From the Enemy’s Sword to the Sword of Allah

Before he was known as Sayf Allah al-Maslūl — The Drawn Sword of Allah — Khalid bin Waleed was the sword raised against Islam.

He was born into the noble Quraysh family of Makkah, proud and powerful. Even as a youth, he was skilled with weapons, his mind quick in strategy. He was the kind of man others followed without question. When Islam began to spread, Khalid saw it not as light, but as a challenge to his people’s pride.

At the Battle of Uhud, Khalid led the Quraysh cavalry with unmatched brilliance. When the Muslim archers left their post, he seized the moment, circling behind them and striking from the rear. The battlefield turned red with defeat. The Muslims suffered heavy losses that day, and Khalid’s tactics were celebrated throughout Arabia. Yet, even in victory, something inside him felt hollow — an emptiness he could not name.

Years passed, and the light of Islam continued to spread. Khalid watched as the hearts of even his old friends turned toward the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The idols of Quraysh began to lose their hold. Still, pride kept him distant — until the day everything changed.

It was after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, when news came that Khalid’s own brother, Walid bin Waleed, had embraced Islam**.** Walid wrote him a letter saying:

> “Brother, I see that the truth has come clear. Do not let your pride blind you, for the one who seeks truth finds peace. The Messenger of Allah asked about you — he said, ‘A man like Khalid cannot remain ignorant of the truth for long.’”

Those words struck deeper than any sword. The Prophet remembered him? The man he had fought against? Khalid felt something stir within him — not shame, but longing.

That night, he rode alone beyond the borders of Makkah. The desert was quiet, the stars spread like lanterns across the sky. He dismounted, looked toward Madinah, and whispered:

> “O Allah, if this is truly Your path, guide me to it.”

Days later, he set out for Madinah with two other Quraysh leaders — ‘Amr ibn al-‘As and ‘Uthman ibn Talhah. As they approached the city, Khalid’s heart pounded harder than it ever had in battle. The man he once fought against was now the man he would face in repentance.

When he entered the Prophet’s mosque, the Messenger ﷺ stood and smiled — a smile that melted years of hostility in an instant. Khalid bowed his head and said:

> “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and that you are His Messenger.”

The Prophet ﷺ stepped forward and placed his blessed hand on Khalid’s chest.

> “Praise be to Allah who has guided you, O Khalid,” he said. “I knew that your heart was too noble to remain away from truth.”

Tears filled Khalid’s eyes — the warrior who had never known fear now trembled with faith. “O Messenger of Allah,” he said, “I have done much harm to the believers. Pray that Allah forgives me.”

The Prophet ﷺ replied gently,

> “Islam erases what came before it.”

From that day on, the same hands that once drew swords against Islam now raised them in its defense. Khalid fought not for conquest, not for revenge, but for the truth he had found. His strategies became the stuff of legend — from Muta to Yarmouk, his name became a symbol of courage and faith.

And yet, Khalid never forgot the mercy that welcomed him. Whenever he stood before battle, he remembered that smile — the one that forgave what no man could. He said once:

> “Before Islam, I fought for pride. After Islam, I fought for Allah — and that made all the difference.”

Years later, when people praised him as the greatest general in Islamic history, Khalid would simply reply:

> “It was not my sword that brought victory, but the hand that guided it.”