Ghazwat Fath Makkah fi Daw al-Sunnah al-Mutahharah
- Author died
- 1422 AH
- Editions
- Matba'at Safir
Ghazwat Fath Makkah fi Daw al-Sunnah al-Mutahharah (The Expedition of the Conquest of Mecca in the Light of the Purified Sunnah, also titled fi Daw al-Kitab wa-al-Sunnah) is a concise historical monograph authored by Abd al-Rahman ibn Sa'id ibn Ali ibn Wahf al-Qahtani (1403–1422 AH / 1983–2001 CE) and edited posthumously by his father, Sa'id ibn Ali ibn Wahf al-Qahtani . The book summarizes the events, tactical organization, strategic dimensions, and lessons of the conquest of Mecca by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ .
Origin and Editorial History
The treatise originated as a student research project written by Abd al-Rahman al-Qahtani during his final year of secondary school (1421–1422 AH / 2000–2001 CE) at the Abi 'Amr al-Basri High School for Quran Memorization in Riyadh, under the supervision of his instructor, Muhammad al-Sulaym . Following the author's death at the age of eighteen in a traffic collision on 17 Ramadan 1422 AH, his father retrieved the manuscript from the school's vice-principal, Muhammad al-'Awshan, to prepare it for publication .
The editor completed the preparation of the text in Sha'ban 1423 AH (October 2002 CE) . His editorial method entailed collating the text against the author's handwritten manuscript, verifying and referencing all prophetic traditions to their primary sources, and inserting extensive footnotes compiling related hadiths on the conquest from the Six Books as organized by Ibn al-Athir in Jami' al-Usul . The work was published as an independent monograph and was subsequently incorporated as the third treatise in the collected works of the author (Majmu' Rasa'il Abd al-Rahman ibn Sa'id ibn Ali ibn Wahf al-Qahtani) .
Structure and Contents
The author arranged the book systematically into four parts (abwab), each containing two chapters (fusul), with each chapter divided into two sub-sections (mabahith) :
- Part One: Causes for the Conquest and Preparations covers the breach of the truce that provoked the military expedition, Abu Sufyan's unsuccessful diplomatic visit to Medina to renew the treaty, the mobilization of the Muslim forces, and the interception of the confidential message sent by Hatib ibn Abi Balta'ah .
- Part Two: Army Deployment, Movement, and the Situation in Mecca details the military structure of the ten-thousand-strong army through a structured table outlining tribal contingents, brigade sizes, banners, and standard-bearers . It also recounts the advance to Marr al-Zahran, the conversion of al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, the reconnaissance undertaken by Abu Sufyan and his subsequent acceptance of Islam, and the military parade held before him .
- Part Three: Entry into Mecca and Cleansing the Sanctuary describes the tactical distribution of columns entering Mecca under leaders such as Khalid ibn al-Walid, al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah, and Qays ibn Sa'd, as well as the skirmish at al-Khandamah . It proceeds to cover the entrance into al-Masjid al-Haram, the demolition of idols around the Kaaba, and the rulings concerning specific individuals whose protection had been revoked .
- Part Four: Strategic Effects and Foundations of Victory analyzes the strategic impact of the conquest—such as achieving military deterrence and victory without casualties—and outlines educational lessons, including planning, discipline, the sacred status of the Kaaba, and the role of mercy and reconciliation .
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