Hazrat Khalid Bin Walid's Suspension & Pakistan's Present-Day Leadership
By Mohammad Ashraf Chaudhry
Pittsburg
What Hazrat Omer perhaps missed was that there would emerge in Muslim countries in the distant future a brand of leadership that would be exceedingly rich, but that would also be most power-hungry and not up to the mark
It is to him who masters our minds by the force of truth, and not to those who enslave them by violence, that we owe our reverence" - Voltaire Hazrat Khalid Bin Walid's Status: "When God decided to have mercy on me, He softened my heart towards Islam," Hazrat Khalid bin Walid once admitted. There was hardly a battle that Khalid bin Walid had not fought to harm Islam and Prophet Muhammad.
In 625 he solely had been responsible for inflicting a severe defeat on Muslims in the Battle of Uhud, causing an injury to the Prophet even. During the Prophet's stay near Makkah at Hudaybiyyah in 628, Hazrat Khalid in particular had hovered around him and his followers to do them maximum harm.
`We had decided to make the attack on the Prophet as he would lead the Zuhr prayers, but we could not, " he admitted. The Prophet sensed the danger and offered the Isr prayers as `Khuf/Fear prayers'. When the Prophet left for Medina after the Hudaybiyyah Peace Pact, Khalid's brother, Walid bin Walid, already a Muslim, left for him a letter. In this letter he wrote: "The Prophet particularly enquired about you and asked, `Where is Khalid?' and then the Prophet said, `Khalid! and staying ignorant about Islam!... we would prefer Khalid over others. It would be good for him too, if he spends his efforts and energies for Islam.' " And finally when the moment for the change of heart came, Hazrat Khalid reached Medina. The news of his arrival had already reached the Prophet and he felt very happy.
On meeting Khalid, the Prophet said, "Keeping in view your intellect and foresight, I always hoped that one day God would bless you to do what is good". Hazrat Khalid then said, "And how about my opposition to you and all my hostilities of the past?". The Prophet cheered him up by saying, "Islam cuts/wipes out all the sins committed prior to embracing Islam", narrates Allama Shibli in his book, "Al-Farooq".
In the Battle of Muta in the 8th Hijra, in 630, when about 3,000 Muslims confronted 100,000 Romans, and initially suffered some major losses in the death of their great commanders, it was this newly converted Muslim, Hazrat Khalid who picked up the banner and saved the day for them. Back in Medina, the Prophet who was seeing the developments of the battle with his Prophetic eyes, narrated the scene to the Ansaars in these words, "One of the Swords of Allah took it (the banner) until Allah gave them victory".
The Prophet clearly was referring to Hazrat Khalid who earned this most prestigious and rare title, `Saifullah", in this battle.
Hazrat Khalid also killed the strongest man, Hurmuz, in the entire Arab single-handedly. Words fail to encompass his true courage and chivalry.
In the year 635, in one of the adventures in Syria, Hazrat Khalid alone through his militaristic ingenuity, and in a daring manner, crossed the moat on a sheep skin, climbed the fence with the help of his spear, and jumping on the other side, opened the main gates, resulting in the total defeat of the enemy.
He, as a commander, won for the Muslims during the period of Hazrat Omer, not cities or towns, but countries like Syria and Iraq. Why would Hazrat Omer then decide to remove such a great warrior, general and militaristic genius just three year later in 638 AD?
The Suspension Ibn-ul Asir contends that Hazrat Khalid's suspension was based on Hazrat Omer's personal dislike/displeasure for him. And this is a gross distortion of the historical facts. Maulana Shibli in his famous book, Al-Farooq, and from which most of the material for this article has been taken, describes the incident differently.
According to Maulana Shibli Nomani, the historical facts present a different explanation. Hazrat Omer had received reports about some financial extravagancies committed in Syria under Hazrat Khalid's commandership. In one case, Hazrat Khalid was particularly asked to submit a detailed report of the revenue collection and dispensation, which he refused to do, contending, "I have been following the practice of not sending any financial details in the past to your predecessor, Amir-ul-Momineen, Abu Bakr, and I will not do so now."
Hazrat Omer did not like his tone; nor did he hold anybody above accountability. He wrote back to Hazrat Khalid, "You can stay as Commander of the army only if you condescend to regularly submit the report of all the spending." Hazrat Khalid refused to do so and was thus removed as commander.
Hafiz ibn Hajr in his book, `Kitab Al-Asahaba", writes that Hazrat Khalid bin Walid was not totally removed from his post; he was only placed under Hazrat Abu Ubaida.
What was the main incident that actually caught Hazrat Omer's attention leading to Hazrat Khalid's suspension?
Hazrat Khalid bin Walid had awarded a big amount of 10 thousand in the currency of the time to a certain poet. On hearing of this Hazrat Omer wrote to Hazrat Abu Obaida, "If Khalid has donated this money out of his own pocket, then it is an instance of sheer extravagance.
And if he has given it out of the Treasury, then it is a starch breach of the public trust. In either case he (Khalid) should stand suspended".
The matter became worse as the messenger assigned to deliver the letter of suspension began reading the Furman/Order in the public.
"Explain from where you got this money," he read. Hazrat Omer had instructed that if Hazrat Khalid bin Walid confessed his mistake, then he be forgiven. But Hazrat Khalid remained adamant. As a consequence, the government official designated for the task, as per the custom publicly, removed Hazrat Khalid's "Kulla", or cap. The matter did not end there. For further punishment, he removed the cloth/turban wrapped around Hazrat Khalid's Kulla/Cap, and tied Hazrat Khalid's neck.
Where would the present-day Zardaris/Sharifs/Altafs/Sardars/Vaderas/Maliks/Chaudhrys/Generals/ Parliamentarians/Judges stand when judged with Hazrat Omar's yardstick? Certainly, in the prison attired only in their shorts and vests.
It was a strange and sad sight.
There stood in utter humiliation and helplessness, the Commander of the Commanders, the bravest and the brightest general of Islamic history, the one who had won Iraq and Syria for Islam - just for donating 10K and for failing to supply a befitting justification of its source.
This incident on the one hand establishes Hazrat Khalid's loyalty to Islam, to the Caliphate, and to the course of accountability; and on the other hand it points out the un-compromising stance of Hazrat Omer in matters of accountability and justice and Tawhid.
Hazrat Khalid on reaching Humus, made one speech in which he said, "Amir ul Momineen, Omer once appointed me a commander of Syria, and I won him the entire Syria. And now he suspends me". One soldier stood up there and then, and said, "O, Commander. Keep quiet.
Such talks breed disunity." "Yes, you are right. But who can dare revolting when Omer is the Caliph?" Hazrat Khalid on reaching Medina, went to see the Caliph. There he said, "Omer, by God, in my case you have not been fair". Hazrat Omer said, "Why don't you explain from where you got that amount...
from war booty or from where?" Hazrat Khalid then replied, "My entire assets do not exceed 60 thousand. Any amount that exceeds this figure is yours". Physical counting of Hazrat Khalid's assets was ordered, and about 20 thousand were found in excess, and were duly confiscated.
It was on this occasion that Hazrat Omer then addressed Hazrat Khalid, "Khalid, God knows, I love you dearly, and I greatly respect you". He then issued one order for circulation in the entire Caliphate.
"I didn't suspend Khalid for any personal differences or for his dishonesty. I did so because I felt that people under him had begun feeling personally indebted to him (Khalid) for what he had accomplished for Islam, and not to God. I did what I did so that people may understand that all our achievements are only and only due to God". That is what they understood by the concept of Tawhid. The present-day leadership is simply `Heedless. Forgetting God is forgetting Tawhid. They indulged in corruption and in the abuse of public trust because they have become heedless. God identifies such people in the Qur'an: "We have created for Gehenna many jinn and men. They have hearts, but understand not with them. They have eyes, but see not with them. They have ears, but hear not with them. They are like cattl eno, they are further astray. Those they are the heedless" 7:179 Hazrat Omer or Hazrat
Khalid did not think of any NRO's. In fact, Hazrat Omer prescribed two basic qualities of a Qazi/ Judge: one, he should be rich so that no amount of wealth is able to influence him or purchase him; and second, he should be a man of sterling reputation and character. What Hazrat Omer perhaps missed was that there would emerge in Muslim countries in the distant future a brand of leadership that would be exceedingly rich, but that would also be most power-hungry and most corrupt.
Material for this article has mostly been sifted from Maulana Shibli's famous book, "Al-Farooq".
In part II of this article an attempt will be made to highlight the far-reaching reforms that were introduced so ahead of time in the 7th century by Hazrat Omer in the public sector.
