The cause of the Battle of al-Hudaybiyyah.

The Shaykh : The cause of it was that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to perform 'Umrah in the month of Dhu al-Qa'dah, which is one of the months of Hajj, in the sixth year of the Hijrah. This was because the Arabs in their pre-Islamic age of ignorance viewed Hajj and 'Umrah from a material perspective for the sake of earning money. They held that 'Umrah in the months of Hajj was not permissible, and that 'Umrah in the months of Hajj was among the most heinous of sins. They would say, "When the trace is gone," meaning the trace of the journey, "and the back is healed," meaning the wounds on the mounts from the tightness of the saddles and the travel, "then 'Umrah is permitted for whoever performs 'Umrah." Or they would say, "And when the month of Dhu al-Qa'dah has passed, 'Umrah is permitted for whoever performs 'Umrah." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wanted to invalidate this belief. He set out in Dhu al-Qa'dah, which is one of the months of Hajj, indeed the middle of the months of Hajj, because the months of Hajj are three: Shawwal, Dhu al-Qa'dah, and Dhu al-Hijjah. He set out performing 'Umrah to make clear that the Shari'ah contradicts this custom and this practice established by the people of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, and that 'Umrah in the months of Hajj is prescribed and brings one closer to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So he (peace and blessings be upon him) set out from Madinah heading toward Makkah in the sixth year of the Hijrah. When Quraysh learned of this, they were seized by arrogance, pride, and the zeal of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance. They prevented the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him); they prevented him when he reached al-Hudaybiyyah. Al-Hudaybiyyah is a place between Makkah and Madinah on the road to Jeddah, part of it within the sacred precinct and part of it outside it. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) camped there and began exchanging messages with Quraysh, seeking to enter and perform 'Umrah and then leave Makkah without bothering anyone. But Quraysh, in their arrogance and haughtiness, prevented the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). They said, "It is not possible that people will talk about us saying we were forced, meaning we were compelled, when our enemy, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), entered our land." Messages were exchanged between them until the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent 'Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) to negotiate with them. In the end, they agreed on the terms which we will mention.