Bayʿat al-Riḍwān

Bayʿat al-Riḍwān refers to the pledge of allegiance given by the Companions to the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ during the expedition to al-Ḥudaybiyyah in 6 AH/628 CE. This event occupies a central place in sīrah literature due to its religious, political, and symbolic significance, and is uniquely distinguished by explicit reference in the Qurʾān as an act that earned divine approval.

The pledge took place after reports spread among the Muslim community that ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, who had been sent as an envoy to Makkah, had been detained or possibly killed by Quraysh. In response to this perceived threat, the Prophet ﷺ called upon his followers to pledge their loyalty and readiness to stand firm, even in the face of confrontation. The Companions gathered beneath a tree and pledged their commitment, demonstrating unity and resolve at a moment of uncertainty.

The Qurʾān directly commemorates this event in Sūrat al-Fatḥ: “Indeed, God was pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you under the tree…” (Qurʾān 48:18). This verse serves as the basis for the designation “Bayʿat al-Riḍwān” (the Pledge of Divine Approval), indicating that the participants were granted a special status in Islamic tradition due to their sincerity and steadfastness.

The details of the pledge are further elaborated in authentic hadith collections. Reports in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim describe the circumstances of the pledge and the number of participants, commonly estimated at around 1,400. The Prophet ﷺ is also reported to have placed one of his hands over the other, representing the pledge on behalf of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, thereby including him among those who participated.

The pledge did not result in immediate armed conflict. Shortly thereafter, it became clear that ʿUthmān had not been killed, and negotiations between the Prophet ﷺ and Quraysh resumed, culminating in the Treaty of Ḥudaybiyyah. Nevertheless, Bayʿat al-Riḍwān remained a defining moment, reflecting the readiness of the early Muslim community to uphold their commitment under challenging circumstances.

From a theological perspective, the event is significant due to its explicit mention in the Qurʾān, which affirms divine approval of the participants and highlights the importance of sincerity and loyalty in the path of faith. The pledge is also associated with promises of divine reward, as indicated in the continuation of the Qurʾānic passage (Qurʾān 48:18–19).

In sīrah historiography, Bayʿat al-Riḍwān is often interpreted as a demonstration of the strength and cohesion of the early Muslim community. It marked a turning point in the balance of power between the Muslims and Quraysh, signalling that the Muslim community had developed into a disciplined and unified body capable of collective action. This display of solidarity likely influenced the subsequent willingness of Quraysh to enter into a negotiated settlement.

Classical sources such as Ibn Isḥāq (as preserved by Ibn Hishām), al-Wāqidī, and al-Ṭabarī provide narrative accounts of the event, while hadith literature offers detailed reports of its circumstances and participants. Modern scholarship has further examined the pledge as an example of early Islamic political organization and communal identity formation.

In conclusion, Bayʿat al-Riḍwān represents a pivotal episode in the sīrah of the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ, characterized by collective loyalty, moral resolve, and divine commendation. Its significance lies not only in its immediate historical context but also in its enduring theological and symbolic importance within Islamic tradition.

## References

1 Qurʾān 48:18–19. 2 Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī, trans. Syed Muḥammad Ibrāhīm and Ḥabīb al-Raḥmān Ṣiddīqī (Karachi: Nafīs Academy, 1990), 2: 233. 3 Ṣafī al-Raḥmān Mubārakpūrī, al-Raḥīq al-Makhtūm (Urdu) (Lahore: Maktabah al-Salafiyyah, 1995), 459-74. 4 Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq ibn Yasār and Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Hishām, Sīrat Ibn Hishām, Urdu trans. Syed Yāsīn ʿAlī Ḥusnī Niẓāmī (Lahore: Idārah Islāmiyāt, 1994), 2: 208-220. 5 Shiblī Nuʿmānī and Syed Sulaimān Nadwī, Sīrat al-Nabī (Lahore: Maktabah Khalīl, 1990), 1: 206-9. 6 Abū ʿUbayd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Saʿd al-Baṣrī, Ṭabaqāt Ibn Saʿd, trans. ʿAbdullāh al-ʿAmadī (Karachi: Dār al-Ishāʿat, 2003), 1: 323-29. 7 Qāḍī Muḥammad Sulaymān Salmān Manṣūrpūrī, Wa-mā arsalnāka illā raḥmatan li’l-ʿālamīn (Lahore: Progressive Books, 2022), 169-173. 8 Wan Chik et al., “A Comparative Analysis of Bayʿah during the Time of the Prophet ﷺ,” International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences 7, no. 8 (2017). doi:10.6007/IJARBSS/v7-i8/3233. 9 Omer Saleh, “Bayʿat Ur-Riḍwān – A Historical Analytical Study,” Journal of Education for the Humanities (University of Mosul) (2021). doi:10.33899/jeh.2021.178140. 10 Ammar and Kharis Nugroho, “The Bayʿat al-Riḍwān and Allah’s Reward for the Muslims: Tafsīr Analysis of Sūrat al-Fatḥ (18–19),” Ta’wiluna: Journal of Qurʾanic Studies (2025). 11 Elie Podeh, “The Bayʿa: Modern Political Uses of Islamic Ritual in the Arab World,” Die Welt des Islams 50, no. 1 (2010): 117–144.