In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Mawaddah Association is pleased
to present to you glimpses from the lives of the Companions,
by Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
may Allah have mercy upon him.
Khalid Ibn Sa'id Ibn al-As, may Allah be pleased with him.
On a quiet, pleasant, and tranquil evening in Makkah,
Sa'id Ibn al-As Ibn Umayyah,
known by the kunya Abu Uhayhah,
set out from his residence in the upper part of al-Hajun, heading toward the Sacred Mosque.
He was adorned with his precious, vibrant red turban,
and draped over his shoulders was a cloak from the garments of the kings of Yemen,
embroidered with threads of gold.
A group of his servants, wearing swords, walked before him,
and to his right were some of his children,
led by his son, Khalid.
To his left was a group of the men of his tribe, the Banu Abd Shams,
strutting in their garments of silk and brocade.
When Abu Uhayhah appeared at the Sacred Mosque, the people said,
"The Crowned One has arrived,"
for that was the title they gave him,
because whenever he crowned his head with a turban,
no one from the Quraysh would wear a turban of that same color until he removed his.
The people cleared the path for him and those with him,
until he took his seat beneath the Ka'bah.
There, Abu Sufyan Ibn Harb approached him,
along with Utbah Ibn Rabi'ah,
Abu Jahl Ibn Hisham,
and other leaders of the Quraysh to greet him.
He said to them,
"What is this news I have heard,
that Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas has followed Muhammad,
and that he dared to confront a man of the Quraysh,
splitting his head and shedding his blood,
because he forbade him from praying to any but our gods?"
Then he said,
"By al-Lat and al-Uzza,
if you continue in this leniency toward Muhammad Ibn Abdullah,
out of consideration for the Banu Hashim,
I shall deal with him alone,
and I will ensure that the God of the son of Abi Kabshah is not worshipped in Makkah."
Then he returned in the same procession in which he had come,
and no one remained behind except his son, Khalid.
Khalid Ibn Sa'id Ibn al-As had remained in the Sacred Mosque,
moving between the gatherings of the people,
to catch news of Muhammad,
and to listen to what was being said about his call.
He did not find, in all that he heard about the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
anything to justify the hatred he saw in his father toward Muhammad and his Companions,
or anything to warrant the malice that surged within his soul and the souls of the leaders of the Quraysh.
When night fell, Khalid Ibn Sa'id returned to their residence,
and went to his quarters without passing by his father's room
to bid him good evening,
as he used to do every day.
Then he lay down on his soft bed, intending to sleep,
but sleep did not come to Khalid,
nor did his eyes find rest in it.
He was overcome by an insomnia that chased slumber from his eyes,
for his mind was occupied by the affair of Muhammad and what he called to,
and by his fear that his father might strike him with the violence of a tyrant.
In the last third of the night,
exhaustion overcame him,
and he surrendered his eyelids to sleep.
It was only a short while
before he awoke, terrified and pale,
trembling from the horror of what he had seen,
and shaking from the intensity of what he had endured,
saying,
"I swear by Allah, this vision is a true vision,
and I have not seen a falsehood."
Khalid had seen himself
standing on the edge of a deep chasm of the valleys of Hell,
the extent of which the eye could not perceive,
and the bottom of which no one could know.
In this valley, a fire was blazing, having a sighing and a roaring
that would tear hearts from their places,
and crush souls with immense force.
When he intended to move away from the edge of the valley,
his father appeared before him,
and began pulling him toward the fire with violence.
He began to resist his father with the utmost resistance,
and wrestled with him with the fiercest struggle,
until his resolve began to fail,
and he was on the verge of falling into the edge of Hell.
Suddenly, Muhammad Ibn Abdullah approached him,
took hold of his belt with both hands,
and pulled him toward himself,
saving him from falling into the edge of the valley of Hell.
No sooner had the morning dawned
than Khalid Ibn Sa'id went to the house of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him,
because he found comfort and reassurance in him.
He told him of his vision,
and Abu Bakr said to him,
"Allah has intended good for you, O Khalid.
Allah, the Exalted, has sent Muhammad Ibn Abdullah with the religion of guidance and truth,
and this religion will prevail over all religions,
even if the polytheists dislike it.
So follow him, O Khalid,
for if you follow him, the gates of Paradise will be opened for you,
and you will be shielded from the Fire.
As for your father, he is falling into the Hell into which he wanted to cast you."
Khalid Ibn Sa'id set out to the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was at that time
worshipping Allah in secret in Ajyad.
He greeted him and said,
"To what do you call us, O Muhammad?"
He replied,
"I call you to believe in Allah alone, with no partner,
and that I am His servant and His Messenger,
and to cast off what you are upon of worshipping a stone that neither sees nor hears,
nor harms nor benefits,
and does not distinguish between those who worship it and those who turn away from it."
Khalid’s face brightened, and he said,
"I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,
and that you are the servant of Allah and His Messenger."
Thus, Khalid Ibn Sa'id Ibn al-As was
the fifth of five or the sixth of six who embraced Islam on the face of the earth,
for no one preceded him in this great virtue
except Khadijah Bint Khuwaylid,
Zayd Ibn Harithah,
Ali Ibn Abi Talib,
Abu Bakr al-Siddiq,
and Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas,
may Allah be pleased with them all.
Khalid Ibn Sa'id left his father's lofty palace in the upper part of al-Hajun,
turned away from his soft, luxurious life,
and his comfortable, pleasant existence,
and joined the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
He began to move with him and his Companions through the mountain passes of Makkah,
filling himself with the sentiments of faith,
memorizing what was revealed to the noble Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
of the verses of the Qur'an,
and worshipping Allah in secret for fear of the harm of the Quraysh.
When Khalid's absence from the house became prolonged,
his father missed him and could not find him,
so he sent spies after him.
The news came to him saying,
"He has embraced Islam and followed Muhammad."
The master of Makkah went mad with rage,
for he had never imagined
that any of his children would dare
to rebel against his authority,
disbelieve in Allah and al-Uzza,
and join Muhammad.
He sent his servant Rafi' to him,
along with his brothers Aban and Amr.
They found him praying in one of the mountain passes, a prayer
that shook their hearts,
filled their souls with comfort and tranquility,
and flooded their spirits with peace and security.
They said to him,
"Your father calls you to meet him,
and he is furious because you left the house
without his permission."
Khalid went with them,
and when he stood before his father,
he greeted him with the greeting of Islam.
His father said to him,
"Woe to you!
Have you apostatized from your religion and the religion of your fathers and grandfathers,
and followed Muhammad?"
Khalid replied,
"I have not apostatized,
rather, I have believed in Allah alone, with no partner,
and I have testified to the prophethood of His Messenger, Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and I have rejected these idols that you worship besides Allah."
His father said,
"Woe to you!
Do you say that you have believed this claimant?"
Khalid said,
"He is not a claimant,
rather, he is truthful, delivering the messages of his Lord,
and offering sincere advice to me, to you, and to all people."
His father said,
"You must turn away from him and call him a liar."
Khalid said,
"I will not do so as long as I have a pulse."
His father said,
"Then I shall cut you off from my provision."
Khalid said,
"That is the easiest of what I expected from you,
and the least of what I anticipated.
For the Allah who provided for you will provide for me."
The master of the Banu Abd Shams was filled with rage against him,
and he fell upon him with a heavy stick he had prepared for him,
splitting his head and shedding his blood.
He continued to strike him until blood began to gush from his head and body.
Then he ordered him to be seized,
his bonds were tightened,
and he was imprisoned in a dark room,
and denied food and drink for three days.
Then, on the fourth day, a group of his family came to him and said,
"How are you, O Khalid?"
He replied,
"I am basking in the blessings of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic."
He said,
"Is it not time for you to return to your senses and obey your father?"
He replied,
As for Rushdi, he never parted from me, nor did I part from him.
As for my father, I will not obey him in anything that involves disobedience to Allah, the Almighty and Majestic.
He said:
"Say a word to your father that will please him regarding Al-Lat and Al-'Uzza, and he will relieve you."
He replied:
"Al-Lat and Al-'Uzza are but two deaf and dumb stones.
I will say nothing about them except what pleases Allah and His Messenger.
Let him do with me what he wills."
Abu Uhayha tightened the bonds of Khalid.
He ordered his followers to take him out every day during the midday heat to the open valley of Makkah.
They were to cast him among the stones until the sun scorched him.
Whenever they took him out and cast him into the midday heat, he would say:
"Praise be to Allah, who has honored me with faith and strengthened me with Islam.
All of this is easier for me than a single moment of torment in Hell,
which Abu Uhayha intends to cast me into."
May Allah reward His Prophet and His chosen one with the best of rewards on my behalf and on behalf of the Muslims.
Then, an opportunity arose for Khalid.
He escaped from his father's prison and went to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
It was not long before his brothers, 'Umar and Aban, joined him.
They joined him in the procession of goodness and light.
At that, Abu Uhayha was confounded and said:
"By Al-Lat and Al-'Uzza, I shall isolate myself with my wealth far from Makkah.
That is better for me.
I shall abandon those renegades who insult my gods and my lords."
He then moved to a village near Ta'if.
He remained there until he died of grief, while still in a state of polytheism.
When the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, permitted his Companions to migrate to Abyssinia,
Khalid ibn Sa'id ibn al-'As migrated there.
With him was his wife, Amina bint Khalaf al-Khuza'iyya.
He stayed there for over a decade, calling people to Allah.
He did not leave for Madinah until after Allah granted the Muslims victory at Khaybar.
The Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was overjoyed at his arrival.
He gave him a share of the spoils of Khaybar just as he did for the combatants.
Then, he appointed him governor of Yemen.
He remained governor there until the noble Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, passed away to the proximity of his Lord.
During the era of the Truthful One (Abu Bakr), may Allah be pleased with him,
Khalid ibn Sa'id ibn al-'As joined the ranks of the army heading to the Levant to fight the Romans.
He fought on the battlefields with a valor befitting a brave knight like him.
Shortly before the Battle of Marj al-Suffar, which took place near Damascus,
Khalid proposed to Umm Hakim bint al-Harith and married her.
When he wished to consummate the marriage, she said:
"O Khalid, it would be better if you delayed this until the people are finished with this battle we are about to face."
He said to her:
"My soul tells me that I will be struck down in it, so let me consummate the marriage with you."
On the morning following his wedding, he held a feast for his companions.
No sooner had they finished their meal than the Romans lined up their soldiers, row after row.
One of their knights came out, challenging for a duel.
Habib ibn Salama stepped forward to face him and killed him.
Another knight came out and challenged for a duel.
Khalid ibn Sa'id stepped forward, and the two knights clashed and circled each other.
Then, each of them dealt the other a fatal blow.
The Roman's sword struck, while Khalid's sword missed.
He fell, a fallen martyr.
Then the two armies clashed, and a fierce, grinding battle ensued.
Nothing could be heard in it but the sound of swords striking the men.
At that moment, Umm Hakim rose like a lioness whose cubs had been taken from her.
She tightened her wedding garments.
She uprooted the tent pole that had witnessed her wedding night.
She plunged into the battle with the combatants.
She struck down seven Roman knights.
She continued to fight until the battle ended in a resounding victory for Islam and the Muslims.
The price of this victory was pure, sanctified souls.
They departed to their Lord, well-pleased and pleasing.
The soul of Khalid ibn Sa'id ibn al-'As was fluttering among them in joy.
His killer saw with his own eyes a light shining in the center of the sky.
Then it glittered above Khalid and before him.
He regretted killing him with the deepest regret.
That was the reason for his entry into the religion of Allah along with those who entered.
He was the fifth to embrace Islam.
He was the first to write "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful."
You are Khalid.
And they, are they the ones who are defeated?