Sword of Allah: Khalid bin Al-Waleed

by Agha Ali Ibrahim Akram

This book contains perhaps one of the most brilliant biographies written on the Companion of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam), Khalid bin Al-Waleed, Sword of Allah.Khalid bin Al-Waleed was one of the greatest generals in history, and one of the greatest heroes of Islam. Besides him, Genghis Khan was the only other general to remain undefeated in his entire military life. A measure of Khalid's genius is that he was the only person to inflict a (temporary) defeat on the Prophet Muhammad, (sallallahu alayhi wasallam).The original title of the book, "The Sword of Khalid bin Al-Waleed, His Life and Campaigns" was written by the late Lieutenant-General A.I. Akram of the Pakistan Army, in October 1969. The author learnt Arabic in order to draw on the earliest historical sources and he visited every one of Khalid's battlefields in order to draw analyses from the viewpoint of military strategy, including reconciling conflicting historians' accounts. The book was originally published by the Army Education Press, Rawalpindi, Pakistan and printed by Feroze Sons Publishers in Lahore, Pakistan. The excellence of the book was such that it has been translated from English into Arabic and is currently sold in bookshops throughout the Arab World.

Genres: History, Islam, Biography, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, Religion, Historical

534 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1997

About the author

Agha Ali Ibrahim Akram (Urdu: آغا ابراہیم اکرم), (1923-1989) better known as A. I. Akram was a Lieutenant-General in the Pakistan Army and a historian. He wrote books about early Muslim conquests. His most famous book The Sword of Allah is a biography on the Muslim general, Khalid ibn al-Walid. He retired from the Pakistan Army as Lieutenant-General in 1978. He also served as Pakistan's Ambassador to Spain. He founded the Institute of Regional Studies in 1982 and remained its president till his death in 1989.

His first book, The Sword of Allah, on the life and campaigns of Khalid ibn al-Walid, was published in 1970 after a five years effort, including visits to battle-fields in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. It has two English editions, and has been translated into Urdu, Arabic, German and Bahasa. For several years it was compulsory reading in the Pakistan Army for entrance to the Staff College and has been on the leadership syllabus in the Malaysian Army. His second book The Muslim Conquest of Persia was published after four years, after visiting the battlefields in Iran and discussions with Iranian scholars. The Muslim Conquest of Egypt and North Africa was his third book, which also took four years of preparations and visits to Egypt and Tunisia. His last book was The Rise of Cordoba, which was published in 1986. To research for writing all these books he learned Arabic, Persian and Spanish and collected an impressive library of historical works.

Reviews

[Yazeed AlMogren · Rating 5 out of 5]

كاتب متمكن أخذ على عاتقه إيضاح شخصية خالد بن الوليد بكل جوانبها منذ نشأته وحتى وفاته، تنقل بين عدة دول وقعت فيها معارك خالد حتى يقف بنفسه على مواقعها وأستغرق منه هذا الكتاب 5سنوات لإتمامه، تعلم الكاتب اللغة العربية لكي يقرأ بنفسه المراجع التاريخية وجمع المعلومات من عدة مصادر مختلفة ولم يحاول أن يبالغ أو يقلل من شأن أي شخص لذلك شعرت أثناء قراءة الكتاب بأن الكاتب حاول تحري الموضوعية في جميع أبوابه، رسم الكاتب للخرائط وبحكم تخصصه العسكري يجعلك تتصور طبوغرافية الأرض وكيف دارت رحى المعركة على أرضها

[شــــــــــــــاهــيــن · Rating 5 out of 5]

كتاب أكثر من رائع
الكتاب موضوعى جدا ... لا يسهب فى التقديس أو حتى المبالغة
و لكنه فى ذات الوقت يثريك بروح القوة و الجهاد ... و ينقلك شعوريا لتلك الحقبة التى كانت التضحية والفداء
و الشهادة أسمى أمانى المؤمنين
مع حرص الكاتب على التفاصيل و التحليل العلمى للأحداث ... حتى أنه سافر معظم بلاد المسلمين ليحدد أراضى المعارك و يدرسها دراسة حية ..و يقوم بنفسه برسم خرائطها !
و لكل عاقل أن يتدارس سنن النصر و التمكين من خلال تلك المعارك التى خاضها سيف الله المسلول .. فلم يكن دوما الأأقوى عدة و عتادا و لا ألأكثر عددا
و لكنه لا ريب كان على الحق و فى سبيل الله
فيتمثل فى معاركه قول الله تعالى فى سورة الأنفال
(وَإِذْ يَعِدُكُمُ اللَّهُ إِحْدَى الطَّائِفَتَيْنِ أَنَّهَا لَكُمْ وَتَوَدُّونَ أَنَّ غَيْرَ ذَاتِ الشَّوْكَةِ تَكُونُ لَكُمْ وَيُرِيدُ اللَّهُ أَنْ يُحِقَّ الْحَقَّ بِكَلِمَاتِهِ وَيَقْطَعَ دَابِرَ الْكَافِرِينَ )

ذلك هو القانون .. أن التمكين و النصر من عند الله .. فقط علينا الطاعة و السعى ... أن نصدق الله وعده فيصدقنا وعده لا محالة ..و الإيمان و الثقة التامة بذلك

أعجبنى جدا طرح الكتاب و غمرنى فخرا و حبا لهذا الرجل :)

(لى تحفظ فقط على تناوله للعلاقة بين سيدنا عمر و سيدنا خالد)

[رهف النجار · Rating 5 out of 5]

كان كتاباً رائعاً كافيا وافيا في وصف معارك خالد بن الوليد سيف الله المسلول - رضي الله عنه – مرفقا بالمراجع الموثقة والخرائط .
لدي إطلاّع لابأس به على التاريخ لذلك فقد أدركت أدق تفاصيل الكتاب العسكرية والتاريخية وأهمية كل جزئية بحد ذاتها
كما أدركت وللمرة الأولى في حياتي شخصية خالد بن الوليد القائد العسكري العظيم بعيداً عن الشعور الديني وحياة الصحابة ,
أدركتها ونظرت إليه بشرا من لحم ودم متألقا بصفات أعظم القادة العسكريين الشجاعة والحنكة والإقدام والإيمان و....
لأدرك في النهاية أنّه تخطى قادة عصره العسكريين بل وجميع القادة على مدى التاريخ .
وهذا اقتباس من الكتاب
(عندما كان أبو بكر يخطط حملة الرّدة ,بحث مع عمر بن العاص مسألة تعيين عدد من أمراء الألوية وقال له الخليفة: ياعمرو إنّك رجل ثاقب الفكر,فما هو رأيك بخالد؟" فأجابب عمرو :"إنّه سيد الحرب وصديق الموت .له جرأة الأسد وصبر القط")
لدرجة أنّي كنت أقول في نفسي وهل هناك أكثر من هذا؟؟ الفتوحات لاتتوقف ومن نصر إلى آخر وبسرعة مذهلة أشياء قد لاتتوقعها حتى في الخيال
إنّ قدوتنا هي في ديننا ولهي أعظم القدوة ولكن الطرح الغبي لبعض للمسلمين لم يقدم الصورة كما يجب وأنصح الناس بالإطلاع على الكتاب كاملا فهو من القيمة بحيث لايمكن ترك أي جزء منه دون اقتباسه .
أعظم الأمور تأثيراً في نفسي كان فتح دمشق والأحداث التي حصلت حينها وأيضا عزل خالد من قبل الخليفة عمر وإنّ للقارئ أن يجد بعد قراءة الكتاب صحة رأي عمر بن الخطاب وإن كان يميل بقلبه لطرف خالد
أيضا سعدت بالتعرف على تفاصيل حروب الردة الكثيرة والمتتالية والسريعة وتعرفي على طرق المسلمين في التعامل معها وهي طرق لم أعرف أنها استخدمت في الإسلام قبل ذلك.
أجهشت بالبكاء في الأجزاء الأخيرة من الكتاب وإنّه كما قال عمر بن الخطّاب" دع نساء بني مخزوم يبكين على أبي سليمان,فإنهن لايكذبن ,فعلى مثل أبي سليمان تبكي البواكي"
ولا أنكر فضل الكاتب في هذا الموضوع فقدرته على تحليل الموقف وسرده بأسلوب قصصي ممتاز وبمنطقية بحتة أمر مهم وإن الجهد الواضح للكاتب في الكتاب لايخفى على أحد ونسأل الله أن ينفعنا وإياه بهذا الكتاب

[Hagar · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most life-affirming, exhilarating biographies I've read. And of course, that's praise for the author, but mostly, it's the sheer grandeur of the subject, Khalid ibn al-Walid, the Sword of Allah. A legendary warrior and companion of the Prophet Muhammad (SWT). Undefeated in 45 battles, he remains one of history’s greatest generals. A relentless fighter, Khalid lived for jihad, crushing apostasy after the Prophet’s death and leading brilliant campaigns against the Sassanids and Byzantines. His tactics, rooted in understanding human fear, were simple yet devastating. Known for his fearless pursuit of martyrdom, he often declared a powerful ultimatum before battle, embodying both mercy and unwavering resolve. Khalid’s legacy is a testament to his unmatched skill, faith, and dedication.

Funny that after Caliph Abu Bakr died, Umar came to power and decided to relegate Khalid to the role of a common soldier, saying that Muslims idolized him too much, calling him Saif Ullah (Sword of Allah). Arabs thought that if Khalid commanded, they would face no defeat, which to Umar sounded heretical because they were fighting for God. Some say the real reason might've been jealousy. Who knows, though? 

Anyway, the newly appointed commander, Abu Ubaydah, abandoned Umar's orders for the Battle of Yarmouk (fighting the Byzantines) :D and Khalid led that battle too. It's insanely cinematic and tactically genius. Look it up. At the beginning of the battle, the commander of the Byzantines wanted to negotiate for money, but Khalid only asked them to accept Allah: "If you refuse, there can only be war between us. And you will face men who love death as you love life." 

Truly awe-inspiring.

[Omar · Rating 4 out of 5]

كتاب رائع يتحدث عن الصحابي الجليل خالد بن الوليد من وجهة نظر عسكرية , المؤلف هو الجنرال الباكستاني أكرم الذي زار مواقع معارك خالد في السعودية والكويت والعراق والأردن وسورية ووقف على أماكن معاركه الخالده ليصف المعارك ولتكون قريباً من هذا الصحابي الجليل الذي عاش في الخطر خدمة للإسلام والمسلمين. يختار الكاتب مواقف مؤثرة ليصفها بأسلوبه الجميل , كتاب رائع قرأت منه نسخه الكترونية

[Masrur · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I am the noble warrior; I am the Sword of Allah Khalid bin Al Waleed" cried Khalid as he charged at every enemy.

This is the best book I have ever read. No fiction is as gripping as this. No non-fiction as enlightening as this.

Akram masterfully pieces together the amazing life of Khalid bin Waleed. Using his own research of the earliest sources, Akram puts together a wonderful narrative. He covers the minute details of military tactics such as the geography, the manoeuvres and the climate. He also covers the human aspects of feelings, emotions, and interactions between Khalid and others.

The book is also accompanied by helpful maps where they're needed to aid the reader in visualising the battlefield and geography. There are also numerous direct quotes from Khalid, other companions and Khalid's adversaries.

This book—Khalid's life—reads like a movie. One of the greatest generals to have ever fought. Fighting 41 battles over 15 years and winning every single one of them. Khalid is one of two undefeated generals in history (the other being Gengis Khan). The imagery that this book provokes, the emotions it stirs and the gasps it draws are surreal, and made all the more touching knowing that this is our religion, our history and our most noble and gallant warrior—The Sword of Allah, Khalid bin Al Waleed.

[Khalid Alwusaidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

رائع جداً ..

”على مثل أبي سليمان فلتبك البواكي“
عندما أنهيت الكتاب كانت دموعي على حافة عينيّ؛ كان لدقة وصف الكاتب وتصويره الأثر على الكبير على نفسي، ووددت السفر لحمص وزيارة مسجده ورؤية أماكن معاركة ..

تميز الكتاب بما يلي:
• تعب الكاتب وجهده كما ذكر في مقدمته، حيث سافر لأماكن المعارك، وزار المراجع التاريخة .
• التسلسل التاريخي المصاحب بأسلوب ممتع .
• حيادة الكاتب في بعض مسائل الخلاف وتريجيحه للأصوب بعد ذكر الأقوال.
• الخرائط الجغرافية للمعارك .

[Ahmed Aladaash · Rating 2 out of 5]

الكتاب لا بأس به ولكنه لم يتناول شخصية خالد بن الوليد العسكرية والعوامل المؤثرة فيه بالشكل الكافي وكان أقرب للسرد التاريخي منه للتحليل العسكري رغم ما بُذل فيه من مجهود مضني، كما أعتمد للأسف على الكثير من الروايات الضعيفة والمكذوبة.

رحم الله أبا سليمان قاهر الأكاسرة والقياصرة.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

”I shall not sheathe the sword that Allah has drawn against the infidels.”—Abu Bakr

Khalid, warrior, champion, companion of Mohammed (SWT), the Sword of Allah, truly incredible. He is inarguably one of the greatest generals of all time, winning 45 battles and never once losing one. He was also responsible for the only defeat Mohammed (SWT) suffered in his own military career. Utterly incredible.

Khalid was a killer. Don't mistake it. He killed dozens of champions in duels, and possibly hundreds on the actual battlefield. He was a warrior at heart, whose entire purpose of life was to wage Holy War against the Infidels, he had no care for anything life besides war and glory and Islam. He annihilated the apostasy after the Death of the Prophet, and then waged brutal but ingenius campaigns against two professional warrior races, destroying both the Sassanids in Iraq and Byzantines in Syria. His tactics, were not overly complicated, he understood the nature of man, and also man's fear of death-a barrier removed from true soldiers of Islam. My favorite quote that he repeated nigh before every battle was the ultimatum, both a declaration of his own mercy but also his own fearless strive to martyrdom.

“Submit to Islam and be safe. Or agree to the payment of the Jizya, and you and your people will be under our protection, else you will have only yourself to blame for the consequences, for I bring a people who desire death as ardently as you desire life.” (206)

What did he rely on?
Extreme Violence.
Brutality. Terror. Fear.
“Khalid’s strategical and tactical genius was the extreme violence of his methods. To him a battle was not just a neat maneuver leading to a military victory, but an action of total violence ending in the total annihilation of the enemy. The maneuver was only an instrument for bringing about the enemy’s destruction.” (440)

Mobility, faith, violence. These are the true powers of reality. No amount of money handling, no amount of tricks, can ever match them in their abilities. All warfare is a singular art.

I also enjoyed learning a lot about Islam historically in context.
Anyone who says that Islam is simply a religion of peace or timid is deluded-and I mean no disrespect to Islam. Islam was founded peacefully, but it was only protected, expanded, and preserved through Jihad. Jihad is central, waging the internal spiritual war and against all of the enemies of the Faith.

Allah is so powerful. The religiosity captured in this biography exhibits how faith refines the entire soul to absolute conviction. And with this transcendental conviction, without ever fearing death again, man becomes capable of so much more. The west has many things to learn from what forged Islam if it is to regain it's spiritual essence to continue the great expedition of western civilization.

Back to Khalid's own faith. He only felt fear once in a battle and it was not about the composition of his enemy. Every single battle he fought in, he was outnumbered 2:1, 3:1 or in his most glorious victory, 5:1, all against professional and veteran forces. It was only when he lost his red hat.

When the Messenger of Allah had his head shaved on the last pilgrimage, I picked up some of the hair on his head. He asked me, ‘What will you do with this O, Khalid?’ I replied, ‘I shall gain strength from it while fighting our enemies, O messenger of Allah,” Then he said, “You shall remain victorious as long as this is with you."

There are so many other great stories and aspects of his life that leaves me in awe. Although Sainthood is not possible in Islam, from a Christian perspective, Khalid's life and dedication to Islam matches or even bests our greatest Crusaders.

Ever onwards brothers.

[Ąħmĕđ Ĥåbêêb · Rating 4 out of 5]

في معركة اليرموك خرج ( جرجة ) أحد قادة الروم من صفوف جنده ، وطلب من خالد الحديث معه ، فخرج إليه
فقال جرجة: أخبرني فاصدقني ولا تكذبني ، فإن الحر لا يكذب ، ولا تخادعني فإن الكريم لا يخادع ، هل أنزل

الله على نبيكم سيفًا من السماء فأعطاه لك فلا تسله على أحد إلا هزمتهم ؟ فقال خالد : لا .
فسأله جرجة : فبم سميت سيف الله ؟ فردَّ عليه خالد قائلا ً: إن الله بعث فينا نبيه محمدًا فدعانا للإسلام فرفضنا دعوته ،

وعذبناه ، وحاربناه ، ثم هدانا الله فأسلمنا ، فقال الرسول : ( أنت سيف من سيوف الله ، سلَّه الله على المشركين ) ،
وسأله جرجة عن دعوته ، وعن

فضل من يدخل في الإسلام ، وبعد حوار طويل بينهما شرح الله صدر جرجة للإسلام ، فأسلم وتوضَّأ وصلى ركعتين مع

خالد بن الوليد ، ثم حارب مع صفوف الإيمان ، فأنعم الله عليه بالشهادة في سبيله عز وجل

وقال خالد في مرض الموت وكان يحدث أصحابه
لقد حضرت كذا وكذا

زحفًا ، وما في جسدي شبر إلا وفيه ضربة سيف أو طعنة برمح أو رمية بسهم ، وها أنا أموت على فراشي حتف أنفي

كما يموت البعير

فلا نامت أعين الجبناء

ورد عليه صاحبه الجالس معه
يا أبا سليمان سماك رسول الله سيف الله فلو استشهدت ف المعركة لقيل كسر سيف الله على يد أعدائه وما ينبغي لهذا أن يحدث لهذا تموت على سريرك

وقال عمرعن خالد بعد موته
على مثل أبي سليمان فلتبكي البواكي

وقال خالد عن عمر بعد أن فكر في حاله وفيما فعل عمر معه بهدوء
ألا الحمدلله الذي ولى عمرا بعد أبي بكر وقبض إليه أبا بكر
ألا فإن عمر أصاب فينا فعل معي إلا إني أخاف عليكم الفتنة بعد عمر

[Haris Sladic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zaista je nevjerovatno sta je sve Halid uspio postici u svojoj vojnoj karijeri. Sigurno da je jedan od najvecih generala i vojnika svih vremena. Njegove taktike, ideje, sposobnost su zaista bili ispred njegovog vremena. Mislim da se o njegovoj velicini u svijetu ratovanja jako malo govori samo zato sto je bio musliman. Ne znam stvarno sta da napisem vise nego da citiram ono sto je pisac rekao o njemu:

"Halid je bez sumnje bio najveći vojni genij kojeg historija bilježi.
Imao je strateške vizije Džingis Kana i Napoleona i taktičku briljantnost
Timura i Fridriha Velikog, ali i ličnu snagu i sposobnost legendarnog
Rustema od Perzije. Osim Halida, nije zabilježen ni jedan čovjek
koji objedinjuje sve ove vojne sposobnosti. Halid je bio jedan od
dvojice generala koji nikada nisu izgubili nijednu bitku."

[Kamal Sawyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are very rare English written accounts of the spread of islam during the years of the companions after the death of the beloved prophet(s.a.w)Thanks to General Akram's years of research we finally have a beautiful & factual book on Islam's greatest military strategist. I loved every page of this book although he could have done with better maps I suppose. Something more akin to Barnaby Rogersons bk's. Then again he did write this bk in the 60's. I read the bahasa translation of this book a few years before I got the english copy. Maybe its just me but the poetic rendition in bahasa made me cry then. Thanks to the General once again and may The Almighty reward him in the hereafter for his efforts.

[Mohamed · Rating 5 out of 5]

الكتاب اكثر من رائع وتحية للجنرال اكرم علي هذا الاخراج والتاليف الرائع

بغض النظر عن تعامله مع مسألة الخلاف بين عمر وخالد ببعض الانحياز واللا منطق من الناحية السياسية او الدينية الا ان الكتاب من الناحية العسكرية وتأريخ سجل انجازات ومعارك خالد بن الوليد فى فتوحات الشام والعراق وما قبلها من معارك منذ هزم المسلمين فى أحد مرورا بالاحزاب ومؤتة ودومة الجندل وغيرها

الكتاب اخذ منحي تفصيلي للناحية العسكرية وهو طبعا شئ متوقع لان الكتاب كما قال كاتبه الهدف منه هو دراسة عسكرية للقائد الصحابي الجليل خالد بن الوليد وستبقي شهادة جميع العسكريين والقادة العظام عبر التاريخ ومن قبلهم واعلاهم شهادة النبي صلي الله عليه وسلم لخالد بن الوليد هي خير شهادة ودليل علي براعته العسكرية

فرحمك الله يا سيف الله المسلول

بتاريخ
11-4-2013

[অনিক · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sword Of Allah Khalid Bin Waleed (Ra) by Major General A.I.Akram is one of the best book i read last year. The entire book was so amazing that after many times i didnt sleep in night to complete a book as i couldnt sleep because of the suspense. The fact that the author had to learn arabic, visit all the historical places, research for 5 years just to write a book speaks for itself that it was more than a book. Just love the book.

[Mariam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just loved the book,I would recommend it to every muslim fellow.. The writer has truly so beautifully summed up the life events of Hazrat Khalid Bin Waleed (R.A.)( A formidable general of the army of Islam, and an awesome companion..May Allah be pleased with him.)that I was totally lost in the book, from the start till the end.

[Maarij · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since its first publication in 1970, Sword of Allah has gained a reputation as the definitive guide to the military career of Khalid ibn al-Walid (R. A.), the most successful general of the early Islamic conquests of the 7th century and a military genius by all accounts. With some (major) caveats, this reputation is well deserved since it is the only easily accessible book-length treatment of Khalid’s battles and campaigns.

The author was an officer in the Pakistan Army and was motivated to write this book when, as Chief Instructor at the Command and Staff College, he noticed a void in Muslim military history some time around 1964. The field of secondary literature on the subject was rather small and most primary sources had yet to be translated properly. He decided to take up the task of filling this void and began at the very beginning, the career of Khalid ibn al-Walid.

Akram put a lot of hard work into researching this volume and he details his methodology in the preface. He learned Arabic to study the primary sources in their original language. For the narrative he mostly relied on sources written before the 10th century, deeming those written after this date as too detached from the events they were describing. To supplement his understanding of the military engagements he visited Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to tour and see for himself the battlefields of Khalid.

The result of such painstaking work was a highly readable account of the life and campaigns of Khalid ibn al-Walid. It was immensely popular and translated into Arabic and Urdu. Akram published a revised edition in 1979 that brushed up the narrative and brought it up to date. The book is divided into four parts, each pertaining to a distinct phase in Khalid’s military career. Part I focuses on Prophet Muhammad (S. A. W.), the rise of Islam and Khalid’s role in the early battles of the new religion, from his victory over the Muslims at Uhud to his conversion and subsequent rescue of the Muslim army at Mu’ta. Part II is concerned with the Ridda wars, when numerous false prophets and rebels arose across Arabia in opposition to the Rashidun Caliphate. Here the focus shifts solely to Khalid and we see him march across central Arabia, defeating Tulayha, Salma and the infamous Musaylima, putting an end to the apostasy and reuniting Arabia under the banner of Islam.

Parts III and IV constitute the second half of the book. In Part III is chronicled the invasion of the Sassanian empire featuring Khalid’s march up the Euphrates, his crushing of numerous Sassanian armies and the conquest of Hira. The final Part, Part IV, is the climax of the book. It concerns the Muslim invasion of the Byzantine empire, Khalid’s epic desert crossing to come to the aid of the Muslim armies in Syria, the Musim victories and the final decisive battle of Yarmouk.

This book would have been very authoritative if not for a glaring flaw: sources and citations. The citations and references in the book are wholly inadequate for a subject of such complexity. There are no extensive footnotes and endnotes and only sections of speech are referenced.

Akram has only made use of Muslim sources and discarded Byzantine sources due to language barriers. This is unfortunate as use of sources from another side of the conflict would have served an important role by corroborating the Muslim accounts and providing information about the composition, structure and equipment of Byzantine armies. Akram has used Edward Gibbon’s famous Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire in an attempt to rectify this but it's an 18th century work and the problem still remains.

The source problem also encompasses Akram’s use of the Futuh al-Sham, a historical work of very dubious reliability allegedly written by the 8th century historian al-Waqidi. Most specialists actually consider it to be a work of historical fiction that has wrongly been attributed to Waqidi. It is rife with historical inaccuracies and fabrications.

Furthermore, Akram has conspicuously failed to make use of relevant secondary sources. In particular Leone Caetani’s Annali dell’Islam and Walter Kaegi’s seminal Byzantium and the Early Islamic Conquest of Syria could have done much to inform Akram’s narrative; especially the latter given that it is, to this day, the gold standard regarding the Muslim conquest of Syria.

These problems have compounded to severely affect the descriptions of some important events in the book, most noticeably the watershed Battle of Yarmouk. Akram’s account narrates multiple Byzantine armies converging at Yarmouk where a 6-day battle is fought with the Muslims. The Byzantine army is portrayed as being a whopping 150,000 man strong. These erroneous judgments are based largely on the Futuh al-Sham which is not supported by other sources, even Muslim ones. Due to logistical constraints it was almost impossible for the Byzantine army to have amounted to more than 50,000 soldiers. The description of the battle is also incorrect; in reality the battle of Yarmouk featured Khalid outmanoeuvring the Byzantine commanders, capturing their camp and surrounding their army.

But this volume is still not wholly redundant. Parts I, II and III are all largely reliable and offer a good narrative of the manoeuvres, tactics and stratagems of Khalid ibn al-Walid as he led the Muslim armies against the apostates and Sassanians. It’s only in Part IV that faulty sourcing renders the narrative wholly useless. All in all, it’s a solid effort by the author, if marred by certain problems.

[Rida Shamsneh · Rating 4 out of 5]

صفحات مشرقة من تاريخنا الإسلامي
أعجبني كثيرا طريقة الكاتب في رواية الأحداث والتي تتنوع ما بين السرد أحيانا وبين ما يشبه "الإخراج السينمائي" في أحيان أخرى كثيرة حيث يشد القارىء ويجعله يتشوق لمعرفة ما سيحصل وكيف ستجري المعركة ومن المنتصر أخيرا، وكأنك في أرض المعركة تحارب بين الصفوف .. في هذا الكتاب أكبرت أصحاب رسول الله الذين حملوا لواء هذا الدين إلى مشارق الأرض ومغاربها والذين استطاعوا قهر إمبراطورتين عظيمتين الفرس والروم في وقت قياسي ..
لقد ازددت حبا لسيدنا علي كرم الله وجهه لشجاعته والذي لم يكن يخرج لمبارزة كافر إلا رجع منتصرا، وأبو عبيدة بن الجراح أمين هذه الأمة الذي جمع بين الشجاعة والحكمة واللين واللطف بشكل مثير للإعجاب، والخليفة أبو بكر بحكمته وقوته في الحق وخاصة عندما حارب المرتدين، وعمر بن الخطاب رجل الدولة رفيع الطراز الذي تعجز العقول عن تصور حبه للحق والعدل، وضرار بن الأزور الفارس العاري والمحارب المغوار وسيدنا بلال وشرحبيل بن حسنة وعكرمة بن أبي جهل ومعاوية بن أبي سفيان وعمرو بن العاص والكثير الكثير من تلك الفئة المؤمنة التي صبرت وضحت في سبيل نشر هذا الدين إلينا
أما خالد بن وليد بطل هذا الكتاب وسيف الله المسلول الذي سله الله على الكفار فله أقول: جزاك الله عنا خيرا يا أبا سليمان، فعلى مثل أبي سليمان فلتبكي البواكي

[Bader Alosaimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

-اعتمد الكاتب على روايات مأخوذة من تاريخ الطبري وكما هو معلوم فإن ابا جعفر رحمه الله جمع الروايات بأسانيدها وترك تمحيصها لمن بعده و لذلك ضعف الائمة من بعده أمثال الذهبي وابن كثير و ابن عساكر كثيراً منها كما حكموا على بعضها بالكذب ،، كذلك اعتمد على الواقدي وهو إخباري متروك لكن لا يضر الاخذ منه في ما يتعلق باحداث المعارك و عدد الجيوش مما لا يترتب عليه اخذ شرع و دين.
-لا أعلم هل استنقاص قادة امثال ابي عبيدة وغيره من الكاتب نفسه ام نقلاً من الروايات فهذا لا داعي له لإثبات عبقرية و فذاذة خالد.
-صور الكاتب الخلاف بين عمر و خالد كخلاف شخصي وتحامل على عمر واتهمه بالحسد وهذا لا يليق باصحاب النبي عليه الصلاة و السلام كما ان خالد و بني مخزوم اخوال عمر ، ومعلوم ان عمر عزل خالد كي لا يفتن الناس به وليعلموا ان الله ينصر دينه بخالد وغيره.
-ابدع الكاتب في ذكر مواقع الجغرافية للمعارك وأهميتها الإستراتيجية من منظور عسكري كما ذكر المناورات التكتيكية بكل براعة مما أعطى صورة جميلة و حية للمعارك في المخيلة.
-كتاااب جميل يذكرنا بصور و بطولات لم نعد نراها والله المستعان.

[Noorhan Gaber · Rating 5 out of 5]

على مثل أبى سُليمان تبكى البواكى"
عمر بن الخطاب
عجزت النساء أن يلدن مثل خالد
أبو بكر الصديق
من أروع ما قرأت فى حياتى هذا الكتاب يطوف بك فى ميادين القتال و تسمع فيه صهيل الخيول التى تأبى إلا أن يمتطيها خالد!!
يحسسك بعزة الإسلام و قوة المسلم
أعظم قائد مسلم عرفته البشرية :)
رحمك الله يا أبا سليمان كيف اللحاق بك ؟

[Khaled · Rating 4 out of 5]

الكاتب رجل عسكرى باكستانى أخذ على عاتقه عمل كتاب يحلل فيه شخصية العبقرى خالد بن الوليد من الناحيه العسكريه ... سيد الحرب اللذى لم يهزم فى أى معركه
الكتاب أسلوبه شيق جدا بحيث يستطيع القارئ العادى غير الدارس للاستراجيات العسكريه فهمه
من أجمل ما قرأت

[Ahmed Abdul rehman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book, well written. It's a detailed biography of Khalid bin Al Waleed (R.A) with focus on his military career, brilliant strategies, cunning tactics and charismatic personality.

[Mohammed Hassan · Rating 5 out of 5]

كتاب 'سيف الله خالد بن الوليد' من تأليف 'الجنرال أ. أكرم' وهو ضابط باكستاني برتبة لواء، مسؤول عن تدريس مادة التاريخ العسكري في كلية القيادة والأركان يتحدث عن شخصية خالد العسكرية .
الكتاب الذي بين أيدينا هي نظرة جديدة وتناول مختلف تماما وأقول لك بصدق صديقي القارئ أنك ستجد نظرة مختلفة تمام وفهما جديدا لأحداث السير والغزوات والفتوحات الإسلامية لأن الكتاب لا يٌعني بالسيرة ولا بشخصيات الصحابة الكرام بأي ناحية من تلك التي سمعناها وقرأنا عنها مرارا وتكرارا ولكن من ناحية عسكرية بحته .
بل لقد بذل الكاتب من المجهود والعناء الشئ الكثير حتي تجد نفسك وأنت تقرأ وكأنك بداخل المعارك وأنك تعايش خطط القادة وتغدوا في كرهم وتروح في فرهم .
لأول مرة تقرأ وتشاهد النبي الكريم صل الله عليه وسلم ذاك النبي المقاتل الشرس والمحارب العتيد ولأول مرة في تريخنا الإسلامي والعربي نقرأ عن بطل من أبطالنا البواسل وقائد من قادتنا المحنكين من زاوية عسكرية
نحتاج إلي الكثير الكثير من هذه الكتب , نحتاج إلي كل ما يحدثنا عن ماضينا العظيم ومجدنا التليد ونحتاج بشدة إلي أن يعلم أبناؤنا تلك النماذج وهذا التاريخ عسي أن يخرج منهم مثل خالد وضرار وعكرمة وابن العاص وغيرهم من هؤلاء الأبطال العظام
هذا الكتاب من أفضل الكتب التي قرأتها في حياتي وأفضل الكتب التي قرأتها منذ سنوات أشكر صديقي العزيز " زياد خطاب " علي هذا الإقتراح الرائع بحق والممتع بصدق
التقييم 5/5
#سيرة_ذاتية
#تراجم
#القراءة_غذاء_العقول
#القراءة_حياة
#الكتب
#التاريخ_الإسلامي

[Arbaz Fahad · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who are unaware of his name, Khalid bin Al Waleed was one of the esteemed companions of the Prophet Muhammad. Owing to extraordinary martial skills and strategic brilliance in the battlefield he was honored with the title, "The Sword of Allah." Khalid also holds the distinction of being the only person who'd managed to defeat the Prophet himself, albeit strategically.

The book chronicles the life of Khalid in a very detailed manner. It traces his journey from a young turk of the Bani Makhzum clan onto the fold of Islam and his subsequent victories over the Roman and Sassanid empire.

The author has, to a certain extent, succeeded in presenting the humane aspects of Khalid, without indulging in over glorification of his achievements. His relationship with his cousin, and the second Caliph , Umar bin Al Khattab has been dwelt upon at length, without blaming either of them for the turn of events which culminated in Khalid's termination from active military service .

Undefeated over a career that spanned over 15 years, Khalid bin Al Waleed's is undoubtedly one of the greatest military generals in the history of mankind. His military expertise played a major role in quelling the rebellions , which followed the Prophet's death. His bravado and exemplary leadership were instrumental in the Arab conquest of Syria and Persia.

The Caliph Abu Bakr, after receiving the news of Khalid's victory over the Romans said,

"O people of Madinah! Your lion has attacked another lion and overpowered him. Women will no longer bear sons like Khalid."

[Amr Emad · Rating 4 out of 5]

يصنف الكتاب من فئة الكتب العسكرية وهو يصلح للإطلاع على سيرة خالد بن الوليد رضي الله عنه من ناحية عسكرية فقط، فالكتاب مليء بخرائط وسرد دقيق للعمليات العسكرية وشرح بالتفصيل كيفية حدوثها وقد أجاد المؤلف في هذا كونه كان يحمل رتبة عسكرية في الجيش الباكستاني.

لكن اختلف مع المؤلف في بعض القضايا مثل عدم تحسينه لإطلاق جيش أسامة لحرب الروم، ورغم عرض الكاتب لوجهات النظر التي تؤيد هذا الفعل من أبي بكر بل وتحمده على ذلك وهذا رأي كل أهل المغازى والسير لكن المؤلف حسب أموره من زاوية عسكرية فكان رأيه مغايراً لهم أجمعين.

كذلك يوجد خطأ أحسب أن المؤلف وقع فيه عن غير عمد مثل إدعائه أن عمر بن الخطاب قد جلد إبنه عبد الله في شرب الخمر والصواب أن من جُلد كان عبد الرحمن وكان لزاماً على المؤلف طالما ذكر تلك القضية أن يوضح عدم تعمد عبد الرحمن لشرب الخمر وأنه من طلب إقامة الحد عليه كي تبرأ ذمته

كذلك الترجمة لم تكن على المستوى المطلوب فكثيراً ما قرأت كلمات لا تتناسب مع طبيعة الفتح الإسلامي وكيف أنه كان خلاصاً للناس من ظلم حكامهم.

لكن رغم هذا أرشح الكتاب وبشدة.

[Umar Begg · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the first non-fiction books I ever read. A really inspiring book which helped to shape a lot of my early thought as a young Muslim. Cannot recommend enough, a must-read.

[Ahmed Gomaa Sarhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

فلا نامت أعين الجبناء
خالد بن الوليد

[Movsar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the beginning of the book, regarding the time of Prophet and their first struggles and the very end of the book, especially the appendicies were much more informative than most of the book's main content! Otherwise, quite a boring book with a misleading title. The whole thing is just a collection of battles which Khalid participated and won, which is of course increadible and kind of interesting but it doesn't really go into Khalid as a person or his reactions to what was happening, which should have been a "biography's" main objective as I had hoped. On the other hand, I didn't like the frivolity with which the author described some details he could have no knowledge about, like how the wind felt at 10pm in the night in 14th Hijri or some random stuff like that (I am exaggerating of course).

[Saad · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars just because there are no other books that have gone into so much detail about the story of Khalid bin Al-Waleed and because none have ever looked at the early Islamic wars from such a perspective, which also makes this type of a book more fun to read. No one really makes these types of things. The book itself was easy to read, and even more enjoyable for me because of how much I'm fascinated with the early history of this side of Islam, the fighting and war side. It's interesting how nations that back then opposed Islam, today are Islamic and this book shows why. The strategies used by the Muslim generals, the book does discuss them, but I think they could have been discussed in a better way. Maybe tell us what each move really means or what effects it has? I don't know, something more. But then again, this book isn't really a strategy book. Reading the book, sometimes I also felt like some of the things written in it might not be true. But, again, I guess it's okay and not the author's fault since he does give references to most of these things.

So, overall, the book is a "good read". ;)

It is one of my favourites.

I'm from Pakistan and the author is Pakistani, so that makes it even better.

Hoping to read the other books he's made, that are mainly about the muslim conquests, also, but I just can't find them anywhere, even in Pakistan!

[Shafiq Suhaimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

growing up in a traditional Islamic environment, most of the historic text about the Prophet and his companions that I have came across generally falls into two categories; the ones that is heavy on the spiritual aspect of everything, and the ones that is heavy on the facts only. What made this book special is the fact the book managed to be both a spiritual and a factual book about one of the most famous among the Prophet Muhammad's companions. And the fact that it is written by a military man made the book a lot batter as the author describes in details of the battle up to a point that I feel like I am hearing the battle that took place as a play by play by a sports commentator.

This is a great book and it is great for both the spiritual Muslims that want to know about the 'Sirah' of Khalled ibn Al-Waleed and for the history buffs that want to know about the live and struggles of one of the most successful general of all time.

[Ceri and Rumaysa Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prior to reading this book I didnt know alot about Khalid ibn Waleed (ra). Therefore I found it an interesting read which provided alot of information about one of the prominant but perhaps less well known (for English speakers, anyway)early Muslims. However, I feel there are two major shortcomings of the book. Firstly, I felt the author failed to adequately flesh out one of the recurring themes in the book-the apparent animosity between Umar ibn al-Khattab (ra) and Khalid (ra). You get the sense that it probably just stemmed from their childhood rivalry but at the same time get the inkling that it must have been something more to it. Unfortunately the book sort of skirts around it without providing any firm ideas. Secondly, the author has a habit of using modern colloquialisms which sit awkwardly with the subject matter of the book. Overall I regard it as a worthwhile read, but someway short of more eloquent biographies such as Martin Lings' 'Muhammad...'.