AD 630-632 - The Prophet Muhammed in Makkah

Muhammad decided to perform the 'Umrab, or religious vistation of Makkah, and for this purpose he left alMadinah with a following of some 4,400 men. When they wore within two days' march of Makkab, their advance was checked by the hostile Quraish, and Muhammad, turning to the west from 'Usfan, encamped at al-Hudaibiyah, within seven miles of the sacred city. At this spot a truce was made, which is known as the treaty of al-Hudaibiyah, in which it was stipulated that all hostilities should cease for ten years, and that for the future the Muslims should have the privilege, unmolested, of paying a yearly visit of three days to the Ka'bah.

Certain smouldering hostilities between tribes inhabiting the neighbourhood of Makkah broke forth, and were eagerly seized upon by Muhammad, as justifying those designs upon Makkah which the success of his arms, and the dominion he possessed over numberless tribes in the north, in the Hijaz, and Najed, new made it easy for him to carry out. On the 1st January, AD 630, Muhammad's march commenced, and the army swelled to the number of 10,000 men. The Prophet made his public entry into Makkah on his favourite camel, having Abu Bakr on his right hand, Usaid on his left, and Usamah walking behind him.

The ninth year of the Hijrah is known as the year of deputations, as being the year in which the various tribes of Arabia submitted to the claim of the Prophet, and sent embassies of peace to him. The gradual submission of Arabia, and the Acknowledgment of the spiritual and temporal supremacy of the Prophet throughout the entire peninsula, followed. Indeed, in the complex system which he had established, the spiritual and secular functions were intimately blended, and involved in each other.

It was during the time of the next yearly pilgrimage (March, AD 631), that Muhammad issnsd an important command, the crowning stone of the system be had raised, which shows at once the power he wielded, and the strong hold his doctrines had already taken throughout Arabia. He gave directions that either within or without the sacred territory, war was be waged with the unbelievers, that they were to be killed, besieged, and laid in wait for "wheresoever found." He ordained, however, that if they repent and pay the legal alms, they are to be dismissed freely; but as regards "those unto whom the Scriptures have been delivered " (Jews and Christians, &c.), "they are to be fought against until they pay tribute by right of subjection, and are reduced low."

There are proofs in both Shi’a and Sunni that the Prophet himself was poisoned by a Jew in the battle of Khaibar, and the poison slowly worked on his body till it finally killed him. Muhammad died in 632 AD, it is said as a result of being poisoned following his attack upon and conquest of the Jewish settlement of Khaibar. About two month before his attack on Khaibar, Muhammad failed in an attempt to go to Mecca. He returned humiliated in the eyes of the Meccans and in the minds of his people. Allah was not able to deliver the Meccan's goods as booty, so Muhammad told his followers that they were going to attack and plunder the weaker Jewish settlement of Khaibar. Immediately following the conquest of Khaibar, a Jewish woman prepared a dinner for Muhammad and some of his men. Unknown to the Muslims, she had put a poison into the lamb (some say goat) that was served at dinner. Muhammad ate some of the poisoned lamb and died as a result three years later.

Sahih Bukhari's Hadith is considered to be the most important Islamic book, after the Quran. Bukhari's Hadith 3.786: "Narrated Anas bin Malik: A Jewess brought a poisoned (cooked) sheep for the Prophet who ate from it. She was brought to the Prophet and he was asked, "Shall we kill her?" He said, "No." I continued to see the effect of the poison on the palate of the mouth of Allah's Apostle." From Bukhari's Hadith 4.394: " He asked, "Have you poisoned this sheep?" They said, "Yes." He asked, "What made you do so?" They said, "We wanted to know if you were a liar in which case we would get rid of you, and if you are a prophet then the poison would not harm you."

Muhammad died on 7th June, AD 632. Abu Bakr entered the house at this juncture, and after viewing the body of the Prophet with touching demonstrations of affection, he appeared at the door and addressed the crowd thus: "O Muslims, if ye adore Muhammad, know that Muhammad is dead. If ye adore God, God is alive, and cannot die." One account of Muhammad's death is that of Sunni traditionists. The Shi'ahs deny almost every word of it, and give another as an authentic narrative of the Prophet's death. The manifest object being to establish the claim of 'Ali to be Muhammad's successor.