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An analytical study of the letters and treaties of

the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace
*




By Zafar Bangash,
Director, Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought (ICIT).





Allah subhanahu wa taala describes the noble Messenger, sallalaho alayh-e
wa aalehee wa sallam (saws) in glowing terms in the glorious Quran. Some of
these ayaat also pertain to his worldly mission or the power dimension of the
Seerah, such as:

1. He is the Best of Exemplars:

Verily, in the Messenger of Allah you have the Best of Exemplars
for him who looks unto Allah and the Last Day and remembers
Allah much. (Al-Quran, Surah al-Ahzab [33]: ayah 21).

2. He is the last and final Messenger of Allah, the Seal of all Prophets:

Muhammad (saws) is not the father of any man among you but he is
the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets; and Allah is
aware of all things. (33:40).

3. He has been sent as a Messenger to all mankind:

Say [O Prophet]: O mankind! Verily, I am the Messenger to you
all[the messenger of] Him unto Whom belongs the Sovereignty of
the heavens and the earth. There is no god save Him. He gives life
and He gives death. So make your faith-commitment to Allah and
His Messenger, the untutored Prophet, who believes in Allah and in

*
This is the Introduction of new book by Zafar Bangash, An analytical approach to the
study of the letters and treaties of the noble Messenger, upon whom be peace, due to be
published by the Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought in 2007.
Zafar Bangash, An analytical study of the letters and treaties of the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace
The Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought (ICIT), 2007. All rights reserved. www.islamicthought.org
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His Words, and follow him that haply you may be guided aright.
(7:158).

4. He has been sent as one who brings glad tidings and warns all mankind:

And We have sent you not [O Prophet] except as a bringer of glad
tidings and as a warner to all mankind; but most of mankind know
not. (34:28);

5. He is sent as a mercy to all the worlds:

We sent you not [O Prophet] except as a mercy to all the worlds.
(21:107).

6. The Messenger has been sent with ayaat to guide mankind:

He [Allah] it is Who has sent among the unlettered ones a
messenger of their own, to recite to them His revelation and to
purify them, and to teach them the Book and Wisdom, though
heretofore, they were in manifest error. (62:02).

7. He has been sent to bring mankind out of darkness into light:

A messenger reciting unto you the revelations of Allah made plain,
that He may bring forth those who make the faith-commitment and
do righteous deeds from darkness into light (65:11).

8. Allah will make His deen (al-Islam) dominant over all other systems:

He [Allah] it is Who has sent His messenger with clear guidance
and the Deen of Truth, that He may cause it to prevail over all other
systems, however much the mushrikeen may be averse [to this
eventuality]. (9:33; 61:9).


These ayaat are by no means exhaustive but they highlight the role assigned by
Allah subhanahu wa taala to His beloved Messenger (saws) in the worldly
domain. He was the Messenger of Allah as well as a ruler and guide. He was
divinely guided to establish Allahs rule on earth because, as the best of
Zafar Bangash, An analytical study of the letters and treaties of the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace
The Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought (ICIT), 2007. All rights reserved. www.islamicthought.org
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exemplars, no field of human endeavour was excluded from his area of
responsibility.

Authority and power on earth include jurisdiction over a territory where divine
laws are implemented in totality. Thus, as the ruler of a particular territory, he
also dealt with other rulers in and around the Arabian Peninsula. We need to
discuss this aspect of the Prophets role in society. In particular, we need to
review the treaties he entered into and the letters he sent to various rulers, not
only inviting them to Islam but also to secure peace and justice in society. One
of the most important of these treaties was the Sahifa (Covenant) of Madinah,
referred to as a Charter
1
or as the First Written Constitution in the world.
2


From the Quran we learn that there were three earlier ProphetsYusuf, Daud
and Sulaiman, upon them all be peacewho became rulers but in each of the
earlier cases, they inherited their kingdom from others.
3
Only the last and final
Messenger of Allah (saws) created a State where no such entity had existed
before. We will briefly consider the advent of Islam in Makkah and the
difficulties the Prophet (saws) encountered and how he overcame them to
establish the Islamic State in Madinah. We will also consider the letters and
treaties that facilitated first the establishment and then the consolidation of the
Islamic State.

The Prophet (saws) started his mission in Makkah with a handful of followers.
For the first 13 years, this number remained relatively small. The chiefs of
Quraysh, the real power wielders in Makkah, were extremely antagonistic
toward Islam as well as to the Prophet of Allah, upon whom be peace. Their
hostility manifested itself through ridiculing the message of Islam and
subjecting Muslims to intense persecution. The Quraysh chiefs could hardly
claim that Muslims posed a physical threat to their vested interests, at least not
in the early days of Islam. There was clearly something else that aroused their
anger. They rightly perceived Islam as a threat to their exploitative system, of
which they were the principal beneficiaries through the victimization of the
weak and the downtrodden.

Throughout history exploiters have targeted those whom they perceive as
posing a challenge to their position, regardless of how remote the possibility or
how distant it may be in the future. It was not as if the Makkan elite could point
to anything wrong with the message of Islam; they knew that they themselves
were guilty of exploiting others. Such exploitation, however, becomes
entrenched in society when the rich and powerful terrorise others into
Zafar Bangash, An analytical study of the letters and treaties of the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace
The Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought (ICIT), 2007. All rights reserved. www.islamicthought.org
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submission. This was also the case in Makkah before the advent of Islam. When
the Prophet (saws) declared that all people, regardless of birth, tribe or wealth,
were equal in the sight of Allah, this immediately angered the Quraysh chiefs.
How could the slaves, whom they considered to be inferior, and women, who
were treated as disposable commodity, be equal to them, they asked. There was
also the ideological dimension to their hostility: Islam proclaimed a message of
the Oneness of Allah that directly challenged their long-held belief in a
multiplicity of gods. More importantly, Islam questioned the exploitative
economic system that was built around the gods of the tribes. This the Quraysh
chiefs were not prepared to tolerate, hence their persecution of Muslims.

When such persecution intensified, the Prophet (saws) permitted a group of
Muslim men and women to migrate to Abyssinia in the fifth year of his
mission. The persecution was so intense that some Muslims even had to hide
their faith. It was not until Allah opened an opportunity for Muslims to migrate
to Madinah (known at the time as Yathrib), some 300km to the northwest, that
their numbers increased significantly. Even in Madinah the Muslims problems
did not disappear immediately or completely, although they now resided in a
relatively safe environment. The Quraysh launched repeated attacks against
them that were clearly aimed at destroying the emerging power of Islam. This
revealed the true nature of the struggle; even though Muslims had left Makkah,
the Quraysh continued to pursue them and would not let them live in peace.
Why? The answer lies in the ideological challenge that Islam posed to their
jahili system and the guilty minds of the Quraysh chiefs. Islam for them posed a
political, social and ideological challenge and if it succeeded in establishing
itself, it would undermine their power position as well as their economic
interests. Soon after the Muslims arrived in Madinah, the Quraysh chiefs sent a
message to Abdullah ibn Ubayy, the well-known munafiq whose hopes of
becoming the king of Madinah had been dashed by the Muslims arrival, telling
him to expel the Muslims from the city or face serious consequences.
4
When
the Prophet (saws) heard about this, he personally visited Ibn Ubayy and
persuaded him not to side with the Quraysh against the Muslims, thus averting
a major crisis from erupting in Madinah.

Oppressors have never willingly allowed their privileges to be taken away, no
matter how unjust their position may be. This was true then and it is true today.
The wars, murder and mayhem unleashed against the people of Asia, the
Middle East, Africa and so on by the militarily powerful countries today reflect
the true nature of exploiters throughout history. The vicious propaganda
campaign launched against Muslims trying to defend their rights demonstrates
Zafar Bangash, An analytical study of the letters and treaties of the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace
The Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought (ICIT), 2007. All rights reserved. www.islamicthought.org
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that it is not enough to be right; one must also have the power to defend ones
rights. This lesson, so clearly demonstrated in the Seerah, must be fully
internalised by Muslims.

Despite lacking arms and with limited manpower, the Muslims repeatedly stood
their ground against the better-armed Makkan invaders. In the first battle at
Badr, for instance, the Muslims inflicted a crushing defeat on the Quraysh,
killing a large number of prominent Makkans, which deflated their arrogance
somewhat. This is another lesson of history that is also confirmed by the words
of the noble Quran: that even a small but dedicated number of people
struggling in Allahs Way with sincerity will often overpower a much larger
force.
5
With notable exceptions, the Muslims consistently gave a far better
account of themselves in successive battles against the much larger and better-
armed mushrik forces. It was not until the Treaty of Hudaibiyya at the end of
the sixth year of the hijrah that the Muslims found some respite from their
traditional Makkan foes. Following this treaty a large number of people entered
the fold of Islam who had hitherto been reluctant to do so for fear of
antagonizing the Quraysh, one of the most powerful tribes in Arabia.

We also note that in Makkah the majority of those who responded to the
Prophets call were those who were weak and downtroddenslaves, the poor,
women and the youth. True, among them were also the offspring of the elite but
they too were subjected to very harsh treatment and pressured by their elders to
abandon the new faith. Far from succumbing to such pressure, the Muslims
preferred to suffer punishment and torture but refused to abandon Islam or their
loyalty to the Messenger of Allah (saws). They were convinced of the
truthfulness of the message that he delivered and understood that worshipping
idols and indulging in the kind of behaviourrobbery, murder, pillage,
oppression, stealing, drinking, fornication and so onprevalent in Makkah at
the time, were wrong. It was such firm conviction that enabled them to
withstand the oppression.

One of the most remarkable aspects of the Prophets life-struggle is that even
when faced with great difficulties and challenges, he never lost hope; he always
remained optimistic. Equally remarkable is the fact that while he appeared
powerless in Makkah and needed the support and protection of his uncle Abu
Talib, he was clear in his mind that Islam would acquire the power and glory
that Allah had promised. There is a particularly revealing episode when the
Quraysh chiefs complained to Abu Talib about the Prophets rejection of their
gods and wanted his uncle to talk to him so that he would desist from such
Zafar Bangash, An analytical study of the letters and treaties of the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace
The Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought (ICIT), 2007. All rights reserved. www.islamicthought.org
- 6 -
practice. The Prophet told them: Shall I tell you of a statement that, were you
to utter, would put the Roman and Persian empires at your feet? The Quraysh
leaders, clearly intrigued by this offer, nonetheless wanted to know what it was.
They were greatly angered when the Prophet (saws) told them that if they were
to recite the Kalimahthere is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allahthey would acquire all the power and glory in the world
and the Persian and Roman empires would fall at their feet.
6
Even in those
bleak days when the Prophet (saws) could offer little or no protection to his
followers, he was thinking in terms of overpowering the Roman and Persian
empires. Such thinking could hardly emanate from the mind of a person who
perceived himself as lacking power or authority; he was convinced that Allah
subhanahu wa taala would help him in the mission that had been entrusted to
him.

This was also the message delivered by Allah in the noble Quran in the fifth
year of the Prophets mission, when the fire-worshipping Zoroastrian rulers of
Persia defeated the Christian Romans in Palestine and captured Jerusalem. The
Makkan chiefs taunted the Muslims, asking them why Allah had not helped the
Romans who were Christians against the fire-worshipping Persians. The answer
came in a divine revelation in a manner that not only predicted the victory of
the Romans but also of the Muslims over their mushrik tormentors. The divine
Words reflect immense optimism:

The Romans have been defeated in the nearer land, and they, after
their defeat, will be victorious within ten yearsAllahs is the
command in the former case and in the latterand in that the truly
committed to Allahs Command (the believers) shall rejoice in
Allahs help to victory. He helps to victory whom He Will. He is the
Mighty, the Merciful. It is a promise of Allah. Allah fails not His
promise but most people know not. (30: 2-6).

The Makkan mushriks were greatly amused by what they heard and made much
fun of Muslims. Given the Muslims weakness and helplessness at the time, the
Makkans scepticism was understandable, but how does one explain the
Muslims complete acceptance of this prediction? There is no evidence to
suggest that even a single Muslim questioned the veracity (nastaghfirullah) of
the predictions contained in these ayaat or questioned the Prophet (saws) about
them. In fact, one of the Makkan mushriks, Ubayy ibn Khalaf, approached Abu
Bakr Siddiq (ra) and placed a bet with him regarding the Quranic revelation.
He said if the Romans gained victory within three years, he would give Abu
Zafar Bangash, An analytical study of the letters and treaties of the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace
The Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought (ICIT), 2007. All rights reserved. www.islamicthought.org
- 7 -
Bakr 10 camels otherwise the latter must do so. When the Prophet (saws) heard
about this, he advised Abu Bakr (ra) to increase the timescale to 10 years since
the ayah refers to a period of less than 10 years, and the bet to 100 camels.
7

Lest this episode raises questions in the minds of some Muslims regarding
gambling since it is prohibited in Islam, it should be noted that this prohibition
had not come into force at the time. Rules regarding social and moral conduct
and the prohibition of undesirable behaviour patterns such as alcohol
consumption, gambling, usury and so on were not revealed yet. In Makkah the
emphasis was on the Oneness of Allah, rejection of the oppressive jahili system
and the strengthening of iman (faith-commitment) of the believers. Most of
Islams legislative rules were revealed and implemented when the Islamic State
with a territorial base came into existence following the hijrah (migration) of
Muslims from Makkah to Madinah.

When the Muslims persecution became intolerable in Makkah, the Prophet
(saws) permitted some of his companions to migrate to Abyssinia, whose
Christian ruler, he said, had a reputation for being just. Two points are worthy
of note here: the Prophet (saws) said that the Abyssinian king was a Christian,
and that he was just. Christians and Jews are considered as Ahl al-Kitab (People
of the Book) by Muslims and are therefore treated with kindness and respect.
Throughout his blessed life, the Prophet (saws) made great efforts to cultivate
cordial relations with the followers of both faiths, inviting them to Islam on the
basis of the teachings contained in their scriptures. Both the Torah and the
Bible predicted the emergence of a Prophet and descriptions therein confirmed
what the Prophet (saws) said, how he looked and the time when he would
appear. Despite knowing this, many Jews and Christians refused to accept
Islam; instead, they showed great hostility to the Prophet (saws). Their hostility,
however, was not based on anything they found unacceptable in Islam; rather it
was their narrow self-interest and arrogance that prevented them from accepting
the message of truth.

Not everyone, however, fell into this category. The Abyssinian king Najashi
(Negus) was one of them. He had a reputation for being just and fair. Thus,
when the Muslims arrived in his land, he welcomed them and provided them
sanctuary and protection. The Quraysh of Makkah were alarmed when they
learned that some Muslims had escaped from Makkah. They sent a raiding
party to intercept them but were unsuccessful. The Muslims managed to get on
a boat at the Red Sea port of Jeddah that set sail for Abyssinia just in time
before the Makkan raiders arrived. The Quraysh chiefs then sent two emissaries
to Abyssinia to get the Muslims extradited back to Makkah. One of them, Amr
Zafar Bangash, An analytical study of the letters and treaties of the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace
The Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought (ICIT), 2007. All rights reserved. www.islamicthought.org
- 8 -
ibn al-As, a shrewd and gifted orator, complained to the Negus that these
people had abandoned the religion of their forefathers but they had not become
Christians either, adopting instead a new faith. He hoped that such information
would prejudice the kings mind against the Muslims and he would agree to the
extradition request. Instead of acceding to Amrs request, the Negus wanted to
know, as would befit a just ruler, about the Muslims faith before making a
decision.

The Muslims were called to present themselves before the king. They chose
Jaafar ibn Abi Talib (ra), the Prophets cousin, to be their spokesperson. When
the Negus asked them, What is this new religion which is different from mine
as well as from any other known religions? Jaafar (ra) responded thus: O
King! We were in a state of ignorance and immorality, worshipping idols,
eating carrion [dead meat], committing every kind of inequity. We honoured no
relative and assisted no neighbour. The strong among us exploited the weak.
Then God sent us a Prophet, one of our own people, whose lineage,
truthfulness, loyalty and purity were well known to us. He called us to worship
God alone and to repudiate all the stones and idols that we as well as our
ancestors used to worship. He commanded us always to tell the truth, to remain
true to trust and promise, to assist the relatives, to be good to neighbours, to
abstain from eating blood and consuming things forbidden, and to avoid
fornication, perjury and false witness. He commanded us not to rob the wealth
of the orphan or falsely accuse the married woman. He ordered us to worship
God alone and never to associate any other being with Him, to establish regular
prayers, to fast, and to pay the zakah. We believed in him and what he brought
to us from God and followed him in what he enjoined and forbade. Our people,
however, tried to sway us away from our deen (faith) and persecuted us and
inflicted upon us great suffering that we might re-enter into the immoral
practices of old. As they vanquished and berated us unjustly and made life
intolerable for us in Makkah, we chose your country and came here to live
under your protection in justice and peace.
8


It would be evident to any discerning person that Jaafar (ra) did not merely say
that the mushriks of Makkah prevented them from praying or fasting; while he
said that the Prophet (saws) enjoined them to establish salat and fast, his
emphasis was on the inequities, injustices and oppression that were prevalent in
Makkan society. He said: Our people tried to sway us from our deen [faith]
and persecuted and inflicted upon us great suffering that we might re-enter into
the immoral practices of old. As they vanquished and berated us unjustly and
made life intolerable for us in Makkah, we chose your country and came here to
Zafar Bangash, An analytical study of the letters and treaties of the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace
The Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought (ICIT), 2007. All rights reserved. www.islamicthought.org
- 9 -
live under your protection in justice and peace. Nothing could be clearer about
the message of Islam; it posed an ideological and social challenge to the jahili
system in Makkah that was unwilling to tolerate a point of view based on faith
in the one God, Allah, especially one that spoke against the exploitation of the
weak by the rich and powerful to preserve their vested interests because it was
unjust. It was not about the rituals of Islam; the Makkan elite would have
tolerated these as long as they did not threaten their privileges derived from
exploiting and usurping the rights of the weak.

It is clear that Islam is intrinsically linked with justice, peace and fair dealings.
Even in those early days, Muslims had no illusions about their mission in life; it
was not concerned merely with rituals that so many Muslims have become
habitually addicted to these days, but the larger aspects of justice and fairness.
Far be it for some Muslims to consider these noble principles as being
associated with and fundamental to Islam, hence their obsession with such
things as tahara, najasa and the manner of offering salah but remaining totally
oblivious of their responsibilities to helping the weak and the oppressed or
speaking out against injustices. Such responsibilities, however, cannot be
fulfilled when one is weak; one must have power to confront the oppressors.

How did the Prophet (saws) acquire power, and what role did the numerous
treaties he entered into play in enhancing this power? Scholars of Seerah (the
biography of the Prophet) have identified some 250 to 300 letters, treaties and
documents of the Prophet (saws). Some of the original letters still exist and
have been preserved.
9
Equally interesting is the fact that while writing skills
were not fully developed at the time and there was only a handful of individuals
in Makkah who were able to read and write17 persons were known at the
time to be able to do so
10
all Quranic revelations were meticulously recorded
under the direct instructions of the Prophet (saws) as were his letters and
treaties. Among these was a letter sent by the Prophet (saw) to the Negus when
Muslims arrived in Abyssinia. The Makkans, too, sent their emissaries to get
the Muslims extradited back to Makkah. It was Jaafar ibn Abi Talib (ra), the
Prophets cousin, who spoke on behalf of the Muslims in the kings court and
presented the Muslims position so well that the king was greatly impressed.
Thereafter, Muslims established very cordial relations with the Negus and most
historians and Hadith scholars agree that he embraced Islam. This is also
confirmed by a letter the king wrote in response to another letter of the Prophet
(saw) in which he said that he had taken shahadah (testimony of faith) through
Jaafar ibn Abi Talib (ra).

Zafar Bangash, An analytical study of the letters and treaties of the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace
The Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought (ICIT), 2007. All rights reserved. www.islamicthought.org
- 10 -
Numerous Seerah scholars have alluded to the Prophets letters and treaties but
no one has perhaps compiled them in a more systematic manner than Dr M.
Hamidullah, whose well-documented book, Al-Wathaiq as-Siyasiyya lil Ahd-e
Nabawi wa-Khilafatir Rashidah is the most outstanding on the subject.
11
He
meticulously recorded most of the letters, treaties and documents that were
prepared under the instructions of the Prophet (saws). These offer a wealth of
information to researchers to study in detail this aspect of the Seerah. This
book, An analytical approach to the study of the letters and treaties of the noble
Messenger, upon whom be peace, is part of this effort. The aim is not merely to
reproduce these documents but to analyse how they helped the Prophet (saws)
to acquire and consolidate power by entering into alliances with the various
tribes, groups or even individuals. Naturally, by increasing his power, it helped
undermine the power of the enemies of Islam, especially the Quraysh chiefs in
Makkah.

Most Seerah books refer to the Covenant of Madinah as the first written
document of the Prophet (saws). While this was certainly the first
comprehensive document that was prepared under his instructions, there were
letters that preceded it. We have already mentioned the letter sent to the Negus;
there is also evidence that while migrating from Makkah to Madinah, the
Prophet (saws) gave a letter of immunity to Suraqah ibn Malik, the tracker
who was pursuing the Prophet (saws) in hopes of capturing and bringing him
back to Makkah to get the 100-camel reward that the Makkan chiefs had
announced
12
.

Soon after the Covenant of Madinah was drawn up and peace established on the
basis of justice and fairness between all the inhabitants of the City-State
Muslims, mushriks and Jewsas well as recognizing the authority of the
Prophet (saws) in all matters, he turned his attention to the tribes that resided
between Madinah and the Red Sea port of Yanbu. The choice was significant:
through this area, which lies to the west of Madinah and stretches to the Red
Sea coast, passed the Makkan trade caravans on their way to Syria and
Palestine. It was the Makkans economic lifeline. Controlling it would provide
enormous leverage to Muslims in dealing with or exerting pressure on the
Quraysh. After all, they were the avowed enemies of Islam and the Prophet
(saws), and had plotted to kill him before he managed to escape from Makkah.

The Prophet (saws) personally visited many of these tribes and entered into
written agreements with them. Some tribes accepted Islam, others did not do so
but the treaties were not contingent upon their becoming Muslims; most of
Zafar Bangash, An analytical study of the letters and treaties of the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace
The Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought (ICIT), 2007. All rights reserved. www.islamicthought.org
- 11 -
them willingly entered into peace agreements with the Prophet (saws). More
importantly, they agreed to either help the Muslims or remain neutral in case of
war. These developments had important implications for Muslims; the treaties
expanded their area of influence at the expense of the Quraysh, since the latter
too had long-standing agreements with the tribes that enabled their caravans to
pass unmolested through the region. Considering that attacking and robbing
caravans was common practice among the tribes, the Quraysh had made deals
that ensured safe passage for their caravans while they paid money to these
tribes for providing protection in their specific areas. These were mutually
beneficial arrangements and often also included help to each other during
fighting. The Prophet (saws) changed this equation that had been in existence
for many years by making his own agreements with the tribes. These were not
the only tribes with whom treaties were signed; there were others closer to
Makkah as well that became allies of the Muslims long before the liberation of
Makkah in 8 AH.

If the Covenant of Madinah was important because it established rules of
conduct in society and provided the Muslims a safe environment in Madinah,
the Treaty of Hudaibiyya enabled them to be free from worries for at least ten
years from their traditional foes in Makkah. That is why the Quran refers to it
as a manifest victory.
13
For the first time in their history, Muslims were
recognized as a distinct community as opposed to being considered a
breakaway faction of the Quraysh. Similarly, it opened the way for various
tribes to become allies of the Muslims if they so wished without fearing
reprisals from the Quraysh. The significance of Hudaibiyya and the
opportunities it opened for Muslims need to be discussed in the context of how
it led to a phenomenal increase in the number of Muslims and the power they
gained as a consequence. Those who embraced Islam at the time did so out of
conviction; with minor exceptionsthe munafiqoon, for instancethey were
truly committed to the cause of Islam and were prepared to lay down their lives
for it. The Prophet (saws) knew that those who joined and followed him did so
out of faith-commitment and full conviction that would enable them to
surmount any challenges they faced.

The confrontation with the Jews of Khyber, or inviting the rulers of various
kingdoms to Islam and taking on the chiefs of Makkah after they violated the
treaty of Hudaibiyya were only possible because Muslims had unshakable faith
in the righteousness of their cause. They did not fear death; they welcomed it
because they knew that Allah would reward them if they died while struggling
in His Way. All these aspects need to be discussed from a hitherto ignored
Zafar Bangash, An analytical study of the letters and treaties of the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace
The Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought (ICIT), 2007. All rights reserved. www.islamicthought.org
- 12 -
perspective: the power dimension of the Seerah, that is, how the Prophet (saws)
acquired unchallenged power during the short period of 23 years of his
Prophetic mission. We know from his Seerah that starting with a handful of
followers in Makkah, he was able to establish the Islamic State in Madinah and
then extended his influence to virtually the entire Arabian Peninsula in less than
10 years. This remarkable transformation came about as a result of careful
planning, strategic alliances and the judicious use of force to neutralize the
power of the enemies without resorting to wholesale destruction or killing.
Never before in the history of mankind has such rapid expansion274 sq. kms
per daytaken place with merely 270 people killed on both sides in the 10-year
period (150 of the enemies side and 120 from among the Muslims).
14


There were two superpowers during the time of the Prophet (saws): the Persian
and Roman empires. Both had extended their influence into the Arabian
Peninsula because of lack of any central authority there. The Persians had their
governors in Oman and Bahrayn (in the east of the Arabian Peninsula), while
the Romans had established a buffer State in northern Arabia in addition to
controlling Syria. When the Prophet (saws) sent letters to the rulers, kings and
governors inviting them to Islam, he received different responses; some
accepted Islamlike the king of Abyssinia and the governor of Omanothers
reacted angrilylike the king of Persiayet others, like the Roman emperor,
were inclined toward Islam but feared losing his throne as a result of the
displeasure of his priests, so he held back. What motivated them to act in the
way they did to virtually identical letters? Were they able to withstand the
rising power of Islam and what was their ultimate fate? We need to consider
these aspects in some detail keeping in mind the new perspective.

Finally, the Prophets khutbah during his last Hajj, before he bade farewell to
this world, has important implications for power regulations in society. All
these milestones in the Prophets life-struggle need to be discussed and
analysed to provide new insights into understanding his Seerah. The aim here is
not merely to repeat what others have already said, nor give a chronological
account of the Seerah with some additional details, as has been done in most
Seerah books. We need to go beyond the descriptive to the analytical to seek
answers to our contemporary problems through the Seerah of the Prophet
(saws) described by Allah Himself as the Best of exemplars.
15





Zafar Bangash, An analytical study of the letters and treaties of the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace
The Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought (ICIT), 2007. All rights reserved. www.islamicthought.org
- 13 -

1
Nicholson, R.A.: A Literary History of the Arabs, University Press, Cambridge,
UK. 1962. p. 173. Joseph Hell in The Arab Civilization, Lahore, 1943, pp.25-26,
describes it as an Ordinance, while J.J. Saunders in A History of Medieval Islam,
Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, 1965, p.26, calls it a Treaty or Constitution.

2
Hamidullah, Muhammad: Le Prophete de lIslam (Payghambar-e Islam [Urdu
translation from French]: Beacon Books, Multan, 2005. pp. 201-203 & pp. 214-
219; Montgomery Watt, W.: Muhammad [saws] at Medina [4
th
edition], Oxford
University Press, Karachi, 1998, p.3. Both authors refer to it as the Constitution.

3
Al-Quran: 12:54-56; 2:251; 27:16 & 27:36. Also see Muhammad al-Asi & Zafar
Bangash: The Seerah: A Power Perspective, The Institute of Contemporary
Islamic Thought, London, Toronto, 2000; p.28.

4
Sunan Abu Dawood, vol. II, Chapter Khabar an-Nadhir, p.67; quoted in Shibli
Naumani: Seeratun Nabi, vol. I, Nashiran-e Quran Limited, Lahore. n.d. p. 311.

5
Al-Quran: 2:249 & 8:65.

6
Tabari, Abu Jafar ibn Jarir: Tareekh-e Tabari, vol. I (Urdu), Nafees Academy,
Karachi, 1987. p. 92; Ibn Saad, Abu Abdullah Muhammad: Tabaqaat Ibn Saad
vol. I (Urdu), Nafees Academy, Karachi, 1987. pp.270-271.

7
Maudoodi, Abul Ala: Tafhim ul-Quran, vol. 4, Maktaba-e Tameer-e Insaniyyat,
Lahore, 1974. p.727.

8
Ibn Hisham: Seeratun Nabi, vol. I (Urdu), Idara-e Islamiyyat, Lahore. 1989. pp.
216-217; Haykal, Muhammad Huseyn: The Life of Muhammad [saws]; English
translation by Ismail Ragi al-Faruqi, Islamic Book Trust, Kuala Lumpur, 1993.
p.99.

9
One of the letters is preserved in the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul. Others are in
the possession of either individuals or in various libraries and museums. For
details, see Muhammad Hamidullah: Rasool-e Akram key Siyasi Zindagi, Dar al-
Ashaat, Karachi, 2003; pp.140-187. See also the same authors Al-Wathaiq as-
Siyasiyya lil Ahd-e Nabawi wa-Khilafatir Rashidah; 7
th
edition, Dar an-Nafaes,
Beirut, Lebanon, 2001.

10
Baladhuri, Ahmed ibn Yahya: Futuh al-Buldan pp.471-2, quoted in M.
Hamidullah: An Introduction to the conservation of Hadith in light of the Sahifah
of Hammam ibn Munabbih, (English translation by Muhammad Rahimuddin),
Islamic Book Trust, 2003. p.4.

Zafar Bangash, An analytical study of the letters and treaties of the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace
The Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought (ICIT), 2007. All rights reserved. www.islamicthought.org
- 14 -

11
Al-Wathaiq as-Siyasiyya lil Ahd-e Nabawi wa-Khilafatir Rashidah; 7
th
edition,
Dar an-Nafaes, Beirut, Lebanon, 2001.

12
Ibn Hisham, Abu Muhammad ibn Abdul Malik: Seeratun Nabi, vol. I (Urdu),
Idara-e Islamiyyat, Lahore, 1989 (rendition of Muhammad ibn Ishaqs original
work) p. 327-328; Hamidullah, Muhammad: An Introduction to the Conservation
of Hadith in Light of the Sahifah of Hammam ibn Munnabbih (English translation
by Muhammad Rahimuddin), Islamic Book Trust, Kuala Lumpur, 2003. p.17.

13
Al-Quran 48:01.

14
Hamidullah, M.: Ahd-e Nabawi kay maidan-e Jang, Ilmi Markaz, Islamabad,
1998. p.19.

15
Al-Quran 33:21.
Zafar Bangash, An analytical study of the letters and treaties of the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace
The Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought (ICIT), 2007. All rights reserved. www.islamicthought.org