This sequence of leadership emphasizes the Prophet’s trust...

This sequence of leadership emphasizes the Prophet’s trust in these individuals and his strategic planning for the Muslim community’s early military endeavors. Departure of Musllim Army When the army was departing, people bid them farewell and prayed for them. During this period, the Prophet (PBUHH) addressed the army, and parts of the sermon include: “I recommend you to observe piety (Taqwa) and beneficence to Muslims who are beside you.

Depart in the name of God and on the path of God, and fight with whoever denies God; do not break treaties and promises, and do not kill children. When you encounter the enemy, call them to one of the following, and if they comply with these, then stop fighting them. Call them to Islam; if they comply, then let them go.

Then call them to immigrate to Dar al-Muhajirin (the house of immigrants, that is, Medina and its suburbs); if they comply, then they will share the benefits and harms of Muhajirun, and if they believe in Islam and stay in their own homelands, then tell them that they are like Muslim Arabs, and the Divine laws apply to them; and they do not share the booties of wars unless they fight alongside the Muslims.

If they do not comply with all this, then call them to pay Jizya (that is, taxes on non-Muslims). If they comply, then let them go. And if they do not comply even with this, then ask for God’s help and fight them.

And if you besiege people of a fort or a city and they ask you to deal with them in accordance with the Divine command, then reject their request and just give them temporary security (Aman) in accordance with your own judgment, since you do not know if you can grasp the Divine command about them. Then the Holy Prophet (PBUHH) accompanied the Army of Islam to Thaniyyat al-Wada’; he then stayed there and the army stood around him.

The Prophet (PBUHH) told them: “Depart in the name of God and fight the enemy of God and your enemy in Syria.

You will see people who worship God in their monasteries; do not encroach upon them, and you will see people whose heads are Satan’s nests; decapitate their heads with swords… Never kill women, children, and the elderly; never set palm groves to fire; never cut trees, and never destroy houses.” Commencement of the Battle Following this provocation, (PBUH) mobilized a contingent of around 3,000 troops [7] from Medina to confront the Byzantine-allied forces in the region of Mu’tah, near the border of modern-day Jordan.