Now we are about to enter that period of Islāmic history which holds special significance in the second era of the Life of the Holy Prophet(sa) in Madīnah. My intent is to refer to the Treaty of Ḥudaibiyyah, by which the course of war and conflict between the infidels of Makkah and the Muslims was brought to a halt and whereby a new era in the history of Islām began. The world was given the opportunity to realise that the true power of Islām lied in peace and not in war. Clearly, there was no war during the Makkan life of the Holy Prophet(sa) and the Holy Prophet(sa) as well as his companions spent their lives under the rule of the Chieftains of the Quraish. However, this rule of the Quraish was even more cruel and tyrannous than a state of war, because the Quraish exerted their utmost strength to annihilate Islām. Following this, war broke out with the start of the era in Madīnah and the helpless Muslims went from one trial to another, which in some ways was even greater than the first. In reality, until now Islām had not yet received the opportunity to exhibit its power of peace. The Treaty of Ḥudaibiyyah, however, which we are about to mention, furnished this opportunity. Furthermore, the world knows that in this test, Islām demonstrated in broad daylight, that its power of peace is far greater and more splendid than its power of war. As such, the historical account which we are about to mention is a very significant one. We request our readers to study the details of this account very carefully.
1 February/March of 628 A.D.