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KHAALID IBN AL-WALID
A Sleepless Man Who Will Not Let Anyone Sleep
His story is a rather perplexing one. He was the deadly enemy of Muslims in the Battle of Uhud and
the deadly enemy of the enemies of Islam in the remaining Muslim battles.
I feel at a loss concerning where to begin and what to begin with. He himself hardly believed that
his life had really begun until that day on which he shook hands with the Prophet as a sign of his
allegiance to him. If he could have ruled out all the years, even the days that preceeded that day, he
would not have thought twice.
Let us then begin with that part of his life which he himself loved most. Let us begin from that
glorious moment when his heart was affected by Allah and his spirit was blessed by the Most Merciful.
Thus, it overflowed with devotion to His religion, His Prophet and to a memorable martyrdom in the way
of the truth. This martyrdom enabled him to erase the burdens of his advocation of falsehood in the past.
One day, he sat alone in deep thought concerning that new religion that was gaining momentum and
gaining ground every day. He wished that Allah, the All-Knower of what is hidden and unseen, would
guide him to the right path. His blessed heart was revived by the glad tidings of certainty. Therefore, he
said to himself, "By Allah, it is crystal clear now. This man is indeed a Prophet, so how long shall I
procrastinate. By Allah, I will go and submit myself to Islam."
Now, let us hear him (May Allah be pleased with him) narrate his blessed visit to the Prophet
(PBUH) and his journey from Makkah to Al-Madiinah to join the ranks of the believers: I hoped to find
an escort, and I ran into `Uthmaan Ibn Talhah and when I told him about my intention, he agreed to
escort me. We traveled shortly before daybreak and as we reached the plain, we ran into `Amr Ibn Al-'
Aas.
After we had exchanged greetings, he asked us about our destination, and when we told him, it
turned out that he himself was going to the same place to submit himself to Islam. The three of us arrived
at Al-Madiinah on the first day of Safar in the eighth year. As soon as I laid my eyes on the Prophet, I
said, "Peace be upon the Prophet," so he greeted me with a bright face. Immediately, I submitted myself
to Islam and bore witness to the truth. Finally, the Prophet (PBUH) said, "I knew that you have an open
mind and I prayed that it would lead you to safety." I took my oath of allegiance to the Prophet then
asked him, "Please ask Allah's forgiveness for me for all the wrongdoings I have committed to hinder
men from the path of Allah." The Prophet said, "Islam erases all the wrongdoings committed before it."
Yet I pleaded with him, "Please pray for me. Finally, he supplicated Allah, "O Allah, forgive Khaalid for
all the wrongdoings he committed before he embraced lslam." Then `Amr Ibn Al-'Aas and `Uthmaan Ibn
Ialhah stepped forward and submitted themselves to Islam and gave their oath of allegiance to the
Prophet.
Notice these words "Please ask Allah's forgiveness for me for all the wrongdoings I have committed in
the past to hinder men from the path of Allah." Now, whoever has the perception and insight to read
between the lines will find the true meaning of these words of Khaalid, who became the sword of Allah
and the hero of Islam. When we come across various incidents in the course of his life story, these words
are our key to understanding and elucidation.
For the time being, let us accompany Khaalid, who had just embraced Islam, and watch the
Quraish's great warrior who had always had the reins of leadership. Let us see the subtlest of Arabs in the
art of attack and retreat as he turned his back on the idols of his ancestors and the glory of his people and
welcomed, along with the Prophet and the Muslims, the advent of a new world that Allah had destined to
rise under the standard of Muhammad and the slogan of monotheism.