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"What an excellent slave
of Allah: Khalid ibn al-Walid, one of the swords of Allah, unleashed
against the unbelievers!"
[Prophet Muhammad (SAWS)]1
Three months
after his arrival at Madinah, Khalid got his chance to show what
he could do as a soldier and a commander for the faith which he
had just embraced. The Prophet had sent an envoy to the Ghassan
2 Chieftain of Busra, with a letter inviting
him to join Islam. While passing through Mutah this envoy was intercepted
and killed by a local Ghassan chieftain by the name of Shurahbil
bin Amr. This was a heinous crime among the Arabs, for diplomatic
envoys held traditional immunity from attack no matter how hostile
a power they represented. The news of this outrage inflamed Madinah.
An expedition was immediately prepared to
take punitive action against the Ghassan, and the Prophet appointed
Zaid bin Harithah as the commander of the force. If he were killed,
the command was to be taken over by Jafar bin Abi Talib. If he were
killed, the command would devolve upon Abdullah bin Rawahah. Having
appointed these officers in the chain of command, the Prophet said,
"If all three of these are killed, let the men select
a commander from among themselves." 3
The expeditionary force consisted of 3,000
men, one of whom was Khalid, serving as a soldier in the ranks.
The mission the Prophet gave to Zaid was to seek out and kill the
person responsible for the murder of the Muslim envoy, and to offer
Islam to the people of Mutah. If they accepted Islam, they were
not to be harmed. At the time this force was sent out the Muslims
had no knowledge of the enemy strength that they would have to deal
with.
Spirits were high as the expeditionary force
began its march from Madinah. When the force arrived at Ma'an, reports
were received for the first time that Heraclius, the Eastern Roman
Emperor, was in Jordan with "100,000 Romans" and had been
joined by "100,000 Christian Arabs"-mainly from the Ghassan.
The Muslims remained in Ma'an for two days debating their next move.
There was a certain amount of hesitation and nervousness. Some suggested
that the Prophet be informed of the large strength of the enemy
so that he could give them fresh orders on what course of action
they should adopt; but Abdullah bin Rawahah (the third?in?command)
did not agree with this suggestion, as it would entail unnecessary
delay and would give the impression that the Muslims were afraid.
He recited a few verses and made a stirring speech to raise the
spirits of the men. He concluded by saying, "Men fight not
with numbers or weapons but with faith. By going into battle we
have a choice of two glorious alternatives: victory and martyrdom."
4 This speech dispelled all doubt from the
minds of the Muslims, and they promptly resumed their march towards
Syria.
The Muslims reached a place near the frontier
of Balqa-a district in the east of what is now Jordan-where they
made contact with a large force of Christian Arabs. Not finding
this place suitable for battle, the Muslim commander withdrew his
force to Mutah. The Christian Arabs followed the Muslims, and the
two forces again met at Mutah. Both sides now decided to fight.
It was the second week of September 29 (the third week of Jamadi-ul-Awwal,
8 Hijri).
Zaid deployed his force in the normal pattern
of a centre and two wings. The right wing was commanded by Qutba
bin Qatadah and the left wing by Ubaya bin Malik. Zaid himself commanded
the centre, and in the centre, too, was Khalid. The battlefield
lay to the east of, and stretched up to about a mile from, the present
village of Mutah. The ground here was even, but had a slight undulation,
and the gentle slope of a low ridge rose behind the Muslims as they
faced the Christian Arabs to the north. 5
1. Tirmidhi and Ahmad from Abu Hurayrah,
Sahih Al-Jami’ Al-Saghir No. 6776.
2. A large and powerful tribe inhabiting
Syria and Jordan.
3. Ibn Sad: p. 636.
4. Ibn Hisham: Vol. 2, p. 375.
5. A new mosque is being built by the Jordanian
Government to mark the site of this battle.
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