reconciliation, continuing to spur on war, so that an opportunity for the forceful conversion of disbelievers to Islām, would remain available. However, at this instance, the matter appears to have been the opposite. This conclusively proves that the heartfelt desire of the Holy Prophet(sa) was that by some means this war should be stopped and a prospect of peace and security should prevail, throughout the land. Furthermore, the Qur’ānic verse which was revealed on this occasion is also a proof that the objective of the Holy Prophet(sa) in these wars was not forceful propagation, rather, the establishment of peace. As such, a narration in Bukhārī1 states that the following Qur’ānic verse was revealed at the occasion of the Treaty of Ḥudaibiyyah:

“We have granted you a manifest victory.”2

In other words, Allāh the Exalted has referred to reconciliation and the establishment of peace as a manifest victory for the Muslims. In truth, the Treaty of Ḥudaibiyyah was such an extraordinarily magnificent victory, that in a way, the Battle of Badr and the Battle of the Ditch equate to nothing. The reason being that although the disbelievers were defeated and put to flight at the Battle of Badr and the Battle of the Ditch, the Muslims did not attain the objective of their Jihād in these wars, because the disbelievers were still in conflict just as before and war continued. However, at Ḥudaibiyyah, although there was no massacre and carnage and apparently the Muslims were made to give in to this treaty, but the purpose of their Jihād was ultimately attained. In other words, war was ceased, and peace was established in the land. Hence, the Treaty of Ḥudaibiyyah was the true victory, and it is for this reason that Allāh has referred to it as a ‘Manifest Victory’. This is a remarkably outstanding proof that the wars of the Muslims were either defensive or for the establishment of peace, and not for the purpose of spreading Islām by force.