Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed (R.A)

Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed (R.A) was amongst the great Sahabah and is known as one of the greatest generals. Before he converted to Islam he fought against the Muslims. However after becoming a Muslim, He (R.A) fought courageously and spread Islam to Iraq and Syria. He (R.A) was also the first commander to set out to conquer foreign lands.

As a young man Khalid learnt the art of war. He learnt how to ride a horse, how to fight with a sword and archery. Together with his forceful personality and his lean physique Khalid became a respected man amongst the Quraish.

Before accepting Islam; when Muslims came to Makkah Shareef for the Hajj (Pilgrimage), Khalid would leave Makkah because he couldn’t stand seeing Muslims going around the Kaaba. When Muslims started to come to Makkah on a regular basis, Khalid saw how kind and noble they were. This softened his heart and he saw the wonderful change that Islam had brought to them. Khalid began to feel the irresistible pull of Islam. Rasoolullah (S.A.W) had said that a man like Khalid cannot stay away from Islam.

When he (R.A) realised the truth of Islam, he left Makkah and went to Madina Shareef to become a Muslim. He met the beloved Prophet (S.A.W), apologised for what he had done in the past, and embraced Islam. Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed (R.A) asked Holy Prophet (S.A.W) to pray to Allah (S.W.T) to forgive him.

Once at the Battle of Mauta, three Muslim commanders were Martyred in turn, so Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed (R.A) took up the command. Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed (R.A) kept fighting even though the situation was getting worse. He (R.A) fought with such force and skill that nine of his swords broke during the battle, but knew that if He (R.A) stayed in battle his troops would all be killed, so he took them off the battlefield.

Back in Madina Shareef, people started to accuse Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed (R.A) of fleeing the battle. However the beloved Prophet (S.A.W) told them that what he did was right. Holy Prophet (S.A.W) said that Khalid and his troops will fight again for the cause of Allah (S.W.T) and they will hit harder. The Prophet (S.A.W) gave Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed (R.A) the title of Saifullah – the Sword of Allah. He (R.A) spent a lot of time with the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) and spent hours listening to the beloved Prophet (S.A.W) and learning about Islam.

Due to Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed (R.A) being successful, in defeating the enemy in all his battles, some Muslims started to assume that without his leadership and participation, victory may not be possible. To show the people that victory was from Allah (S.W.T) alone, the Caliph at the time, Hazrat Umar (R.A), told Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed (R.A) to give up his command of the Muslim army in Syria. He (R.A) accepted the Caliph’s decision and although being dropped in rank he still continued to fight as a regular soldier with the same zeal and force. This clearly highlights that Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed (R.A) had no desire for position and power, just the desire to fight in the cause of Allah (S.W.T) and his Beloved Messenger (S.A.W).

Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed (R.A) participated in more than a 100 battles throughout his lifetime and is the most versatile soldier history has ever known - a true military genius.