Khalid ibn al-Walid, the Sword of Allah

In short

In Arabic

خالد بن الوليد

Name

Khalid ibn al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah

Kunyah

Abu Sulayman

Tribe

Banu Makhzum, of Quraysh

Title

Sayf Allah, the Sword of Allah

Accepted Islam

Safar 8 AH (629 CE), with Amr ibn al-As and Uthman ibn Talhah; some say 7 AH

Known for

Mu'tah, the Ridda wars, Iraq and Yarmuk

Died

21 AH (642 CE) in Homs, Syria, by the most common report; some say Madinah

In short: Khalid was from one of the noblest clans of Quraysh. At Uhud it was his cavalry that rode round behind the Muslims when the archers left their hill, and at Hudaybiyyah he led the Quraysh horsemen. During the truce he came to Madinah and accepted Islam. At Mu'tah, a few months later, he saved the Muslim army after its three commanders were martyred, and the Prophet ﷺ called him a sword of Allah. He led a column at the Conquest of Makkah, then under Abu Bakr and Umar fought the Ridda wars and led the armies in Iraq and Syria. He died in his bed in Homs.¹

How he accepted Islam

Khalid fought against the Muslims at Uhud, where he led the Quraysh cavalry behind the Muslim lines,¹ and at Hudaybiyyah he was at the head of the horsemen sent to block the Prophet ﷺ.² During the truce that followed, Ibn Ishaq reports, he set out for Madinah and met Amr ibn al-As and Uthman ibn Talhah on the road, all three going to accept Islam. They came to the Prophet ﷺ together in Safar 8 AH.¹ See the Battle of Uhud and the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah.

Key events

Mu'tah and the title

In Jumada al-Ula 8 AH a Muslim army met a far larger Byzantine force at Mu'tah, in what is now Jordan. Zayd ibn Harithah, then Jafar ibn Abi Talib, then Abdullah ibn Rawahah took the flag and were martyred. Khalid took command and brought the army back. In Madinah the Prophet ﷺ told the people what had happened before the news arrived:

Khalid said: "On the day of Mu'tah nine swords broke in my hand, and only a broad Yemeni sword was left".³

With the Prophet ﷺ

At the Conquest of Makkah he led one wing of the army.⁴ When the Prophet ﷺ sent him to Banu Jadhimah, he killed men who had tried to say they had become Muslim, and the Prophet ﷺ raised his hands and said, "O Allah, I am free before You of what Khalid has done".⁵ The Prophet ﷺ still kept him in command, and once defended him when he was accused of withholding zakat: "You are wronging Khalid. He has kept his armour and weapons for the cause of Allah".⁶

Under Abu Bakr and Umar

Abu Bakr sent him against the tribes who left Islam after the Prophet's ﷺ death, and he defeated the false prophet Musaylimah at al-Yamamah (11 or 12 AH). He then led the first campaign in Iraq and crossed the desert to Syria, where the Byzantine army was defeated at Yarmuk (15 AH, 636 CE).⁷ Umar later removed him from the overall command and made Abu Ubaydah commander. Historians report that Umar explained he had done it so people would know that victory comes from Allah, not from Khalid, and that Khalid served on under Abu Ubaydah.⁷

His death

Khalid died in 21 AH, in Homs in Syria according to most historians; some say in Madinah. He had longed to die as a martyr. Historians report that he said on his deathbed that there was no span of his body without a wound from a sword, spear or arrow, and yet he was dying in his bed. His tomb is in the mosque named after him in Homs.⁷

Lessons from his life

• Islam wipes out what came before it: the enemy of Uhud became the sword of Allah.
• Talent should be used for Allah's cause.
• The Prophet ﷺ corrected even his best commanders, and justice came before rank.
• Serving under another after leading shows sincerity.

In the seerah

Khalid's life is woven into the life of the Prophet ﷺ. For the whole story in order, see the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ life timeline, and for the battles and turning points, the seerah events. More Companions are on the Sahaba page, and the meaning of the word is on Sahaba meaning.

Questions

Sources

1. Ibn Hisham, al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah, from Ibn Ishaq.
2. Sahih al-Bukhari 2731.
3. Sahih al-Bukhari 4265, from Khalid.
4. Sahih Muslim 1780, from Abu Hurayrah.
5. Sahih al-Bukhari 4339, from Ibn Umar.
6. Sahih al-Bukhari 1468, from Abu Hurayrah.
7. Ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah; al-Dhahabi, Siyar Alam al-Nubala; Ibn Hajar, al-Isabah.
8. Sahih al-Bukhari 3757 and 4262, from Anas.
9. Quran: Arabic from the Tanzil Uthmani text, transliteration from Tanzil, English by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic is the standard wording of the collection named; gradings are given for every hadith outside al-Bukhari and Muslim.