Multiple Examples of Defenceless People – Instructions by the First Caliph Abu Bakr as-Siddiq

Main Part · Full-text chapter from the book Islam's Strict Prohibitions Against Killing Women, Children and Other Defenceless People · Read as PDF

In al-Muwatta', in the chapter about jihad, under the subheading “The prohibition against killing women and children during a military campaign”, Malik رحمه الله – on the authority of Yahya ibnu Sa'id – narrates about an instruction by the first Caliph Abu Bakr as-Siddiq رضي الله عنه (died 13 AH/634 CE):

عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ، أَنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقَ بَعَثَ جُيُوشًا إِلَى الشَّامِ. فَخَرَجَ يَمْشِي مَعَ يَزِيدَ بْنِ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ وَكَانَ أَمِيرَ رُبْعٍ مِنْ تِلْكَ الْأَرْبَاعِ. فَزَعَمُوا أَنَّ يَزِيدَ قَالَ لِأَبِي بَكْرٍ: إِمَّا أَنْ تَرْكَبَ، وَإِمَّا أَنْ أَنْزِلَ. فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ «مَا أَنْتَ بِنَازِلٍ، وَمَا أَنَا بِرَاكِبٍ. إِنِّي أَحْتَسِبُ خُطَايَ هَذِهِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ». ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ: «إِنَّكَ سَتَجِدُ قَوْمًا زَعَمُوا أَنَّهُمْ حَبَّسُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ لِلَّهِ. فَذَرْهُمْ وَمَا زَعَمُوا أَنَّهُمْ حَبَّسُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ لَهُ. ... ». وَإِنِّي مُوصِيكَ بِعَشْرٍ: «لَا تَقْتُلَنَّ امْرَأَةً، وَلَا صَبِيًّا، وَلَا كَبِيرًا هَرِمًا، وَلَا تَقْطَعَنَّ شَجَرًا مُثْمِرًا، وَلَا تُخَرِّبَنَّ عَامِرًا، وَلَا تَعْقِرَنَّ شَاةً، وَلَا بَعِيرًا، إِلَّا لِمَأْكَلَةٍ. وَلَا تَحْرِقَنَّ نَخْلًا، وَلَا تُغَرِّقَنَّهُ، وَلَا تَغْلُلْ وَلَا تَجْبُنْ»

that Abu Bakr as-Siddiq sent out (four) armies to Syria. He went out to walk with Yazid ibnu Abi Sufyan, who was the commander of one of the four armies. It is reported, that Yazid said to Abu Bakr: “Either you join me on my animal or I will get off it”. Abu Bakr replied:

“Neither will you get off it, nor will I ride it. I am counting these footsteps of mine on the way of Allah.”

Then Abu Bakr continued: “You will meet people that claim to have secluded themselves for Allah's sake. So leave them and that, what they have secluded themselves to. […]

And I enjoin upon you ten things:

‘Do not kill any woman, nor child, nor elderly person and do not cut down any fruit-bearing tree nor destroy any settlement. Do not slaughter any sheep, nor camel; except for consumption. Do not burn any palm tree, nor drown it. Do not defraud and do not act cowardly!”

There are two narrations of this conversation that have also been recorded by Ibnu Abi Shaybah. One of them is phrased:

ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ تَأْتُونَ قَوْمًا فِي صَوَامِعَ لَهُمْ، فَدَعُوهُمْ وَمَا أَعْمَلُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ لَهُ

You will meet people (secluded) in their monk-huts. So leave them and that, in what they are engaging in.

The act, with which the monks were engaging and for which they withdrew themselves from people, was worship. Abu Bakr expressly forbade fighting them while, most notably, acknowledging their practices and doings (namely worship). The armies and their commanders were to keep away from them and their affairs.

As a matter of fact, he did not say something along the lines of: “Don't kill the monks, but at least destroy their huts, their temples, their belongings, their religious artefacts, et cetera.”

The narration, like the other ones already listed, instead illustrates that Muslims were instructed not to unsettle the monks in the first place, and to let them go about their day-to-day practices and worship.