Khalid was a Central Asian king who ruled the same area as the Prophet’s grandfather and great-grandfather. His ruling was one of honor and loyalty and not without reason. He controlled a sizable territory and any defection to either side of the great river was met with extreme cruelty.
King Khalid was named after Jalal Ad-Din al-Mohandar. When his father died, Khalid, along with his uncle, were considered for the position of ruler. However, there was one major issue with this choice that would decide Khalid’s fate.
The problem with King Khalid’s choice of wife was that she was a Muslim and she offended the Kufan people by accepting Christianity. Khadijah ibn Ubai, the wife of King Khalid, would be unable to reign over them. She had gone to the Holy Land where she learned the true religion and chose to convert to Islam.
It is during this time that Khadijah became close with the Prophet’s cousin and co-ruler, Jubayl bin Naufal, also known as Jalal Ad-Din al-Mawdudi. Through his guidance and advice, she married Abdul Aziz, also known as Khalid. This alliance was important to the people of Kufa, because they were forced to tolerate the presence of Christians in their midst.
Khalid’s alliance with the Baluchi tribes helped secure the acceptance of Christians into their society. At the same time, Khalid realized the importance of Christianity and made efforts to defend them.
In an attempt to stop lawlessness and rioting, he sent a group of his men to the Bait-ul-Maqdis area. However, instead of finding the promised aid, they found only death and destruction. To add insult to injury, Khalid had the head of this Christian minister put on display.
A few days later, however, he received a message from Pope Pius II, demanding that he return the head back to the Catholic Church. The head was returned to the Pope but the Catholic Church at the time considered the act to be blasphemy. The people of Kufa demanded retribution and retaliated against the Catholic Church.
This conflict that followed was known as the Battle of the Camel; the Catholics were forced to flee, leaving the territory under the rule of the Kufans. However, Khadijah remained in her home and was later forced to return to Kufa by the Catholic Church.
