Page:William Muir, Thomas Hunter Weir - The Caliphate; Its Rise, Decline, and Fall (1915).djvu/173

 144 silent. Abu ʿObeida himself embarrassed, a painful pause ensued, At last Bilāl, privileged as the Muëzzin of the Prophet, stepped forth, and with stentorian voice cried, Thus and thus hath the Commander of the Faithful said, and it is incumbent on us to obey; so saying, he unwound the kerchief from the head of Khālid, bound his hands therewith, and took his helmet off. The great warrior, to whom Islām so greatly owed its conquests, stood as a felon before the congregation. Bilāl repeated the question, and Khālid at length replied, "The money was my own." At once Bilāl unbound his hands, and, replacing the helmet on his head, wound round the kerchief as before, and said, "We honour thee still, even as we did honour thee before, one of our chiefest captains." But Abu ʿObeida was silent; and Khālid, stunned by the disgrace, stood speechless and bewildered. Abu ʿObeida had not the heart to proclaim his deposition; but still spoke kindly to him as one who had his confidence. ʿOmar, informed of what had passed, made allowance for Abu ʿObeida's delicacy, and summoned Khālid to Medīna. Prompt to obey, though sore at heart, Khālid first returned to his seat of Government; and both there and at Ḥimṣ, bidding adieu to his friends and people, complained of the ingratitude of the Caliph, who scrupled not to use him in times of difficulty, but cast him aside when, through his aid, he had reached the summit of his Sovereign, power. Arrived in the Caliph's presence, Khālid broke out in bitter reproach:—"I swear that thou hast treated despitefully a faithful servant to whom thou owest much. I appeal from thee to the whole body of the Faithful." "Whence came that money?" was ʿOmar's only answer. The question was repeated day by day; till at last, galled by the charge, Khālid made answer: "I have naught but the spoil which the Lord hath given me in the days of Abu Bekr as well as in thine own. Whatever thou findest over 60,000 pieces, hath been gained in thy Caliphate; take it if thou wilt." So his effects were valued, and the estimate reaching 80,000, ʿOmar confiscated the difference. But he still affected to hold the great General in honour and regard. Accordingly, he sent a rescript to the various provinces,