Al-Fatḥ (Surah 48)

Introduction

This Medinian sûrah takes its name from the clear triumph (i.e., Treaty of Ḥudaibiyah) in verse 1. The Prophet (ﷺ) and 1400 of his companions travelled to Mecca to perform the minor pilgrimage (’umrah) in 6 A.H./628 C.E. He (ﷺ) sent ’Uthmân ibn ’Affân to let the Meccans know that the Muslims had come in peace, only to visit the Sacred House. When the Meccans delayed ’Uthmân, the Prophet (ﷺ) thought they might have killed his envoy. So he (ﷺ) called upon the faithful to pledge allegiance to him under a tree at Ḥudaibiyah in the outskirts of Mecca. Shortly after, ’Uthmân returned safely and a peace agreement was signed by the Muslims and Meccan pagans, stating in part that the Muslims would have to return to Medina and come back next year for ’umrah. The Treaty of Ḥudaibiyah is described as a clear triumph since it established peace, temporarily diffused the tension between the Muslims and the Meccan pagans, and gave the Muslims plenty of time to spread awareness and understanding of their faith. Thousands from different tribes accepted Islam during that truce. The sûrah commends the believers for proving true to Allah and His Messenger, criticizes the hypocrites for not marching forth with the Prophet (ﷺ), and condemns the pagans for denying the believers access to the Sacred House. The description of the true believers both in the Torah and the Gospel is given at the end of the sûrah, followed by instructions on proper conduct with the Prophet (ﷺ) and other believers in the next sûrah. In the Name of Allah—the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful