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Khalid came out of the
house of the Caliph. His step was light and his manner carefree
as he walked to the mosque where Umar sat conversing with some friends.
This time Khalid was surer of his position and could afford to repay
the compliment. He called to Umar, "Come to me, O left-handed
one!" 1 Umar guessed that the Caliph
had acquitted Khalid. He stood up and without a word marched off
to his house.
This matter of Malik and Laila has been
the subject of much dispute in Muslim history. Some, quoting sources
like Abu Qatadah, have said that the household of Malik had called
the Adhan and that Malik had returned to the faith before
he was taken captive. Others have said that Khalid never ordered
the killing of Malik, that the weather was chilly and Khalid had
said, "Warm your prisoners", that in certain dialects
the same word is used to denote 'warming', and 'killing', thus Dhiraar
misunderstood Khalid's order and went and killed Malik.
These versions of the story are, in all
probability, not true. They have been offered by factions-one to
explain away Umar's hostility towards Khalid and the other to clear
Khalid of the possible guilt of murdering a Muslim.
There is no doubt about the apostasy and
sedition of Malik bin Nuwaira, his distribution of the tax money,
his pact with Sajjah, and the participation of his warriors, on
his orders, in the depredations of Sajjah. All historians have,
without exception, reported these incidents as facts. There is also
no doubt, in the mind of this writer that Khalid ordered the killing
of Malik and did so with the honest and sincere conviction that
Malik was an apostate and a traitor. But suspicion continued to
lurk in the minds of some Arabs, certainly in the mind of Umar,
that this was a crime de passion. Umar was further encouraged in
this belief by the brother of Malik, who came to see him and told
him what a wonderful man Malik was and how tragic it was that he
had fallen a victim to Khalid's lust!
The long and short of the whole affair was
that Malik was killed and the beautiful Laila with the gorgeous
eyes and the lovely legs became the wife of Khalid bin Al Waleed.
He would one day pay a very high price for the pleasure!
1. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 504.
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