Dismissal from army

Before his expedition to Marash, Khalid had a special bath. He had with him a certain
substance prepared with an alcoholic mixture, which was supposed to have a soothing
effect on the body when applied externally. Khalid rubbed his body with this
substance and thoroughly enjoyed his bath, from which he emerged glowing and
refreshed. Caliph Umar's spies reported this incident to him. A few weeks later he
received a letter from the Caliph in which he was asked about this, as this substance
contained alcohol, which is forbidden in Islam. Khalid felt that this was carrying the
Muslim ban on alcohol a bit too far. He was thoroughly conversant with the Quran
and knew that the Quranic verses on alcohol dealt only with the drinking of it, and
that the injunction against strong drink was intended to eliminate the evils of
drunkenness and alcoholism. Khalid wrote back to Umar and explained the method of
preparation of the offending substance with the alcoholic mixture and the cleaning of
it by boiling. Shortly after Khalid's capture of Marash, in the autumn of 638 (17 Hijri),
Umar came to know of Ash'as reciting a poem in praise of Khalid and receiving a gift
of 10,000 dirhams. This was more than the Caliph could take. He immediately wrote a
letter to Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah asking him to bring Khalid in front of the
congregation, tie his hands with his turban and take off his cap. He wanted Abu
Ubaida to ask him from what funds he gave to Ash'as: from his own pocket or from
the spoils acquired in the expedition? If he confessed to having been given from the
spoils, he was guilty of misappropriation. If he claimed that he gave from his own
pocket, he was guilty of extravagance. In either case he would be dismissed, and Abu
Ubaida would take charge of his duties. Abu Ubaida was himself an admirer of Khalid
bin Walid and loved him as his younger brother, and so he said he was not capable of
doing it. Instead, Bilal ibn Ribah was appointed for this task and called back Khalid
from Qasreen to Emessa, where he was charged publicly. Khalid stated that he gave
money from his own pocket and thus was declared innocent in that charge. However,
when he went to Abu Ubaida, he told him that he had been dismissed on the order of
caliph Umar.

Khalid went to Qasreen and said good bye to his mobile guard. He then went to
Medina to meet caliph Umar. He protested about what he considered to be injustice.
Umar praised him in these words:

You have done;

“
And no man has done as you have done.
But it is not people who do;
It is Allah who does. ”
Later Umar explained his dismissal of Khalid:

"I have not dismissed Khalid because of my anger or because of any

“ dishonesty on his part, but because people glorified him and were misled.
I feared that people would rely on him. I want them to know that it is
Allah who does all things; and there should be no mischief in the land." ”

1
Thus did Khalid's immensely successful military career end.[19]

Death

Although it is believed that relations between `Umar and Khalid, cousins, were
always something short of cordial, Khalid apparently harbored no ill-will. Upon his
death, he bequeathed his property to `Umar and made him the executor of his will and
estate.[20] Khalid died and was buried in 642 in Emesa (Homs), Syria. He had wanted
to die a martyr in the field of battle, and was apparently disappointed when he knew
that he would die in bed. Khalid put all the torment of his soul into one last, anguished
sentence:

I fought in so many battles seeking martyrdom that there is no place in my

“ body but have a stabbing mark by a spear , a sword or a dagger, and yet
here I am, dying on my bed, like an old camel dies. May the eyes of the
cowards never sleep[21] ”
Translation (that even though he dies and closes his eyes like old animal dies, He
prays that his enemies the cowards who avoid battles to stay alive never enjoy life and
cannot close their eyes when trying to sleep in fear)

His tomb is now part of a mosque called Jamia Khalid ibn al-Walid (Khalid ibn al-
Walid Mosque). Khalid's tombstone depicts a list of over 50 victorious battles that he
commanded without defeat (not including small battles). [22]