THE HUDAIBIYA METHOD

property, waged war against them, and made their women widows and their children orphans. The Makkans did not even allow them to enter Makkah to perform their pilgrimage. This grudge encouraged them to fight with the Quraysh. The Muslims had to forgive and forget the Quraysh for their actions and sign the peace treaty. In the environment of peace that would follow, the work of spreading the message of Islam would proceed rapidly. Those who had developed a soft corner in their hearts for Islam could now enter the fold of Islam, finding no obstacles in their way. Qital, meaning war, is to defend Islam by putting one’s life at stake. The Hudaybiya Method has become symbolic of opening the doors of God’s religion for God’s servants by sacrificing one’s honour. This goes to prove that the sacrifice of honour is far greater than that of life. History is often the refuge of those who have done little themselves worth celebrating. Imam Muslim recorded a saying narrated by Abu Hurayrah, the Prophet’s Companion that the Prophet of Islam once said, “I wish to see my Ikhwan (brothers).” The companions said, “Are we not your brothers, O Messenger of God?” The Prophet replied, “You are my companions. Our Ikhwan will come later.” Ad-Darimi, a traditionist of the 9th century, narrated that Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah once asked of the Prophet, “O Messenger of God, are there any of the Muslims better than us? We believed in you. We did Jihad with you.” The Prophet replied, “Yes, those Muslims are better who will believe in me without even seeing me.” (Jame Al-Usool fi Ahaadith Ar-Rasool, 9/206-7) The expression he used for such people was lam yarauni, meaning ‘they who did not see me.’ But this cannot be taken in just the literal sense. For when a prophet becomes a legendary personality in later periods of history, believing in just the existence of such a glorious personality cannot be a matter of great credit. Therefore, it is necessary to take these words in the sense of their contemporary relevance. This means that while the people of the Prophet’s time accepted his mission by seeing and listening to him, the Ikhwan would accept his mission without meeting him personally. History is now repeating itself for the Muslims. There are a large number of people today in non-Muslim environments, who are nevertheless