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Hajj reflections 9 – Hudaibiyah Goodness can come from the unexpected

hajj reflections 10 - hudaibiyah

How the event of Hudaibiyah changed history

The Prophet (peace be on him) had names for things such as his swords, shields and camel. The Prophet (peace be on him) rode a camel called ‘Al-Qaswa’ during Umrah, which was a very fast and reliable camel. Not all camels can be used for travel – only about 1% can be used for travel and the rest are not that useful.

Ibn Umar reported Allah’s Messenger (peace be on him) as saying:

You would find people like one hundred camels and you would not find even one (camel) fit for riding. (Muslim).

On route to Umrah, Al-Qaswa’ froze three times at a certain place called Al-Hudaibiyah and refused to move. The companions (may Allah be pleased with them) tried calling her and swearing at her to get her to move. The Prophet (peace be on him) stopped them and said:

The One who stopped the elephant from going to Makkah has likewise stopped my camel. By Allah if they ask about anything now that doesn’t breach Allah’s command, I’ll accept it from them (i.e. Quraysh).

So the Prophet (peace be on him) was ready to agree to what the people wanted.

The companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were very upset on hearing the concessions that the Prophet (peace be on him) was willing to make. The contract that was written was known as the Treaty of Hudaibiyah. Some of the changes that Quraysh insisted up and that the Prophet (peace be on him) agreed to included:
1. Quraysh’s refusal to write Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem, instead they agreed Bismika Allahumma.
2. Quraysh’s refusal to write ‘Prophet Muhammad’. Instead only agreed to write ‘Muhammad, son of Abdullah’
3. A clause by Quraysh that whoever went from Makkah to Madinah should be sent back. As soon as it was written a man came and asked the Prophet (peace be on him) to let him into Madinah because he was being tortured.
4. The Prophet (peace be on him) was in ihram but they refused to allow him to do umrah this year.
Yet the Prophet (peace be on him) stuck to the treaty. The Prophet (peace be on him) also fulfilled the necessary conditions for being released from ihram without doing Umrah he slaughtered the sacrifices and shaved his head ( peace be upon him). However, the companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were reluctant to obey the Prophet (peace be on him) in this. He consulted his wife (Um Salamah travelled with him on this trip) who advised him to go ahead with what needed to be done and the companions would follow. So the Prophet (peace be on him) slaughtered an animal and shaved his head in order to be released from the ihram, and the companions then followed.

When goodness comes out of pain

Later, the Prophet (peace be on him) said that more people had entered Islam as a result of the Treaty then had in 13-15 years. Hence, you may love something and it’s bad for you and you may hate something and it’s good for you.
When facing a test it is better to say ‘It is a test but I trust Allah Almighty and will do my best’ – this gives you strength. If however you complain and don’t trust Allah Almighty the test will be more painful and its’ pain will show on you.
Whatever comes from Allah Almighty always look at it from the positive side or else you will suffer from it twice, firstly from the test itself and then from the effect of its pain on you. So be positive and realise that everything is from Allah Almighty and this will relieve your suffering.
Q&A:
• The prophets (peace be on them) are alive in their graves. It is a special life called ‘Barzakh life’. Allah Almighty prohibited the earth from swallowing up the bodies of the prophets, messengers and martyrs.

Shaykh Haytham Tamim – Tafseer Class 4th July 2022

  1. Connection and self-discovery
  2. Alone yet united
  3. Sincerity and obedience
  4. Transformation and tests
  5. Choosing between your will and Allah’s
  6. Waiting, being and having nothing
  7. Focus and forgiveness
  8. Emerging from humiliation
  9. Goodness from pain
  10. Have deep trust

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Shaykh Haytham Tamim is the founder and main teacher of the Utrujj Foundation. He has provided a leading vision for Islamic learning in the UK, which has influenced the way Islamic knowledge is disseminated. He has orchestrated the design and delivery of over 200 unique courses since Utrujj started in 2001. His extensive expertise spans over 30 years across the main Islamic jurisprudence schools of thought. He has studied with some of the foremost scholars in their expertise; he holds some of the highest Ijazahs (certificates) in Quran, Hadith (the Prophetic traditions) and Fiqh (Islamic rulings). His own gift for teaching was evident when he gave his first sermon to a large audience at the age of 17 and went on to serve as a senior lecturer of Islamic transactions and comparative jurisprudence at the Islamic University of Beirut (Shariah College). He has continued to teach; travelling around the UK, Europe and wider afield, and won the 2015 BISCA award (British Imams & Scholars Contributions & Achievements Awards) for Outstanding Contribution to Education and Teaching.