"He was traveling alone in the Arabian desert during the 8th century Hijri, in that region of Arabia where Mecca and Medina are situated, a vast and fearsome desert stretched out. The burning sands, which scorched and challenged humans, were one aspect of the desert's difficulty; the other threat was the raiders.
Travelers usually journeyed in caravans, but this traveler was venturing alone. He rode on a high-bred warhorse, its reins adorned with precious jewels. A sword hung from his waist, and a spear was held in his hand. In those times, men were tall, broad-chested, and muscular, and this lone traveler was among them. But the way he sat astride his horse indicated that he was a warrior, not an ordinary man. There was not even a hint of fear on his face that robbers might loot him, that they might steal such a fine horse from him, or that he might have to travel on foot. But the impression on his face was not natural. He was thinking, his heart swaying with memories, perhaps trying to bury some memories in his mind.
Suddenly, a voice called out to him. "Abu Suleiman!" It sounded as if someone had spoken to him. "Don't look back now, remove Mecca from your mind. You are a man of the battlefield, don't divide yourself into two parts, stick to your decision, your destination is Medina." He turned his gaze away from Mecca. The horse turned its direction towards Medina and gave a slight jerk to its reins. The horse understood its rider's signal. It started moving forward. The rider was 43 years old, but he looked younger than his age. His son's name was Suleiman. His father's name was Walid, but instead of being called "Khalid bin Walid," the rider preferred to be called "Abu Suleiman." He didn't know that history would remember him by the name "Khalid bin Walid" and this name would become synonymous with the military exploits and fervor of Islam. But at the age of 43, when Khalid was heading towards Medina, he was not a Muslim. Apart from small skirmishes, he had fought two major battles against the Muslims, the Battle of Uhud and the Battle of the Trench. When the Messenger of Allah received his mission, on Monday, the 3rd of Rabi' al-Awwal, 610 AD, Khalid was 24 years old."
"By that time, he had become the leader of the military forces of his tribe, the Banu Makhzum. The Banu Makhzum were counted among the esteemed clans of the Quraysh. Military matters of the Quraysh were entrusted to this clan. The Quraysh obeyed the commands and decisions of Khalid's father, Walid. At the age of 24, Khalid had also attained this position, but disregarding this status, Khalid, now known as Abu Suleiman, was heading towards Medina. Sometimes he felt as if some force from his own being was pushing him back. When he felt the influence of that force, his neck would turn backward, but a voice from within him would rise. Look ahead, Khalid!"
"Walid was his father, but he is no more, now Suleiman is his father. He is alive. Two names were fixed in his mind: Muhammad (the Messenger of Allah) who brought a new religion, and Walid, who was Khalid's father and Muhammad's opponent. We and you, in the earth, were the new religion's biggest enemies. By passing this enmity onto Khalid as an inheritance, Walid had departed from this world. Khalid's horse had turned its direction on its own towards a water source. Khalid looked there; he saw date palm trees and shrub-like trees in the oasis. The horse was heading towards there. Entering the orchard, Khalid dismounted from his horse and knelt down by the water's edge. He scooped up water with his hands and splashed it on his head, then threw a few handfuls onto his face. His horse was drinking water. Khalid drank from this spring, which was only meant for human use. It was a small forest. Khalid removed the horse's bridle and tied it to a small stream attached to the spring, beneath the banner of shrub-like trees, and lay down. He was tired. He wanted to sleep for a while, but the caravan of memories that had set off in his mind was not letting him sleep. He remembered a day seven years ago when his dear ones had planned to assassinate Muhammad (peace be upon him). In that plan, Khalid's father, Walid, had taken the lead. It was a night in September 622 AD. The Quraysh had chosen men who appeared human but were savage beasts in reality, to assassinate the Messenger of Allah while he slept. Khalid, a youth from the influential Quraysh family, was twenty-seven years old at the time. He was involved in the conspiracy against the Prophet's life but was not part of the group that went for the assassination. That night seven years ago haunted him like yesterday's memory."
He was both happy and unhappy about the murder. Happy because a man from his own tribe had declared his religion, which was idol worship, to be false and claimed himself to be a prophet of God. Being happy about the killing of such an enemy was natural. And he was unhappy because he believed in challenging his enemy and fighting face to face. He had never thought of killing a sleeping enemy. However, he did not oppose the conspiracy. But on the night of the murder, when the assassins went to kill the Messenger of God at the appointed time, his house was empty. There was no household furniture, no horse, and no camel. The Quraysh went to sleep hoping that in the morning they would receive the good news that the one who denied their religion and invited them to a new faith had been killed. But in the morning, they looked at each other in disappointment. Then they began whispering to one another, "Where did Muhammad go?" The Messenger of God had become aware of the conspiracy to kill him long before and had migrated to Yathrib (Medina). By morning, he had gone very far. Memories kept flooding Khalid's mind. His thoughts kept going back, sixteen years earlier, to an evening in 613 CE. The Messenger of Allah had invited a few leading figures of the Quraysh to dinner at his place. After the meal, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said to his guests, "O Bani Abdul Muttalib! What I am about to present to you, no other person in this Arab land can present. For Allah has chosen me. Allah has commanded me to invite you to a religion that will make both your worldly life and your hereafter prosperous and happy." In this way, the Messenger of God invited his close relatives to embrace Islam three years after the first revelation. Khalid was not present at the gathering. His father had been invited. He mockingly told Khalid that Abdul Muttalib's grandson, Muhammad (peace be upon him), claimed to be a prophet sent by Allah. "We know that Abdul Muttalib was a leader of the Quraysh," he said. Al-Walid told his son Khalid, "Indeed, Muhammad's family holds high status, but why would anyone from this family claim prophethood? By Allah and the idols of the Arabs, our family is no less in rank. Can anyone become higher than us by claiming prophethood?"
"What did you say to him?" Khalid asked. "At first, we were silent. Then we all burst into laughter," al-Walid replied. "But Muhammad's cousin, Ali, has accepted his prophethood."
Khalid could never forget his father's mocking laughter. He remembered a day in 629 CE, while in an oasis on the road between Mecca and Medina. The prophethood of the Messenger of Allah, which the Quraysh leaders were not accepting, was being embraced by many people. The majority of them were young. Some impoverished people had also accepted Islam. This gave the Prophet renewed courage, and he intensified his efforts to propagate Islam. He was strongly against idolatry. Muslims mocked the 360 idols placed inside and outside the Kaaba. Before the advent of Islam, Arabs believed in one God but worshipped these idols, considering them goddesses and gods, and regarded them as sons and daughters of Allah. They would swear by Allah in everything. When the Quraysh saw that the religion they had ridiculed was gaining popularity, they launched a campaign against the Prophet's activities and made life difficult for the Muslims. Khalid recalled seeing the Messenger of Allah gathering people in the streets and markets, inviting them to embrace Islam, and explaining that the idols could neither benefit nor harm them. Only the one true God was worthy of worship.
The leaders of the Quraysh who opposed the Prophet's mission of justice and opposed persecution were four chiefs. One was Khalid's father, al-Walid. The second was the Prophet's own uncle, Abu Lahab. The third was Abu Sufyan, and the fourth was Abu al-Hakam, who was Khalid's cousin. This person inflicted the most cruelty and violence on the Muslims. He was so ignorantly vindictive and anti-Muslim that the Muslims began to call him "Abu Jahl" (Father of Ignorance). This name became so widespread that people almost forgot his real name. History has remembered this short-statured, cross-eyed, iron-strong man as "Abu Jahl." These memories began to trouble Khalid, perhaps even causing him shame. The Quraysh people had thrown filth into the house of the Messenger of Allah several times. Whenever a Muslim preached Islam, the Quraysh men would arrive and create a commotion. They had assigned rude and outcast men to continually harass the Messenger of Allah.
Khalid did find some solace in the fact that his father had not stooped to any vile actions against Muhammad (peace be upon him). Twice, his father had gone with three or four Quraysh chiefs to Abu Talib, the Prophet's uncle, to ask him to restrain his nephew from insulting the idols and claiming prophethood, or else he would be killed by someone. Both times, Abu Talib managed to dismiss them.
Khalid recalled a significant sacrifice his father had made. Khalid's brother, Ammara, was exceptionally handsome. He was intelligent and charismatic. Khalid's father, al-Walid, handed over his beautiful son, Ammara, to two Quraysh chiefs and told them to take him to Muhammad's uncle, Abu Talib, and say, "Keep my son in exchange for Muhammad (peace be upon him)." Khalid shivered at his father's decision, and when his brother Ammara left with the two chiefs, Khalid went and cried in solitude.
"Abu Talib!" The chiefs presented Ammara before the Prophet's uncle and said, "Do you know him? This is Ammara bin al-Walid. You must know that the Banu Hashim has not yet produced such a handsome and noble young man. We have come to offer him to you forever. If you adopt him as your son, he will remain obedient all his life. If you make him your servant, by Allah, he will sacrifice his life for you. But why are you offering him to me?" Abu Talib asked. "Have the mothers of Banu Makhzum started auctioning their sons? Name your price. What do you want in return?"
"In exchange, give us your nephew Muhammad (peace be upon him)," one of the chiefs said. "Your nephew has become a source of disgrace for you. He has rejected the religion of your ancestors and introduced a new religion. Can't you see that he has turned man against man within the tribe?"