At    the end of the sixth year after Prophet Muhammad’s migration to    Al-Madinah, he (peace be upon him) wanted to perform pilgrimage (Hajj)    to Makkah and visit Allah’s Sacred House (the Ka`bah). He went out    accompanied by one thousand and four hundred Muslim men and he appointed    `Abdullah Ibn Umm Maktum to be in charge of Al-Madinah during his    (peace be upon him) absence. When they reached a place called    Thul-Hulayfah, the Prophet(peace be upon him) and those who were with    him, assumed the state of Ihram (the state of ritual consecration). The    Prophet (peace be upon him) moved on until he reached the creek of    Thatul-Ashtat where he met Bishr Ibn Sufyan Al-Ka`bî, who told him: 
"O    Messenger of Allah! The tribe of Quraysh has found out where you are    going, so they have prepared themselves to fight you. They insist that    you will never enter Makkah while they are in it, so they have  prepared   an army to fight you and Khalid Ibn Al-Walid is the head of  this army   with the cavalry (horsemen). 
The    Prophet was grieved, and said: "Woe to the Quraysh! War has eaten  them   up! What harm would it be to them if they let me address all the   Arabs?"  
Then    he (peace be upon him) asked his companions for their suggestions    saying: "O people what do you suggest I should do?" Abu Bakr As-Siddiq,    may Allah be pleased with him, said: "O Messenger of Allah! You have    gone out with the intention of performing pilgrimage and not to fight    anyone. So go ahead and do what you have intended to do, and if anyone    should prevent us, we shall fight him."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) then said: "Move on in the Name of Allah!"
Then    he (peace be upon him) ordered the Muslims who were with him to take a    road leading to Hudaybiyah. When he reached a place called    Thaniyyatul-Murar, his she-camel knelt down and refused to move on. The    Muslims were amazed when they s aw that but the Prophet (peace be upon    him) told them that she had been commanded to do so and that Allah  had   prevented her from entering Makkah. 
The    place at which the Muslims stopped was a wasteland near Hudaybiyah  and   there was no sign of life there except for the small hole of an  old  well  where there was only a small quantity of water. The Muslims  had  become  very thirsty because of their long march in that barren  desert  under the  burning rays of the sun. Therefore, they rushed to  the water  and drank  all of it. Then they went to the Prophet (peace be  upon him)  and told  him that they were still thirsty and asked him to  camp in  another place  where grass and water would be available.
The    Prophet (peace be upon him) pulled an arrow from his quiver and    commanded them to prod it in that well. Then he sat at the edge of the    well and asked for a vessel then rinsed his mouth with some water and    invoked Allah then poured it into the well. He asked them to wait for  an   hour. After that, water sprang out of the well until all the  Muslims   drank their fill.
During    that time Budayl Ibn Warqa’ Al-Khuza`i came with a group from his    people 'Banu Khuza`ah' who were allies of the Prophet (peace be upon    him). Budayl told the Prophet (peace be upon him) what Bishr Ibn Sufyan    had told him before and added:
'I    have left Ka`b Ibn Lu’ay and `Aamir Ibn Lu’ay with a group of Quraysh    encamping at Hudaybiyah. They have gone out with their wives and    children so that no fighter would flee if war should start between them    and the Muslims.' 
The    Prophet became even more grieved because of the way the Quraysh was    dealing with the matter, for he had not gone there for war.
When    Banu Khuza`ah returned to the Quraysh, they told them that the  Prophet   (peace be upon him) and his companions, may Allah be pleased  with  them,  had not come for war, saying:
"O    People of Quraysh! You have been hasty and judged Muhammad wrongly!  He   has not come to fight, but rather to visit this House (the  Ka`bah)."
However, the chiefs of Quraysh were arrogant, and said stubbornly:
"Even if he has come for that purpose, he will not enter it by force, as the Arabs will talk about that." 
The    Quraysh did not believe that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had come    with that large number of Muslims without the intention of fighting    them. They wanted to discover the truth, so they sent Mikraz Ibn Hafs    Ibn Al-Akhyaf.
When    he met the Prophet, he knew that he only intended to visit the Sacred    House, so he returned to the Quraysh and told them. They then sent    Al-Hulays Ibn `Alqamah Al-Kinani to him. When the Prophet (peace be upon    him) saw him he asked his Companions to display the sacrificial   animals  which they had brought with them (for Pilgrimage) to let   Al-Hulays see  them so that he would realize that they were being   truthful. The man saw  them then returned to the Quraysh, and said:
"O    People of Quraysh! I have seen something that cannot be legally    prevented! The sacrificial animals have been allotted (i.e., marked to    be recognized as being for Pilgrimage), and they have eaten their hair    because they have been kept away from their grazing area for a long    time!"
They told him: "Sit down! You know nothing about that!"
The    Prophet (peace be upon him) sent `Uthmaan Ibn `Affan, may Allah be    pleased with him, to the Quraysh to tell them that he had not come for    war but as a visitor to the Sacred House. `Uthman went to Makkah. Aban    Ibn Sa`id Ibn Al-`As met him so he dismounted and carried him on his    mount. He also promised to protect him until he had told them the    Prophet’s message. Thus `Uthman Ibn 'Affan, may Allah be pleased with    him, moved on until he met Abu Sufyan and the chiefs of Quraysh and told    them the Prophet’s message.
They said to `Uthman Ibn 'Affan, may Allah be pleased with him: "You may circumambulate the House if you want."
 `Uthman Ibn 'Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "I would never do that until the Messenger of Allah has done so!"
`Uthman    Ibn 'Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, stayed waiting in Makkah    until the Quraysh had consulted one another and made up their minds.    `Uthman Ibn 'Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, did not return to the    Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Muslims fast enough, and a rumor   to  the effect that Quraysh had killed him had spread. Therefore, the    Prophet (peace be upon him) called the Muslims to pledge allegiance to    him that they would support him and fight alongside him. That was the    pledge of Ridhwaan which took place under the tree.
While    the Prophet and the Muslims were preparing to march toward Makkah,  the   Quraysh had made up their mind and decided to negotiate with the   Prophet  (peace be upon him). So, they sent Suhayl Ibn `Amr to negotiate   on  their behalf with the Prophet (peace be upon him).
When    the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saw him coming, he said:    "The people (of the Quraysh) have chosen peace, as they have sent this    man."
Suhayl    came to the Prophet and told him that the Quraysh wished to make  peace   with him, and that they wanted the Prophet and his followers not  to   enter Makkah that year, so that their dignity might not be lost  among   the tribes and so that people would not say that the Muslims  entered it   against the will of the Quraysh.
The    Prophet (peace be upon him) was listening to Suhayl solemnly and   calmly  and no sign of anger appeared on him. However, the Muslims who   were  listening to the Quraysh’s conditions could not hide their rage   because  of those unjust conditions, but they remained silent venerating   and  glorifying the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). `Umar Ibn    Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, was the most enraged person    among them. 
Suhayl moved his eyes between the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Muslims who were surrounding him, then said:
"Write down a document about what we and you will agree upon."
The    Prophet (peace be upon him) asked `Ali Ibn Abu Talib, may Allah be    pleased with him, to write down the peace treaty with the Quraysh, but    `Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, could not endure  it   any longer so he jumped up from his place and approached the  Prophet   (peace be upon him) and said:
"O Messenger of Allah! Is it not right that you are the Prophet of Allah? "
The Prophet said: "Yes, I am." 
`Umar Ibn Al-Al-Khattab said: "Is it not right that we are following the truth and that our enemy is following falsehood?
The Prophet answered: "That is right." 
`Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, was astonished and said, as he was resisting his anger:
"So why are we given (such) ignoble (conditions)?"
The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied confidently and quietly: 
"I am the Messenger of Allah. I will not disobeying Him, and He will help me."
Then    the Prophet (peace be upon him) turned to `Ali, may Allah be pleased    with him, and said: "Write 'In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful,  the   Ever Merciful'."
Suhayl said: "I do not know this, but write instead 'In Your Name, O Allah'."
The    Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Write, 'In Your Name, O Allah!  This   is what was said according to which Muhammad, the Messenger of  Allah,   has reconciled with Suhayl Ibn `Amr'."
Suhayl    Ibn `Amr said: "If I testified that you are the Messenger of Allah, I    would not fight you. Write, 'Muhammad Ibn `Abdullaah'; your name and   the  name of your father."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) went on dictating to `Ali confidently and quietly: 
"This    is what was said according to which Muhammad Ibn `Abdullah has    reconciled with Suhayl Ibn `Amr. They have agreed to stop fighting for    ten years during which time the people will live in safety and will not    harm one another." 
Thereupon,    Suhayl declared that whoever would come to the Prophet (peace be upon    him) without the Quraysh’s permission, he was to send him back to  them;   and whoever would go to the Qurasyh from among the Muslims  without the   Prophet’s permission, they would not send him back. When  the Muslims   heard that, some of them objected.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"Yes,    whoever will go to them from among us, then may Allah keep him away;    and whoever will come to us from among them and we send him back,  Allah   will make a way-out for him."
Then Suhayl turned to `Ali and went on dictating the treaty to him:
"He    who wishes to enter into a covenant and agreement with Muhammad may  do   so, and he who wishes to enter into a covenant and agreement with  the   Quraysh may do so."
On    one hand the people of Khuza`ah jumped up and said, “We are in a    covenant and agreement with the Messenger of Allah”. On the other hand,    the people of Banu Bakr said, “We are in a covenant and agreement with    the Quraysh”.
Suhayl said to the Prophet (peace be upon him):
"You    should also return this year. You shall not enter Makkah against our    will. But the following year, we shall leave it for you to spend three    days with your Companions therein, and you will then bring with you    nothing more than riders’ weapons; swords in sheaths."
When    they finished, the Prophet (peace be upon him) called some men from    among the Muslims and some from among the Qurasyh to testify to the    peace treaty. The Muslims who signed this agreement were: Abû Bakr    As-Siddîq, `Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, `Uthman Ibn `Affan, `Ali Ibn Abu Talib,    `Abdur-Rahman Ibn `Awf, Sa`d Ibn Abi Waqqas, Abu `Ubaydah Ibn    Al-Jarrah, and Muhammad Ibn Salamah Al-Ansari. Also, two men from among    the disbelievers signed it: Huwaytib Ibn `Abdul-`Uzza and Mikraz Ibn    Hafs Ibn Al-Akhyaf.
When    the Prophet, and the Muslims who were with him, returned to   Al-Madinah,  a man from the Quraysh came to him; he had embraced Islam   and escaped  to Al-Madinah. Then the Quraysh sent two men to ask for him   and the  Prophet (peace be upon him) handed him over to them. The man   managed to  escape and moved on until he reached the sea shore where he   stayed. Then  it was not long until Abu Jandal Ibn Suhayl came after  him  fleeing.  Moreover, whenever a man of Quraysh embraced Islam and   escaped, he would  catch up with the others who had gone out before him   until they became a  group. Whenever they heard that a caravan of the   Quraysh had gone out  to the Levant, they would stand in its  way and   take its goods. As a result, the Quraysh sent a message to the  Prophet   (peace be upon him) begging him not to return any one who would  come  to  him from among them after that day!
After    only two years from the time the Quraysh entered into a covenant with    the Prophet (peace be upon him) they broke that covenant. It so   happened  that they helped their allies from Banu Bakr in their assault   against  the tribe of Khuza`ah, the Prophet’s allies. When the Prophet   knew what  the Quraysh had done, he was very angry and decided to go to   Makkah and  put an end to the Quraysh’s assaults and disloyalty. Thus,   he commanded  the Muslims to prepare for war.
The    Quraysh expected that the Muslims would prepare to fight them, so  they   realized the danger of what they had done. Therefore, they sent  Abu   Sufyan Ibn Harb to meet the Prophet (peace be upon him) and renew  their   covenant.
When    he mentioned this to the Prophet (peace be upon him) the Prophet   (peace  be upon him) did not reply to him. So he went to Abu Bakr and   asked him  to intercede for him with the Messenger of Allah but he   refused to do  so. Then Abu Sufyan went to `Umar Ibn Al-Al-Khattab who   scolded him, so  he went to `Alî Ibn Abi Talib but he also refused.   Thereupon, Abu Sufyan  returned to Makkah as his mission had failed.
The    Prophet (peace be upon him) appointed Abu Ruhm Kulthum Ibn Husayn    Al-Ghifari to be in charge of Al-Madinah and headed for Makkah on the    10th of Ramadan in the 8th year after Hijrah (migration).
The    Muslims approached Makkah until they reached its heights. The night    came and enveloped the wide desert along with the Muslim army which had    encamped near Makkah waiting for the Prophet’s order to march.
Worry    and expectation prevailed throughout Makkah and so its people spent    that night in fear and caution. In the morning, Abu Sufyan went to the    Prophet (peace be upon him) and on seeing the Muslim army he became    terrified. The Prophet (peace be upon him) offered him to embrace Islam    and he hardly hesitated. Then Abu Sufyan returned to Makkah and   declared  to the Quraysh loudly:
"O    People of Quraysh! Muhammad has come to you with something that you    cannot put off. So, he who enters the house of Abu Sufyan will be safe;    he who shuts his door and remains in his house will be safe; and he  who   enters the (Sacred) Mosque will be safe.”
Upon hearing this, the people scattered to their houses and to the Mosque.
The    Prophet (peace be upon him) marched towards Makkah while wearing a    black turban whose ends fell loose over his shoulders. His banner was    white and his flag was black.
The    Prophet’s procession entered the streets of Makkah amidst the crowds   of  Muslims. He proceeded until he reached the Sacred House, which he   then  circumambulated and destroyed the idols that were surrounding it.   Then  he ordered Bilaal to call the Athaan (call for the prayer) from   above  the Ka`bah as an indication that Allah had given power to His   religion.  After that the Prophet (peace be upon him) performed two   rak`as (units  of prayer) inside the Ka`bah.
The    Quraysh assembled around the Prophet while they were overcome by    despair and fear; they had always declared themselves to be the enemy of    the Muslims and they had tormented them severely. The Prophet was the    first to speak, saying:
"O    People of Quraysh! What do you expect I will do with you?" They were    full of hope and all of them answered: "Good, as you are a noble    brother, and the son of a noble brother!" Thereupon the Prophet (peace    be upon him) said to them tolerantly and humbly: "Go, for you are  free!"   
With    these words, which are full of mercy and love, and with this moral    victory the Prophet (peace be upon him) topped his great military    victory. And Allah’s promise to His believing slaves was fulfilled and    the people entered Allah’s Religion – Islam overwhelmingly.