LESSON 10
MECCA & ARABIA

The treaty of Hudaybiyya did not last, because of hostilities between allies of Mecca and allies of the Muslims in October 629, in which the Meccans intervened to help their own allies, thus providing the Muslims with an excuse for repudiating the treaty. Abû-Sufyân went to Medina to beg for peace, but Muhammad and the leading Muslims rebuffed him and began marching on Mecca. Abû-Sufyân came again meet Muhammad, who told him, "Woe to you, Abû-Sufyân! Is it not time that you recognize that I am the Messenger of God?" He said, "No one is kinder or more generous and friendly than you. But, by God, I still have doubts." Al-`Abbâs said, "Woe to you! Become a Muslim and testify that there is no god but Allâh and that Muhammad is his Messenger before your head is cut off. So he pronounced the shahâda and became a Muslim. He was then told: "Whoever enters the compound of Abû-Sufyân will have safety. And whoever locks his door is safe, and whoever enters the mosque is safe."

Before entering Mecca Muhammad told his men not to fight unless they were opposed, except for a few whom he ordered to be killed by name, even if they were found under the curtains of the Ka`ba. One of them was `Abdallâh ibn-abî-Sarh, since he had been a Muslim and used to write down revelation for the Messenger of God. When he heard the words, "We created man from an extraction of clay... Then we made him a new creation" (Q 23:12), `Abdallâh exclaimed, "Blessed be God the best creator". Muhammad told him, "Write that down, because that is what has been revealed". `Abdallâh doubted and said, "If Muhammad speaks the truth, then I have received revelation just as he has, but if he is lying, then I have spoken as he has spoken." So he apostatized and returned to Mecca. `Abdallâh's life was spared only by the intercession of `Uthmân.

Another condemned man was `Abdallâh ibn-Khahal, who had been a Muslim and then apostatized. He had two singing girls who accompanied and entertained him with songs mocking Muhammad. He and several others were killed, all on charges of apostasy or of mocking Muhammad.

Once the situation in Mecca was settled, Muhammad entered the Ka`ba and ordered that all the idols which were around the Ka`ba should be smashed and burned, and all the pictures erased except two of Jesus and Mary. The occupation of Mecca was completed 11 January 630.

Muhammad still had a few remaining nomadic tribes to subdue. After the Muslims had fought and defeated the Meccans, the Hawâzin and Thaqîf tribes may have thought that the Muslims were exhausted. So they massed an army of nearly 20,000 men to attack. They took their cattle, women and children along "to make the men fight to death in their defence". Muhammad marched against them and, even though many of his men fled, defeated them. Then he marched against a-â'if, but could not take it.

A deputation of the Hawâzin came to Muhammad, who held captive 6,000 of their women and children and a vast number of camels and sheep. Because they accepted Islam Muhammad restored all that would have been his own share of booty and persuaded the other Muslims to relinquish their own shares. Yet Muhammad could not pass up the chance of giving `Alî, `Uthmân and `Umar each a slave girl, and 100 camels each to 15 chiefs "whose hearts were to be won over" (Q 9:60), and 50 camels to various other men.

After Muhammad returned the captives to their people, his own men mobbed him: "Divide for us our share of the camels and sheep. They forced him against a tree and tore his cloak off him. Muhammad had difficulty restoring order. One man, who was dissatisfied with his share and wrote poetry against Muhammad, had to be appeased with a greater number of camels. Muhammad then praised his men's Islam and shamed them by explaining that he had to use gifts to win others to Islam.

In February 630 Muhammad made his second `umra pilgrimage, and nine months later went with some men to raid Tabûk, on the borders of Byzantine Syria, but little was achieved. On the way to Tabûk, at a town an hour's distance from Medina some Muslims came to Muhammad and said, "Messenger of God, we have built a mosque for the sick and needy and as a refuge for rainy and wintery nights. Please come and do salât in it for us." He said he would do so when he returned. On his way back he ordered his men, "Go, destroy and burn this mosque of unjust people." They set the mosque on fire while its people were inside and destroyed it, while the people fled (Q 9:107). This mosque possibly was a gathering place of critical "hypocrites". What is clear is that Muhammad would not tolerate a run-away Islam that would disregard his authority.

Then the Thaqîf Arabs of a-Tâ'if, realizing they could not hold out against Muhammad, were forced to submit and became Muslim. In March 631 Abû-Bakr led the hajj pilgrimage, and polytheists were thenceforward barred from making the pilgrimage (Q 9:1 ff.; 2:543-4).

At this time deputations of Arabs came to Muhammad from every side, realizing that they could no longer fight him, and "entered the religion of God in droves" (Q 110:2). Muhammad wrote to the kings of Himyar, praising them for accepting Islam and commanding them to pay the sadaqa tax. He added:

If a Jew or a Christian becomes a Muslim he is one of the believers with the same rights and obligations. If a Jew or a Christian keeps his religion he is not to be turned from it but, whether male or female, free or slave, will have to pay the jizya, a full dînâr.. or its equivalent in clothes. One who pays this to the Messenger of God will have the protection of God and of his Messenger. Anyone who refuses it is the enemy of God and of this Messenger.

This is the likely time that a delegation of sixty Christians came from Najrân, in Yemen, including `Abdalmasîh, their head of state, his chief administrator, called al-Ayham, and their bishop Abû-Hâritha ibn-`Alqama. They went to Muhammad in his mosque while he was doing the `asr prayer. The time for their own prayer came and Muhammad allowed them to do it in his mosque. He tried to persuade them to become Muslims but, unable to convince them, he challenged them to join him in calling down God's curse on the party in error (Q 3:61). The Christians refused this procedure and said, "We have decided not to curse you, but to leave you with your religion, while we keep to ours." These Christians remained in Najrân until they were expelled from Arabia during the reign of `Umar ibn-al-Khaâb.

Two others in Arabia claimed to be prophets: Musaylima ibn-Habîb in al-Yamâma among the Hanîfa tribe, and al-Aswad ibn-Ka`b in San`â'. Musaylima wrote this letter to Muhammad:

From Musaylima, Messenger of God, to Muhammad, Messenger of God: Peace be with you. I have been made your partner. Half the land is ours and half belongs to the Quraysh, but the Quraysh are a hostile people.

When Muhammad read it he asked the messengers, "What do you say about it?" They answered, "We agree with it." He said, "By God, if you were not envoys who may not be killed I would cut your heads off." Then he wrote to Musaylima,

In the name of God the merciful and compassionate. From Muhammad the Messenger of God to Musaylima the liar. Peace to anyone who follows guidance. God chooses his own servants to inherit the land, and in the end the pious will succeed.

Around this time a crisis developed among Muhammad's wives who were quarrelling over several issues. Muhammad stayed away from them for a month, after which he gave them the choice of shaping up or shipping out (Q 33:28-34,51; 66:1-5). Both `Umar and Abû-Bakr intervened in the crisis to urge their daughters to reconcile with Muhammad. At the end of the month all of the wives, beginning with `Â'isha, accepted the terms of the ultimatum and returned to normal life with him. The wives, in turn, were honoured with the title "mothers of the believers" (Q 33:6). Later on, Muhammad was forbidden to marry any more wives, and his widows were forbidden from ever remarrying after his death (Q 33:52-53).

QUESTIONS

1. Evaluate Muhammad's policy in taking Mecca, sparing most of its people, but condemning a few.
2. Evaluate the motives of the nomad Arabs who accepted Islam.
3. Describe the relationship between Muhammad and the Christians of Najrân.
4. Describe Muhammad's prophetic and political authority at the height of his career.

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West Africa and Islam

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