THE TREATY OF AL-HUDAYBIYA - F.B. Ali

           Abstract

The accepted version of this treaty, and the events surrounding it, forms a perplexing chapter in the history of Islam, since it fits neither context nor character. Later historians, including modern ones, have adopted without examination or question the account that they have received from their predecessors. Surprisingly, so have Muslims, even though this alleged version casts the founder of their faith in a poor light. Instead, they have chosen to come up with all sorts of excuses and explanations to overcome these implications.

This paper examines the historical basis for this received narrative and shows that it is so flimsy as to render it quite unbelievable. This examination also adduces strong grounds for accepting an alternative version of these events, which has a sound evidentiary basis and conforms fully to the historical context. This much more likely version is also detailed in the paper.

This investigation also highlights the dangers of unquestioningly accepting all hadith as true merely because of the religious sanctity attached to them.

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[1] This paper was originally published in The Muslim World in January 1981 (Volume LXXI, No.1, 47) under the title Al-Hudaybiya : An Alternative Version. It was also reprinted in Uri Rubin, ed., The Life of Muhammad (Aldershot, UK and Brookfield, USA: Ashgate Publishing, 1998). It is reproduced here in essentially the same form with some editorial amendments (designed to improve readability, and sharpen the points made).

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