514 Page Notes

48 Surah Al-Fath (continued)

Page 514 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 514 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 514 of the Quran contains Surah Al-Fath (The Victory, Chapter 48), verses 24 through 28. This segment concludes the surah by highlighting the divine intervention that prevented a bloody clash in the valley of Mecca, detailing the Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ historic vision (dream) of entering the Sacred Mosque, and declaring the ultimate triumph of Islam over all competing ways of life.

The Hadith and Sunnah literature provides direct eyewitness accounts of the events in the valley of Hudaybiyyah that triggered these verses, as well as the physical fulfillment of the Prophet's dream.

1. The Avoided Clash in the Valley of Mecca (Verse 24)

Verse 24 states: "And it is He who withheld their hands from you and your hands from them within [the valley of] Mecca after He caused you to overcome them..."

The Sunnah records a highly specific, tense military incident at Hudaybiyyah that directly explains this verse. A detachment of armed Meccan pagans slipped down Mount Tan'im under the cover of darkness or morning mist to launch a surprise ambush on the Muslim camp. The Prophet's guards captured them alive, but rather than executing them—which would have sparked an all-out war—the Prophet ﷺ magnanimously released them to preserve the peace.

The Ambush at Mount Tan'im

Narrated Anas bin Malik: "On the day of Hudaybiyyah, eighty armed men from the people of Mecca came down from the mountain of Tan'im, intending to ambush the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his Companions. The Prophet captured them without a fight and spared their lives. Then Allah revealed the verse: 'And it is He who withheld their hands from you and your hands from them within [the valley of] Mecca...'" — (Sahih Muslim, Book 32, Hadith 1808; Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Book 47, Hadith 3264)

Narrated Abdullah ibn Mughaffal: "We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at Hudaybiyyah under the tree. Suddenly, a group of young men from the Quraysh rushed toward us with weapons. We seized them, brought them to the Prophet ﷺ, and he set them free. Then Allah sent down: 'And it is He who withheld their hands from you...' " — (Musnad Ahmad, Vol. 4, Hadith 16782; Graded Sahih)

2. The Fulfillment of the Prophet’s Dream (Verse 27)

Verse 27 states: "Allah has certainly fulfilled for His Messenger the vision in truth. You will surely enter al-Masjid al-Haram, if Allah wills, in safety, with your heads shaved and [hair] shortened, not fearing..."

Before setting out from Medina, the Prophet ﷺ had a divine dream (Ru'ya) that he and his companions were entering Mecca, performing Tawaf, and shaving their heads. When the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah forced them to turn back to Medina without entering Mecca that year, some companions faced a crisis of confusion, wondering why the dream had not come true.

The Sunnah documents how the Prophet ﷺ handled this unrest, clarifying that the dream was true but destined for the following year (Umrat al-Qada', 7 AH).

Umar’s Dilemma and the Prophetic Response

Narrated Umar ibn al-Khattāb: "I went to the Prophet ﷺ and said, 'O Messenger of Allah, did you not tell us that we would go to the Kaaba and perform Tawaf?'

The Prophet ﷺ replied, 'Yes, but did I tell you that we would go to it this very year?'

I said, 'No.'

He said, 'Then you will certainly go to it and perform Tawaf around it.'" — (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 54, Hadith 19; Sahih Muslim, Book 32, Hadith 1785)

The Physical Fulfillment: Shaving and Shortening

When the Muslims finally returned to Mecca a year later under the terms of the treaty, they fulfilled the exact wording of Verse 27. The Sunnah highlights the Prophet’s preference for those who completely shaved their heads (Mualliqeen) over those who merely cut it short (Muqassireen).

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'O Allah! Be merciful to those who have their heads shaved.' The people said, 'O Messenger of Allah! And (invoke Allah for) those who have their hair cut short.' The Prophet ﷺ said, 'O Allah! Be merciful to those who have their heads shaved.' They repeated it, and on the third time he added, 'And to those who have their hair cut short.'" — (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 26, Hadith 785)

3. The Superiority of Islam Over All Religions (Verse 28)

Verse 28 declares: "It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religion. And sufficient is Allah as a Witness."

The Sunnah links this global manifestation of Islam to prophecies delivered by the Prophet ﷺ during times of extreme hardship, promising that the borders of the Muslim world would eventually expand across the entire globe.

The Global Scope of the Manifestation

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Indeed, Allah drew the ends of the earth together for me, and I saw its eastern and western extremities. And truly, the dominion of my Ummah (nation) will reach as far as those extremities which were drawn together for me." — (Sahih Muslim, Book 52, Hadith 7274)

References

• Al-Bukhari, M. I. Sahih al-Bukhari. Kitab al-Shurut (Book of Conditions/Treaties) & Kitab al-Hajj (Book of Pilgrimage).

• Al-Naysaburi, M. I. Sahih Muslim. Kitab al-Jihad wa'l-Siyar (Book of Jihad and Expeditions) & Kitab al-Fitan (Book of Tribulations).

• At-Tirmidhi, J. Jami` at-Tirmidhi. Kitab Tafsir al-Qur'an (Book of Quranic Commentary).

• Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Narrations of Abdullah ibn Mughaffal.