Why did Khalid Bin Waleed eat poison?

  Why did Khalid Bin Waleed eat poison?

Khalid ibn al-Walid was one of the undefeated military commanders in Islamic history. He defeated armies many times larger and stronger than his own in battle.

A 12th-century historian, Ibn Asakir, wrote that on one occasion during a battle, to subdue the enemy, Hazrat Khalid ibn al-Walid (RA) drank poison. By the command of Allah, the poison did not affect him.

According to traditional narrations, the incident occurred as follows:

The Muslim army, under the leadership of Hazrat Khalid ibn al-Walid (RA), had laid siege for several days and nights to a Christian fortress. They had not immediately launched a full assault because there was still hope that the people inside might come to the right path.

Meanwhile, the Christians devised a plan to preserve their hold over the fortress. They sent a clever and elderly priest named Amr ibn Abd al-Masih to negotiate with Hazrat Khalid ibn al-Walid (RA).

The priest cleverly proposed:

“At present, lift the siege of our fortress. If you conquer the other forts, then we will hand over our fortress to you without any battle or resistance.”

Hazrat Khalid ibn al-Walid (RA) replied:

“No, we shall first conquer this fortress, and only then will we turn to another.”

Hearing this, the old priest took out a packet of poison and said:

“If you do not end the siege now, I will consume this poison and commit suicide, and then my blood will be upon your neck.”

Hazrat Khalid ibn al-Walid (RA) replied:

“It is impossible that your appointed death has not yet come, and yet you die.”

The old priest then said:

“If you truly believe that, then take this poison yourself and show me.”

Upon hearing this, Hazrat Khalid ibn al-Walid (RA) took the packet of poison from the priest and recited this supplication:

“Bismillāh alladhī lā yaḍurru ma‘a ismihi shay’un fil-arḍi wa lā fis-samā’, wa huwa as-Samī‘ul-‘Alīm.”

(“In the name of Allah, with whose name nothing on earth or in the heavens can cause harm, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.”)

After reciting this, he swallowed the poison and drank water over it.

The old priest was now completely certain that Hazrat Khalid (RA) would soon die from the deadly poison, and thus the siege would be lifted.

He fixed his gaze upon him, waiting for the poison to take effect.

Sweat began to appear on Hazrat Khalid’s body. The priest rejoiced inwardly, thinking the poison was beginning to work.

However, Allah protected Hazrat Khalid (RA) from harm. After a few minutes of sweating, his condition returned completely to normal.

The priest, witnessing this extraordinary strength of faith with his own eyes, was left astonished and bewildered.

Hazrat Khalid ibn al-Walid (RA) then said to him:

“Look! If one’s appointed death has not come, then even poison can do no harm.”

The priest, unable to respond, ran back to the fortress. (Some narrations mention that he immediately accepted Islam.)

He told his people:

“O, people! I have come from a people who, by Allah, do not know how to die—they only know how to kill. The amount of poison one of their men consumed—if all the people of this fortress had mixed it in water and drunk it, we would all surely have died. Yet this man did not even faint, let alone die. Listen to me—hand over the fortress to him and do not fight them.”

Hearing the words of the elderly priest, the Christians surrendered the fortress to Hazrat Khalid ibn al-Walid (RA) without battle.

Thus, the Muslims achieved victory without warfare, purely through the strength of Hazrat Khalid’s faith.

Because of his unmatched military successes, Prophet Muhammad gave him the title Saifullah (The Sword of Allah).

Throughout his life, Hazrat Khalid ibn al-Walid (RA) longed for martyrdom and fought in many battles. There was hardly any part of his body that was not marked by wounds from arrows, swords, spears, or other weapons—yet he was never granted martyrdom.

Scholars explain that because he had been given the title “The Sword of Allah,” he could not be defeated in battle, for no one could overcome the Sword of Allah.

Throughout his life, the handle of the sword remained in his hand, and he continued striving in the path of Allah, achieving victory after victory.

SubhanAllah.

Who could defeat the one who was called the Sword of Allah?

Would that our country, too, had such a man—someone who could rescue the poor from hardship.

This incident has been mentioned by:

·       Ibn Abi Shaybah in Al-Musannaf

·       Ahmad ibn Hanbal in Fada’il al-Sahabah

·       Abu Ya’la al-Mawsili in his Musnad

·       Al-Bayhaqi in Dala’il al-Nubuwwah

·       Ibn Asakir in Tarikh Dimashq

·       Al-Dhahabi in Tarikh al-Islam and Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala’

·       Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani in Al-Isabah fi Tamyiz al-Sahabah