In the 6th year of Hijrah, the Prophet (ﷺ) and his supporters left Madinah to the blessed city of Makkah; their original home. Makkah carried a special place in the heart of our messenger and so he was eagerly anticipating making Tawaaf around the Kaa’bah and going back to the place he was born and bred.

Hundreds of Muslims marched forth in their Ihrams ready to perform Umrah only to be be stopped by the Quraysh who sent Khalid bin waleed who at the time wasn’t Muslim with his fighters to confront them.

The Prophet (ﷺ) wanted to avoid this confrontation, the Muslims were unarmed and less in number than the disbelievers, and so they retreated to a place called Hudaibiyah on the edge of the city.

The Quraysh then sent Urwah to the Muslims to ensure they not enter but Urwah instead was impressed by the dedication and love of the companions for Rasulullah (ﷺ). Urwah said, “I have visited the royal courts of the Persians, Roman and Ethiopian kingdoms, but I have never seen the kind of respect and high esteem as the followers of Muhammad have for him. They have come only for worship. Let them enter the holy city.” The Makkans however were firm in their decision and didn’t allow them.

This was a testing time for the Muslims and the only thing that got them through was Sabr. Sabr in knowing that Allah would make a way for them to enter Makkah and perform Umrah.

The challenges grew.

The Prophet (ﷺ) sent Uthman who had contact sin Makkah to try and reach through to them but it was of to no avail and instead they spread rumours that Uthman was killed. This pushed the Prophet (ﷺ) to declare war and 1400 companions pledged allegiance to him, ready to be killed for His sacred cause.

This caused the Makkans anxiety and they broke their promise and instead tried to negotiate a peace treaty by sending Suhail bin Amr to be a spokesman. They also released Uthman.

The treaty was one that positively affected the Muslims in leaps and bounds. It is considered a masterpiece of the wisdom of Rasulullah (ﷺ) in dealing with the Quraysh. It is also a result of his and his companions patience, at a time when fear and worry overwhelmed them at a time when their dream of performing Umrah was crushed before them and at a time when they were helpless, unarmed. They knew that if they carried a gracious patience, Allah would replace the for their loss, He was grant them more than they expected and would ensure a great good would sprout from this difficult time. And it did.

We all will go through periods of time where we are in a ‘waiting period’, uncertain and unsure of what the future holds for us. Anxiety may fill our hearts and our minds may be overflowing with thoughts that keep us awake at night. But remember, patience is the cure. And though it is bitter, its fruits are sweet.

“Patience is not simply the ability to wait – it’s how we behave while we’re waiting.” – Joyce Meyer