Yarmouk, 15 Hijrah, 20 August 636 CE
The Roman general urged his horse forward, scanning the opposing army for the fabled “Sword of God.” His cataphracts stood in disciplined ranks behind him, men and horses clad head to toe in coats of mail, girt with bands of steel. Across the battlefield, the Arab army’s chants of “Allahu Akbar” rose in unison, sending an unfamiliar chill down his spine.
The general, Georgios, son of Theodore and nephew to Emperor Heraclius, had heard much about the man they called Khalid ibn Alwaleed. Tales of his triumphs filled the halls of Constantinople and the eastern provinces, his name spoken with both awe and dread. Now, Georgios was determined to see the man for himself.
He squinted at the Arab ranks. From a distance, their ragged appearance perplexed him—simple robes, mismatched armor, and weapons that lacked the polished perfection of Roman steel. How did these men rout the mighty Persian armies that challenged even us? He wondered if it was sheer luck—or divine intervention, as they claimed.
Georgios raised his sword, signaling his desire for a duel, a sacred right in the battlefield. When the battle began in earnest, chaos ruled and men died to swords and lances as well as hooves and arrows. But this right was always respected, regardless of the peoples at war, as long as they had a droplet of nobility left.
Then he saw him.
A lone rider broke from the Arab lines, his black stallion moving with the precision of a practiced predator. The figure was massive, towering even as he sat astride the horse, his scars stood out on his face even beneath his silver helmet. Two swords gleamed in his hands, their blades catching the sun’s rays. Georgios’s breath caught. So, it’s him.
The two commanders stopped, their horses’ breaths mingling in the tense desert air. Gathering his courage, Georgios raised a hand in a gesture of parley. In the rudimentary Arabic he had learned, he called out, “Before we duel, may I ask you a question?”
To his surprise, the man sheathed one sword and urged his horse closer until animals were neck and neck. “Ask away,” Khalid said, his voice calm and unwavering.
Georgios hesitated before taking a deep breath. “Khalid,” he began, “answer me truthfully, for a free man does not lie, and an honorable one does not deceive. Has your prophet received a sword from the heavens—a weapon that guarantees your victories?”
Khalid’s lips curved into a faint smile. “No,” he replied simply.
“Then why do they call you the Sword of God?”
The question hung in the air. Khalid glanced over his shoulder at the ranks of his soldiers, then turned back to Georgios. “God sent His Messenger to us to call us to worship the one true God, but we refused. Some of us believed and followed him, while others rejected him. I was among those who fought him.” He paused, his gaze steady. “But Allah guided my heart, and I joined the Messenger and fought alongside him. The Messenger of Allah then said to me, ‘You are one of God’s swords unsheathed against the polytheists.’ And so, I fight with this title, by God’s will.”
Georgios blinked, taken aback by the honesty-even regret in Khalid’s voice. He speaks of faith… Like that man in Amuriyah
“And this message you carry—what does it call for?” Georgios pressed.
“To bear witness that there is no god but God, and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger,” Khalid replied. “To trust in what has been revealed to him from God.”
“And what of those who refuse this call?”
Khalid’s expression remained unchanged. “They may pay the Jizya, and in return, we protect them.”
“And if they refuse even that?”
“Then we seek permission to do battle.”
Georgios felt his throat tighten. Could the monk have been right? Could this truly be a divine mission? He steadied himself, forcing the question that weighed most heavily on his heart. “What of those who join you today? What is their place among you?”
Khalid’s gaze softened. “God has ordained that we treat our nobles and peasants, our first and last, as one.”
Georgios frowned, still unconvinced. “But surely, those who join you now—so late in your mission—cannot earn the same favor as those who have fought alongside you from the beginning?”
Khalid sighed, as if the answer carried both pride and sorrow. “We who saw the Messenger of Allah, who witnessed the miracles and revelation, had every reason to believe. For you, who have seen none of this, to join us with sincerity and faith—your reward would be greater than ours.”
The words struck Georgios like a hammer, shattering the walls he had built around his doubts. His hands trembled slightly as he asked, “By God, have you spoken the truth and not deceived me?”
“By God, I have spoken the truth.”
A profound silence settled between them. Georgios felt the weight of this choice pressing down on him. He knew in these moments, he wasn’t just deciding his own fate-but the fate of his empire.
~
Sources
- Georgios’ Conversion and conversation – The entire conversation between Khalid and Georgios can be found in Altabari’s account, Arabic reference found below:
- ص398 – كتاب تاريخ الطبري تاريخ الرسل والملوك وصلة تاريخ الطبري – خبر اليرموك – المكتبة الشاملة
- Link
- Khalid’s Title: The Sword of Allah – Khalid’s explanation of his title is derived from hadith sources, including Ibn Sa’d’s Tabaqat and Al-Bukhari, where the Prophet refers to him as “one of God’s unsheathed swords.”
Sahaba Epic 
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