According to Suhaylī’s preference, this ʿumra is called the “ʿUmrat al-Qiṣāṣ” (ʿumra of retaliation). It is also referred to as “ʿUmrat al-Qaḍāʾ.” The reason for calling it the ʿumra of retaliation is as follows: In the year of al-Ḥudaybiyya, the Muslims were prevented from performing ʿumra, so they performed this ʿumra as a form of retaliation (qiṣāṣ) for that. The second proof for this is the following: Allah, Exalted is He, has said in a verse (āya):
“There is qiṣāṣ (retaliation) in the sacred months (ḥurumāt, i.e., during the state of iḥrām).”
The reason for calling this ʿumra “ʿUmrat al-Qaḍāʾ” is as follows: The word qaḍāʾ is derived from the root meaning ‘to fulfill’ or ‘to make up.’ The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), in the year of al-Ḥudaybiyya, made a treaty with the polytheists, agreeing to return to Madina that year and to come the following year, entering Mecca with only their swords sheathed, to perform ʿumra, and not to stay more than three days. This ʿumra is the one referred to in the following verse in Sūrat al-Fatḥ:
“Certainly has Allah showed to His Messenger the vision in truth. You will surely enter al-Masjid al-Ḥarām, if Allah wills, in safety, with your heads shaved and [hair] shortened, not fearing [anyone].” (al-Fatḥ 48:27)
We have provided sufficient explanations on this matter in our tafsir (Qur’anic exegesis).
The promise that the Muslims would enter al-Masjid al-Ḥarām with their heads shaved or hair shortened was also given in the following words of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb. ʿUmar asked the Prophet:
– Did you not tell us that we would come to the House and perform ṭawāf (circumambulation)?
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied:
– Yes, but did I tell you that we would come to the House and perform ṭawāf this year?
– No.
– Nevertheless, you will certainly come to the House and perform ṭawāf around it.
This was also indicated in the words of ʿAbd Allāh b. Rawāḥa, who, on the day of ʿUmrat al-Qaḍāʾ, was leading the Prophet’s camel as they entered Mecca:
“O sons of the disbelievers! Move aside from the path of Allah. Move aside, for we fought you for the interpretation (taʾwīl) of it, just as we fought you before for your denial of its revelation (tanzīl).”
That is, this was the fulfillment (taʾwīl) of the vision seen by the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), and that vision became manifest as clear as the morning light.
Ibn Isḥāq said: When the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) returned to Madina from Khaybar, he spent the months of Rabīʿ al-Awwal, Rabīʿ al-Ākhir, Jumādā al-Awwal, Jumādā al-Ākhir, Rajab, Shaʿbān, Ramaḍān, and Shawwāl there. During this period, he dispatched expeditions (sarāyā) and organized military campaigns. Then, in the month of Dhū al-Qaʿda, he set out to perform the compensatory ʿumra (qaḍāʾ ʿumra) in the same month, as retaliation for being prevented from ʿumra by the polytheists the previous year. According to Ibn Hishām, he appointed ʿUwayf b. Azbat al-Duʾalī as governor of Madina.
This is called the ʿumra of retaliation (qiṣāṣ), because the polytheists prevented the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) from performing ʿumra in the sacred month of Dhū al-Qaʿda in the sixth year after the Hijra. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) retaliated and entered Mecca in the sacred month of Dhū al-Qaʿda in the seventh year after the Hijra, the same month in which they had previously prevented him. According to a narration from Ibn ʿAbbās, he said: Allah, Exalted is He, revealed the following verse (āya) regarding this:
“There is qiṣāṣ (retaliation) in the sacred months (ḥurumāt, i.e., during the state of iḥrām).”
Muʿtamir b. Sulaymān, narrating from his father in his work “al-Maghāzī,” said:
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) resided in Madina after returning from Khaybar. Until the beginning of Dhū al-Qaʿda, he sent out detachments and expeditions, and then announced to the people: “Prepare for ʿumra.” They began preparations and set out for Mecca.
Ibn Isḥāq said: In that ʿumra, those Muslims who had been prevented with him also set out with him. The year was the seventh after the Hijra. When the people of Mecca heard of this, they left the city. The Quraysh said among themselves: “Muḥammad and his companions are in hardship, difficulty, and distress.”
Ibn Isḥāq narrated from ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿAbbās: The polytheists lined up near Dār al-Nadwa to watch the Messenger of God and his companions. When the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) entered al-Masjid al-Ḥarām, he performed iḍṭibāʿ (exposing his right shoulder) with his cloak, uncovered his right arm, and said: “Today, may those who show strength and strike fear into the polytheists be blessed with Allah’s mercy.” Then he touched the corner (rukn), performed harwala (a brisk walk between walking and running), and his companions did the same until the Kaʿba was between them and the polytheists. Then he touched the Yemeni Corner, walked, and touched the Black Stone. He performed harwala in three circuits and walked normally in the others. Ibn ʿAbbās said:
The people thought harwala was not obligatory for them, because the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) only did it so that the small group of Quraysh would not think the Muslims were weak. When he performed the Farewell Pilgrimage, he continued to do harwala, and thus it became a sunnah (prophetic practice).
Al-Bukhārī narrated through Sulaymān b. Ḥarb from Ibn ʿAbbās:
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions came to Mecca. The polytheists said: “A group is coming upon you who are afflicted with the fever of Yathrib (Madina), so they are weakened.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) then ordered them to perform ramal (brisk walking) in the first three circuits of ṭawāf, and to walk normally between the Yemeni Corner and the Black Stone.
He did not order them to perform ramal in all the circuits so that it would not become obligatory for them.
Abū ʿAbd Allāh narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to Mecca in the year of security, he said to his companions: “Perform ramal so that the polytheists may see your strength.” At that time, the polytheists were on the side of Mount Quʿayqān.
Al-Bukhārī narrated through ʿAlī b. ʿAbd Allāh from Ibn Abī Awfā: “When the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ʿumra, we protected him from the harm of the polytheists and their slaves.”
Further details on this matter will be discussed later.
Ibn Isḥāq narrated from ʿAbd Allāh b. Abī Bakr:
When the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) entered Mecca for ʿUmrat al-Qaḍāʾ, ʿAbd Allāh b. Rawāḥa was holding the reins of his camel, reciting:
“O sons of the disbelievers! Move aside from the path of Allah, for all goodness is with His Messenger.
O my Lord, I believe in the word of that Messenger. I recognize Allah’s right in accepting him.
We fought you for the interpretation (taʾwīl) of it, just as we fought you before for your denial of its revelation (tanzīl).
With a blow that severs the head from the neck and makes a friend forget his friend.”
Ibn Hishām said: The words “We fought you for the interpretation (taʾwīl) of it,” up to the end of the verses, belong to ʿAmmār b. Yāsir, who recited them at the Battle of Ṣiffīn. The proof is that Ibn Rawāḥa only meant the polytheists, who acknowledged the revelation (tanzīl) but did not recognize it. Only those who acknowledge the revelation are fought for its interpretation.
Different views may be advanced regarding what Ibn Hishām said. For Ḥāfiẓ al-Bayhaqī, through ʿAbd al-Razzāq and Maʿmar, narrated from Anas:
When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) entered Mecca for ʿUmrat al-Qaḍāʾ, ʿAbd Allāh b. Rawāḥa walked ahead of him, holding the reins of the Prophet’s camel, reciting:
“O sons of the disbelievers! Move aside from his path, for the Merciful has sent down his revelation (tanzīl), and the best killing is that which is done in his path. We fought you for its interpretation (taʾwīl).”
In another narration with the same chain:
“O sons of the disbelievers! Move aside from his path. Today, we strike you for his revelation (tanzīl).
With a blow that severs the head from the body,
And makes a friend forget his friend.
O my Lord, I have believed in his word.”
Yūnus b. Bukayr, through Hishām b. Saʿd from Zayd b. Aslam, narrated: “The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) entered Mecca in the year of ʿUmrat al-Qaḍāʾ, circumambulated the Kaʿba on his camel, and touched the Black Stone with his staff.”
Ibn Hishām said: The Messenger of God performed ṭawāf in this manner without any illness, and the Muslims were running around him. ʿAbd Allāh b. Rawāḥa recited:
“By the One who has no religion but His own, by the One whose Messenger is Muḥammad, O sons of the disbelievers! Move aside from his path.”
Mūsā b. ʿUqba narrated from al-Zuhrī: The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) set out from Madina in the month of Dhū al-Qaʿda in the seventh year after the Hijra, the year after al-Ḥudaybiyya, intending ʿumra. Dhū al-Qaʿda was the month in which the polytheists had prevented him from entering al-Masjid al-Ḥarām. When he reached the place called Yaʿjij, they put down all their shields, spears, and arrows, entering Mecca only with their traveler’s swords. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Jaʿfar b. Abī Ṭālib to propose marriage to Maymūna bint al-Ḥārith al-ʿĀmiriyya, delegating the matter to his uncle ʿAbbās, who was married to Maymūna’s sister, Umm al-Faḍl bint al-Ḥārith. ʿAbbās married Maymūna to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him). When the Messenger of God entered Mecca, he instructed his companions: “Expose your shoulders and run during ṭawāf.” He gave this order so that the polytheists would see their strength. He was devising all possible tactics against them. All the men, women, and children of Mecca surrounded them, watching the Prophet and his companions as they performed ṭawāf. At that time, ʿAbd Allāh b. Rawāḥa, with his sword drawn, recited the following poetry in front of the Messenger of God:
“O sons of the disbelievers! Move aside from his path. I bear witness that he is the Messenger of Allah.
The Merciful sent down his revelation (tanzīl). He revealed the Qur’an upon the pages recited to His Messenger.
Just as we struck you before for its revelation, today we strike you for its interpretation (taʾwīl).
With a blow that severs the head from the body and makes a friend forget his friend.”
Some of the notables among the polytheists, out of anger, hatred, envy, and rivalry toward the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), withdrew and did not want to see him, going to a mountain called Handama. The Messenger of God stayed in Mecca for three nights. This was the last of the decisions made on the day of al-Ḥudaybiyya.
On the morning of the fourth day, Suhayl b. ʿAmr and Huwayṭib b. ʿAbd al-ʿUzzā came to him. At that time, the Messenger of God was in the assembly of the Anṣār, speaking with Saʿd b. ʿUbāda. Huwayṭib called out: For Allah’s sake, honor the pact between us and depart from our land. The three days have ended.
Saʿd b. ʿUbāda replied:
– You lie, may your mother perish! This is neither your land nor your father’s. By Allah, the Messenger of God will not leave here.
Then the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Suhayl and Huwayṭib:
– I have just married here in your land. What harm is there if I stay, consummate the marriage, cook food, and eat with you?
They replied:
– For Allah’s sake, honor the pact. Depart immediately.
Thereupon, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered Abū Rāfiʿ to announce to the companions to prepare for departure. The Messenger of God mounted his ride and set out. When he reached the valley of Sharīf, he stopped. He had left Abū Rāfiʿ in Mecca to bring Maymūna. Maymūna and those with her suffered harassment from the foolish among the polytheists and their children. Eventually, Maymūna joined the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) at Sharīf, where he consummated the marriage with her. Then, traveling by night, he finally reached Madina.
Allah, Exalted is He, decreed that Maymūna would die some time later at Sharīf, the place where she had married the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him).
Al-Zuhrī, the narrator, then related the story of Ibn Ḥamza and concluded: Regarding this ʿumra, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, revealed the following verse (āya):
“The sacred month is for the sacred month, and for the violations is legal retribution. So whoever has assaulted you, then assault him in the same way that he has assaulted you.” (al-Baqara 2:194)
Although the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) was prevented from performing ʿumra in the month of Dhū al-Qaʿda in the sixth year after the Hijra, he performed ʿumra in the same month the following year.
In the Ṣaḥīḥ of al-Bukhārī, it is narrated through Fulayḥ b. Sulaymān from Ibn ʿUmar: “The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) set out from Madina intending ʿumra, but the disbelievers of Quraysh prevented him from reaching the Kaʿba. He then sacrificed his offering at al-Ḥudaybiyya and shaved his head. He made a treaty with the polytheists to perform ʿumra the following year, entering Mecca with only his sword, and to stay there as long as he wished. The following year, he came to Mecca, performed his ʿumra, fulfilled his worship according to the treaty, and after three days, the Quraysh asked him to leave, so he departed.”
Al-Wāqidī narrated through ʿAbd Allāh b. Nāfiʿ from Ibn ʿUmar: “This was not ʿUmrat al-Qaḍāʾ. It was only a condition imposed on the Muslims, according to which they would perform ṭawāf of the Kaʿba in the month of Dhū al-Qaʿda in the seventh year after the Hijra, not the sixth.”
Abū Dāwūd, through Nufaylī and Muḥammad b. Salama, narrated from Maymūn b. Mihrān: In the year when the people of Syria besieged Ibn al-Zubayr in Mecca, I set out for ʿumra. Some men from my tribe sent a sacrificial animal with me. When we reached the people of Syria, they prevented us from entering the Ḥaram. I sacrificed the animal where I was, exited iḥrām, and returned. The following year, I set out again to make up my ʿumra. I came to Mecca and asked Ibn ʿAbbās about my situation. He replied: “Change your sacrificial animal, for the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered his companions who had sacrificed at al-Ḥudaybiyya to sacrifice again at ʿUmrat al-Qaḍāʾ.”
Al-Bayhaqī narrated from ʿAmr b. Maymūn: My father often asked: “When the polytheists prevented the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) from performing ṭawāf of the Kaʿba (at al-Ḥudaybiyya), did he sacrifice another animal during the ʿumra he performed the following year, and did he see any harm in this?” I even heard my father ask Abū Ḥāḍir al-Ḥimyārī, who replied:
“You have asked the right person. During the first siege, in the year Ibn al-Zubayr was besieged, I performed ḥajj and sacrificed an animal. At that time, we were prevented from performing ṭawāf of the Kaʿba, so I sacrificed my animal in the Sacred Precinct and returned to Yemen, saying: The Messenger of God is an example for me to follow.
The following year, I performed ḥajj again. I met Ibn ʿAbbās and asked whether I needed to sacrifice another animal apart from the one I had sacrificed the previous year. He replied: “Yes, you must sacrifice, for the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions, when the polytheists prevented them from performing ṭawāf of the Kaʿba (at al-Ḥudaybiyya), sacrificed, and then sacrificed again at ʿUmrat al-Qaḍāʾ. However, camels were expensive for them, so the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) permitted them to sacrifice cattle.”
Al-Wāqidī narrated through Ghanim b. Abī Ghanim from Ibn ʿUmar: “The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) appointed Nājiya b. Jundub al-Aslamī over the sacrificial animals, and he would drive them ahead of him. Along with four young men from the Aslam tribe, they would collect leaves from the trees to feed the sacrificial animals. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) drove sixty camels ahead of him and sacrificed them at ʿUmrat al-Qaḍāʾ.”
Muḥammad b. Nuʿaym al-Mujammar narrated from Abū Hurayra: “I was with the owner of the sacrificial camels, helping to drive them.”
Al-Wāqidī said: The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) continued on his way reciting the talbiya (the pilgrimage chant), and the Muslims did likewise. Muḥammad b. Maslama rode ahead to Marr al-Ẓahrān, where he encountered a group from Quraysh. They asked him about the situation, and he replied:
– The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), God willing, will reach this place by morning.
Those present saw many weapons with Bashīr b. Saʿd. They ran to inform the Quraysh, describing the weapons and horses they had seen. The Quraysh became fearful and said: “By Allah, we have not committed any offense. We are abiding by the terms of the treaty. Why then is Muḥammad and his companions coming upon us?”
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) camped at Marr al-Ẓahrān and sent the weapons to Baṭn Yaʿjij, a place facing the idols in the Ḥaram. The Quraysh sent Mikraz b. Ḥafṣ b. Aḥnaf with a group to that place. They found the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) among his companions, with sacrificial animals and weapons. They said to him: “O Muḥammad! You have never been known to break a covenant, but now we see you coming armed into the Ḥaram, against your own people, the Quraysh, even though you had agreed to enter only with your sheathed swords. You said you would abide by this condition.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied:
– No, I am not coming upon my people armed. Mikraz b. Ḥafṣ said:
– This is how goodness and loyalty are known.
After saying this, he and his companions quickly returned to Mecca.
When Mikraz b. Ḥafṣ brought news of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to Mecca, the Quraysh left the city and went to the mountain tops, evacuating Mecca, saying: “We will not watch Muḥammad and his companions.”
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered the sacrificial animals to be driven ahead. They set out and were stopped at Dhū Ṭuwā. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions set out, with him riding his camel named Qaṣwāʾ, surrounded by his companions, who were reciting the talbiya with their swords drawn. When they reached the place of Dhū Ṭuwā, he stopped on his camel, and Ibn Rawāḥa, holding the reins, recited:
“O sons of the disbelievers! Move aside from his path! ……”
In the Ṣaḥīḥs of al-Bukhārī and Muslim, it is narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās: The Messenger of God and his companions entered Mecca on the morning of the fourth day of Dhū al-Qaʿda in the seventh year after the Hijra. The polytheists said: “A group is coming upon you who have been weakened by the fever of Madina.” The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered his companions to perform ramal (brisk walking) in the first three circuits of ṭawāf and to walk normally between the Yemeni Corner and the Black Stone. He did not order them to perform ramal in all the circuits so as not to overburden them.
Imām Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal, through Muḥammad b. Ṣabāḥ and Ismāʿīl b. Zakariyyā, narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās:
“When the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) camped at Marr al-Ẓahrān for ʿumra, the companions heard the Quraysh say: ‘Muḥammad and his companions are so weak and feeble that they cannot walk quickly.’ The companions said: ‘If we slaughter our mounts and eat their meat, and make soup from their broth, we will be stronger in the morning to face the Quraysh.’ The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Do not do that. Rather, bring your provisions to me.’ They gathered their food, spread out their leather mats, and began to eat. There was even some left over, which each companion put in his own bag. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) then headed toward Mecca, entered al-Masjid al-Ḥarām, and the Quraysh sat around the Ḥaṭīm. The Prophet performed iḍṭibāʿ with his cloak and said: ‘Let not the Quraysh see any sign of weakness in you.’ Then he touched the Yemeni Corner and performed ramal. After passing the Yemeni Corner, he approached the Black Stone. The Quraysh said: ‘They are not content to walk, but are running like fleeing deer.’ The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) performed three circuits in this manner, and this became a sunnah.”
Abū Ṭufayl narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās: “The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) did this in the Farewell Pilgrimage.”
Abū Dāwūd narrated from Abū Ṭufayl: I said to Ibn ʿAbbās:
– My people claim that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ṭawāf of the House with ramal, and that this is a sunnah. Is this true?
– Yes, they have spoken the truth, and they have also lied.
– In what have they spoken the truth, and in what have they lied?
– The truth is that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ramal. The lie is that it is a sunnah. Because
At the time of al-Ḥudaybiyya, the Quraysh said: “Let Muḥammad and his companions be, like a worm that afflicts the noses of camels and sheep, until they perish.” When they made a peace treaty with the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), agreeing that the Muslims would come the following year and stay in Mecca for three days, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) came the following year. The polytheists were on the side of Mount Quʿayqān. At that time, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his companions: “Perform ramal in the first three circuits of ṭawāf (run briskly).” But this is not a sunnah.”
According to the majority of scholars, performing ramal during ṭawāf is a sunnah, because the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ramal in ʿUmrat al-Qaḍāʾ and the ʿumra of Jiʿrāna. Abū Dāwūd and Ibn Māja narrated this from Ibn ʿAbbās.
According to a ḥadith of Jābir, narrated by Muslim and others, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ramal during the ṭawāf of the Farewell Pilgrimage.
For this reason, ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb said: “Why should there be two ramals? Has Allah not strengthened Islam? Nevertheless, we will not abandon what the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) did.” The details of this will be explained in Kitāb al-Aḥkām.
According to the well-known narration, Ibn ʿAbbās did not consider ramal in ṭawāf to be a sunnah. As narrated in the Ṣaḥīḥs of al-Bukhārī and Muslim from Ibn ʿAbbās:
“The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ṭawāf and saʿy between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwa running, so that the polytheists would see his strength.”
Al-Wāqidī said: After the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) completed his worship at ʿUmrat al-Qaḍāʾ, he entered the House. He remained inside until Bilāl came out and called the adhān from the roof of the Kaʿba. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) had ordered Bilāl to ascend the roof of the Kaʿba and call the adhān. ʿIkrima b. Abī Jahl said:
“Allah honored Abū Ḥakam (my father, Abū Jahl) by not letting him hear the words of this slave.”
Ṣafwān b. Umayya said:
“Praise be to Allah, who killed my father before he could witness these events.”
Khalid b. Usayd said:
“Praise be to Allah, who killed my father so that he did not live to see this day and did not hear Bilāl’s braying on the roof of the Kaʿba!”
Suhayl b. ʿAmr and several others covered their faces when they heard the adhān from the roof of the Kaʿba.
Ḥāfiẓ al-Bayhaqī said: Allah honored most of those men by guiding them to Islam.
I say: al-Bayhaqī narrated this through al-Wāqidī and said that these events occurred during ʿUmrat al-Qaḍāʾ. However, according to the well-known view, these events took place in the year of the conquest of Mecca. Allah knows best.