|
6
I want them to know that it is Allah who does all things; and there should be no
mischief in the land.
7
In this letter Umar, unwittingly paid, Khalid the highest compliment that any general
could hope to earn: that his men regarded him as a god! But Khalid returned to
Qinassareen an embittered man. The Destroyer of the Apostasy, the Conqueror of Iraq
and Syria, came home as a nobody-dismissed and disgraced. As his wife greeted him at
the door, he said:
"Umar appointed me over Syria until it turned to wheat and honey;
then dismissed me!"
8
1.
Tabari: Vol. 3, p. 167.
2.
Ibid
: Vol. 3, p. 168.
3.
Tabari: Vol. 3, p. 167.
4.
Ibid
.
5.
Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 625.
6.
i.e.
rather than Allah, for victory.
7.
Tabari: Vol. 3, p. 167.
8.
Tabari: Vol. 3, p. 99.
Page 4
Khalid's campaigning days were over. The Sword of Allah-the sword that Allah had
drawn against the infidels-which Abu Bakr had refused to sheathe, was at last sheathed
by Caliph Umar.
Little remains to be told. After his dismissal Khalid had less than four years to live, and
these were not very pleasant years. Financially, though not impoverished, he was
severely restricted. In 15 Hijri, Umar had started the institution of allowances to all
Muslims, varying in extent according to their position in Islam and the services rendered
by them in war. All those who had accepted the Faith after the Truce of Hudebiya and
before the Apostasy received an annual allowance of three thousand dirhams,
1
and this
category included Khalid. The sum was enough to enable a man and his family to live
modestly; but with Khalid, born an aristocrat and accustomed to giving away thousands
of dirhams on an impulse, it did not go far. He took his family to Emessa, where he
bought a house and settled down to retirement.
Created by PDF Generator (http://www.alientools.com), to remove this mark, please register the software.
His dismissal was a terrible blow to him. But as if this were not enough, Khalid suffered
even more grievous losses in the plague which struck soon after his return from Madinah,
and which claimed most of those nearest and dearest to him.
The plague started at Amawas in Palestine in Muharram or Safar, 18 Hijri (January or
February 639), and spread rapidly across Syria and Palestine, striking down Christians
and Muslims in its path. The Caliph was deeply grieved by the sufferings of the Muslims
in Syria and concerned especially about Abu Ubaidah, and thought to save the Trusted
One of the Nation by asking him to visit Madinah. But Abu Ubaidah saw through Umar's
letter and knew that the Caliph would detain him in Madinah until the epidemic had spent
itself. The man who had not abandoned his soldiers in the thick of battle was not going to
abandon them in the plague. He refused to visit Madinah, and for his loyalty to his men
paid with his life.
Thousands of Muslims died in the Plague of Amawas, and these included the noblest and
best: Abu Ubaidah, Sharhabeel, Yazeed, Dhiraar-Khalid's dearest friends. And yet this
was not the end of his sufferings, for he lost 40 sons in the epidemic! The terrible
pestilence thus took away most of those whom Khalid loved, those who could have added
comfort and cheer to his years of retirement. We only know of three sons who survived
Khalid: Sulaiman, who fell in battle in the latter part of the Egyptian Campaign; Muhajir,
who fought and died under Ali at Siffeen; and Abdur-Rahman, who survived to live to a
mature age and appeared to be endowed with his father's military prowess. But he too
met an untimely death at the hands of a poisoner in 46 Hijri, during the caliphate of
Muawiyah. It is recorded that the assassination was engineered by Muawiyah, who was
jealous and fearful of the great prestige of the son of the Sword of Allah.
2
The assassin
was later killed, as an act of vengeance by Abdur-Rahman's son. We do not know how
many daughters Khalid had, but the male line of descent from Khalid is believed to have
ended with his grandson, Khalid bin Abdur-Rahman bin Khalid.
After the death of three of the original corps commanders, Amr bin Al Aas took
command of the army and immediately dispersed it in the hills of Syria and Palestine. By
so doing he was able to save much of the army, but not before 25,000 Muslims had fallen
before the foul breath of the plague. The epidemic had not yet ended when Umar
appointed Ayadh bin Ghanam as military governor of Northern Syria, and Muawiyah of
Damascus and Jordan, while Amr remained in command in Palestine.
When Abu Bakr was planning the Campaign of the Apostasy, he discussed with Amr bin
Al Aas the appointment of various generals as corps commanders. The Caliph said,
"O
Amr, you are the shrewdest of the Arabs in judgement. What is your opinion of Khalid?"
Amr replied,
"He is a master of war; a friend of death. He has the dash of a lion and the
patience of a cat!"
3
But the patience of a cat was not enough for a man of Khalid's temperament at this stage
of his life. What makes patience possible and bearable in a cat is the prospect of a victim
for supper. If there were no victim in sight even a cat could not bear to be patient; and
Khalid now had no prospects, nothing to be patient for. He could fight no more battles,
kill no more enemies. In enforced obscurity Khalid mourned the loss of his comrades and
his sons.
Created by PDF Generator (http://www.alientools.com), to remove this mark, please register the software.
Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |
