of an astonishing military career unparalleled in the history of warfare.
In 630, during the eighth year of the Prophet’s migration to Madinah, the forty-six year old Khalid received a letter from his brother Al-Walid ibn Walid, who had already embraced Islam. The letter read: ‘In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful. I have not seen anything more surprising than you keeping away from Islam although you are a man of wisdom. No one (of your calibre) should remain ignorant of Islam. The Messenger of God also asked me: ‘Where is Khalid?’ He remarked, ‘How is a man like Khalid ignorant of Islam? It would be good for him if he devoted his capabilities for the cause of the Muslims. We would have preferred him to the others.’ My brother! Compensate now (for the mistake) that has been committed in the battles (against Islam).’
This letter shook Khalid to his core and suddenly the ray of Islam began to shine all over his being. Along with Amr ibn al-As, another brilliant Muslim general, Khalid left Makkah for Madinah and presented himself before the Prophet. ‘O Messenger of God!’ cried Khalid, ‘I remember all the scenes of fighting with you, and my animosity with the Truth. Please pray to God to forgive me.’ ‘Islam wipes out all the wrongs that are committed before embracing it.’ retorted the Prophet. On another occasion, the Prophet remarked, ‘The better ones of you in the Days of Ignorance are the better ones of you in Islam when they understand (the faith).’ The Prophet’s words summed up Khalid’s qualities as a new Muslim; prior to his acceptance of Islam, he was a persistent thorn in the side of the Prophet and his companions but, after embracing Islam, he became an almighty hammer which helped crush Islam’s opponents. The very mention of his name was enough to send shivers down his enemy’s spine.
Given Khalid’s abilities as a soldier and military tactician, the Prophet asked him to accompany the Muslim army and face the subversive Byzantines who had camped along the northern borders of Arabia. Led by three distinguished Muslim commanders, Khalid was only too happy to accompany the army onto the battlefield as an ordinary soldier. As it happens, only three thousand Muslims fought more than fifty thousand well-equipped and highly-trained Byzantine soldiers. In the ensuing battle, all three Muslim commanders fell one after another. As the tide of the battle began to turn against the Muslims, the indomitable Khalid assumed leadership of the Muslim army and saved the day. Hitherto the Muslims were fighting a losing battle but now, in the middle of the raging conflict, Khalid managed to re-vitalise the Muslim fortunes by launching a rear attack, which gave impression to the Byzantines that fresh reinforcements had arrived for the Muslims. In reality, Khalid had merely withdrawn some of his forces from the battlefield and instructed them to attack from the rear to divert the enemy’s attention. This stroke of genius by Khalid enabled the Muslim army to create a buffer zone between them and their enemies. The Prophet received the news of the death of the three Muslim commanders by Divine inspiration (wahy) and remarked, ‘Then a sword of God took hold of the banner and saved the day.’ This was a reference to Khalid’s heroic feat on the battlefield. From that day on, Khalid became known as saifullah or the ‘Sword of God’.
After the death of the Prophet in 632, numerous dissident groups led by a number of opportunists and imposters (like Musailimah, Tulaiha and Sajah) emerged to create mischief across Arabia. Caliph Abu Bakr, the Prophet’s successor, was determined to teach these miscreants a lesson or two. Khalid played a pivotal role in putting an end to all such subversive activities in the Arabian Peninsula, and in so doing he became a saviour of Islam in one of Islamic history’s most critical periods. With great foresight and profound understanding of Khalid’s unusual military abilities, Caliph Abu Bakr sent him to face the battle-hardened Persian army in 633. The Persians saw the rise of Islam in neighbouring Arabia as a threat to their interests and they began to instigate subversive activities against the new Islamic State. Not willing to tolerate Persian interference in the affairs of the Muslims, Caliph Abu Bakr summoned Khalid and told him to go and teach the Persians a good lesson in warfare. He marched out of Arabia and came in direct contact with the Persian army. He then wrote a letter to Hurmuz, the famous Persian military general, in which he spelled out his objective:
‘Our aim is not to fight you. Accept Islam, the peaceful way, and you will be safe. If not then clear our way to the people so that we may explain this beautiful way of life to them…if you do not accept any of these conditions then the only alternative is the use of the sword. Before deciding on the third alternative you should keep in mind that I am bringing against you a people who love death more than you love your life.’
Hurmuz dismissed Khalid’s letter and challenged him to fight one-to-one. Khalid accepted the challenge and put the most famous Persian general to the sword before he could even make a move. His frightening speed and awesome display of military skills left everyone spell-bound. A fierce battle then ensued. A poorly equipped and irregular Muslim army, led by a truly incomparable military genius, inflicted a crushing defeat on one of the greatest empires in history. Not surprisingly, the historians consider Khalid’s victory over the Persians to be one of his greatest achievements. In total, Khalid fought fifteen battles against the Persians and on each and every occasion he brought them to their knees. The Persians feared Khalid more than anyone else.
After subduing the Persians, Khalid turned his attention to the infiltrative activities of the Byzantine army. They, too, feared the growing power of the Islamic State and indirectly encouraged the neighbouring states to rise up against the Muslims. Caliph Abu Bakr resolved to deal with the looming danger presented by the Byzantines. He created four different battalions, each led by a separate commander. Under the command of Abu Ubaida ibn al-Jarrah, Amr ibn al-As, Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan and Shurahbil ibn Hasanah, the four battalions set out in different directions to face the Byzantines. Since the Byzantines had dispatched a very large army to crush the Muslims, the Caliph ordered Khalid to leave his Persian garrison and join the army he had sent to face the Byzantines. In July 634, Khalid met up with the Muslim army at Ajnadayn. He held a council of all the Muslim commanders and suggested that one of them should take overall command of the army. The Muslim army consisted of forty-five thousand men, while the Byzantine army consisted of around one hundred and fifty thousand troops. The decisive battle of Yarmuk was now looming in the horizon.
Like the Persians, the Byzantines were also fascinated by the genius of Khalid; they were very keen to see the man Muslims fondly referred to as the ‘Sword of God’. After due deliberation, the Muslim army (under the central command of Khalid) met the well-equipped, professionally-trained and highly-motivated soldiers of the Byzantine Empire and a fierce battle then ensued. During the battle, Khalid received a letter from Madinah informing him of the death of Caliph Abu Bakr. The letter, signed by Caliph Umar, instructed Khalid to hand over the central command of the Muslim army to Abu Ubaida ibn al-Jarrah. Khalid decided not to disclose the contents of the letter while the battle was raging, in order to avoid creating confusion among the Muslims. This was a very clever move by Khalid as it ensured the Muslim army did not lose heart at the news of the Caliph’s death. Under Khalid’s able leadership, forty-five thousand Muslims crushed the mighty Byzantine forces. After the battle, Khalid informed the Muslim army of the death of Caliph Abu Bakr and willingly placed himself under the command of Abu Ubaida ibn al-Jarrah as per Caliph Umar’s instruction.
To Khalid, the great military genius, it did not matter who was in charge. What mattered to him, more than anything else, was that Islam gain victory over its adversaries. He lived a very simple, pious and austere life dedicated to the service of Islam and the Muslims. Refering to Khalid, Caliph Abu Bakr once remarked, ‘O Quraysh! Verily your lion, the lion of Islam, had leapt upon the lion of Persia, and spoiled him of his prey. Women shall not bear a second Khalid.’ As a military general, Khalid thrived in the lion’s den. In the history of warfare, no other military general had achieved as much as Khalid did, in such a short period of time. Although Khalid became a Muslim only a few years before the conquest of Makkah in 630, he became one of the greatest champions of Islam immediately upon embracing the new faith. His firm commitment, selfless dedication and great sacrifices for the sake of Islam made him a symbol of pride and joy for all Muslims. Considered by the Muslim soldiers to be a great gift and a blessing from God, his unprecedented success on the battlefield convinced
