The Call of Dawah in the Modern Age March-April

Why did God describe an apparent defeat as a clear victory? It was because the accord subsequently reached had shifted the field of encounter between Muslims and non-Muslims to a sphere in which the Muslims had a distinct advantage. In the face of non-Muslim aggression, encounters between Islam and non-Islam had formerly taken place on the battlefield. Islam, being militarily the weaker because of smaller numbers of fighting men and inferior weaponry, was not in a position to prevail against the enemy. A number of battles after the emigration had failed to resolve the issue. But now, with the terms of the treaty guaranteeing that there would be no further fighting for a period of ten years, encounters now took place in the arena of the peaceful propagation of the faith. The dawah mission, which had had to come to a standstill because of the continuous fighting over the years, was now resumed in full force, and the idolaters now found themselves bereft of weapons with which to resist the onslaught of the truth of monotheism. In consequence, the Arab tribes entered the fold in such great numbers that the power of polytheism was considerably diminished. Ultimately, Makkah was conquered within just two years of the signing of the treaty. In the present era, Muslims everywhere have been fighting wars with other communities for material ends, but thanks to their own shortcomings, they have been defeated on all fronts and left behind in every field by other nations. What they need to do is to close down all fronts and change the field of encounter by reaching an understanding with their antagonists of the kind arrived at in Hudaybiyyah. By making this sacrifice of their own volition, Muslims will be able to divert other communities from the material field of encounter to the sphere of purely