While Islamic history is replete with extraordinary examples of military prowess and feats of arms, the majority of military historians tend to focus on the more familiar masters of the art of war. Historians usually count the likes of Napoleon Bonaparte, Julius Caesar, and even the feared Mongol steppe warrior, Genghis Khan, among the lofty ranks of the world's Great Captains.

Clearly these are all highly accomplished men of war and rightly deserve their recognition as some of the most gifted battlefield commanders and strategists in history, there are yet others who deserve to be held in similarly high esteem. Chief among these is Khalid bin al-Walid: the Sword of Allah, destroyer of two empires, and undefeated general. A man who was dismissed from command for drawing too close to divinity itself.

It is reported that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said, 'The better ones of you in the Days of Ignorance are the better ones of you in Islam when they understand (the religion)." These wise words of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) were best proved in the case of our hero, Khalid ibn AI-Walid. For, it was Khalid ibn AI-Walid who managed to cause the defeat of the Muslim army at Uhud,before his conversion to Islam.

After his acceptance of the Faith , Khalid ibn AI-Walid was the champion of many decisive battles in favour of Islam, such as the battle against Musaylimah the Imposter and the battle of Yarmouk against the Roman Empire's army in Syria.

In fact , the reader of history will find that Khalid ibn Al-Walid was a military strategist and commander with very few equals in human history, a man who turned many near defeats into glorious victories. He is Also noted for his military prowess, commanding the forces of Prophet Muhammad SAW and those of his immediate successors of the Rashidun Caliphate; Caliph Abu Bakr and Caliph Umar during the Islamic conquest in 7th century. It was under his military leadership that Arabia, for the first time in history, was united under a single political entity, the Caliphate.

Khalid ibn Al-Walid (رضي الله عنه ) was born the year 585 in Mecca. His father was Walid ibn al-Mughirah, Sheikh of the Banu Makhzum, a clan of the Arab tribe of Quraysh. Walid was known in Mecca by the title of al-Waheed - "the Loner". Khalid's mother was Lubabah al-Sughra bint al-Harith, a paternal sister of Maymunah bint al-Harith.

The three leading clans of Quraysh at that time were Banu Hashim, Banu Abd ad-Dar and Banu Makhzum, the latter clan being responsible for the matters of warfare. As a member of the Makhzum clan, who were amongst the best horsemen in Arabia, Khalid learned to ride and use such weapons as the spear, the lance, the bow and the sword. The lance was said to be his favorite among the weapons. He was also taught how best to move quickly across the desert by using camels for transportation and switching to horses for raiding and attacking enemy caravans and pastures. In youth he was admired as a renowned warrior and wrestler among the Quraysh. Khalid was a cousin of Umar ibn Khattabb, the future second Caliph, and they looked very similar.

Before his conversion to Islam, Khalid is renowned as being the only commander to have inflicted a serious battlefield defeat against the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) at the Battle of Uhud in 625CE

The Battle of Uhud was the first military encounter which khalid showed his genius. This battle was initiated by the Makkan polytheists in revenge for their defeat at the Battle of Badr, where more than thousand of them were defeated by only a little over three hundred Muslims fighters.

In the Battle of Uhad, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) placed a group of archers on a nearby hill to give protection to the back of the Muslim army with specific instructions not to leave their posts under any circumstances. However, when the battle proved initially to be in favour of the Muslim army, the archers forgot the orders of their commander and left their positions. At this juncture, the military genius of Khalid ibn AI-Walid led him to take a band of fighters with him around the hill and attack the Muslim army from the rear, where they least expected their enemy; hence, the loss on the part of the Muslims became a great one. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him)was wounded and his uncle Hamzah killed, along with many other distinguished companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him).

In 627 AD he was a part of Quraysh's campaign against the Muslims, resulting in the Battle of the Trench, Khalid's last battle against Muslims.

In the eighth year after the Hijra. one day Khalid ibn AI-Waleed sat pondering on the new religion (Islam). He kept saying to himself, "The message is fast spreading, and the man is certainly a Messenger. What am I waiting for? For how long shall I postpone my conversion to Islam?".On the way he met 'Amr ibn al-'As and Uthman ibn Talhah, who were also going to Medina to convert to Islam.

Amr b. As, who once said, "I do not think that I will become a Muslim even if all Qurayshis become Muslims" and who even watched for an opportunity to kill the Prophet... Khalid b. Walid, who once fought against Muslims bravely and skillfully, leading the polytheistic armies and caused Muslims to be defeated in Uhud; and Uthman b. Talha... All of them abandoned their wrong faith and came to the presence of the Prophet SAW feeling ashamed of what they had done in the past.

The Muslims were overjoyed. The Messenger of God said to the Muslims:

"Makkah gave its most beloved people to us!"

The situation was both lofty and exemplary. It showed that Islam did not spread by wars and forcing people or threating and terrifying people but by influencing and convincing spirits and hearts, and making people love it. Those three people, who did not avoid fighting and who did not fear swords, came the presence of the Messenger of God and kneeled before him sincerely.

Khalid b. Walid reached out his hand to the Prophet SAW and had the honor of entering the circle of Islam.

After thanking and praising God for making such a brave man a Muslim, the Messenger of God said to Khalid, "I knew that you were a clever person and that your cleverness would lead you to the right path."

However, Khalid felt ashamed of and sorry for what he had done against the Messenger of God in the past. He could not raise his head and look at the Prophet(pbuh). He was looking for something that would spiritually relieve him of the heavy responsibility and sins that they had laid on his heart and spirit. He explained his situation to the Prophet: "O Messenger of God! You know that I took part in all of the battles against you. Will you pray God to forgive me about them?"

The Messenger of God (pbuh) said, "O Khalid! Islam eradicates all of the sins committed before being a Muslim." This relieved Khalid. Then the Prophet said, "O God! Forgive Khalid for what he had done in order to deviate people from Your way!"

Amr ibn As said afterward, "By God, the Messenger of God (pbuh) never discriminated between me and Khalid b. Walid and his Companions after we embraced Islam."

With Khalid ibn AI-Walid joining the camp of believers he found the honourable cause to fight for, and the believers gained a true military genius who was both an excellent strategist and a fierce fighter and army commander. The first battle in which Khalid won the day for Muslims was the Muslims' first encounter with the Byzantine army in the Battle of Mu'tah on the Northern borders of the Arabian Peninsula.

Due to the dangerous nature of the battle, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) chose three commanders to succeed one another. Prophet (pbuh) appointed Zayd ibn Harithah as the commander of the force. In the event of Zayd's death, the command was to be taken over by Ja'far ibn Abī Tālib, and if Jafar were to be killed, the command would be in the hands of 'Abd Allah ibn Rawahah. In the event that all three were killed, the men of the expedition were to select a commander from amongst themselves.

The reason for sending these fighters was that the Byzantine rulers in the Syrian region had killed some Muslim missionaries and converts to Islam; thus, proving their hostility not only to the Faith, but also, and even worse, to the principle of freedom of belief which Islam considers to be the most important cause for which a believer should fight and stand. The Byzantine army proved to be too large in number in comparison with the small number of the Muslims. Yet, the Muslim army never hesitated to enter the battle (everyone hoping to find his way to Paradise and the Pleasure of Allah through martyrdom).

The three commanders were killed, and the banner was about to fall on the ground when Thabit ibn AI-Arqam rushed to save it; he took it to Khalid ibn AI-Waleed (may Allāh be pleased with him), telling him that he gave it to him because he was more knowledgeable in matters of war. In the beginning Khalid refused because he felt Thabit was more worthy of leading the army due to his age and service to Islam. But he accepted at Thabit's insistence and the unanimous consent of the fighters. We mentioned that the battle was not in favour of the Muslims, due to the huge number of the Byzantines and the death of the three commanders appointed by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him).

Although Khalid was in charge of the army command, hardly any military expertise could change the already determined outcome of the battle, turning defeat into victory or turning victory into defeat. The only thing that a genius could manage to do was to prevent more casualties or damage in the Muslim army from occurring and end the battle with the remainder of the army intact.

The only way to save the day was to retreat, However, such a retreat was potentially impossible, since the Muslim army was surrounded, yet if the saying, 'Nothing stands in the way of a fearless heart' is true, there was no one more fearless and ingenious than Khalid. It was here that we see the Genius of Khalid ibn AI-Waleed at Work. He was able to maintain his heavily outnumbered army of 3,000 men against an army of 10,000 of the Byzantine Empire and Ghassanid Arabs. Khalid assumed command of the Muslim army at the crucial moment, and turned what would have been a bloody slaughter into a strategic retreat and saved the Muslim army from total annihilation.

During nightfall, Khalid sent some columns behind the main army, and the next morning prior to the battle they were instructed to join the Muslim army in small bands, one after the other, giving an impression of a fresh reinforcement, thus lowering the opponent's morale and cast fear in the hearts of the disbelievers.

Khalid somehow stabilized the battle lines for that day, and during the night his men retreated back to the Muslim capital at Medina. Believing a trap was waiting for them, the Byzantine troops did not pursue.Khalid fought so fiercely during the battle that he broke nine swords himself, proving himself as a commander who led from the front.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him), who was then in Madinah, was talking to his companions when he received the revelation about what was going on in the battle, and he informed them of the death of the three commanders. "Then," he said, "a sword of Allah took hold of the banner and saved the day." Thus, it was that our hero Khalid ibn AI-Waleed was given the title of Sayf-ul-llah. 'The Sword of Allah.'A title he would demonstrate he was worthy of over the next decade.

A year later, in 630, the Muslims advanced from Medina to conquer Mecca. In the Conquest of Mecca Khalid commanded one of the four Muslims armies that entered Mecca from four different routes, and routed the Qurayshi cavalry.

Later, he participated in the Battle of Hunayn and the Siege of Ta'if. It is said that on his Battle in Hunayn, he suffered grievous and deep wounds. But after gaining victory, Prophet SAW visited him and treated his wounds which healed quickly.

Khalid was always near the Prophet SAW. He devoted his excellent abilities to the service of the religion he firmly believed in and devoted his life to.

After the glorious Prophet SAW had died and Abu Bakr became the caliph, many powerful Arab tribes broke away in open revolt against the rule of Medina.Abu Bakr (may Allāh be pleased with him) formed an army which he wanted to lead himself, were it not for the insistence of the leaders of the community that he stayed at the capital, Madinah. He divided the army into several divisions with a commander for each. One of those divisions was put under the command of Khalid ibn AI-Waleed, who won all the battles entered by his army. But the most dangerous to be met with was that in which the Muslims had to fight Musaylimah the Imposter and the Liar, who formed the largest army of apostates.

Wahshi Ibn Harb narrated that when Abu Bakr Siddiq handed over the banner to Khalid Ibn Walid to fight the apostates, he said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) say, 'Excellent is Allah's slave and our brother, Khalid Ibn Walid, a sword of the swords of Allah that Allah has drawn from its scabbard against the kuffar and the Munafiqeen'.

Musnad Ahmad, Sahih

The Caliph chose Khalid for the assignment of fighting Musaylimah. In the beginning, a large number of the Muslims were killed. Seeing that, Khalid went up to the top of a nearby hill and studied the situation to discover the weak spots of the enemy. He then re-organized his army. The battle raged furiously and Musaylimah was killed. With that Khalid finished off the danger of apostasy and apostates in the Arabian Peninsula.

With the collapse of the rebellion, and Arabia united under the central authority of the caliph at Medina. Abu Bakr had enough discernment and insight to realize the danger of the evil powers that perched on the borders, threatening the promising future of Islam and Muslims. These evil powers were the Persians in Iraq and the Romans in Syria.

Khalid was sent to the Persian Empire with an army consisting of 18,000 volunteers to conquer the richest province of the Persian empire, Euphrates region of lower Mesopotamia, (present day Iraq). Khalid entered lower Mesopotamia with this force. It is recorded that before engaging the Sassanid forces Khalid wrote a letter to invite them to Islam:

"Submit to Islam and be safe. Or agree to the payment of the Jizya (tax), and you and your people will be under our protection, else you will have only yourself to blame for the consequences, for I bring the men who desire death as ardently as you desire life."

He won quick victories in four consecutive battles: the Battle of Chains, fought in April 633; the Battle of River, fought in the third week of April 633; the Battle of Walaja, fought in May 633 (where he successfully used a double envelopment manoeuvre), and Battle of Ullais, fought in the mid-May 633. In the last week of May 633, al-Hira, the regional capital city of lower Mesopotamia, fell to Khalid.

The glad tidings of Khalid's arrival blew like a fresh breeze wherever he went to usher in Islam. The weak and oppressed people found sanctuary in the new religion that saved them from the occupation and oppression of the Persians.

This string of Muslim victories curtailed Persian efforts to recapture lower Mesopotamia and left the Persian capital Ctesiphon unguarded and vulnerable to Muslim attack. Before assaulting the Persian capital, Khalid decided to eliminate all Persian forces from the south and west, and thus marched against the border city of Firaz, where he defeated a combined force of Sassanid Persians, Byzantine Romans and Christian Arabs and captured the city's fortress during the Battle of Firaz in December 633. This was the last battle in his conquest of lower Mesopotamia.

While Khalid was on his way to attack Qadissiyah, a key fort on the way to Ctesiphon, he received a letter from Abu Bakr and was sent to the Byzantine front in Syria to assume the command of Muslim armies with the intent of conquering Roman Syria. During his stay in Iraq, Khalid was also installed as military governor of the conquered territory.

After the successful invasion of the Sassanid Persian province of Iraq, Caliph Abu Bakr sent an expedition to invade the Levant (Roman Syria). The invasion was to be carried out by four corps, each with its own assigned targets. The Byzantines responded to this threat by concentrating their units at Ajnadyn (a place in Palestine, probably al-Lajjun) from different garrisons. This move tied down the Muslim troops at border regions, as with this large force at their rear, Muslim armies were no longer free to march to central or northern Syria. Muslim forces apparently were too small in numbers to counter the Byzantine threat, and Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah, the chief Muslim commander of the Syrian front, requested reinforcements from Abu Bakr. The latter responded by sending reinforcements led by Khalid.

There were two routes towards Syria from Iraq, one was via Daumat-ul-Jandal (Now known as Skaka) and the other was through Mesopotamia passing through Raqqa. Since the Muslim forces in Syria were in need of urgent reinforcement, Khalid avoided the conventional route to Syria via Daumat-ul-Jandal because it was a long and would take weeks to reach Syria. He also avoided the Mesopotamian route because of the presence of Roman garrisons in northern Syria and Mesopotamia. Engaging them at the time when Muslim armies were being outflanked in Syria, was also ruled out since it would mean fighting on two fronts.

Khalid selected a rather shorter route to Syria which unconventionally passed through the Syrian Desert. He marched his army though the desert, where traditions tells that his soldiers marched for two days without a single drop of water, before reaching a pre-decided water source at an oasis. Khalid is said to have solved the water shortage issue using a Bedouin method. As his men did not possess sufficient waterskins to traverse this distance with their horses and camels, Khalid had some twenty of his camels increase their typical water intake and sealed their mouths to prevent the camels from eating and consequently spoiling the water in their stomachs; each day of the march, he had a number of the camels slaughtered so his men could drink the water stored in the camels' stomachs.

The utilization of the camels as water storage and the locating of the water source at Suwa were the result of advice given to Khalid by his guide, Rafi ibn Amr from the Tayy tribe.

The desert march is the most celebrated episode of Khalid's expedition and medieval Futuh (Islamic conquest) literature in general. Kennedy writes that the desert march "has been enshrined in history and legend. Arab sources marvelled at his [Khalid's] endurance; modern scholars have seen him as a master of strategy." The historian Moshe Gil calls the march "a feat which has no parallel" and a testament to "Khalid's qualities as an outstanding commander".

With the news of Khalid's arrival, Abu Ubaidah joined Khalid at Bosra and Khalid, as per the caliph's instructions, took over the supreme command.

It is related that Khalid said this to Abu Ubaidah ibn Al-Jarrah while taking over from him the command of the muslim army.