An Islamic Treasury of Virtues
9. Manners In Society
~ 216 ~
was a brave and extremely daring commander. But
there were times when his bravery would lead him
into hasty decisions. A case in point was siege of
Hims, (16 AH) when the Roman Emperor
Heraclius, alongwith his North African troops,
attacked the forces of Khalid and besieged them
within the town. Contrary to orders from the
Caliphate, Khalid immediately sallied forth to do
battle with the attacking forces, without waiting for
the arrival of reinforcements. On this particular
occasion, the Muslims, by the sheer grace of God,
were victorious. But Umar considered that Khalid
had been hasty and imprudent in this action. Shah
Waliullah comments: “Courage is not everything in
the field of battle. Patience to await the necessary
assistance is also a virtue, otherwise courage, on its
own, can lead one straight to defeat.
(SHAH WALIULLAH
, IZALA AL-KHAFA)
AN OATH OF SECRECY
Abu Bakr accompanied the Prophet when he
emigrated from Makkah to Madinah. An idolater of
the Banu Al-Dayl tribe – Abdullah ibn Urayqit by
name – who was well acquainted with the Hijaz
