Bab ul-Fatah

This gateway to the Ka’bah is known as Bab-ul-Fatah (Door of Victory). It was from here that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) entered during the conquest of Makkah on Friday, 20 Ramadhan 8 A.H.

When the army of Muslims came towards Makkah, they first halted at Dhu Tuwa, not far from the city but within sight of it. When his camel Qaswa came to a halt, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) bowed his head until his beard almost touched the saddle, in gratitude to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He).

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) then drew up his troops to enter Makkah. Khalid bin Waleed (may Allah be pleased with him) took command of the right and entered from the lower part of Makkah. Zubair (may Allah be pleased with him) took command of the left wing and entered from the upper part of Kada. The centre part of the army was divided into two; half of it was led by Sa’d bin Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) and his son, and the other half, in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) himself rode, was led by Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who commanded the infantry. The sheer surprise of the attack stunned the Quraysh and very little resistance was put up against the Muslims.

It is reported that Ali, the grandson of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) through his daughter Zainab (may Allah be pleased with him), sat with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) on the camel’s back during the triumphal entry into Makkah.

A red leather tent was pitched for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) in which he made wudhu (ablution) and performed eight rakahs of nafl salah, after which he rested for an hour or more. Then he called for Qaswa, and having put on his coat of mail and his helmet, he gird on his sword; but in his hand he carried a staff, and his visor was up. Some of those who had ridden with him that morning were already in line outside the tent, and they made an escort for him as he went to the Haram, talking to Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), who was at his side.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) went to the Ka’bah and performed tawaf. Around the Ka’bah were three hundred and sixty idols. With a stick he was carrying he pushed them over, saying: “The truth has come and falsehood has vanished away. Falsehood is ever vanishing”[Quran 17:81]

“The truth has come and falsehood originates not nor brings again”[Quran 34:49]

After performing the circle the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) dismounted from his camel and prayed at the Maqame Ebrahim, then drank from the well of Zamzam. He then asked for the keys to the Ka’bah and went inside for a while. By the time he came out the Quraysh had filled the Haram, awaiting anxiously to see what he would do next.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) stood at the door of the Ka’bah, holding its frame and spoke at length to his former persecutors humbled before him, explaining several laws of Islam and abolishing all pagan practices. Then he asked them, “Men of the Quraysh! What do you think I will do to you?”. They said, “We hope for the best. You are a noble brother and the son of a noble brother!”. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) replied, “I say to you what Yusuf said to his brothers, ‘No reproach shall be on you this day.’ Go on your way, you are free.”

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) ordered Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) to climb up on the roof of the Ka’bah and give the athan (it is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) himself offered his shoulder for Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) to climb from). It was the first time the leaders of the Quraysh had heard the word of Allah rising up; the valley of Makkah reverberated with the sound.

Many eminent members of Quraysh, former bitter enemies, came into the fold of Islam on this day including Abu Sufyan and his wife Hind who had during the battle of Uhud chewed the liver of Hamza (may Allah be pleased with him).

References: When the Moon Split – Shaikh Safiur-Rahman Mubarakpuri, Fazail-e-Aamal – Sheikh Zakariyya Kandhalvi, Muhammed the last Prophet – Sayyed Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi