Touching Stories Of The Sahaba (ra) ..

#28:;KHALID IBN AL-WALID ‎(رضي الله عنه);THE SWORD OF ALLAH;.

While Islamic history is replete with extraordinary examples of military prowess and feats of arms, the majority of military historians tend to focus on the more familiar masters of the art of war. Historians usually count the likes of Napoleon Bonaparte, Julius Caesar, and even the feared Mongol steppe warrior, Genghis Khan, among the lofty ranks of the world's Great Captains.

Clearly these are all highly accomplished men of war and rightly deserve their recognition as some of the most gifted battlefield commanders and strategists in history, there are yet others who deserve to be held in similarly high esteem. Chief among these is Khalid bin al-Walid: the Sword of Allah, destroyer of two empires, and undefeated general. A man who was dismissed from command for drawing too close to divinity itself.

It is reported that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said, 'The better ones of you in the Days of Ignorance are the better ones of you in Islam when they understand (the religion)." These wise words of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) were best proved in the case of our hero, Khalid ibn AI-Walid. For, it was Khalid ibn AI-Walid who managed to cause the defeat of the Muslim army at Uhud,before his conversion to Islam.

After his acceptance of the Faith , Khalid ibn AI-Walid was the champion of many decisive battles in favour of Islam, such as the battle against Musaylimah the Imposter and the battle of Yarmouk against the Roman Empire's army in Syria.

In fact , the reader of history will find that Khalid ibn Al-Walid was a military strategist and commander with very few equals in human history, a man who turned many near defeats into glorious victories. He is Also noted for his military prowess, commanding the forces of Prophet Muhammad SAW and those of his immediate successors of the Rashidun Caliphate; Caliph Abu Bakr and Caliph Umar during the Islamic conquest in 7th century. It was under his military leadership that Arabia, for the first time in history, was united under a single political entity, the Caliphate.

Khalid ibn Al-Walid (رضي الله عنه ) was born the year 585 in Mecca. His father was Walid ibn al-Mughirah, Sheikh of the Banu Makhzum, a clan of the Arab tribe of Quraysh. Walid was known in Mecca by the title of al-Waheed - "the Loner". Khalid's mother was Lubabah al-Sughra bint al-Harith, a paternal sister of Maymunah bint al-Harith.

The three leading clans of Quraysh at that time were Banu Hashim, Banu Abd ad-Dar and Banu Makhzum, the latter clan being responsible for the matters of warfare. As a member of the Makhzum clan, who were amongst the best horsemen in Arabia, Khalid learned to ride and use such weapons as the spear, the lance, the bow and the sword. The lance was said to be his favorite among the weapons. He was also taught how best to move quickly across the desert by using camels for transportation and switching to horses for raiding and attacking enemy caravans and pastures. In youth he was admired as a renowned warrior and wrestler among the Quraysh. Khalid was a cousin of Umar ibn Khattabb, the future second Caliph, and they looked very similar.

Before his conversion to Islam, Khalid is renowned as being the only commander to have inflicted a serious battlefield defeat against the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) at the Battle of Uhud in 625CE

The Battle of Uhud was the first military encounter which khalid showed his genius. This battle was initiated by the Makkan polytheists in revenge for their defeat at the Battle of Badr, where more than thousand of them were defeated by only a little over three hundred Muslims fighters.

In the Battle of Uhad, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) placed a group of archers on a nearby hill to give protection to the back of the Muslim army with specific instructions not to leave their posts under any circumstances. However, when the battle proved initially to be in favour of the Muslim army, the archers forgot the orders of their commander and left their positions. At this juncture, the military genius of Khalid ibn AI-Walid led him to take a band of fighters with him around the hill and attack the Muslim army from the rear, where they least expected their enemy; hence, the loss on the part of the Muslims became a great one. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him)was wounded and his uncle Hamzah killed, along with many other distinguished companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him).