Sword of Allah-Khaled bin Walid 25×16 cms ES-86

The original title of the book, “The Sword of Allah: Khalid bin Al-Waleed, His Life and Campaigns” was written by the late Lieutenant-General A.I. Akram of the Pakistan Army, in October 1969. The author learnt Arabic in order to draw on the earliest historical sources and he visited every one of Khalid’s battlefields in order to draw analyses from the viewpoint of military strategy, including reconciling conflicting historians’ accounts. The book was originally published by the Army Education Press, Rawalpindi, Pakistan and printed by Feroze Sons Publishers in Lahore, Pakistan. The excellence of the book was such that it has been translated from English into Arabic and is currently sold in bookshops throughout the Arab World.

Some of the sources used include:
1. Ibn Hisham: Seerat-un-Nabawi, 2. Waqidi: Maghazi Rasulillah: 3. Ibn Sad: Tabaqat-ul-Kubara, 4. Ibn Qutaibah: 5. Al-Yaqubi: Tareekh-ul-Yaqubi, 6. Al-Baladhuri: Futuh-ul-Buldan, 7. Dinawari: Akhbar-ul-Tiwal, 8. At-Tabari: Tareekh-ul-Umam wal Muluk,
9. Al-Masudi: Muruj-uz-Dhahab, 10. Ibn Rusta: A’laq-un-Nafeesa, 11. Isfahani: Al Aghani, 12. Yaqut: Mu’jam-ul-Buldan,
13. Abu Yusuf: Kitab-ul-Kharaj,

The Authors says about the Book
‘This is a book of history, specifically of Muslim military history. It deals with the life and campaigns of one of the most remarkable soldiers the world has ever known-Khalid bin Al Waleed, an all-conquering hero who never knew the meaning of military defeat. Seeking clarity for the layman as well as the professional soldier, I have avoided technical terminology and tried to maintain a simple style.

A good deal of what appears in this book is not generally known to the public; but every incident, every circumstance is historically correct. Every move, every duel, every blow, every quoted statement is taken from the accounts of the early historians. In the interpretation of the facts, I have at times had to rely on judgement, particularly with regard to the description of the battles; but I have tried to be as objective as possible. In my account of the battles and my description of the events which occurred in those early, fateful years of Islam, I have given credit to the enemies of Islam when they deserved it (and this was often); and I have pointed out the mistakes of the Muslims (though these were few). By A.I. Akram