Khalid ibn Al-Walid

Khâlid Ben Al-Walîd (584 - 642) also called Abou Soleyman or Abou Walîd Aydhâ is a qoraichite and the principal general of Mahomet after its conversion. It takes part after the death of the prophet in the reconquest of the Arabic peninsula and is the commander of the Arab armies at the time of the conquests of the Iraq and the Byzantine Empire (battles of Yarmouk). On more than one hundred battles which it orders, it does not lose any of it.

Biography

Before the death of Mahomet

Khalid, the Qoreich knight gives up the divinities of his ancestors and converted to Islam. During the forwarding of Mouta which took place in September 629, Khalid was a private, when the Moslem chiefs were killed, he ordered the army. The victims among the Moslems were numerous and their weakened power; the Byzantines were close to crushing the victory. Khalid advanced to scan the vast battle field. It takes the initiative to divide the army into groups while the battle made rage while having given the instructions as a preliminary to be followed. The Moslem army could open a breach within the enemy and thread there for finally overcoming. That was worth to him the title of “decladded saber of God” decreed by the prophet Mahomet itself.

It was selected to carry out the right wing of the Moslem army at the time of the conquest of Mecque. When it entered the holy city of the Moslems, it lowered the head in recognition with God who had guided it towards Islam. Khalid remained present at the sides of the prophet putting his military engineering at the service of the new religion.

In 632, appears Musaylima Ben Thimâma, a man claiming to be prophet to compete with Mahomet in the center of Arabia.

Reign of Abû Bakr

After the death of the prophet of the disorders burst in various tribes under the caliphate of Abou Bakr.Khalid was with the order of the Moslem armies to restore the order and to fight if that proved to be necessary It the USA of its trick of fine strategists and succeeds in giving of the order in the revolted tribes. It fought with ardor and heat the army of Moussaïlama the Liar.

War against Banû Tamîm

In the tribe of the Banû Tamîm, Sajâh of the tribe of Banû Taghlib, a prophetess of Christian origin born with Mosul had taken the head of the rebels against Islam. She professed a kind of syncretism between Islam and it Christianity. She sought an alliance to be reinforced against the Caliph. Among the troop of Banû Tamîm Mâlik Ben Nuwayra was. It was in charge of the collection of the tax (Zakat) but had given up it died of Mahomet. Sajâh made movement towards Al-Yamâma to make alliance with Musaylima. This movement worried Musaylima as much as Khâlid Ben Al-Walîd which was him also in trimmings. The Moslem armies were withdrawn at two days of walk to avoid the confrontation.

After a few days, Sajâh and its tribe were withdrawn in Iraq leaving Banû Tamîm. The latter were anxious reactions of Abû Bakr and its general Khâlid Ben Al-Walîd. It sent an embassy near the Caliph to plead their cause. The Caliph was ready to forgive but `Omar interposed and tore the treaty which had just been signed. `Omar forced to the Caliph his decision to send Khâlid Ben Al-Walîd to make the sorting and to put at dead the apostates.

Khâlid engaged a campaign against Banû Tamîm leaving quiet Musaylima. Mâlik Ben Nuwayra wished to avoid the confrontation, it advised with the tribes to disperse not to give the impression to be in battle order. Khâlid sought a means of knowing which had apostasy or not. Captive Mâlik did not know to convince that he was not an apostate, he was decapitated. His very beautiful wife Umm Tamîm rained has Khâlid which married it. This murder and this marriage were reproached to him by Abû Bakr and `Omar.

War against Musaylima

Conquest of Iraq

In 633, Abû Bakr launches the conquest campaign of Iraq. Khâlid starts from Al-Yamâma and moves towards Bassora then Koufa the populations of the villages that it through comes to its meeting and require peace against the payment of a tribute. Khâlid accepts and continues its walk towards Al-Hîra. The city goes easily, Khâlid the saving against the payment of a tribute. Khâlid is then seen entrusting by the caliph the command of all the armies of Iraq which reach 10 000 men.

The battle of the chains

The orders of Abû Baker relating to Khâlid were to attack Obolla which was the fortified town border of Persia. The place is defended by 20 000 men ordered by Hormuz. The other generals accepted the order to attack more in north and the west. Khâlid sent to Hormuz a letter which said: “I arrive, me, the general of the vicar of God. Embrace Islamism or pays the tribute or prepares with the war. ”

Obolla one of the principal ports of the empire sassanide on the Gulf, was located on banks of the Tiger at the entry of Bassora, a node of junction of an major importance

The battle starts with a duel of man with man between Hormuz and weak Khâlid. Khâlid avoids a blow of saber carried by Hormuz. Khâlid surprises it while jumping on him, raises it and threw it on the ground and car its dagger to cut the throat of it. Hormuz calls its riders to carry help to him. The riders encircle the two men to release Hormuz and to get rid of Khâlid. The Moslems react quickly. They draw aside Persians and move away them from Khâlid which benefits from it to slice the head of Hormuz and to throw it in the middle of the Persian troops.

The Khâlid following day enters Obolla. One found in a store of the chains which were intended says one to connect the Moslem prisoners. Khâlid made the division of the spoils and sent the fifth of it to the caliph with Médine with in more one tiara decorated with invaluable stones and an elephant

Shortly after this Khâlid victory gained another battle, in Madsâr, against the reinforcements which the king of Persia had sent to support Hormuz. There would have been 30 000 killed Persian soldiers this day there. There were considerable spoils and Khâlid made it possible each one to keep what it had taken. It sent a letter to Abû Bakr to announce this new victory to him.

Battle of Walaja

This battle also starts it with a singular combat between Khâlid and a Persian warrior called “Thousand riders” because he was worth thousand hanging riders the engagements. Khâlid managed to transpierce its adversary of only one blow of lance. It returned to the camp to ask to eat because it had made the wish not eat before to have killed this man. After being itself restored Khâlid gave the order to attack. The assessment for Persians was even worse than in Madsâr. Khâlid seized Bassora and all the south of Iraq (Sawâd).

Battle of Lily

The Arab tribes, often Christian, which were used with the Perse empire as suppletive troops to protect the borders from the empire, saw the arrival of Khâlid like a threat. They asked the assistance of the emperor. This one sent one of its generals to make the junction with Banû Bakr and Banû `Idl. Prevented Khâlid of this plan decided to directly attack the Persian army before even as it can make its junction with the two Arab tribes.

The Persian army is joined whereas it had settled to take a meal at the edge of Euphrate. The battle was one of keenest than Persians made. Khâlid gave the Na order not to kill on the fields to make the combatants but them captive. The following day, it made lead these prisoners on bank of the river. It made them decapitate so that the river became red of their blood. Khâlid made then the division of the spoils by sending the quint to the Caliph.

Tender of Sawâd

Amghîchîya was more the big city of the Sawâd, the landowners ( dihqân ) were linked against Kâlid. With Al-Hira one of most important of between-them, Azâdubè, organized an army to fight Kâlid. It was going to launch its army against Khâlid but it flees of Al-Hira. The abandoned troop feeling returned in Al-Hira. Khâlid sent its troop to take the city. It gave the order to its soldiers to accept only conversion with Islam to have the safe life. A group of monks who lived there left the city and beseeched the grace of Khâlid. After that the notable ones obtained peace against the payment of a tribute.

Tabari then tells the interview of Khâlid with an Al-Hira inhabitant three hundred years old and which lived sixty more years after Khâlid .

The landowners indicator whom they could not lute against Khâlid agreed to pay the tax on land. One thus joins together a sum of two million dirhems which was given to Khâlid. Khâlid then moved towards Anbâr

Catch of Anbâr

Azâdubè, the fugitive one of Al-Hira had taken refuge in Madâ' in. Khâlid sent two messenger to Madâ' in which accepted the answer that only the war was to decide. Anbâr was a very old fortified town on the road between Sawâd and Madâ' in. Its surroundings accommodated good number of the Arab tribes in rebellion against the Caliph. Among this one one found of Banû Taghlib which had followed their prophetess to Al-Yamâma. Khâlid precipitated out of Al-Hira. The Arab tribes which were there clashed with the Moslem troops of Khâlid and were pushed back. The Persan governor seeing the runaways hastened to leave the city and to let the inhabitants there defend oneself as it will be able it. Khâlid was inflexible, it desired to admit that a rendering without concession. The permanent hostility of the Bedouin S Christians led Khâlid to take increasingly hard measures. The chiefs were decapitated in front of the walls of the city and all the men of the garrison were put at death. As-with the women and to the children they were given to the soldiers or to envoys to be sold like slaves.

There was a monastery where four young people had taken refuge. They were made pass for students receiving the instruction of the Gospels. The fate of these four men has interest only because they are, according to the tradition, the ancestors of some famous men like Ibn Ishaq the historian and Musa Ben Nusayr the conqueror of Spain.

Tabarî tells that after the Al-Anbâr catch, Khâlid made a series of catches of fortified towns and battles: Ayn At-Tamr, Dumat Al-Jandal, Hacîd, Mudhaiyah, Thinîs, Rudhâb, Firâdh. This last battle would have made a hundred and thousand died with saying of the author.

Knowing that the caliph would not authorize it there, Khâlid undertook with some companions a pilgrimage with clandestine Mecque. On its return Abû Bakr, at the instigation of `Omar, in Khâlid a letter wrote reproaches to have left its army without command. The project of Khâlid was still to move towards Madâ' in. It remained with Al-Hira to prepare its troops there.

Conquest of Syria

Until in 634, the Moslems did not penetrate yet the Syria which is under the domination of the emperor of Byzance and where there too certain Arab tribes are used to protect the borders. The emperor of Byzance, for lack of finances had not been able to pay usual subsidies with the Arab tribes charged to protect his borders. The entry in Syria of the Moslem troops was facilitated. The Syrian populations remained spectators of the Moslem invasion.

With an aim of invading this country, Abû Bakr constituted four army corps, to which was to associate a fourth, formed of troops coming from Médine under the order of Mu `âwiya. Abû Bakr had assigned a province with each one of its generals: Abu “Ubayda had received the province of Homs (Hims). Yazid Ben Abî Sufyan received Damas. `Amru Ben Al `Âs the Palestine (Filistin). The Jordan (Urdun) returned in Churahbil Ben Hasana. Seeing itself in front of an army of 50 000 men the four generals wrote in Abû Bakr which required of Khâlid Ben Al-Walîd to come to their assistance. Kâlid taken the head of the operations and massed the Moslem troops on bank of the river Yarmuk.

Battle of Yarmouk

Reign of `Omar

After the victory of Yarmûk, Khâlid was kept away.

The year 639 mark a pause in the territorial conquests because the caliph puts all his energy in the foundation of its new capital Koufa. Seul Abû `Ubayda ibn Al-Jarrâh continues the conquest of Syria.

Second battle of Emèse

The Byzantine emperor Héraclius, seeing the progression of the Moslems in Iraq sought to rejoin the Christian populations of Mésopotamie to reinforce his armies. There was an army of more than one hundred thousand men under the walls of Émèse. At once Abû `Ubayda called reinforcements. Yazîd Ben Abî Sufyân came from Damas Mu `âwîya Ben Abî Sufyân came from Césarée and Khâlid Ben Walîd remained with Chalcis to join together an army while waiting for the reinforcements coming from Iraq. Khâlid Ibn Al-Walîd arrived finally and he advised in Abû `Ubayda to try an exit. A four days battle began. Three thousand Byzantines were made prisoners. Three days after this battle the Army of Iraq arrived finally. `Omar gave the order to Abû `Ubayda to distribute the spoils even to the soldiers of the army of Iraq who had however not taken part in the engagements.

In 639, Syria is completely conquered. Abû `Ubayda in a letter with the caliph, speaks in praise of the initiative of Khâlid when he asked him to make an exit out of the walls of Emèse. In return, `Omar orders in Abû `Ubayda to question Khâlid on the origin of the money of which it is shown if spendthrift, because it is known as: “God does not love the spendthrifts”. Abû `Ubayda makes come Khâlid from Chalcis in Emèse. After having vainly questioned Khâlid, Abû `Ubayda sends it to Médine to meet the caliph. Again questioned on the origin of its fortune, Khâlid answers that it comes to him from the point of its sword. `Omar relieved Khâlid completely, reproaching him for only allotting to him its victories by forgetting that they were due to the will of God. Abû `Ubayda died during the epidemic of plague which prevailed in Syria. Khâlid lost its last defender in front of `Omar.

Died of Khâlid

On its bed of death, Khalid B. Have-walid entrusted the secrecy which he coveted so much since he had embraced Islam. During its life of militant of the Moslem cause, it ardently wished to be killed as a combatant on the way of God: “I did so many battles, had it says before dying, and there is no place in my body which did not receive a blow of saber or arrow. But here me is in my layer dying of natural death as a camel dies.” While waiting for its death with resignation, it dictated its will. And what did it test and for which? It tested its horse and its weapons with Omar B. Al-Khattab. It was all that it had. It was not interested by the things of the fashionable life. Its only goal always consisted in gaining the victory over the enemies of Truth. Thanks to him, the Moslems had put an end to the movements renegades, beaten Persians in Iraq and the Byzantines in Syria.

Today, the mausoleum of Khâlid Ben Al-Walîd is in the mosque of the town of Homs in Syria.

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