Khalid ibn al-Walid

Ghāzī Khālid ibn al-Walīd ( ; 592-642) also known as Sayfu al-Lāh al-Maslūl ( the Drawn Sword of God ), was a Sahabi , a companion of Prophet Muhammad , an astute in the art of war and one of the most successful commanders in history. He is noted for his military tactics and prowess, commanding the forces of Prophet Muhammad and those of his immediate successors of the Rashidun Caliphate ; Abu Bakr and Umar . It was under his military leadership that Arabia , for the first time in history, was united under a single political entity, the Caliphate . He has the distinction of being undefeated in over a hundred battles, against the numerically superior forces of the Byzantine-Roman Empire , Sassanid-Persian Empire , and their allies, in addition to other Arab tribes. His strategic achievements include the conquest of Arabia , Persian Mesopotamia and Roman Syria within several years from 632 to 636. He is also remembered for his decisive victories at Yamamah , Ullais , Firaz , and his tactical marvels, Walaja and Yarmouk . Khalid ibn al-Walid ( Khalid son of al-Walid ) was from the Meccan tribe of Quraysh , from a clan that initially opposed Muhammad. He played a vital role in the Meccan victory at the Battle of Uhud . He converted to Islam , however, and joined Muhammad after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah and participated in various expeditions for him, such as the Battle of Mu'tah . After Muhammad's death, he played a key role in commanding Medinan forces for Abu Bakr in the Ridda wars , conquering central Arabia and subduing Arab tribes. He captured the Sassanid Arab client Kingdom of Al-Hirah , and defeated the Sassanid Persian forces during his conquest of Iraq (Mesopotamia). He was later transferred to western front to capture the Roman Syria and the Byzantine Arab client state of the Ghassanids . Even though Umar later relieved him of high command, he nevertheless remained the effective leader of the forces arrayed against the Byzantines during the early stages of the Byzantine–Arab Wars . Under his command, Damascus was captured in 634 and the key Arab victory against the Byzantine forces was achieved at the Battle of Yarmouk (636), which led to the conquest of the Bilad al-Sham ( Levant ). In 638, at the zenith of his career he was dismissed from military services, possibly because of his growing fame.

Abū Sulaymān Khālid ibn al-Walīd ibn al-Mughīrah al-Makhzūmī ( ‎; 585 or 592–642) also known as Sayf Allāh al-Maslūl ( ; Drawn Sword of God ), was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad . He is noted for his military tactics and prowess, commanding the forces of Medina under Muhammad and the forces of his immediate successors of the Rashidun Caliphate , Abu Bakr and Umar ibn Khattab . It was under his military leadership that Arabia , for the first time in history, was united under a single political entity, the Caliphate . Commanding the forces of the nascent Islamic State, Khalid was victorious in over a hundred battles, against the forces of the Byzantine-Roman Empire , Sassanid-Persian Empire , and their allies, in addition to other Arab tribes. His strategic achievements include the conquest of Arabia , Persian Mesopotamia and Roman Syria within several years from 632 to 636. He is also remembered for his decisive victories at Yamamah , Ullais , and Firaz , and his tactical successes at Walaja and Yarmouk . Khalid ibn al-Walid ( Khalid son of al-Walid ) was from the Meccan tribe of Quraysh , from a clan that initially opposed Muhammad. He played a vital role in the Meccan victory at the Battle of Uhud against the Muslims. He converted to Islam , and joined Muhammad after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah and participated in various expeditions for him, such as the Battle of Mu'tah . It was the first battle between the Romans and the Muslims. Khalid ibn Al-Walid reported that the fighting was so intense, that he used nine swords, which broke in the battle. Khalid took over after Zayd ibn Haritha , then Jafar ibn Abi Talib , then Abdullah ibn Rawahah were killed. After Muhammad's death, he played a key role in commanding Medinan forces for Abu Bakr in the Ridda wars , conquering central Arabia and subduing Arab tribes. He captured the Sassanid Arab client Kingdom of Al-Hirah , and defeated the Sassanid Persian forces during his conquest of Iraq ( Mesopotamia ). He was later transferred to the western front to capture Roman Syria and the Byzantine Arab client state of the Ghassanids . Although Umar later relieved him of high command, he nevertheless remained the effective leader of the forces arrayed against the Byzantines during the early stages of the Byzantine–Arab Wars . Under his command, Damascus was captured in 634 and the key Arab victory against the Byzantine forces was achieved at the Battle of Yarmouk (636), which led to the conquest of the Bilad al-Sham ( Levant ). In 638, at the zenith of his career, he was dismissed from military services. Khalid is said to have fought around a hundred battles, both major battles and minor skirmishes as well as single duels, during his military career. Having remained undefeated, this fact makes him one of the finest military generals in history.

Companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad Khalid ibn al-Walid ibn al-Mughira al-Makhzumi ( ; died 642) was an Arab Muslim commander in the service of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the caliphs Abu Bakr ( r. 632–634 ) and Umar ( r. 634–644 ) who played a leading role in the Ridda wars against rebel tribes in Arabia in 632–633 and the early Muslim conquests of Sasanian Iraq in 633–634 and Byzantine Syria in 634–638. A horseman of the Quraysh tribe's aristocratic Makhzum clan, which ardently opposed Muhammad, Khalid played the instrumental role defeating the Muslims at the Battle of Uhud in 625. Following his conversion to Islam in 627 or 629, he was made a commander by Muhammad, who bestowed on him the title Sayf Allah (the Sword of God). Khalid coordinated the safe withdrawal of Muslim troops during the abortive expedition to Mu'ta against the Arab allies of the Byzantines in 629 and led the Bedouin contingents of the Muslim army during the capture of Mecca and the Battle of Hunayn in c. 630 . After Muhammad's death, Khalid was appointed to suppress or subjugate Arab tribes in Najd and the Yamama (both regions in central Arabia) opposed to the nascent Muslim state , defeating the rebel leaders Tulayha at the Battle of Buzakha in 632 and Musaylima at the Battle of Aqraba in 633. Khalid subsequently moved against the largely Christian Arab tribes and the Sasanian Persian garrisons of the Euphrates valley in Iraq. He was reassigned by Abu Bakr to command the Muslim armies in Syria and he led his men there on an unconventional march across a long, waterless stretch of the Syrian Desert , boosting his reputation as a military strategist. As a result of decisive victories against the Byzantines at Ajnadayn (634), Fahl (634), Damascus (634–635) and Yarmouk (636), the Muslims under Khalid conquered much of Syria. He was afterwards demoted from the high command by Umar for a range of causes cited by traditional Islamic and modern sources. Khalid continued service as the key lieutenant of his successor Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah in the sieges of Homs and Aleppo and the Battle of Qinnasrin , all in 637–638, which collectively precipitated the retreat from Syria of imperial Byzantine troops under Emperor Heraclius . Umar dismissed Khalid from his governorship of Qinnasrin afterward and he died in Medina or Homs in 642. Khalid is generally considered by historians to be one of early Islam's most seasoned and accomplished generals and he is commemorated throughout the Arab world until the present day. The Islamic tradition credits Khalid for his battlefield tactics and effective leadership of the early Muslim conquests, but accuses him of illicitly executing Arab tribesmen who had accepted Islam, namely members of the Banu Jadhima during the lifetime of Muhammad and Malik ibn Nuwayra during the Ridda wars, and moral and fiscal misconduct in Syria. His military fame disturbed some of the pious, early Muslim converts, including Umar, who feared it could develop into a personality cult .

Arab Muslim general (died 642) Khalid ibn al-Walid ibn al-Mughira al-Makhzumi ( ; died 642) was a 7th-century Arab military commander. He initially headed campaigns against Muhammad on behalf of the Quraysh . He later became a Muslim and spent the remainder of his career in service to Muhammad and the first two Rashidun caliphs : Abu Bakr and Umar . Khalid played the leading command roles in the Ridda Wars against rebel tribes in Arabia in 632–633, the initial campaigns in Sasanian Iraq in 633–634, and the conquest of Byzantine Syria in 634–638. As a horseman of the Quraysh's aristocratic Banu Makhzum clan, which ardently opposed Muhammad, Khalid played an instrumental role in defeating Muhammad and his followers during the Battle of Uhud in 625. In 627 or 629, he converted to Islam in the presence of Muhammad, who inducted him as an official military commander among the Muslims and gave him the title of Sayf Allah ( lit. ' Sword of God ' ). During the Battle of Mu'ta , Khalid coordinated the safe withdrawal of Muslim troops against the Byzantines. He also led the Bedouins under the Muslim army during the Muslim conquest of Mecca in 629–630 and the Battle of Hunayn in 630. After Muhammad's death, Khalid was appointed to Najd and al-Yamama with the purpose of suppressing or subjugating Arab tribes who were opposed to the nascent Muslim state; this campaign culminated in Khalid's victory over Arab rebel leaders Tulayha and Musaylima at the Battle of Buzakha in 632 and the Battle of Yamama in 633, respectively. Khalid subsequently moved against the largely Christian Arab tribes and the Sasanian Persian garrisons of the Euphrates valley in Iraq. He was reassigned by Abu Bakr to command the Muslim armies in Syria and he led his men there on an unconventional march across a long, waterless stretch of the Syrian Desert , boosting his reputation as a military strategist. As a result of decisive victories led by Khalid against the Byzantines at Ajnadayn (634), Fahl (634 or 635), Damascus (634–635), and the Yarmouk (636), the Rashidun army conquered most of the Levant. Khalid was subsequently demoted and removed from the army's high command by Umar. Khalid continued service as the key lieutenant of his successor Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah in the sieges of Homs and Aleppo and the Battle of Qinnasrin , all in 637–638. These engagements collectively precipitated the retreat of imperial Byzantine troops from Syria under Emperor Heraclius . Umar then dismissed Khalid from the governorship of Jund Qinnasrin around 638. Khalid died in either Medina or Homs in 642. He is generally considered by historians to be one of the most seasoned and accomplished generals of the early Islamic era, and he is likewise commemorated throughout the Arab world . Islamic tradition credits Khalid for his battlefield tactics and effective leadership of the early Muslim conquests , but also accuses him of illicitly executing Arab tribesmen who had accepted Islam—namely members of the Banu Jadhima during the lifetime of Muhammad, and Malik ibn Nuwayra during the Ridda Wars—and being responsible for moral and fiscal misconduct in the Levant. Khalid's military fame disturbed some of the pious early Muslims, most notably Umar, who feared it could develop into a personality cult . A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East [6 volumes] From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East .

Arab Muslim general (died 642) Khalid ibn al-Walid ibn al-Mughira al-Makhzumi ( Arabic : خالد بن الوليد بن المغيرة المخزومي , romanized : Khālid ibn al-Walīd ibn al-Mughīra al-Makhzūmī ; died 642) was a 7th-century Arab military commander. He initially led campaigns against Muhammad on behalf of the Quraysh . He later became a Muslim and spent the remainder of his career serving Muhammad and the first two Rashidun caliphs : Abu Bakr and Umar . Khalid played leading command roles in the Ridda Wars against rebel tribes in Arabia in 632–633, the initial campaigns in Sasanian Iraq in 633–634, and the conquest of Byzantine Syria in 634–638. As a horseman of the Quraysh's aristocratic Banu Makhzum clan, which ardently opposed Muhammad, Khalid played an instrumental role in defeating Muhammad and his followers during the Battle of Uhud in 625. In 627 or 629, he converted to Islam in the presence of Muhammad, who inducted him as an official military commander among the Muslims and gave him the title of Sayf Allah ( lit. ' Sword of God ' ). During the Battle of Mu'ta , Khalid coordinated the safe withdrawal of Muslim troops against the Byzantines. He also led the Bedouins under the Muslim army during the Muslim conquest of Mecca in 629–630 and the Battle of Hunayn in 630. After Muhammad's death, Khalid was appointed to Najd and al-Yamama to suppress or subjugate the Arab tribes opposed to the nascent Muslim state; this campaign culminated in Khalid's victory over rebel leaders Tulayha and Musaylima at the Battle of Buzakha in 632 and the Battle of Yamama in 633, respectively. Khalid subsequently launched campaigns against the predominantly Christian Arab tribes and the Sasanian Persian garrisons along the Euphrates valley in Iraq. Abu Bakr later reassigned him to command the Muslim armies in Syria, where he led his forces on an unconventional march across a long, waterless stretch of the Syrian Desert , boosting his reputation as a military strategist. As a result of decisive victories led by Khalid against the Byzantines at Ajnadayn (634), Fahl (634 or 635), Damascus (634–635), and the Yarmouk (636), the Muslim army conquered most of the Levant. Khalid was subsequently demoted and removed from the army's high command by Umar. Khalid continued service as the key lieutenant of his successor Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah in the sieges of Homs and Aleppo and the Battle of Qinnasrin , all in 637–638. These engagements collectively precipitated the retreat of imperial Byzantine troops from Syria under Emperor Heraclius . Around 638, Umar dismissed Khalid from the governorship of Jund Qinnasrin . Khalid died in 642, either in Medina or Homs . Khalid is generally considered by historians to be one of the most seasoned and accomplished generals of the early Islamic era , and he is likewise commemorated throughout the Arab world . Islamic tradition credits him with decisive battlefield tactics and effective leadership during the early Muslim conquests . However, historical accounts reflect differing perspectives on specific events, including the execution of Malik ibn Nuwayra during the Ridda Wars and his dismissal from command by Umar. Khalid's military fame disturbed some pious early Muslims, most notably Umar, who feared it could develop into a personality cult . In Sunni tradition, Khalid is generally honored as a war hero , while Shia tradition tends to view him negatively.