Effects of the truce

The truce that ensued with the Treaty of Hudaybia profoundly affected the spread of Islam. Muslims were able to mix with other Arabs and invite them to Islam with such success that more people became Muslim in the following two years than had done in the previous nineteen. Even the elite among the Quraysh, Amr bin As, Khalid bin Waleed and Uthman bin Talha appeared before the Prophet with the confession of faith on their lips, willing to give their lives, property, and power for Allah. As they came up to the Prophet , he remarked, “Makkah has entrusted the lobes of its heart to us.”

The Prophet’s letters to Monarchs and Potentates

Once he had finalised the Treaty of Hudaybia, the Prophet was free to spread the word of Allah farther. He sent letters to monarchs and nobles of several lands inviting them to Islam and reminding them of their responsibility to Allah. These letters are given below in condensed form:

Letter to the king of Abyssinia

To As-Huma bin Abjar, the Abyssinian king, the Prophet wrote: “In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.” “This is a letter addressed to As-Huma, the Monarch of Abyssinia, from Muhammad, the Prophet of Allah.” “Peace of Allah be upon those who follow Guidelines and have faith in Allah and His Messenger. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, the One without partners.

He neither took a wife nor adopted a son, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, I call you to Islam, for I am His Messenger. Embrace Islam that you may find peace.” “[Allah says in the Qur’an]: O people of the Book: Come to that which is common between you and us, that we may serve none but Allah, nor associate anything with Him, nor take others for Lords besides Allah. But if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are Muslims.” “If you reject this, then on you shall rest the sin of your people.”

This letter was sent through Amr bin Umayya Damri. Ashuma received the letter and kissed it with his eyes. He then rose from his throne to embrace Islam under the tutelage of Ja’far bin Abi Talib. In his reply to the Prophet , As-huma pledged allegiance and confessed his faith. Later he finalised the marriage of Umm Habeebah bint Abu Sufyan to the Prophet , and paid four hundred dinars in dower on the Prophet’s behalf. He then sent Umm Habeebah back along with the emigrants of Abyssinia in two boats under the escort of Amr bin Umayya Damri. The Muslims from Abyssinia arrived in Madinah while the Prophet was away in Khaybar.

King As-huma passed away in Rajab, 9 A.H. The Prophet announced the news of his death on the same day, and performed his funeral prayer in absentia. The Prophet wrote to his successor calling him to Islam, but it was not known whether he accepted Islam.