PROPHETIC DIPLOMACY: LESSONS FROM THE TREATY OF HUDAYBIYYAH IN MODERN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Abstract

The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah is the watershed event of Islamic history covering elements in the realm of diplomacy, conflict resolution, and ethical statecraft. Strategic dimensions of the Treaty is discussed in this article in which Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) used principles of strategic foresight, pragmatic compromise and trust building to transition a tense standoff in favour of a pillar for peaceful coexistence. The study engages with the treaty through a combination of classical Islamic sources as well as modern international relations (IR) theory in identifying the treaty’s contemporary importance for aid in mediation, faith based diplomacy, and goodwill dichotomy between moral claims and insecure pragmatic political seduction. In fact, the Hudaybiyyah model of arbitration with its focus on intermediaries, incrementality and moral consistency is proposed as an alternative paradigm to deal with the conflicts as it happens today, like Palestine, Kashmir and Sudan. In addition, it asks if Islamic principles can be reconciled with westerly frameworks in IR without a bleed of their ethical essence and the underutilization of Prophetic diplomatic ethics in Muslim majority state foreign policy. The study concludes with the call for a return to the kind of Hudaybiyyah inspired diplomacy that will lead to more effective and morally a grounded approach to global peacebuilding.

Keywords: Hudaybiyyah Treaty, Islamic Diplomacy, Conflict Resolution, International Relations, Prophetic Statecraft, Mediation, Soft Power, Muslim Foreign Policy, Ethical Compromise, Peacebuilding