Khalid ibn al-Walid (died 642) was a commander under the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the first two caliphs, Abu Bakr and Umar. Before his conversion to Islam, Khalid helped defeat the Muslims at the Battle of Uhud in 625. After Khalid converted, Muhammad bestowed on him the title Sayf Allah ('the Sword of God'). In 632, Khalid was appointed by Abu Bakr to suppress or subjugate the tribes of central Arabia opposed to the nascent Muslim state in the Ridda wars. He led the initial campaigns in Sasanian Iraq in 633–634, before being deployed to lead the Muslim conquest of Byzantine Syria. He reached Syria after a famed desert march and led the decisive Muslim victory over the Byzantines at the Battle of Yarmouk. Umar demoted Khalid around 636, but he continued military service in Syria for about two more years. Though the Islamic tradition lauds his command of the early conquests, Khalid's military fame disturbed some early Muslims, including Umar, who feared it could develop into a personality cult.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khalid_ibn_al-Walid
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1936:
Nationalist rebels attempted a coup against the Second Spanish Republic, sparking the Spanish Civil War. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_coup_of_July_1936
1995:
Selena's album Dreaming of You, instrumental in popularizing Tejano music, was released posthumously. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreaming_of_You_%28Selena_album%29
2012:
A suicide bomber attacked an Israeli tour bus at Burgas Airport, Bulgaria, resulting in the military branch of Hezbollah being designated a terrorist organization by the European Union. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Burgas_bus_bombing
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
on fleek: 1. Flawless; perfect; spot on. 2. Of an article of clothing or outfit: stylish and perfectly chosen or put together. 3. Of eyebrows or hair: sleek and perfectly groomed or styled; well- groomed. 4. (African-American Vernacular, slang) In a sleek or stylish manner; sleekly, stylishly. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/on_fleek
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Democracy is based on the majority principle. This is especially true in a country such as ours where the vast majority have been systematically denied their rights. At the same time, democracy also requires that the rights of political and other minorities be safeguarded. In the political order we have established there will regular, open and free elections, at all levels of government — central, provincial and municipal. There shall also be a social order which respects completely the culture, language and religious rights of all sections of our society and the fundamental rights of the individual. The task at hand on will not be easy. But you have mandated us to change South Africa from a country in which the majority lived with little hope, to one in which they can live and work with dignity, with a sense of self-esteem and confidence in the future. --Nelson Mandela https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela
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