The Final Years of the Prophet ﷺ: From the Conquest of Makkah to the Farewell Sermon (UK Seerah Part 10)

This is the tenth instalment of our British Muslim Seerah series, continuing from Part 8: Building the Madinan Society and Part 9: The Armed Struggle Between Makkah and Madinah. Part 10 covers the period from the Conquest of Makkah in 8 AH (630 CE) to the death of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in 11 AH (632 CE) — the final two and a half years of his life. These were extraordinary years: Islam spread across Arabia at unprecedented speed, the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah's promise of unrestricted da'wah was fulfilled, the Hajj was reformed, and the Prophet ﷺ delivered the Farewell Sermon containing the principles that have shaped Muslim life for 1,400 years.

The aftermath of the Conquest of Makkah (8 AH / 630 CE)

After taking Makkah peacefully and declaring general amnesty, the Prophet ﷺ:

• Cleared the Ka'bah of 360 idols and dedicated the building solely to Allah.
• Reaffirmed the original Ibrahimic monotheism — the city's true heritage, restored.
• Appointed governors to integrate Makkah into the Islamic state structure.
• Returned to Madinah, treating Madinah (not Makkah) as the political capital.

The Battle of Hunayn (8 AH)

Just weeks after the Conquest of Makkah, the Hawazin tribe and their allies (Thaqif) gathered an army of around 20,000 to attack the Muslims. Many recently-converted Makkans joined the Muslim army, swelling it to around 12,000 — the largest Muslim force assembled to that date. The battle began badly: the Hawazin ambushed the Muslims in the valley of Hunayn, and the Muslim ranks broke. Surah At-Tawbah 9:25-26 was revealed about this:

"Allah has already given you victory in many regions and on the day of Hunayn, when your great number pleased you, but it did not avail you at all, and the earth was confining for you with its vastness. Then you turned back, fleeing. Then Allah sent down His tranquillity upon His Messenger and upon the believers..."

The Prophet ﷺ rallied the believers; the Muslims regrouped and won decisively. The lesson: numerical strength alone does not bring victory. Spiritual readiness does.

The Year of Delegations (9 AH)

Year 9 AH is called Aam al-Wufud — "the Year of Delegations". After the Conquest of Makkah, tribes across Arabia sent delegations to Madinah to embrace Islam, sign treaties, and seek instruction. The Quran refers to this in Surah An-Nasr 110:1-2:

"When the victory of Allah has come and the conquest, and you see the people entering into the religion of Allah in multitudes..."

Major delegations included:

• The Najran Christians (covered in our Ahl al-Dhimma UK guide).
• The Tribes of Tamim, Banu Hanifa, Daws, and dozens of others.
• Yemenite tribes from Sana'a and Hadramawt.
• Even Thaqif — the Hawazin allies who had fought at Hunayn — eventually embraced Islam.

The Prophet ﷺ received delegations almost daily for months. He would teach the basics of Islam, send teachers back with each delegation, and often a written treaty defining the relationship between the new community and the Madinan state.

The Expedition of Tabuk (9 AH)

Reports reached Madinah that the Byzantine Empire was preparing an army to attack the Muslims at the northern frontier (modern north-west Saudi Arabia / southern Jordan). The Prophet ﷺ called for an army — in the height of summer heat, during a difficult season. About 30,000 Muslims responded.

The expedition reached Tabuk after exhausting marches but no Byzantine army appeared. The Muslims established Tabuk as a frontier outpost, signed treaties with local tribes, and returned. The expedition demonstrated:

• The reach of the Madinan state — from southern Arabia to the Byzantine frontier.
• The reliability of the Muslim community — even in summer heat, even for an enemy that did not appear.
• Surah At-Tawbah was revealed in connection with the Tabuk expedition, addressing the hypocrites who stayed behind and the three sincere Muslims who delayed.

The Hajj of Abu Bakr (RA) (9 AH)

In 9 AH, the Prophet ﷺ sent Abu Bakr (RA) to lead the Hajj on his behalf. Just before Abu Bakr's caravan reached Makkah, the Prophet ﷺ sent Ali (RA) with new revelation — the opening of Surah At-Tawbah — declaring that pagan Arabs no longer had unrestricted access to the Sacred Mosque. Ali (RA) recited this declaration during the Hajj on behalf of the Prophet ﷺ. The Hajj was henceforth a Muslim ritual, no longer mixed with the Quraysh polytheistic practices that had accumulated over centuries.

The Farewell Hajj (10 AH / 632 CE)

In Dhul-Qa'dah of 10 AH (early 632 CE), the Prophet ﷺ announced he would lead the Hajj himself the following month. About 124,000 Muslims joined him — the largest gathering of Muslims in history to that point.

The Prophet ﷺ taught the Hajj rituals exactly, performing each one as instruction for the ummah. The Sunnah of Hajj that British Muslim families perform today — ihram, tawaf, sa'i, standing at Arafah, Muzdalifah, the stoning at Mina, the qurbani, the days of Tashreeq — all were taught and modelled in those days.

The Farewell Sermon

On the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah at Arafah, the Prophet ﷺ delivered one of the most consequential speeches in human history. The Farewell Sermon (Khutbat al-Wadaʿ) preserved in multiple authentic narrations contains the principles that have shaped Muslim life ever since:

• Sanctity of life and property: "Your blood, your wealth, and your honour are sacred to one another, like the sanctity of this day, in this month, in this city."
• Equality: "An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab over an Arab. A white person has no superiority over a black person, nor a black person over a white person, except by piety and good action."
• Treatment of women: "Treat women well... You have rights over them, and they have rights over you... Be kind to women" (repeated multiple times for emphasis).
• End of riba (interest): "All riba is abolished. The first riba I abolish is that of my own family — the riba of Al-Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib."
• End of pre-Islamic blood feuds: "All blood-feuds of the Days of Ignorance are abolished. The first I abolish is the blood-feud of Ibn Rabi'a ibn al-Harith."
• The two things left for guidance: "I leave with you two things; if you hold fast to them, you will not go astray after me: the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger."

This sermon is the closest thing the early Muslim community has to a "constitution" — a public, repeatedly-witnessed declaration of foundational Islamic principles.

The Prophet's ﷺ death (11 AH / 632 CE)

Approximately three months after the Farewell Hajj, the Prophet ﷺ fell ill in Madinah with a severe fever. His illness lasted about two weeks. During this period:

• He continued to lead the prayers as long as he was able.
• He appointed Abu Bakr (RA) to lead prayers in his place when he was too weak.
• He gave his final instructions to his family, his Companions, and the wider community.
• He freed his remaining slaves and gave away the last of his wealth.
• He passed away in Aisha (RA)'s arms on Monday, the 12th of Rabi' al-Awwal 11 AH (June 632 CE), aged 63.

He was buried in Aisha (RA)'s room, where his grave remains today inside the Masjid an-Nabawi. Abu Bakr (RA) and Umar (RA) were later buried beside him.

What British Muslim families can take from this final period

• Mercy in victory. The Conquest of Makkah and the general amnesty are the model for how Muslims should treat former enemies when in a position of strength.
• Numbers don't bring victory; spiritual readiness does. Hunayn was the lesson.
• Rapid spread of Islam through good example. Year 9 was the Year of Delegations because tribes were drawn by the Madinan state's ethics, not coerced.
• Engage with great powers reasonably. Tabuk: don't be intimidated, but don't seek conflict either.
• The Farewell Sermon principles are still the standard. Equality, women's rights, end of riba, sanctity of life, the Quran and Sunnah as guidance — UK Muslim families should know these by heart.
• Death is followed by legacy. The Prophet's ﷺ death was the beginning of Islam's global expansion, not the end. UK Muslim adults thinking about their own legacy should plan accordingly.

Continue your UK Seerah study

This concludes our Madinan Seerah series (Parts 8, 9, 10). The next stage covers the Caliphate of Abu Bakr (RA) and the early expansion. Eaalim's online Quran lessons integrate Seerah context into Quran study. Lessons are 30 minutes (15-20 for under-7s), GMT/BST, in pounds, free real trial. Start here.

Frequently asked questions