At Hudaybiyah, the Companions felt defeated. The terms of the treaty appeared humiliating. They had set out to perform ʿUmrah, only to be turned away. Yet while the Muslims saw apparent loss, Allah revealed: “Indeed, We have granted you an apparent victory.” (48:1)

In hindsight, it is easier to appreciate this victory since only two years later, the treaty became the stepping stone to the conquest of Makkah. However, many are unaware that in the same year as Hudaybiyah, seismic changes were unfolding beyond Arabia that would set the stage for extraordinary Muslim victories.

For centuries, the Romans and Persians had been rival powers dominating the known world. But in 628 CE, that world order began to collapse. The Romans defeated the Persians, Khosrow II was overthrown and killed, and both empires emerged economically and militarily devastated. Remarkably, these events unfolded within the very same year as Hudaybiyah. The balance of power that had once seemed permanent had crumbled, and the stage was set for the Muslim civilization to fill in this power vacuum.

Within two years of Hudaybiyah, Islam entered Makkah, and within two decades, it had conquered the lands of these superpowers. So while the Muslims wept at Hudaybiyah in 628 CE, Allah was preparing victories they could not yet see.