The Biography of the Sword of Allah: Khalid bin Walid, MAPH (Part 52)
Hazrat Khalid, may Allah be pleased with him, on the way to Syria
As previously mentioned in the earlier sections, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq, the Rashid Caliph, may Allah be pleased with him, wrote a letter to Hazrat Khalid ibn Walid, the Sword of Allah drawn from the sheath, calling him from Iraq to Syria to assist the Mujahideen of Syria and save them from the grip of the Romans and the arrogant people of the era. His mission was to raise the flags of conquest and victory there. Hazrat Khalid Ibn Walid, may Allah be pleased with him, accepted the call of the Caliph of Muslims, gathered his army, selected the most qualified individuals, and set out for Syria.
Allamah Abu Zayd, may Allah have mercy on him, writes: He went to the city of Hirah and then to the city of Duma Al-Jandal in the month of Muharram. He also left Duma al-Jandal for a spring named “Qaraqar.”
Qaraqar and Tasvi were the names of two springs, the first of which was under the control of the Muslims, and the other was under the control of the Romans, under the supervision of the Muslims in Syria; among these two springs was a very vast desert which was very hot, waterless, exhausting and difficult. The travel time from one spring to another spring was five days and nights, and if someone crossed this desert, he would be without water and perish on the way.
If Hazrat Khalid Ibn Walid, may Allah be pleased with him, had followed the desert path, he would have reached the Mujahideen of Syria after passing through the hardships and the distance of the desert, but if he had moved on the normal route that all the people took and was closer, he would have directly faced the Roman army and would not have reached the help of the Mujahideen of Syria. He was fighting with the Romans in the middle of the way, so he consulted with his friends and companions and convinced them to cross this desert.
After consulting, they found a guide named Rafeh to guide them in this desert. He also buckled down to his job with the help of the noble companions and ordered those twenty very large camels be brought to him. The camels were ready, and he kept all the camels thirsty and after a while he took them to the Qaraqar spring to drink water, get full and store some water in their bellies.
After that they moved; when the horses felt thirsty on the way, Rafeh milked one of the camels and then slaughtered it and mixed the water that the camel had stored in its stomach with milk and gave it to the horses to drink. The Mujahideen also drank from the water they had with them and cooked and ate camel meat. This process continued until they reached the land of Sham and Tasvi Spring.
The poet writes about the difficulty of this journey and how Rafeh Ibn Umayr, may Allah have mercy on him, was able to successfully pass Hazrat Khalid ibn Walid, may Allah be pleased with him, and his companions through there:
“Swear to Allah! What kind of eyes did Rafeh really have and how was he able to lead the people from the Qaraqar spring to the Savi (Tasvi) spring.”
It lasted five days and nights until the army of Hazrat Syedna Khalid Ibn Walid (RA) passed through that desert.
This way was such a way that no human has passed or seen before you (Hazrat Khalid).
