What happened at the conquest of Makkah, and how did the Prophet ﷺ treat his former enemies?

In 630 CE (8 AH), the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ led a large group of Muslims into Makkah after the Quraysh violated the terms of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. The city fell with almost no bloodshed, and the Prophet ﷺ entered in a posture of humility rather than triumph, reportedly riding with his head lowered in gratitude to God rather than in the manner of a conquering general. Rather than taking revenge on the Makkan leaders who had persecuted, exiled, and fought the Muslims for nearly two decades, the Prophet ﷺ declared a general amnesty, telling the assembled Quraysh, "Go, for you are free," language echoing what the Prophet Yusuf said to his brothers in the Quran. He then had the idols in and around the Kaaba removed, restoring it as a place of monotheistic worship as it had been under Ibrahim. This clemency toward former enemies, including people who had killed his close relatives and companions, is remembered in Islamic tradition as a defining example of mercy and restraint in victory, and it led many Makkans, including former staunch opponents, to embrace Islam in the years that followed.

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