Prophecy: Return to and Conquest of Makkah
The conquest of Makkah is a significant event in Islamic history, representing a turning point for the Muslim community. The strongest scriptural prophecy connected to it is the Quranic assurance, revealed after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his Companions would enter al-Masjid al-Haram in safety. Classical tafsir generally treats that promise as directly fulfilled by the compensatory `umrah (`Umrat al-Qada') in 7 AH, while the peaceful conquest of Makkah in 8 AH was the broader culmination of Islam's return to the city. This should be stated carefully: the evidence is a public promise of safe return and access to the Sacred Mosque, not a detailed military forecast of every feature of the conquest.
Narrated Ibn `Abbas: When Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) arrived in Makkah, he refused to enter the Ka`ba while there were idols inside it, so he ordered that they be removed. Pictures of Abraham and Ishmael, holding divination arrows in their hands, were brought out. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, "May Allah curse them; they knew very well that Abraham and Ishmael never used these divination arrows." Then he entered the Ka`ba, said "Allahu Akbar" in its corners, and came out without offering prayer inside it.
This authentic report is found in Sahih al-Bukhari 4288. It records what happened at the opening of Makkah; it is not itself the prophecy. The clearest forward-looking text is the Quranic assurance revealed after Hudaybiyyah:
Certainly Allah has fulfilled for His Messenger the vision in truth. You will surely enter al-Masjid al-Haram, if Allah wills, in safety, with your heads shaved and hair shortened, not fearing. He knew what you did not know and has arranged before that a near victory. (Quran 48:27)
Classical tafsir connects this verse with the vision of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) that he and his Companions would enter Makkah. The direct promise is safe entry into the Sacred Mosque. The phrase "if Allah wills" expresses that all future events occur by Allah's will; it is not a sign that the promise was merely a guess. Many commentators identify its immediate fulfillment as `Umrat al-Qada' in 7 AH; the phrase "a near victory" is interpreted in different ways, commonly as Hudaybiyyah itself or Khaybar, so it should not simply be asserted as a precise reference to the conquest of Makkah.
The context should be framed according to which text is being cited. If Quran 28:85 ("Indeed, He who imposed upon you the Quran will surely return you to a place of return") is used as an earlier promise, many early commentators understood "a place of return" (ma`ad) to mean Makkah, while other tafsir interpretations exist; therefore it should not be presented as a detailed conquest prediction. The more explicit text, Quran 48:27, came after Hudaybiyyah: the Muslims were no longer merely a tiny persecuted group, but they had just been prevented from entering Makkah, and some Companions found the treaty deeply painful. In that setting, the public assurance that they would enter al-Masjid al-Haram safely, shaving or shortening their hair without fear, remained striking.
The historical fulfillment unfolded in stages. The specific Quranic promise of safe entry was fulfilled the following year in `Umrat al-Qada' (7 AH), when the Muslims entered Makkah for the compensatory `umrah. In Ramadan 8 AH (630 CE), after Banu Bakr, with Quraysh support, attacked Khuza`ah, an ally of the Muslims, the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah was breached. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) then marched with an army of about 10,000 Muslims towards Makkah. The city was opened with very limited fighting, reflecting his emphasis on mercy and restraint. Upon entering, he removed the idols from the Ka`ba and granted a broad amnesty, restoring the Sacred House to tawhid. The conquest therefore stands as a powerful culmination of the promised return, even though Quran 48:27 itself is specifically about safe entry to the Sacred Mosque rather than a detailed prediction of the military campaign.
A fair-minded reader can view this prophecy as a serious piece of cumulative evidence: a public promise was recited and preserved in connection with a well-known political crisis, and the Muslims did in fact return safely and then open Makkah soon after. The strongest sceptical response is that political circumstances changed quickly after Hudaybiyyah and that the wording of Quran 48:27 predicts secure entry more directly than conquest. That objection should be acknowledged. The force of the sign lies not in exaggerated detail, but in the timing, public nature, and concrete fulfillment of the promised return, alongside the broader pattern of the truthful mission of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). It should not be used as the sole basis for belief, and each prophecy should still be examined on its own merits: its wording, its context, the authenticity of its transmission, and the nature of its fulfillment.