Khalid ibn al-Walid

Khalid ibn al-Walid was a seventh century Arab military commander, born into an aristocratic Qurayshite family in Mecca, who fought against the Prophet Muhammad before converting to Islam around 627 to 629 and going on to serve Muhammad and the first two caliphs as a battlefield commander. During the Ridda Wars of 632 to 633 he suppressed Arab tribal rebellions in central Arabia, defeating the rebel leaders Tulayha at the Battle of Buzakha and Musaylima at the Battle of al-Yamama, then led campaigns against Sasanian Persian forces in Iraq in 633 and 634, capturing the city of al-Hira. From 634 to 638 he directed the Muslim conquest of Byzantine-held Syria, winning decisive victories at Ajnadayn, Damascus and the Yarmouk River, a campaign that included a celebrated unconventional march across a long, waterless stretch of desert. His military successes earned him the honorific Sayf Allah, or Sword of God, though his growing fame concerned Caliph Umar, who feared it could foster a personality cult and eventually dismissed him from command around 638. He remains one of early Islam's most celebrated military commanders, credited with an undefeated record across dozens of battles.