At a glance
Companions- Dates
- Died c. 21 AH (c. 642 CE)
- Who
- Gifted commander, first against the Muslims and then for them
- Stages
- Building Madinah, and Treaty & Victory
ProfileKhalid ibn al-Walid
Khalid (may Allah be pleased with him) belonged to the Makhzum clan of Quraysh and was a brilliant horseman and tactician. At Uhud, in 3 AH, he commanded the Quraysh cavalry. When the archers left their post on the hill, Khalid saw the opening, swung his horsemen round the flank, and turned the day.
He accepted Islam after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, in 8 AH. That same year, at Mu'tah, three Muslim commanders fell one after another, and Khalid took the banner and brought the army back safely. The Prophet ﷺ gave him the title Sayfullah, the Sword of Allah.
Under Abu Bakr he fought in the Ridda Wars against the breakaway tribes, then led the Muslims in Iraq. Called to Syria, he led his army across the Syrian desert by a route few thought possible. He played the leading part at Yarmouk in 15 AH, one of the decisive battles of the early conquests.
Umar later replaced him as commander with Abu Ubaydah, and Khalid accepted it without complaint and kept serving as a soldier. He died around 21 AH, at Homs in Syria, in his bed and not on the battlefield.
Meet them inWhere they appear in the seerah
SourcesSources for this profile
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