The Sword of Satan and the Commander of the Trials After the Prophet

Khalid ibn al-Walid is among those whose life is full of cowardly killings and plundering. His wars were always against the truth, and whenever Iblis needed a reckless person to commit crimes, he turned to this man.

Some people say, "We believe in God and the Last Day," but they do not believe. (1) This is a warning from God to those human beings who seek guidance in this valley: beware, for some people falsely claim faith, and God declares their expression of faith to be false and a lie.

History has seen many people whose lives were shameful and dark, people who committed many crimes and acts of bloodshed under different pretexts and blackened the pages of history. They carry the name of human being, while in truth their savagery has left nothing in them except hardheartedness and animality. They cannot even be compared to predatory animals; they have truly lost the worth of being human.

Yet alas, despite all their wickedness, such people are called pious, their actions become standards for others, and they are called the sword of God. But if a fair researcher looks at their conduct and method, he will admit that they are the sword of Satan.

Their power, possessions, and sword were at Satan's disposal. But Satan always hides in ambiguities, and he is a wolf who approaches in sheep's clothing. Although Iblis can at most kindle fire, he never has light. God says about those who walk the path of Satan: "Their example is like one who kindled a fire; when it illuminated what was around him, God took away their light and left them in darkness, unable to see." (2) Therefore it is necessary to examine personalities who are people of fire, not people of light, so that the light of guidance is not confused with Satan's fire.

Khalid ibn al-Walid is among those whose life is filled with cowardly killings and plundering. His wars were always against the truth. Wherever Iblis needed a reckless person to commit crimes, he would seek help from this man. Before his outward Islam, he was among the fiercest enemies of Islam; and after becoming Muslim outwardly, he remained eager to kill the Prophet and became one of the most fanatical enemies of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, and of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them.

In the Battle of Uhud, Khalid was the one who exploited the Muslims' negligence in leaving the pass of Uhud, circled around the mountain, and attacked the army of Islam from behind. In that battle, everyone except a few of the Prophet's companions, especially Amir al-Mu'minin, fled. Hazrat Amir al-Mu'minin defended the Prophet with great difficulty. It was then that the polytheists of Quraysh desired to kill the Prophet, and Amir al-Mu'minin defended him to the point that the angels of heaven cried: There is no youth like Ali.

Khalid ibn al-Walid used the opportunity created by the Muslims' abandonment of the pass, sprang from ambush, attacked their commander and killed him. Then he came from behind the Prophet, looked at him, saw that his companions had surrounded him, and said to those with him: "Catch him; this is the one you are seeking."

Khalid's companions attacked the Messenger of God. One struck with a sword, another attacked with a spear, another shot arrows toward him, and a group threw stones. The Prophet's companions fought and kept the enemy away from him. Finally, seventy people were killed and the rest fled. The Prophet remained alone, did not move from his place, and repelled the enemy from himself. He shot whatever arrows he had toward them in self-defense until no arrow remained in the quiver, then defended himself with stones.

Utbah ibn Abi Waqqas struck the Prophet's lips and broke one of his molars. Ibn Qami'ah also struck his blessed forehead with a stone. Then the Prophet fell unconscious into a pit, and God hid him from the sight of the polytheists. A caller cried from above Medina that Muhammad had been killed. Hearts were torn by this cry, and Fatimah, peace be upon her, came out crying.

Amir al-Mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: When the Muslims fled from around the Prophet, I was overcome by such grief that I could not control myself. I struck with the sword before the Prophet and drove the polytheists away. I returned searching for the Prophet and did not see him in his place. I said to myself: the Messenger of God is not one to flee from battle, and I do not see him among the slain; I think he has been raised from among us toward heaven. Then I broke the sheath of my sword and said to myself: with this sword I will kill this group until I myself am killed.

I attacked that group, and they opened a path for me. As I advanced, suddenly I saw the Messenger of God unconscious on the ground. He looked at me and said: "O Ali, what did the people do?" I said: "O Messenger of God, they disbelieved, all fled, and surrendered you to the enemy." Then he looked at the army coming toward him and said: "Drive them away from me." I began attacking and striking right and left until I killed Hisham ibn Umayyah al-Makhzumi, and the others fled.

Then another group of the enemy army came forward. The Prophet said: "Attack them." I attacked as commanded and killed Amr ibn Abdullah al-Jumahi, and the remaining enemy soldiers fled. Another group came forward and I attacked them. Among them I killed Bishr ibn Malik al-Amiri, and another group fled. On that day Ali, peace be upon him, fought continuously and scattered the enemy groups from around the Messenger of God until seventy wounds reached his face, head, and body. He alone stood before the Prophet and never neglected him for a moment.

The Messenger of God said: "O Ali, do you hear an angel named Ridwan praising you and calling among the angels that there is no sword like Dhu al-Fiqar and no youth like Ali?" The people returned to the Prophet. On that day Gabriel ascended toward heaven saying: "There is no sword like Dhu al-Fiqar and no youth like Ali."

All the people heard his voice. Gabriel said: "O Messenger of God, the angels marvel at Ali's self-sacrifice for you." The Messenger of God said: "Nothing prevents his self-sacrifice for me, for he is from me and I am from him." Gabriel said: "And I am from you two." (3)

The Noble Prophet of Islam saw in a dream that they entered the Sacred Mosque and performed tawaf. He informed his companions of this dream and ordered them to move toward the Sacred Mosque. At Dhu al-Hulayfah they entered ihram for umrah. When the news reached the unbelievers of Quraysh, they sent Khalid ibn al-Walid with two hundred horsemen to confront and fight the Prophet.

When Khalid was watching the Prophet and his companions, the time for noon prayer arrived and the Prophet performed the noon prayer with his companions. Khalid said to his companions: "We will attack them during the afternoon prayer, because during prayer the Muslims pay attention to nothing and set their weapons aside." At the time of the noon prayer Gabriel descended and conveyed to the Prophet the command for the Prayer of Fear, and the Prophet performed the noon prayer as the Prayer of Fear to prevent Khalid's attack. (4)

This was Khalid's role during the age of ignorance: he was always eager to kill the Prophet and the Muslims. It may be said that Khalid's desire to kill the Prophet was due to his disbelief and that his actions were forgiven because he became Muslim. But after becoming Muslim, he did not lose his desire to kill the Prophet and, after the Prophet, the Prophet's household. Khalid ibn al-Walid was among those who participated fearlessly in assassinations.

The fifth Imam said: The Messenger of God sent Khalid ibn al-Walid to the clan of Banu al-Mustaliq, who were from Judhaymah, and there was an old hostility between them and Banu Makhzum in the age of ignorance. When they entered upon them, the people were followers of the Messenger of God and had a covenant from him. When Khalid arrived, they called the adhan; Khalid and they prayed. Then after they prayed the morning prayer, Khalid ordered them plundered and killed a group of them.

Banu al-Mustaliq took their covenant and came to the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, and reported the crimes of Khalid ibn al-Walid. The Prophet turned toward the qiblah and said: "O God, I disavow what Khalid ibn al-Walid has done."

Then clothing and goods from the plunder were brought to the Messenger of God, and he said to Ali, peace be upon him: "Go to Banu Judhaymah, the clan of Banu al-Mustaliq, and satisfy them concerning what Khalid has done." He took two blessed steps and said: "O Ali, place the judgment of the age of ignorance under your two feet."

Ali, peace be upon him, went to them and ruled among them according to God's command. When he returned, the Prophet said: "O Ali, report what you did." He said: "O Messenger of God, I paid blood money for every blood. For every fetus that had been miscarried I gave a male or female slave in compensation. For every property destroyed I gave compensation. Some money remained, so I gave it for their dogs' bowls and shepherds' ropes. More remained, so I gave it for the fear of the women and the terror of the children. Still something remained, so out of caution for what was known and unknown I gave it to them. I gave the final large remainder to them so that they would be pleased with you."

The Prophet said: "Ali, you gave them so that they would be pleased with me. May God be pleased with you. O Ali, you are to me as Aaron was to Moses, except that there is no prophet after me." (5)

The massacre of this tribe shows Khalid ibn al-Walid's savagery and that there was not a trace of faith in God in his heart. How could someone be Muslim, pray with a group, and then after performing the prayer kill those who had prayed with him and who possessed a covenant from the Messenger of God, and plunder their property?

Is prayer not the sign of Muslims? Was the Prophet's covenant not evidence that this people had become Muslim? What can be said about Khalid's crime except that he always lived according to the beliefs of ignorance, disbelief, and idolatry, even after outwardly becoming Muslim? Can one believe that the Prophet, while seeking refuge in God from Khalid's ugly actions and declaring disavowal from him, titled him Sayf al-Islam? Without doubt, his conduct and inner character have complete affinity with Satan. His sword moves by Satan's will.

This tragic event became a ground for the manifestation of Amir al-Mu'minin's justice, for he played a role in compensating for it. In addition to paying blood money for the slain and compensation for plundered property, he paid compensation from the Prophet for dogs' bowls, shepherds' ropes, and the fear placed in people's hearts. Such justice can only be seen in the Prophet's successor. No ordinary human being can implement justice to this degree. Therefore the Prophet said to him: "You are to me as Aaron was to Moses," an allusion more eloquent than explicit statement, meaning that the justice Ali established was prophet-like justice that only the Prophet's successor and caliph could establish.

The Messenger of God sent Khalid ibn al-Walid to the people of Yemen to invite them to Islam, and sent a group of Muslims with him, among whom was al-Bara ibn Azib. Khalid went to Yemen and invited the people there to Islam for six full months, but none of them followed him and his words entered none of their ears. The Messenger of God became upset by this.

The Prophet summoned Ali, peace be upon him, and ordered him to go to Yemen, return Khalid and his companions, and invite the people to Islam in his place. He said to him: "If anyone from Khalid's companions wishes to remain with you, do not prevent him; let him remain."

Al-Bara ibn Azib, who had previously gone with Khalid, said: I was among those who remained in Yemen with Ali, peace be upon him, and I preferred accompanying Ali to returning with Khalid. We went with Amir al-Mu'minin to invite the people of Yemen to Islam. When we came to them and they learned of Ali's arrival, they gathered near us. Ali ibn Abi Talib prayed the morning prayer with us.

Then he stood, praised and glorified God, and read to them the letter that the Messenger of God had written to those people, inviting them thereby to Islam. The tribe of Hamdan all believed and became Muslim that same day, and Ali, peace be upon him, wrote the news of Hamdan's Islam to the Prophet.

When the Messenger of God read Ali's letter, he rejoiced, became cheerful, and fell in prostration to thank God. Then he raised his head, sat, and said: "Peace be upon the tribe of Hamdan." Following the Islam of Hamdan, the other people of Yemen also became Muslim. (6)

After victory over the tribe of Ma'di Karib, who had apostatized, Amir al-Mu'minin, peace be upon him, chose a slave girl for himself from among the captive women. Khalid ibn al-Walid, who was upset about being removed from command and was displeased by the reproach and restraint he had received from Amir al-Mu'minin, was looking for an opportunity to criticize his actions. He sent Buraydah to the Prophet and told him: Go ahead of the army to Medina, inform the Prophet of Ali's action, say that Ali chose a slave girl for himself from the khums, and say whatever you can against him.

When Buraydah reached the door of the Messenger of God, Umar met him, asked about the battle and why he had come ahead of the others to Medina. Buraydah informed Umar that he had come to speak against Ali before the Prophet and told him about Ali's choice of that slave girl from the khums. Umar said: pursue that, because the Prophet will become angry at what Ali has done because of his daughter Fatimah. With these words Umar also incited him.

Buraydah entered upon the Prophet and gave him Khalid's letter. The Messenger of God began reading, and with each part he read the color of his face changed. Buraydah, to carry out the mission he had from Khalid ibn al-Walid and Umar, said: O Messenger of God, if you allow such a thing, the booty and share of the Muslims will be subject to desire.

The Prophet said: "Woe to you, O Buraydah. You have become a hypocrite and have acted hypocritically in your religion. For Ali ibn Abi Talib, from the booty, is lawful whatever is lawful for me. Ali ibn Abi Talib is the best of people for you and your people, and the best person whom I leave as successor for the entire community after me. O Buraydah, beware of hating Ali, lest God hate you."

Buraydah said: At that moment I wished the earth would open and swallow me. I said: I seek refuge in God from God's anger and the anger of the Messenger of God. O Messenger of God, ask God to forgive me, and from now on I will never hate Ali and will say nothing about him except good. The Prophet then asked God to forgive him. (7)

In this battle there was for Ali, peace be upon him, a virtue and merit whose like no one else possessed. Beyond the fact that victory in this battle was achieved only by his capable hand, his superiority and virtue over others became clear, as did his sharing with the Messenger of God in what was lawful for the Prophet from the booty: a special distinction granted only to him. The love of the Messenger of God for him and his superiority also became clear to the unaware and foolish. The Prophet's warning to Buraydah and others against hatred and enmity toward Ali, his compelling him to love Ali, and his turning the plots of Ali's enemies back upon themselves are all evidence that Ali, peace be upon him, is the best of people before God and His Messenger, the most deserving of succession after the Prophet, and the most special and chosen among them in the Prophet's sight.

This report makes clear the hypocrisy and disbelief of Khalid ibn al-Walid, because the Messenger of God said that enmity toward Ali is enmity toward God, and Khalid ibn al-Walid's entire life was enmity toward Ali and the family of Ali, peace be upon them.

After his outward Islam, Khalid outwardly left the age of ignorance, but the truth is that Khalid is one of the instances of this luminous verse of God's Book, where He says: "Some people say: We believe, but they have never believed. In their hearts is a disease, and God increases their disease; and God knows their deeds." (8)

When Khalid ibn al-Walid participated in the assassination attempt against the Prophet while claiming to be Muslim, he was undoubtedly among those in whose heart there was disease. Along with thirteen others, when the Prophet was returning to Medina from the campaign of Tabuk, he tried to kill the Prophet, but by the Prophet's miracle this assassination failed.

Regarding this event, verse 74 of Surat al-Tawbah was revealed: "They swear by God that they did not say it, but they certainly said the word of disbelief and disbelieved after their Islam, and they intended what they did not attain..." (9) The hypocrites, when they come to you, swear by God that they did not say the ugly words they said about you, while in fact they spoke words of disbelief behind your back, denied and insulted you, and thereby became disbelievers after Islam, manifesting their inner disbelief; and they intended and wanted something, your killing, which they did not attain. (10)

The noble verse says about these fourteen people, including Khalid ibn al-Walid, that they became disbelievers after becoming Muslim. This means that Khalid ibn al-Walid did not leave the age of ignorance after becoming Muslim and always lived in ignorance. After this failed assassination attempt following Tabuk, they made a pact to oppose the Prophet and signed the second document after returning from Ghadir.

The summary of the second document and the second act of treachery to assassinate the Prophet is as follows: the first people who made a pact to usurp the caliphate were Abu Bakr and Umar. The foundation upon which they made their pact, and upon which their other pacts were based, was this: "If Muhammad dies or is killed, we will take this matter of caliphate from his household in such a way that, as long as we live, none of them will attain the caliphate."

After that, Abu Ubaydah al-Jarrah and Mu'adh ibn Jabal joined them, and finally Salim, the freedman of Abu Hudhayfah, joined them, making five. They gathered, entered the Ka'bah, and wrote a document among themselves about this matter: "If Muhammad dies or is killed..." In all these matters, Aisha and Hafsah were the spies of their fathers in the Prophet's house, peace be upon him and his family.

Then Abu Bakr and Umar gathered, sent for the hypocrites and the freed captives, consulted among themselves, and agreed that on the Prophet's return from the Farewell Pilgrimage, at the pass of Harsha on the road to Mecca near Juhfah, they would make his camel bolt and kill him in this way.

Those tasked with carrying out the plan were fourteen people, the same ones who had taken on this role at Tabuk but whose plan had failed.

Amir al-Mu'minin, peace be upon him, was appointed by God at Ghadir Khumm. Then the Prophet moved until he reached the pass of Harsha. That group went ahead and hid on the path, but this time too God exposed them and preserved His Prophet.

When they entered Medina, they all gathered in Abu Bakr's house and wrote a document among themselves, mentioning in it what they had pledged concerning the caliphate. The first item was breaking the covenant and the wilayah of Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, and that the caliphate belonged to Abu Bakr, Umar, and Abu Ubaydah, with Salim also with them, and would not go outside this group.

Thirty-four people signed this second document. Fourteen of them were the same ambushers at the pass of Harsha: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Mu'awiyah, Amr ibn al-As, Talhah, Abu Ubaydah al-Jarrah, Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, Salim the freedman of Abu Hudhayfah, Mu'adh ibn Jabal, Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah, Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, and Aws ibn Hadathan.

The other twenty were Abu Sufyan, Ikrimah son of Abu Jahl, Khalid ibn al-Walid, Bashir ibn Sa'd, Suhayl ibn Amr, Suhayb ibn Sinan, Abu al-A'war al-Aslami, Safwan ibn Umayyah, Sa'id ibn al-As, Ayyash ibn Abi Rabi'ah, Hakim ibn Hizam, Muti' ibn Aswad Mudari, and several others, each of whom had a large group following him who accepted his words and obeyed him.

The writer of this document was Sa'id ibn al-As al-Umawi, and he wrote it in Muharram of the tenth year after Hijrah. Then they entrusted it to Abu Ubaydah al-Jarrah, and he sent it to Mecca. That document remained buried in the Ka'bah until the time of Umar, when he brought it out from its place. (11)

In truth, the assassination attempt against the Prophet and the signing of the second accursed document were opposition to the wilayah and succession of Amir al-Mu'minin. Why were they not so insistent on opposition at other times, or if they were, why did they not make a covenant for it? But after the event of Ghadir, this group very seriously pursued assassinating the Prophet, and after that assassination failed, they wrote a covenant against Ghadir, the day of the perfection of religion.

This shows that they opposed the very foundation of Islam, and their wish was to return to the life of ignorance. The sacred existence of the Prophet was a great barrier to their goals. In order to reach their vile goals, they had to set aside the successor and caliph appointed by the Prophet.

For the caliph introduced by the Prophet is, in reality, the Messenger of God himself, though outwardly Amir al-Mu'minin Ali ibn Abi Talib would hold the caliphate. That is why, to advance their goals, they opposed the wilayah and caliphate of Amir al-Mu'minin during the Prophet's own lifetime.

In these oppositions and acts of obstruction, Khalid ibn al-Walid was a powerful arm for this group, committing many crimes and obstructions during the Prophet's lifetime. After the Prophet, when the companions of Saqifah seized power, the path opened further for Khalid and his greater crimes. Therefore, after examining his actions in the killings he carried out, especially the martyrdom of the only daughter of the Messenger of God, the truth becomes even clearer: Khalid was the sword of Satan and the commander of the trials after the Prophet.

1- Surah al-Baqarah, verse 8.
2- Surah al-Baqarah, verse 17, translation of the late Fayz al-Islam.
3- Irshad al-Qulub, Persian translation by Reza'i, vol. 2, p. 69.
4- Tafsir Nur al-Thaqalayn, al-Shaykh al-Huwayzi, vol. 5, p. 50.
5- al-Amali by al-Saduq, p. 173, Persian translation by Kamare'i, session 32.
6- al-Irshad, Persian translation by Rasuli Mahallati, vol. 1, chapter 15, p. 54.
7- al-Irshad, Persian translation by Rasuli Mahallati, vol. 1, chapter 44, p. 145.
8- Surah al-Baqarah, verses 8 and 10.
9- al-Khisal, vol. 2, p. 499.
10- Translation of Fayz al-Islam.
11- Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 28, pp. 96-111.