RECORD OF KHÂLED’S KILLING MÂLEK B. NUYRAH.

Mâlek Bin Nuyrah, upon whom the authority of govern­ing a number of Arabs devolved, and who was one of the friends of O’mar, possessed a wife distinguished by her amiability and intelligence all around the country; and Mâlek had, after separating from Sajâh, established himself in the locality of Battâa’, where he remained till his life came to an end. The details of these affairs are, that when Abu Bakr took leave of Khâled he instructed him to send spies among the Arab tribes, and not to injure any in which the call to prayers could be heard, but to consider them as professing Islâm; and, on the other hand, he was to invite any tribe in which the call to prayers could not be heard to accept Islâm, and if it refused to comply to attack it with his sharp sword. When Khâled heard that the Arab chiefs, having repented of their allegiance to Sajâh, had returned to their tribes, he despatched, according to the injunction of Abu Bakr, scouts in all directions to ascertain the state of affairs. Having sent some to the tribe of Mâlek B. Nuyrah in order to ascertain whether it professed Islâm or unbelief, they acted according to the behest of Khâled, and after their return reported that they had not heard the call to prayers in the tribe of Mâlek B Nuyrah; but Abu Qotâdah, the Anssâri, who had also been with them, bore witness to Khâled that he had heard the call to prayers in that tribe. When a meeting took place between Mâlek and Khâled, it occurred to his mind, every now and then during the conversation, that the man was an apostate, because whenever he spoke about his prophetic lordship—u. w. bl.—he made use of the expression: ‘Your man has said so.’ After these words had been several times used by Mâlek, Khâled raised his head, saying: ‘O dog! The prophet was our man, and not yours.’ Then he gave in that very meeting the signal to strike off his head.

It is recorded in some chronicles that when Mâlek with some of his people had been captured and brought to Khâled, he retained them as prisoners. When the night set in, the weather happened also to become extremely cold, whereon Khâled, being of a very kind disposition, ordered the watchmen to make arrangements for sheltering the prisoners from the cold. According to the proverb, however, that ‘When He willeth a thing, He prepareth the means for effecting it,’ the herald shouted something quite different from the injunction, namely, ‘The Bani Kenânah have arrived,’ which brought on slaughter, because the guards of Mâlek and of his people, although they were more numerous than the Bani Kenânah, grasped their swords as soon as the herald had shouted, and killed all the prisoners. When Khâled was informed of what had taken place, he exclaimed: ‘When Allah willeth a thing He bringeth it to pass.’ And after Mâlek had been slain Khâled married his widow. In short, when the news of the death of Mâlek, and of Khâled’s marriage to his wife, had been reported to O’mar, he was much distressed, and informed Abu Bakr that Khâled had slain Mâlek with his people despite the testimony of Abu Qotâdah that Mâlek and his people were professors of Islâm, and that he had not believed the statement. Abu Qotâdah also swore an oath that he would hereafter take no share in any Ghazâ of which Khâled might be the commander. O’mar then requested Abu Bakr to deprive Khâled of his command, but he replied: ‘Do not blame Khâled, and do not expect him to be degraded, because I shall not sheathe the sword which God the Most High has drawn against the infidels.’ At last, however, Abu Bakr sent a messenger to Khâled on account of the pertinacity of O’mar, commanding him to give an account of the death of Mâlek. Khâled, therefore, obedient to the behest of the successor of the apostle of God, set out for Madinah, and arriving in the vicinity of the town, sent two gold dinârs by way of a gift to the door­keeper of Abu Bakr, with the request to admit him to his presence alone in a suitable place without allowing any other person to enter with him; the porter accepted the sum and complied with the request, and this is said to have been the first case of bribery which occurred in Islâm. When Khâled B. Alwolyd reached the mosque, which was near the house of Abu Bakr, he met O’mar; but O’mar, who had just come out from the sacred building, drew forth two arrows which he had been carrying on his head accord­ing to the usage of Arab champions, from his turban, and broke them, shouting: ‘Thou hast slain a Musalmân and hast married his wife! I swear by God that I shall stone thee!’ Khâled, imagining that he had incurred the dis­pleasure of Abu Bakr, and would be reproved by him, replied nothing, and both walked together to the house of Abu Bakr; the doorkeeper, however, placing his hand on the breast of O’mar, said: ‘No one has permission to enter except Khâled.’ Hereon O’mar, respecting the abode of the Khalifah, went away, but, clapping his hands, said: ‘Alas! the blood of Mâlek has been wantonly shed.’ When Khâled entered the hall of Abu Bakr, the latter said: ‘Thou hast killed a Moslem and wedded his relict!’ Khâled replied: ‘O Khalifah of the apostle of Allah, I adjure thee by God to tell me whether thou hast heard the prophet say: “Khâled is the scimitar of God.”’ Abu Bakr having replied in the affirmative, Khâled continued: ‘The scimitar of God strikes no one except an unbeliever or a hypocrite.’ Abu Bakr said: ‘Then return imme­diately to thy work.’ Khâled having departed joyfully and pleased from Abu Bakr, perceived O’mar as he sat at the door of the mosque, and said to him: ‘Approach me, O son of the son of Omm Abu Shamlah.’ It is recorded in the history of Tabari that when Khâled had gone away from Abu Bakr he saw O’mar sitting at the door of the mosque, placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, and said: ‘O son of the left hand.’ Muhammad B. Jarir Tabari states that Khâled named O’mar as of the left hand, because he was in the habit of doing that with the left hand which other people did with the right. When O’mar perceived that affairs had taken this turn, he knew that Khâled had excused himself for killing Mâlek, and that Abu Bakr was pleased with him.