Al Walid ibn Walid R

Al-Walid ibn Walid: The Story Behind Khalid's Conversion

Introduction and Hadith

In the name of Allah, praise be to Allah, and blessings and peace upon the Messenger of Allah.

Our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said in a hadith reported in Sahih Muslim:

(Sahih Muslim 2626)

"Never trivialize any good deed."

I want you to memorize this simple beautiful hadith. Never trivialize any good deed. You do not know the effects of the smallest of good deed. It is possible that something you do innocently without understanding the repercussions of what you do can literally change the course of Islamic history.

Khalid ibn al-Walid: The Unsheathed Sword of Allah

In today's brief khatira, I want to mention one such beautiful example. We all know the single most famous general upon whose hands Allah allowed the majority of conquests that forever benefited the ummah and that is Khalid ibn al-Walid.

We all know that this was a person whom the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم himself called the unsheathed sword of Allah:

(Bukhari 4262)

"The open sword of Allah."

This was the laqab, the title given by our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

The Family Background: Al-Walid ibn al-Mughira

What most of us are not aware is that Khalid ibn al-Walid's conversion is one of those stories that takes place without even understanding the repercussions of what will take place. And it involves his older brother, al-Walid ibn al-Walid.

So the family of Khalid ibn al-Walid, of course his father by the way is al-Walid ibn al-Mughira. And al-Walid ibn al-Mughira was the chieftain of the Banu Makhzum. And the Banu Makhzum was the tribe of Abu Jahl. And Abu Talib was the chieftain of the Banu Hashim.

And the Banu Hashim and the Banu Makhzum were the two most influential tribes of the Quraysh. And the chieftain of the Banu Makhzum, the cousin of Abu Jahl, is al-Walid, this is Khalid's father, Khalid ibn al-Walid.

Al-Walid ibn al-Mughira in the Quran

So this al-Walid ibn al-Mughira, by the way this al-Walid mentioned in Surah Abasa:

(Quran 80:1-2) He frowned and turned away because there came to him the blind man.

This al-Walid was the one that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was talking with when ibn Ummi Maktum came. This is that al-Walid. And Allah mentions:

(Quran 80:5) As for he who thinks himself self-sufficient...

This is al-Walid. Also al-Walid, the beginning of Surah al-Muddathir, when Allah mentions the whole story:

(Quran 74:24-26) And said, "This is not but magic imitated. This is not but the word of a human being. I will drive him into Saqar."

That is al-Walid. Allah is speaking about al-Walid over here.

The Three Sons and the Battle of Badr

He had three sons: al-Walid, Khalid, and Hisham. These three sons, Khalid is the middle son. All three are enemies of Allah and His Messenger. They participate in the battle of Badr. And al-Walid is taken prisoner, the eldest son.

The father is now dead. al-Walid is taken prisoner. And he comes to the masjid of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم along with 70 of the prisoners of war.

The Ransom and Imprisonment in the Masjid

And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and the sahabah, they make an assessment of what will their ransom be. Those that had the highest amount of money, the wealthiest families, their ransom was 4000 dinars, the highest level. Those that could not afford anything, as you know the famous story, they were to teach the children how to read and write, and they were let go free.

But everyone was given a price tag depending on his family. al-Walid's family is the richest family of Makkah. So al-Walid's price tag is the highest category. Only a handful got 4000. That was one of them, al-Walid. So they have to wait for the money.

One of the brothers, the father is dead now, he dies. So Khalid and Hisham are arguing. And one of them is a full brother, one of them is a half brother. The half brother says, I'm not gonna give 4000 for him. And the full brother says, of course you will, we're gonna do it. So it takes a while, it's delayed.

The Transformation in the Masjid

In the meantime, al-Walid is stuck in the Prophet's masjid for perhaps, we don't know exactly, maybe 10 days. He's there, 10 days. Now, what's gonna happen when somebody sees the Muslims and the Sahaba and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم for 10 days? Unbeknownst to anybody, Islam entered the heart of the prisoner of war.

He's tied up. There was no jail in Medina. There was no complex, you know, like the current guys doing for the innocent children. That doesn't exist, okay? There was no, you know, barbed wire. Where is the prison? It is the masjid itself. So al-Walid, along with all of the other prisoners, are essentially living in the masjid.

They're given food, they have bathroom breaks, they're gonna come back, and they're staying in the masjid. So for at least 10 days, maybe even 15, al-Walid is observing the Muslims, listening to the khutbas and the durs, seeing the community. And slowly but surely, Islam enters his heart.

The Secret Conversion

Eventually, the brothers in Mecca resolve their dispute, they get the 4,000, and Khalid comes to Medina as a mushrik. And he hands the 4,000 to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمand al-Walid is now freed. So, it was late at night, they exit the city, they go to sleep, Khalid wakes up, and his brother Walid is nowhere to be seen.

Gone, disappeared. Where did he go? Al-Walid returns back to Medina to accept the shahada in public in the masjid of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. Hours after he is released.

Al-Walid's Explanation for His Delayed Conversion

The sahaba said, why did you delay? I mean, if you wanted to accept Islam, why this 15 days and your brother comes and the money? So he says, firstly, I didn't want you to think that I accepted Islam under pressure. I didn't want you to think that there was a gun to my head, right, metaphorically. And I'm a prisoner of war, and so I'm trying to wiggle my way out. I'm coming as a free man now. Nobody can make itti'am or doubt about my ikhlas.

And secondly, why shouldn't the money of my father benefit you? Let his money come, after all that he has done, let him benefit the Muslim ummah.

Khalid's First Exposure to Faith

And so Khalid, imagine how he must have felt. He walked all the way, or he took his camel all the way alone from Medina to Makkah, minimum of 10 days travel. And he thinks he's gonna bring his brother back. Neither the money nor the brother come back. And he has to return humiliated and embarrassed.

This is Khalid's first exposure to what iman does in the heart of the person. And then Khalid continues his way, you know. Al-Walid is making dua for his younger brother Khalid, because Khalid was the one who argued, I'm gonna give the full ransom. He's making dua, you know, I want him to be guided. He's begging, he's pleading.

Khalid's Continued Opposition

But Khalid takes a different path. You know what happened at Uhud, you know what Khalid did. You know what happened at Ahzab, you know what Khalid did. Khalid becomes essentially the son of his father. You get my point. He is going down that track.

But Al-Walid never lose his hope. And he begs the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to give me something that I can say to my brother. Give me a phrase that I can try to convince him.

The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah and the Letter

And so what happens was, in the seventh year of the hijrah, when the Muslims are going to do Umrah for the first time. You know the treaty of Hudaybiyyah, remember that incident in the seerah, where the condition was they're going to come back the next year and do Umrah, and they will have Makkah for three days, right?

Al-Walid and Khalid have not seen each other for seven years. Six and a half, six years. They haven't seen each other. They have not seen each other at all. And Al-Walid wants to see his brother Khalid.

He is hoping, you know, there's no cell phone, there's no satellite, there's no, you know, texting. He is hoping that Khalid stays in their house during those three days, so that he can meet his brother Khalid after all those six years.

But Khalid's anger is so much, he said, I don't want to see the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and the Sahaba doing tawaf, I want to leave Makkah. I don't want to even be here and look from the window and see the Muslims, I want to leave Makkah.

The Heartfelt Letter from Brother to Brother

So, as you're aware probably, half the city left Makkah, and half the city locked their doors and stayed home for three days, right? That was the condition, that for three days, you know, no one's going to exit from the Quraysh, or they can leave their houses, and for three days the Muslims will be there, and then leave. So, Khalid opted to leave the city.

Now obviously, Al-Walid didn't know this. He rushes to the father's house, he opens the door, he's eager to see, nobody with the women there, they tell him, Sorry, Khalid left. There is no Khalid. His heart is broken.

But he has a message from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم that he has extracted, because he's the one getting these positives. And he writes a letter and leaves it in their father's house for his brother, his younger brother Khalid.

And he says, and the letter is recorded in Ibn Kathir and others, in Ibn Hisham. He says, My dear brother, Ya Akhi, my dear brother, for how long will you run away from Allah and His Messenger? My dear brother, for how long? My dear brother this, my dear brother that. And he writes him a moving letter that only a brother can write to another brother.

From the heart to the heart, he opens up. He hasn't met his brother since the battle of Badr. My dear brother, my dear brother, my dear brother.

The Prophet's Promise

And then he says, And I have gotten a guarantee from Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم for you by name. Now he didn't tell him that he was the one who got the guarantee. Leave these details out. But he wants to impress his brother.

And he says, The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم told me that if only Khalid becomes a Muslim:

"We will indeed honor him. We will give him the karam that he deserves, that will make him an honorable person."

We're gonna give him the status and dignity of being the son of al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah. So he said, The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم mentioned your name and he mentioned you. He said he's gonna promise he's going to, you know, help you and what not.

The Letter's Impact and Khalid's Contemplation

And this letter, subhanAllah, softened the heart of Khalid ibn al-Walid. And he began thinking about converting to Islam. He began thinking about, Well, is it really true that these are all idols? Is it really true? Why should we worship Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala?

And his best friend at the time was his second cousin, Ikrimah. Ikrimah ibn Abu Jahl. Because Abu Jahl and Walid ibn al-Mughirah are first cousins. So Khalid and Ikrimah are second cousins. Their fathers are cousins, right?

The Midnight Conversation and Near-Death Experience

And so one night, you know, just like young men, they're out long, late at night, they're talking, they're chatting, they open up their deepest, you know, confessions and what not. And Khalid says to Ikrimah,

Ikrimah, come on, really? We know these gods are false. I mean, let's be honest here. You know, we all know this, that, these, that. So why don't we worship Allah alone? Why don't we accept the message of Islam?

They were half drunk, it is said. One version says, and Allah knows. Maybe only Ikrimah, Allah knows. But, you know, they weren't in their full senses. Ikrimah lost the plot.

Ikrimah in the middle of the night began screaming and shouting, Asaba'ta, have you become a Muslim? You're gonna leave us? You're gonna abandon your father? How dare you? Have you lost your mind?

And the commotion, he became so angry, he called the rest of the Quraysh in the middle of the night. Because Khalid is the son of Al-Walid. This is not some innocent, this is the pure Qurayshi blood. This is the chieftain's son. This is as close to royalty as the Quraysh can get.

So he called Abu Sufyan in the middle of the night, 2 AM, whatever, goes to the door, calls half the Quraysh. And he goes, what are we gonna do? Do something. He's thinking of converting.

And now Khalid is alone in a room full of seniors of the Quraysh. And you know mob mentality what happens, right? Mob mentality. One man surrounded by enemies. Voices are raised. A sword is brought out. A sword is unsheathed. And in the anger, one person is about to strike down Khalid ibn Al-Walid.

Divine Intervention and the Escape

When all of a sudden Ikrimah jumps up and said, I didn't call you to kill him. The same person who called them, now said, I didn't call you to kill him. Are you gonna kill him? Because he wants to change his faith.

And so he, this is Allah's qadr, he calms them down. He sends them home. Khalid says, okay, okay, you guys are right, you know. Yeah, I agree. You're allowed to, you're allowed to. I agree, you're all right.

And he calms them down, placates them. And the same night, Khalid goes back home, packs his bags, gets onto a horse, and rides out in the middle of the night to make hijrah, to become the very last batch of three people to make hijrah before the conquest of Mecca.

The Last Batch of Muhajirin

Allah blessed Khalid ibn Al-Walid to be the last batch of muhajir. You know the muhajir and the ansar? The last batch of muhajir was Khalid ibn Al-Walid and Amr ibn al-'As and Uthman ibn Talha (Sahib al-Miftah). These are the last three sahaba who made hijrah before the conquest of Mecca. Allah blessed Khalid ibn Al-Walid to do that.

Al-Walid's Legacy and Death

Now, what is the lesson from all of this? And then of course what happened, happened. And by the way,

Al-Walid, his death is not known. He didn't play that type of role. Maybe he died very shortly after the death of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. And then life went on. He also, by the way, helped in the conversion of Hisham, the youngest brother.

The Moral of the Story: Silent Creditors

Now, the moral of the story is what? The legacy of Khalid is known to all of you. How many of you know the legacy of Al-Walid? Can you imagine? All of the blessings that Khalid did shall be credited to Khalid and to Al-Walid, his brother. Imagine that.

All of the barakah and all of the glory and all of the thawab that Khalid did and he had, mashaAllah, how much? There is a silent creditor. You see, Allah عز وجل gives and gives and gives. And as the Prophet :said صلى الله عليه وسلم

(Sahih Muslim 2674)

"The one who calls others to good shall get the reward of the one who does it without diminishing the reward of the one who does."

The Lesson: Never Trivialize Any Good Deed

This is what I'm saying:

(Sahih Muslim 2626)

One letter written from the heart changed the course of Islamic history. Never trivialize a smile in the face of a non-Muslim. Never trivialize good akhlaaq when you're presenting Islam. Never trivialize honesty in your dealings. Never trivialize any good deed because you do not know the impact.

It is very possible that one such small deed can literally change the course of history by the qadr of Allah. You might not even know it. Allah knows it is very likely that al-Walid did not see, did not live to see the true result of Khalid's conversion. Most likely he died very early after the death of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم . In all likelihood, he didn't see the conquest. And yet the hasanat will be with him in the qabr because he did what he did with ikhlaas without diminishing any good that was done.

Conclusion

So:

(Sahih Muslim 2626)

Never diminish any good deed that you can do. Any opportunity, just do something and leave the rest to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. May Allah