Negotiations between the Prophet and the Quraysh

Budayl bin Warqa went back and relayed the Prophet’s message to the Quraysh, who then sent Mikraz bin Hafs to parley with the Prophet . He too was told the same thing. Then came Halees bin Ikrama of Banu Kinana. When he appeared, the Prophet said to his Companions, “This man belongs to a tribe that holds sacrificial animals in high esteem, so make them stand up.”

The Companions made the animals, rise, and they themselves rose to greet Halees, chanting “Labbayk.” Hearing the call to Allah signifying that the Muslims were to obey, praise and worship Him alone, Halees was deeply moved. He remarked, “Praise be to God! It is certainly wrong to stop these people from going to the House of God. Shall the people of Lakhm, Juzam and Hamir perform Hajj while the son of Abdul Muttalib is barred from the House of God? By the Lord of the Ka’bah the Quraysh will meet their doom. These people have come to perform Umrah.”

The Quraysh rebuked him for his outburst in defence of the Muslims. “Sit down! You are a simple nomad! You don’t know their tricks.”

They then sent Urwa bin Mas’ood Thaqafi to talk to the Prophet . The Prophet repeated what he had told Budayl. Urwa tried another way to dissuade the Prophet from entering Makkah, pointing out the precarious situation of the Prophet : “Have you heard of any Arab who has harmed his own people? And if the opposite comes to pass and you are defeated, I see sitting about you scoundrels who will leave you in the lurch.” Abu Bakr burst out furiously, “Go suck the genitals of your idol, Lat! Shall we desert our Prophet?”

Urwah remained silent since this was the same Abu Bakr who had done him numerous favours in the past. In the course of the talks Urwah would gesticulate frequently and touch the Prophet’s beard, at which Mugheera bin Shu’ba would indignantly throw off Urwah’s hand with the hilt of his sword: “Keep your hand away from the sacred beard of the Prophet .”

Urwah countered, “O you ingrate! Isn’t it for you that I am making efforts?” Mugheera bin Shu’ba was Urwah’s nephew and had killed some people, seized their property, and then converted to Islam. Although the Prophet had approved of Mugheera’s accepting Islam, he avoided taking anything from his property. Urwah, as Mugheera’s elder, was negotiating a settlement with the relatives of the victims, and it was to these efforts that he referred.

As Urwah watched the Prophet and his Companions interact, he was struck by the Companions’ love, loyalty, and respect for the Prophet , and he reported to the Quraysh: “O people! By God, I have been to the courts of kings and seen the splendour of Caesar, Chosroes and Najaashi, but by God, never have I seen any king so revered as Muhammad. I noticed that if he spat, his Companions ran to get the spittle on their hands and rubbed it on their hands and faces. If he asked for anything, they vied to comply with his order; if he performed ablution, they struggled to get the water he had used, and if he spoke, everybody listened rapt. Nobody dared even look straight into his eyes. Their [the Muslims] terms are reasonable. Accept them.”

Even as negotiations continued, seventy or eighty boisterous youths of the Quraysh came down from Mount Tanyeem late one night and sneaked into the Muslim camp with the intention of subverting the peace talks. Every one of them was rounded up, but the Prophet forgave their misconduct and set them free. The incident chastened the Quraysh and impelled them to seek peace. In this connection the following verse descended: “And it is Allah Who restrained their hands from you and your hands from them in the midst of Makkah, and after that He gave you victory.” (48: 24).