In 8 AH allies of Quraysh attacked a tribe allied to the Muslims, breaking the Treaty of al-Hudaybiyyah. The Prophet ﷺ marched on Makkah with about ten thousand men, approaching so quietly that the city had no time to prepare.

Makkah was entered almost without fighting. Abu Sufyan, the leader of Quraysh, accepted Islam, and it was announced that anyone who stayed in his house, entered the house of Abu Sufyan or entered the Sacred Mosque would be safe. The Prophet ﷺ entered with his head bowed in humility.

He went to the Kaʿbah and struck down the idols around it, reciting: "Truth has come and falsehood has vanished; indeed falsehood is bound to vanish" (17:81). Then he addressed the people who had persecuted him for years and declared a general amnesty: "Go, you are free." Bilal climbed onto the Kaʿbah and called the adhan.

Soon after, the tribes of Hawazin gathered at Hunayn. The Muslims, proud of their numbers, were shaken at first, then Allah sent down His tranquillity and granted victory (9:25–26). The siege of Taʾif followed, and later the people of Taʾif came to Madinah and embraced Islam.

In 9 AH the Prophet ﷺ led a large army north to Tabuk in intense heat against a Byzantine threat. No battle took place, but the tribes of the north made treaties, and delegations from across Arabia came to accept Islam.