The Biography of the Sword of Allah: Khalid ibn Walid “MAPH” (Part 49)
Sending Hazrat Khalid ibn Walid to Syria
In the previous sections, we discussed the conquest of the city of Faraz, a place that unites Arabs, Iranians, and Romans, representing the borders of these diverse ethnicities. After the conquest of Faraz, Syedna Khalid secretly traveled to Makkah to perform the Hajj rituals before rejoining the army of Islam.
Syedna Abu Bakr Siddique, MAPH, was displeased with this action. He feared that these consecutive conquests might lead Khalid to become proud and arrogant, diminishing his faith and trust in Allah Almighty. Therefore, Hazrat Siddiq Akbar (RA) took it upon himself to guide and reform Syedna Khalid (RA) and sent him a letter of advice.
At the same time, the commanders who had gone to conquer Syria asked Abu Bakr Siddiq for support. He also seized this opportunity and ordered Syedna Khalid, MAPH, to leave Iraq for Syria and leave the conquered areas of Iraq to other commanders.
In the book Khalid Saifullah and Tarikh al-Tabari, the text of the letter sent by Sayyidna Abu Bakr Siddique, through Abd al-Rahman Ibn Jamil Jamhi to Sayyidna Khalid, MAPH, is as follows:
“You must move immediately to reach the Muslim army in Yarmouk, for they are sometimes attacked, and sometimes they attack. However, do not engage in such dangerous actions again. O Khalid! Know that your discomfort now harms the army of Islam more than anything else, and your previous victories encourage the Muslims more than anything. O Abu Sulayman! Purify your intentions and make your victories sincere for Allah Almighty! Then, Allah Almighty will bestow His blessings upon you. Ensure that pride and arrogance do not creep into your heart; otherwise, you will be humiliated and miserable. I warn you not to take pride in your achievements or consider them great; for true blessings come only from Allah Almighty, who is sufficiency and the ultimate reward for His servants.”
From this letter exchanged between Syedna Abu Bakr Siddique and Syedna Khalid ibn Walid (may Allah be pleased with them), we can learn important lessons. Just as righteous scholars, mystics, and reformers act swiftly to correct pride and arrogance within their followers, they prevent this dangerous and fatal disease from taking root and leading to other mental afflictions.
In this instance, Syedna Abu Bakr Siddique, MAPH, acted against the wishes of Hazrat Syedna Khalid, MAPH, because Khalid desired to conquer all of Iraq and Iran and achieve this honor in the pages of history, hoping it would please Allah Almighty even more.
However, Hazrat Syedna Abu Bakr Siddique (MAPH) did not want anyone to act solely according to his will, as he believed it could weaken trust and confidence in Allah Almighty. Therefore, he took the measures he deemed necessary.
May Almighty Allah make us all true followers of those great thinkers and remarkable figures in history.
