The Biography of the sword of Allah: “Khalid bin Walid” may Allah be pleased with him (Part 54)
Hazrat Khalid, May Allah Be Pleased with Him, on the Path of Uniting the Islamic Army
In the previous sections, it was mentioned that Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (R.A.) appointed Syedna Khalid (R.A.) as the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Army. It was also noted that Syedna Khalid, may Allah be pleased with him, traversed exhausting deserts to reach the army of Islam in Syria.
In this section, we will discuss the conversation of Syedna Khalid bin Walid, may Allah be pleased with him, with the commanders of the Mujahideen.
Hazrat Khalid’s Conversation with the Commanders of the Mujahideen
Hazrat Khalid Ibn Walid, may Allah be pleased with him, gathered all four commanders of the Mujahideen and said to them, “O commanders of the army! Do you want to do something so that Allah the Almighty will honor the religion of Islam and not harm you in the slightest?!” The four commanders responded, “Yes.”
Then Hazrat Khalid ibn Walid, may Allah be pleased with him, stood up among them and delivered his historic speech after thanking Allah Almighty and conveying salutations to the Prophet of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. He began by saying, “Today is one of Allah’s great days. Honor and pride, along with distance from the truth, are not permitted today. Purify your jihad and struggle for the sake of Allah Almighty, away from any selfishness. Place the pleasure of Allah Almighty at the forefront of all your affairs. In fact, today is a day on which the future of Islam depends. Therefore, despite the division and fragmentation among you, you cannot confront a huge and well-equipped army that is fully prepared for combat and united in command. The Almighty Allah has condemned division and fragmentation, and it will certainly not be favored by leadership. Therefore, take the initiative, even if the elders have not ordered it; it will be approved by them.”
The four commanders asked Hazrat Khalid Ibn Walid (R.A.) what they should do, and he replied: “Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (R.A.) did not send us without a plan; he anticipated that we would unite and coordinate with one another. If he had seen us in such a disarray and known what fate awaited us, he would certainly have gathered us under one command. The internal situation is more dangerous for you than the external enemies, and it is more advantageous for the enemies than any support you could offer. I see that you have fallen into division and dispersion because of your interests in the world and your positions. Turn to Allah and focus solely on Him, the Almighty.
Each of you has been appointed as the commander of the army for one of the cities of Sham by Abu Bakr Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him. However, if all the commanders were to obey one leader in this situation, it would not diminish their virtues nor add to the virtue of that one leader; rather, it would save Islam and the Muslims, making you esteemed in the sight of Allah Almighty and the Caliph of the Muslims.
So know that the enemy is in the final stage of preparation, and today is the day of destiny. If we can drive them back to their strongholds today, it will be easier to do so later. But if we are defeated today, we will continue to be defeated, and victory will become impossible. Therefore, let’s take turns entrusting the command to one another: today one of us will lead, tomorrow another, and the day after tomorrow, yet another, until everyone has had their turn. So let me take on this responsibility today.”
All the commanders of the four armies unanimously chose Hazrat Khalid ibn Walid as their commander-in-chief.
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