Khālid ibn al-Walīd << KAH lihd ihb uhn al wah LEED >> (?-642) was an Arab general during the Muslim conquest of Syria and nearby areas in the 600’s. These victories helped spread Islam throughout the Middle East.
Islam originated in Arabia with the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. Khālid at first opposed Muhammad, but he later became a Muslim and helped Muhammad take control of the Arabian city of Mecca in 630.
After Muhammad died in 632, some Arabian tribes considered their allegiance to Islam to be ended. Khālid, who became known as the “Sword of God,” crushed rebellions among those tribes. Later, after invading the area that is now Iraq, Khālid crossed the Syrian Desert. He captured Damascus, then a major outpost of the Byzantine Empire, in 635. The next year, he defeated the Byzantines and their allies in the Yarmuk River Valley, in what is now Jordan.
