and peace be to those who follow the true guidance! Written by Ubai ibn-Kaʿb."[1]
Khâlid ibn-al-Walîd goes against Musailimah. When, at the death of the Prophet, abu-Bakr was proclaimed caliph and, in a few months, destroyed those of the people of Najd and its environs who apostatized from Islâm, abu-Bakr sent Khâlid ibn-al-Walîd ibn-al-Mughîrah-l-Makhzûmi to al-Yamâmah giving him orders to fight against Musailimah, the false Prophet. As Khalid came within sight of al-Yamâmah, he met a group of the banu-Ḥanîfah among whom was Mujjâʿah ibn-Murârah ibn-Sulmi.[2] He killed them and spared Mujjâʿah whom he carried off in chains. Khâlid put up his camp one mile from al-Yamâmah. Banu-Ḥanîfah came out to him, and among them were ar-Rajjâl and Muḥakkim ibn-aṭ-Ṭufail ibn-Subaiʿ, nicknamed the Muḳakkim al-Yamâmah. Khâlid, seeing something glittering among them, turned to his men and said, "Know ye Moslems that Allah has spared you the trouble of your enemy. Do ye not see how they have drawn the swords one against the other? I suppose there is discord among them, and their force will be used on themselves." Mujjâʿah, fettered in his chains, shouted, "No, these are Indian swords which they, for fear of being broken, hold up to the sun in order to render the blades flexible." They then met. The first to meet the Moslems was ar-Rajjâl ibn-ʿUnfuwah, who was immediately killed by Allah's help. Many of the distinguished men and "Koran-readers" among the Moslems fell martyrs. The Moslems then returned and went back, but Allah favored them with a victory and made the people of al-Yamâmah take to flight. The Moslems pursued them,
