UMAR BN ALKHATTAB 52: Diplomacy, Not Wars! Khalid bn Waleed (RA) was a great Muslim worrior and because of his bravery, some even nicknamed him God’s sword. He marched against the hundreds of thousands of able and well equipped Roman soldiers in Yarmuk near Syria and defeated them hands down. The Romans were forced to retreat and caged themselves up in Damascus, fearing Khalid would storm them with his army. But Umar bn AlKhattab, leader of the Muslim state, had a different plan and view altogether. So, he removed Khalid bn Waleed as the head of the army and replaced him with Abu Ubaidah (RA). Hear him as he addressed the Muslims in Madinah, the capital of the Muslim state: “Now that God has granted victory to the people of Yarmuk and Has demoralized the Romans and our friends are now heading towards Damascus, you should help them by thanking God for what He has given us all , so that He will bestow more grace on them and us all. Some of you may wonder: ‘Why has Ameerul Mumineen relieved Khalid of the command of the army in Syria, when we know how much he has achieved? You should know that I have not done so as a result of any grudge or any misdeeds on his part. My decision is based on three reasons: the first is that I often heard people saying, ‘no one can replace Khalid or match his achievements,’ or that ‘without Khalid, this or that would not have been achieved.’ Hence, I feared that people should give him a much higher status. I want them to know that it is God who determines everything. What if Khalid dies, will Islam be much weaker? Will God’s promise come to an end? Before Khalid, the best of mankind, Muhammad, God’s messenger, (SAW) died and the faith progressed according to God’s promise. A nation that attaches its affairs to one man, is bound to fail. When that man goes, the whole system fails. The second reason is that Khalid differs with me on the question of the authority of governors and commanders. He sticks to his view and will not budge. He feels a governor should be independent, and should conduct the affairs of his area as he feels fit, without reference to the Caliph. On my own part, I believe that the Caliph is accountable to God for his actions and those of his governors and commanders. The third reason is that governors and commanders should not only lead armies and plan battles. We would have preferred to avoid war altogether, because our main task is to provide guidance for people and to advocate Islam. Governors and commanders are also responsible to manage people’s affairs, ensure justice, administer state, when political management becomes more important than war management. Abu Ubaidah, on the other hand, has the advantage of a longer companionship with the Prophet. Besides, he is a devout believer who reflects on things, and he is kind to people. If Khalid is under him and employs his military talent in accordance with Abu Ubaidah’s policy, we are sure that the two will perfect each other. We can then guarantee that the sword will not dictate matters of management and policy. This is a basic principle of government. I have given this explanation so that there will not be much talks about it and to remove any suspicion from people’s minds. This is what I have felt. If I am right, it is only by God’s grace. And if I am wrong, the fault is mine.”
Posted on: Tue, 06 Aug 2013 04:28:05 +0000
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