Khalid b. Sa'id: Difference between revisions

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'''Khālid b. Sa'īd b. 'Āṣ b. Umayya b. 'Abd Shams''' (Arabic: {{iarabic|خالد بن سعید بن عاص بن امیة بن عبدشمس}}) was one of the first people who converted to Islam. He was a scriber (katib) of [[Prophet Muhammad (s)]]. He was the Prophet (s)'s agent in [[Yemen]]. After the Prophet (s)'s demise, he resigned from this position and preferred not to work for the [[The Three Caliphs|caliphs]]. Khalid b. Sa'id was one of the 12 people who did not pledge their [[allegiance]] with [[Abu Bakr b. Abi Quhafa]]; And this led to [['Umar b. Khattab]], the second caliph, standing against him. There is a disagreement among historians over the date and place of his [[martyrdom]].

He was from [[Quraysh]] and his [[kunya]] was Abu Sa'id. His father, known as Abu Uhayha, a senior figure of [[Mecca]] and an opponent of the Prophet (s) who did not convert to Islam. His mother, Lubayna, known as Umm Khalid, was the daughter of Khabbab or Habbab b. 'Abd Yalil b. Nashib from Thaqif.

In Shiite sources of [['ilm al-rijal]], Khalid b. Sa'id is considered as a [[Sahaba|companion]] of the Prophet (s). He is mentioned by [[al-Shaykh al-Tusi]] in his book on 'ilm al-rijal. Khalid b. Sa'id is known as a respectable nobleman of [[Banu Umayya]].

Khalid b. Sa'id converted to Islam before his brothers. He converted to Islam when the Prophet (s) was secretly calling people to Islam. He is mentioned as the third, fourth or fifth person who converted to Islam.

The reason why he converted to Islam was said to be that one night he saw in a dream that he was on the brink of a pit of fire, and his father was trying to throw him in the fire, but the Prophet (s) rescued him from it. Khalid b. Sa'id found his dream to be a true one. He reported his dream to Abu Bakr, and he encouraged him to convert to Islam. He went to the Prophet (s) in Ajyad, and converted to Islam.

When Sa'id b. 'As who was an opponent of the Prophet (s) learned that his son, Khalid, converted to Islam, he reproached him, cursed him and hit him hard by breaking his cane on his head and prohibited the rest of his family from talking with him. After that, Khalid went to the Prophet (s) and accompanied him all the time. Sometimes he said [[prayers]] around [[Mecca]] on his own. Since Khalid b. Sa'id insisted on endorsing and following the Prophet (s), his father imprisoned him and held him under the burning sunlight of Mecca. Khalid escaped the prison and hid in areas around Mecca.

When polytheists increased their pressures and torments, Khalid b. Sa'id and some other Muslims [[Migration to Abyssinia|migrated]] to [[Abyssinia]] at the command of the Prophet (s).

Given that there were two occasions on which Muslims migrated to Abyssinia, there is a disagreement about the time when Khalid b. Sa'id migrated there. Most historians hold that he migrated on the second occasion (that is, in 5 after [[bi'that]]/ 613), and others took it to be on the first occasion.

In 7 AH (628), Khalid b. Sa'id and some other migrants of Abyssinia returned to [[al-Hijaz]], and they went to the Prophet (s) in [[Khaybar]] when the [[Battle of Khaybar]] was over. The Prophet (s) welcomed them and expressed his happiness by seeing them. He gave them shares of the booties of Khaybar, although they had not attended the battle. After that, Khalid b. Sa'id went to [[Medina]] together with the Prophet (s) and other Muslims.

==Companionship with the Prophet (s)==

===The Prophet (s)'s Scribe===

According to historians, Khālid b. Sa'id was a scribe of the Prophet (s). He worked as a scribe in [[Mecca]], before [[Hijrat]] or migration to Medina. He is said to be the first person who wrote the phrase, “Bism Allah al-Rahman al-Rahim” (in the name of Allah, the compassionate, the merciful). After migration to Medina, he transcribed the Prophet (s)'s letter to people of [[Ta'if]] and their representatives, and submitted the letter to the delegates of Thaqif. He also mediated peace negotiations between the delegates and the Prophet (s) in Medina until they converted to Islam.

After his return from Abyssinia, Khalid b. Sa'id accompanied the Prophet (s) and other Muslims in the [[hajj]] of 'Umrat al-Qada', the [[Conquest of Mecca]] and battles of [[Battle of Hunayn|Hunayn]], [[Battle of Ta'if|Ta'if]] and [[Battle of Tabuk|Tabuk]]. Khalid was frequently sent by the Prophet (s) to carry out various missions; for example, when 'Amr b. Ma'di Yakrib apostatized Islam and rioted against Muslims, the Prophet (s) sent [['Ali b. Abi Talib (a)]] and an army of [[Muhajirun]], including Khalid b. Sa'id as the leader of the army, to 'Amr and his people. After suppressing the riots and the escape of 'Amr b. Ma'di Yakrib, 'Ali b. Abi Talib (a) commissioned Khalid to receive and collect charities, taxes and [[zakat]] from people there, and told him to give a safety conduct and refuge to any fugitive who comes back and converts to Islam. After 'Ali (a)'s return to Medina, 'Amr b. Ma'di Yakrib went to Khalid b. Sa'id and converted to Islam again.

According to some [[hadiths]], in Abyssinia, Khalid b. Sa'id was the the Prophet (s)'s representative to marry Umm Habiba to him. This shows the respect the Prophet (s) had for Khalid b. Sa'id.

===The Prophet (s)'s Agent in Yemen===

In the last years of the Prophet (s)'s life, Khalid b. Sa'id was appointed as the ruler of the area between Najran and Zubayd by the Prophet (s) after Badhan or Badham, the Iranian Muslim ruler of Yemen, died. This appointment seems to have occurred in 10 AH (631), because Farwa b. Musayk al-Muradi and a delegate went to the Prophet (s) in Medina in this year, and the Prophet (s) appointed Farwa as the ruler of his tribe (Murad) and Zubayd as well as the Madhhij tribe, and sent Khalid b. Sa'id b. 'As to Yemen together with him as an agent for the collection of charities.

On one account, Khalid b. Sa'id was commissioned by the Prophet (s) to collect taxes in Yemen, and on another account, he was commissioned to collect taxes in Madhhij and was appointed as the agent of [[Sana'a]]. However, he was the Prophet (s)'s agent in Yemen until the demise of the Prophet (s).

In 10 AH (631), Aswad 'Anasi (d. 11 AH/ 632) claimed to be a prophet and rioted against Muslims. People of the Madhhij tribe followed him. When he found many followers and took over the entire lands of Yemen, he dismissed Khalid b. Sa'id from the areas governed by him.

==After the Prophet (s)==

===Refusal to work for the Caliphs===

After the Prophet (s)'s demise, Khalid b. Sa'id and his brothers, Aban and 'Amr, one of whom was the Prophet (s)'s agent in Bahrain and other his agent in Tayma' and Khaybar, returned to Medina, announcing that they would not work for anyone after the Prophet (s).

Khalid b. Sa'id arrived in Medina after the story of [[Saqifa]] and [[Abu Bakr b. Abi Quhafa]]'s election as the [[caliph]]. He was one of the 12 people who refused to pledge their allegiance to Abu Bakr. His brother, Aban, joined him in doing so. Khalid b. Sa'id said that “we will follow the [[Banu Hashim]]”. He believed in the caliphate of 'Ali b. Abi Talib (a) and wanted to pledge his allegiance to him, addressing him by the saying: “I swear to God that no one among people is more competent as the Prophet (s)'s successor than you”.

Khalid b. Sa'id's refusal to pledge his allegiance to Abu Bakr made 'Umar b. Khattab hostile to him. Later in many cases, 'Umar appealed to his refusal and dismissed him from different positions. For example, in 13 AH (634), when Abu Bakr wanted to send the army of Islam to [[al-Sham]], he appointed Khalid b. Sa'id as the commander of the army and gave him the flag. But 'Umar reminded Abu Bakr of Khalid's refusal to pledge his allegiance to him and his remarks in opposition to Abu Bakr and insisted that Khalid should be dismissed. Abu Bakr dismissed Khalid before the army departed. Khalid returned the flag with self-esteem and said: “I swear to God that your appointment did not make me happy and being dismissed by you did not make me sad”.

However, Abu Bakr commissioned Khalid to stay in Tayma', a city in al-Sham, and organize Arabs in the area for a battle, admitting only those who were not apostates and not fighting except those who fight them. A huge number of people were organized by Khalid. Romans heard the news about his camp and plans. So Romans organized some Arabs of al-Sham, including the tribes of Bahra', Sulayh, Tanukh, Ghassan, Kalb, Lakhm and Judham, to fight them.

Khalid b. Sa'id wrote a letter in this regard to Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr ordered him to move forward cautiously. Khalid b. Sa'id launched an attack and dispersed those tribes and camped in their location. All people in those tribes converted to Islam. A Roman commander, called Bahan, fought Khalid b. Sa'id. In this battle, some Romans were killed and the rest were defeated. Khalid b. Sa'id asked Abu Bakr for aids. Abu Bakr sent aid forces to him under the commandership of Dhu l-Kila' and 'Akrama b. Abi Jahl. He was also aided by [[Walid b. 'Uqba]]'s army.

There are different historical accounts of when and where Khalid b. Sa'id was martyred. On one account, he was martyred in the [[Battle of Ajnadayn]] with Romans and people of al-Sham (13 AH/ 634) in the period of Abu Bakr. On another account, he was martyred in the [[Battle of Marj al-Suffar]] in al-Sham. This battle occurred in the early period of 'Umar's caliphate in 14 AH (635) or in the period of Abu Bakr in 13 AH (634).

On another account, it was Khalid's son who was martyred in the event of Marj al-Suffar and Khalid himself escaped the battlefield. When Khalid fought the Romans and chased Bahan to Marj al-Suffar near Damascus, he was surrounded by Bahan's army. Bahan attacked him and killed Sa'id, Khalid's son, and his companies. When Khalid heard this, he escaped and retreated to Dhu l-Marwa. Abu Bakr told them to stay there so that he can take care of everything. There are different accounts of the dates of the battles of Ajnadayn and Marj al-Suffar and Yarmuk. According to ibn Qutayba, Khalid died in the [[Battle of Yarmuk]].