Commander in Chief in the Conquest of Syria

With regard to the conquest of Syria, it is mentioned that in 13 AH, the Byzantines were attacked from various fronts. One of the commanders of the army was Hazrat Yazid bin Abi Sufyan – one of the sons of Abu Sufyan was Yazid who passed away before [the incidents of discord that occurred in Islam]. He attacked from the east of Jordan. Another commander of the army was Hazrat Sharahbeel bin Hasanah who advanced forward from Balqa. The third commander was Hazrat Amr (ra) bin Aas whose army entered Syria from the direction of Palestine. The fourth commander was Hazrat Abu Ubaidah (ra) bin Jarrah who advanced forward with his army from Homs.

Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) had issued instructions that when all the armies had gathered in one place, Hazrat Abu Ubaidah (ra) would become the commander-in-chief of all the armies. Each army was made up of 4,000 soldiers, whereas Hazrat Abu Ubaidah’s (ra) army consisted of 8,000 soldiers. When the armies were about to depart, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) instructed the respective commanders:

“Do not impose hardship upon yourselves, nor on your fellow brothers. Do not express displeasure towards your people and your fellow men. Consult them, uphold justice and keep clear of any cruelty for one who is unjust can never progress and nor witness any kind of success. When you come up against the enemy, never show your back to them for Allah the Almighty has stated:

“‘And whoso turns his back to them on such a day, unless manoeuvring for battle or turning to join another company, he indeed draws upon himself the wrath of Allah, and Hell shall be his abode.’”

This is mentioned in Surah al-Anfal, verse 17. Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) then further stated,

“If you are granted victory over the enemy; do not kill any children, the elderly or women. Furthermore, do not kill any animal and nor break the covenants you make.”