"I Die Even as a Camel Dies"

By: Ayesha AbdulMajid

Khalid (r) was the son of Al-Mugueerah ibn Al-Waleed, the richest man in Makkah and the most famous and well-known poet during that time. Khalid (r) was a tall man with a really built body. He was a knight and a warrior. A lot of times, people would mistake him for Umar ibn Al-Khattab because they looked so alike.

Embracing Islam
Khalid (r) became Muslim just three years before Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) died. One day, Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) asked Khalid's Muslim brother Al-Mugheerah, "Where is Khalid (r) ? He shouldn't be ignorant about Islam since he knows better! Al-Mugueerah sent a letter to Khalid(r) telling him what Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had said. Khalid (r) decided to embrace Islam. He went to Madina with Amr ibn Al-As and both of them became Muslim in front of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) .

The Sword of Allah
Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) gave Khalid (r) the name "The Sword of Allah". Even though he didn't participate in the early battles, Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) saw that in the future, Khalid (r) would fight to raise the word of Islam. Rasulullah's prediction about Khalid (r) was right, because Khalid (R) became the one who defeated both empires, Rome and Persia. He was the one who conquered the traitors lead by Musailama the liar. He was also the one who opened Bilad Ashaam and Iraq. All this happened during the time when Abu Bakr and Umar Ibn Al-Khattab ruled.

The Battle of Mu'tah
Khalid (r) fought next to Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) in some battles, for example, Tabook, Hunain, and the battle of Ta'if. In Hunain, the enemy ambushed the Muslims and many of them ran away. It is said that only twelve Sahabah were left fighting and protecting Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) . Meanwhile, Khalid (r) was inside enemy lines fighting them. When he heard Al-Abbas calling for the Muslims, he pulled back and went to Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) . He, along with Umar, Ali and Abu-Bakr, fought fiercely around Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) . Khalid (r) was wounded awfully in this battle. But his ultimate battle was the Battle of Mu'tah.

Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had sent messengers to a few Arabian tribes including the tribe of Al-Talh, inviting them to Islam. All of messengers were murdered except for the one who went back to tell Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) . And, Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had sent messengers to Haracles, the Roman Leader in Bilad Ashaam. But in the middle of the road, the tribe of Ghassan captured the messengers and had them killed. Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) swore to punish both tribes for such evil crimes.

Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) decided to send three thousand men led by Zaid ibn Harith. If he was killed, then Jafar ibn Abi-Talib would lead, and if he was killed, then Abdullah ibn Rawaha, and if he was killed, then the Muslims would have to choose their new leader. Khalid (r) was with the Muslims in this legion.

The Muslim army went forward until they reached the city of Ma'an and stayed there for two nights. They found out that the Arab tribes had gathered an army of 100 thousand men and that Rome had sent another army of 100 thousand men to help the Arab tribes. There were 200 thousand men against three thousand Muslims! But the Muslims were not afraid because they had faith in Allah (SWT).

Both armies moved on and met in an area called Mu'tah, which is now a small city in Jordan. Both sides released ferocious attacks at each other, and the three Muslim leaders were killed, so the Muslims chose Khalid (r) to lead the army against the massive army. Khalid (r) continued the fight until night time. Then, using his excellent war strategies, he pulled out his small army and switched the wings. Then, he ordered few men to go behind the hills and make rumble and dust to create an illusion that Muslim backups were approaching. The next day, both armies went into a more brutal battle, but the Kuffar thought that the Muslims had gotten more backup, so both the Romans and the Arabs panicked and cowardly ran from the battle field with the small and courageous Muslim army chasing them. The Muslims won this incredible battle under the noble leadership of Khalid Ibn Al-Waleed.

Khalid's Death
Khalid (r) ibn Al-Waleed died when he was 55, during the rule of Umar ibn Al-Khattab. Khalid (r) was living in the city of 'Hums, in Syrria. When he died, he left two things behind, his horse and his sword. He was was a great warrior, even before he was with the Muslims. Actually, part of the reason that the Muslims lost the battle of Uhud was because of him. On his deathbed, he was sad because he wanted to die as a Shaheed. His last words were: "I die even as a camel dies. I die in bed, in shame. May the eyes of cowards never find rest in sleep!"