One hadith everyhday thread #2 - Page 2

CONTRIBUTIONS TO ISLAM DURING PROPHET'S (PBUH) LIFETIME

Public proclamation of Islam
Umar was the first person to publicly proclaim Islam - he literally went door to door to houses of the inhabitants of Mecca such as Abu Jahl to announce his conversion to Islam. Their reaction was of course of astonishment, hostility and dismay. For example Abu Jahl cursed him and slammed the door in his face! However, Umar's courage was contagious, and his actions strengthened and boosted the morale of the small community of Muslims, who had until then, been forced to worship in the secrecy of their homes.

Worshipping before the Kabah
Umar was renowned for his outspoken behaviour, and on more than one occasion, questioned the Prophet's SAW decisions. An illustration of this is when the elation of Umar's acceptance of Islam had subsided, he asked the Prophet SAW "Aren't we on the right path here and in the hereafter?" The Prophet SAW replied affirmatively, upon which Umar asked "Why then, do we have to conduct our activities secretly? I swear by Allah Who has sent you with the Truth, that we will leave our concealment and proclaim our noble cause publicly."

Sayf Allah al-Maslul, The Drawn Sword of Allah

Preface: This is only a summary of the life of Khalid ibn Walid RA and does not cover all the points of his life story. It is not intended to be a biography, but rather a glimpse of the main incidents of his life so that we can get an idea of his character. For ease of reading, we have not inserted "May Allah be pleased with him (RA)" each time his name or the name of each Companion is mentioned, but please take it that the salutations apply to all of them, may Allah be pleased with them all.

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.

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 SAW and to a memorable martyrdom in the way of the truth. This martyrdom enabled him to erase the burdens of his association with 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.'

Let us hear him narrate his blessed visit to the Prophet SAW and his journey from Mecca to Medina to join the ranks of the believers:

I hoped to find an escort, and I ran into Uthman Ibn Talhah and when I told him about my intention, he agreed to escort me. We travelled 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 Medina on the first day of Safar in the eighth year. As soon as I laid my eyes on the Prophet SAW, 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 SAW 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 SAW 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 SAW 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 Khalid for all the wrongdoings he committed before he embraced lslam.' Then Amr Ibn Al-Aas and Uthman Ibn Talhah stepped forward and submitted themselves to Islam and gave their oath of allegiance to the Prophet SAW.

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 Khalid, 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.

Let us accompany Khalid, 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.

Do you know the story of the three martyrs of the Battle of Mu'tah? They were Zaid Ibn Harithah, Ja'far Ibn Abi Talib and Abd Allah Ibn Rawahah. They were the heroes of the Battle of Mu'tah in Syria, in which the Romans mobilised 200,000 warriors. Nevertheless, the Muslims achieved unprecedented victory.

Do you know the glorious, sad words with which the Prophet SAW announced the sad news of the death of the three commanders of the battle? Zaid Ibn Harithah took the standard and fought holding it until he died as a martyr; then Ja'far took it and fought clinging to it until he won martyrdom; and finally, Abd Allah Ibn Rawaahah gripped it and held it fast until he won martyrdom.'

This is only part of the Prophet's SAW speech, and this is the rest of the story: Then it was gripped by a sword of the swords of Allah and he fought until he achieved victory.'

Who was the sword of the swords of Allah? It was Khalid Ibn Al-Walid, who threw himself into the battlefield as if he were an ordinary soldier under the three commanders whom the Prophet SAW assigned. The first commander was Zaid Ibn Harithah, the second was Ja'far Ibn Abi Talib, and the third was Abd Allah Ibn Rawaahah. They won martyrdom in the same order on the vicious battlefield.

After the last commander had won martyrdom, Thabit Ibn Aqram took the standard with his right hand and raised it high amidst the Muslim army. His purpose was to stop any potential disarray inside the lines. Thabit then carried the standard and hastened towards Khalid Ibn Al-Walid and said, Take the standard, Abu Sulaiman.' Khalid thought that he did not deserve to take it since he had newly embraced Islam. He had no right to preside over an army that included the Ansaar and Muhajirun who had preceded him in embracing Islam.

These qualities of decorum, modesty, and gratitude were becoming of Khalid's worthiness. He said, I will not dare to hold it. Go on, hold it, for you deserve it better than me. First, you are older. Second, you witnessed the Battle of Bad.' Thabit answered, Come on, take it, you know the art of fighting far better than me. By Allah, I only held it to give it to you.' Then he called on the Muslims, Do you vote for Khalid's command?' They readily answered, Yes, we do!'

At that moment, the great warrior mounted his horse and thrust the standard forward with his right hand as if he were knocking on closed doors that had been closed for too long and whose time had finally come to be flung wide open. So this act was to lead the hero to a long but passable road on which he would leap during the Prophet's life and after his death until destiny brought his ingenuity to its inevitable end.

Although Khalid was in charge of the army command, hardly any military expertise could change the already determined outcome of the battle, turning defeat into victory or turning victory into defeat. The only thing that a genius could manage to do was to prevent more casualties or damage in the Muslim army from occurring and end the battle with the remainder of the army intact. Sometimes a great commander must resort to that kind of preventive retreat measure that will prevent the annihilation of the rest of his striking force on the battlefield. However, such a retreat was potentially impossible, yet if the saying, Nothing stands in the way of a fearless heart' is true, there was no one more fearless and ingenious than Khalid.

Instantly, The Sword of Allah flung himself into the vast battlefield. His eyes were as sharp as a hawk's. His mind worked quickly, turning over all the potentialities in his mind. While the fierce fight raged, Khalid quickly split his army into groups, with each assigned a certain task. He used his incredible expertise and outstanding craftiness to open a wide space within the Roman army through which the whole Muslim army retreated intact. This narrow escape was credited to the ingenuity of a Muslim hero. In this battle, the Prophet gave Khalid the great epithet The Sword of Allah'.

Then Khalid raised his head and watched in reverence, joy and satisfaction as the standard of Islam fluttered on the horizon. He said to himself, Indeed, it is a promise of Allah and Allah fails not in His promise.' Then he bent his head in gratitude and thanks for Allah's blessing that had guided him to Islam and made him one of those who would usher Islam into Mecca rather than one of those who would be spurred by this conquest to submit themselves to Islam.

Khalid was always near the Prophet SAW. He devoted his excellent abilities to the service of the religion he firmly believed in and devoted his life to. After the glorious Prophet had died and Abu Bakr RA became the caliph, the sly and treacherous cyclone of those who apostatized from Islam shrouded the new religion with its deafening roar and devastating outbreak. Abu Bakr quickly chose the hero of the battlefields and man of the hour, namely Abu Sulaiman, The Sword of Allah, Khalid Ibn Al-Walid. It is true that Abu Bakr himself was at the head of the first army that fought against the apostates; nevertheless, he saved Khalid for the decisive day and Khalid was truly the mastermind and inspired hero of the last crucial battle that was considered the most dangerous of all the apostasy battles.

When the apostate armies were taking measures to perfect their large conspiracy, the great Caliph Abu Bakr insisted on taking the lead of the Muslim army. The leaders of the Companions tried desperately to persuade him not to, yet his decision was final. Perhaps he meant to give the cause for which he mobilized and rallied this army a special importance, tinged with sanctity. He could not achieve his aim except by his actual participation in the deadly battle and his direct command of some or all of the Muslim troops. It was a battle between the power of belief against the power of apostasy and darkness.

The outbreak of apostasy posed serious threats, in spite of the fact that it started as an accidental insubordination. Soon, the opportunists and the malicious enemies of Islam, whether from the Arab tribes or from across the borders, where the power of Romans and Persians perched, seized their last opportunity to hinder the sweeping tide of Islam. Therefore, they instigated mutiny and chaos from behind the scenes.

Unfortunately, mutiny flowed like an electric current through the Arab tribes, like Asad, Ghatfaan, Abs, Tii, Dhubyaan, then Bani Aamar, Hawaazin, Sulaim and Bani Tamim. Hardly had the skirmishes started with limited numbers of soldiers than they were reinforced with enormous armies, often of thousands of warriors. The people of Bahrain, Oman and Al-Mahrah responded to this horrible plot.

Abu Bakr mobilised the Muslim armies and marched to where the armies of Bani Abs, Bani Murah and Bani Dhubyaan gathered.

The battle started and went on for a long time before the Muslims achieved a great victory. No sooner had the victorious Muslim army reached Medina than the caliph sent it on another expedition. News spread that the armies of the apostates were increasing in number and weapons by the hour.

Abu Bakr split the army into eleven divisions and assigned a certain role for each one. Khalid Ibn Al-Walid would be the commander over a large division. When the caliph gave every commander his standard, he addressed Khalid saying, I heard the Prophet SAW say, Khalid is truly an excellent slave of Allah and a brother of the same tribe. He is a sword of Allah unsheathed against disbelievers and hypocrites.'

Khalid and his army fought one battle after another and achieved one victory after another until they reached the crucial battle.

It was in the Battle of Al-Yamaamah that Bani Hanijfah and their allies from the Arab tribes organized one of the most dangerous armies of the apostasy, led by Musailamah the Liar. A number of Muslim forces tried to defeat Musailamah's army but failed. Finally the caliph ordered Khalid to march to where Bani Hanifah was camped.

No sooner had Musailamah heard that Khalid was on his way to fight him than he reorganized his army, turning it into a devastating and horrible enemy machine. Both armies met in fierce combat.

Every now and then, Khalid was careful to cry out, Allahu Akbar' and There is no god but Allah.' He ordered his army in such a way that he turned the swords of his men into an inevitable victory that no one could escape. It was striking that, in a few minutes, the Muslim army turned the tables on Musailamah's army. Musailamah's soldiers fell in tens of hundreds and thousands like flies that were suffocated by the deadly spray of a pesticide. Khalid ordered his soldiers with a kind of enthusiasm that flowed into them like an electric current. This was a manifestation of his striking genius. This was the manner in which the most decisive and fierce battle of apostasy was conducted. In the end, Musailamah was slain and the bodies of his men were scattered on the battlefield. Finally, the standard of the liar imposter was buried forever.