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noticed the hush which descended upon them when the Prophet
was speaking, the reverence which prevented them from looking
him straight in the eye. When this envoy reported back to the
Quraysh, they were deeply impressed by his description of the
Muslims’ loyalty and affection for their leader. ‘Urwah ibn Mas’ud
asked them: “Are you not as my fathers and sons?” The people told
him that they were indeed. “Are you suspicious of me in any way?”
he asked them. They said not. “Well,” ‘Urwa continued, “this man
(Muhammad) has made a fine proposal to you. Agree to it, and let
me go to confer with him.”
(Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah)
The Prophet made clear his intention to accept any demand the
Quraysh made, as long as it did not contradict the law of God. The
Quraysh displayed all manner of bigotry while the treaty was being
compiled. They removed the words, ‘Muhammad, Prophet of
God,’ from the draft and inserted “Muhammad, son of Abdullah,”
instead. Taking offence at the words, “In the Name of God, the
Beneficent, the Merciful,” they insisted on “In Your Name, O
God,” being written. They added a clause saying that any Quraysh
who joined the Muslims would have to be returned. The Quraysh,
on the other hand, would not have to do the same with any Muslim
who came to them. They also refused the Muslims permission to
enter Makkah for their pilgrimage that year. These clauses were
more than the Companions could bear. ‘Urwah ibn Mas’ud even
commented that those whom the Prophet had gathered around
himself would desert him. ‘Urwah’s remark was too much for the
normally placid Abu Bakr. Angrily he said, “So you think that
we will leave the Prophet on his own?” But the Prophet himself
refused to be provoked. He accepted all the Quraysh’s demands,
and completed a ten-year truce with them. As long as the truce
lasted, the Quraysh were prevented, directly or indirectly, from
participating in any hostilities against the Muslims.
This treaty weighed so heavily on the Muslims that, after it had
been completed, no one responded to repeated calls by the Prophet
for sacrifice of the camels they had brought with them. It was with
heavy hearts that finally they rose to make the sacrifice. So deep
