لَّقَدۡ رَضِيَ ٱللَّهُ عَنِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ إِذۡ يُبَايِعُونَكَ تَحۡتَ ٱلشَّجَرَةِ فَعَلِمَ مَا فِي قُلُوبِهِمۡ
Verse: "Allah was certainly pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you under the tree — He knew what was in their hearts." (Al-Fath 18)
Context: Al-Hudaybiyah, Year 6 AH. 1400 companions heading for Umrah. Quraysh blocked them. A rumor spread that Uthman ibn Affan was killed (he was not). The pledge under the tree: a pledge to death or steadfastness — not one companion fled.
What the Clear Conquest entailed:
- The Treaty of Hudaybiyah: the Prophet (PBUH) signed terms that seemed unfair — when Umar expressed bewilderment the verse came: "We have opened for you a manifest conquest"
- "He knew what was in their hearts" — Allah measures hearts not apparent positions
- The fruit of Hudaybiyah: in the following two years, twice as many accepted Islam as in 19 years — the door of the call opened
The dual lesson:
(1) Conquest may look like defeat — "I have not seen in Islam a matter with greater blessing than it" (Abu Bakr). (2) Allah's pleasure with the people of Hudaybiyah is a definitive Quranic testimony — evidence for those who rush to measure apparent positions.
Question: Why was the Treaty of Hudaybiyah a "manifest conquest" despite its terms that appeared unfair?
Answer: Because it opened the doors of the call without ongoing hostility — in two years after it, twice as many accepted Islam as in 19 years. The truce allowed people to interact with Muslims and absorb Islam away from war. The real conquest is the conquest of hearts, not land.