Khalid Bin Walid - The Last Combat

According to the treaty of Hudaybiya, any clan or tribe was free to side either with the Muslims or with the Quraysh. The tribe of Banu Bakr allied themselves with the Quraysh while that of Banu Khuza went over to the Muslims. Two years after the agreement, Banu Bakr attacked the Banu Khuza while the latter was asleep. Banu Khuza, seized with panic, fled to the precincts of the Kaa’ba. Surely, here in the sacred territory, they were safe. But no! Even here they were butchered.

What were the Muslims to do? Stand by the Banu Khuza, even though it meant fighting with the Quraysh, who had supported Banu Bakr? The Prophet (SAW) sent an ultimatum to the Quraysh. They had three options, any of which could be accepted.

to pay compensation to the victims of Banu Khuza
to withdraw their support of Banu Bakr
to consider the treaty to have been nullified

The Quraysh reacted like the tribe they had been. “We will neither pay the blood money nor withdraw our support of the Banu Bakr, but are prepared to declare the truce null and void.”

The Prophet (SAW) now had an alternative; on the tenth of Ramadan, in the eighth year of migration, the Prophet (SAW) led an army of ten thousand Muslims against the Quraysh. Khalid bin Walid, the man who turned the victory into a near defeat at the Battle of Uhud, was now amongst the Muslim ranks. Amr bin al- Aas had also come within the fold of Islam, as had Uthman bin Talha, the keeper of the Kaa’ba, and many others.

Abu Sufiyan, who until now had been the arch-enemy of the Prophet (SAW), saw that the Quraysh had no hope of defeating the mighty Muslim army. Afraid to face the Prophet (SAW) himself, he asked Al-Abbas, the Prophet (SAW)’s uncle, to take him to the Prophet (SAW). While on the way to the Prophet (SAW), Al-Abbas and Abu Sufiyan met Umar. When Umar saw Abu Sufiyan, he cried out in joy; “Ah! It’s you, Abu Sufiyan, with no treaty or safe conduct. Oh, enemy of Allah! The Almighty be praised for delivering you in our hands!”

Umar ran to the Prophet (SAW). “O Prophet (SAW),” he cried, “here is Abu Sufiyan, Allah’s enemy without treaty or safe conduct, given to us by the Almighty! Charge me to cut off his head!” The Prophet (SAW) not only guaranteed Abu Sufiyan an unconditional pardon but proclaimed that whosoever should take refuge in the house of Abu Sufiyan could consider himself safe. The Muslim army entered Makkah without any incidents. The inhabitants of the city had followed the advice of their leaders and locked themselves in their houses. But they were still some who did not wish to be known that the Quraysh had submitted without a fight.

Why did Ikramah attack Khalid bin Walid’s section of the army? Perhaps because they had been close friends until Khalid bin Walid accepted Islam. So, Ikramah felt bitter towards Khalid bin Walid. Whatever the reason, Ikramah’s men shot several arrows at the Muslims, killing two. Within minutes, more than a dozen men of Quraysh were lying dead and the remaining men in the group were being hotly pursued. Muslim horsemen chased one of the Quraysh men through the back streets of Makkah. Suddenly, the Quraysh man found himself in a cul-de-sac. Seeing no way out and the Muslim horsemen almost upon him, he cried, “There is no god but Allah.” Nevertheless, the Muslim horsemen killed him.

When the Prophet (SAW) heard about the incident, he was annoyed and enquired about why did they kill him when he declared himself to be one of us? Their reply was “The Qurayshite obviously did this to save his life.” How does one know what is in the other’s heart enquired Prophet (SAW)?

The isolated resistance had now been crushed. Now the persecuted had returned, and so had the memories. What could Bilal, the slave, do to his torturers, or Ammar bin Yasir to those who had bitterly persecuted him and his parents? Most of all, what would the Prophet (SAW) do to those who had spoken evil of him, abused him, thrown thorns in his path, conspired to murder him and led armies against him? Likewise, what would the Prophet (SAW) do to those who were directly or indirectly responsible for the death of his beloved wife, Khadija, his uncle, Abu Talib, and his daughter Zaynab? What would he do to Hind, the wife of Abu Sufiyan, who cut open the body of his uncle Hamzah and chewed his heart? What, indeed, would he do?

The Prophet (SAW) declared a general amnesty for the entire community of Makkah, forgiving them for any crimes they may have committed in the past. For a while, the Quraysh could not believe their ears. They had been forgiven. Many flocked to accept Islam. Ikramah could not believe it himself; he came to the Prophet (SAW) for forgiveness. Habbur bin al- Aswad, who in a way was responsible for the death of the Prophet (SAW)’s daughter Zaynab, was about to fly to Persia when he heard the news. He came to the Prophet (SAW). “O Prophet of Allah,” said Habbur, “I wanted to flee away to Persia, but your mercy and your gentle and compassionate nature have kept me back; whatever you have heard about me is true. I know what I have done. I come to you now to confess my wrongdoings.”

Once the confessions were made and forgiveness bestowed, a glorious future awaited the Quraysh.

Notes

Word	Meaning
precincts	an enclosed area
seized	overtaken
ultimatum	warning
nullified	invalidation
compassionate	loving
proclaimed	declare
amnesty	pardon
compensation	pay money for the laws incurred
truce	temporary agreement to arrest a hostility
cul-de-sac	a street closed in the end
persecuted	treated badly over a long period of time