D~btlm^201general level, trus was a fine lesson in humility addressed to older Com-
panions: they were to experience the inner, greater jihad of obeying a man
who could have been their son, and in so doing remember that their time
was limited, like any man's. By that choice, the Prophet taught them that
time naturally erodes one's energy, and one must be wise enough to learn
to step aside, to delegate authority to those who are young and strong
enough to create and build.
The Prophet gave young Usamah his recommendations and asked him
to set out promptly. H owever, the Prophet's sudden illness was to delay
that departure, and the army waited near Medina during all those days of
doubt about his condition. A few weeks later, Abu Bakr was, according to
the Prophet's wish, to ask Usumah to carry out the expedition. He
reminded him of the Prophet's teachings concerning war ethics, for the
latter had constantly insisted on the principles Muslims must respect
when dealing with their enemies. "Do not kill women, children, and old
people," Abu Bah ordered him.5 "Do not commit treacherous actions.
Do not stray from the right path. Never mutilate. D o not destroy palm
trees, do not burn houses and cornfields, do not cut down fruit trees, and
do not kill livestock except when you are compelled to eat them .... As
you move on, you will meet hermits who live in monasteries and serve
God in seclusion. Leave them alone; do not kill them and do not destroy
their monasteries."6 Those teachings were essential, and they were con-
veyed to Usamah in the light of what the Prophet had said in various cir-
cumstances about warfare, respect for nature, or how to treat animals. In
a few sentences, Abu Bakr was synthesizing the essence of the 1Iessen-
ger's teachings in this respect.
Years before, at the end of the Battle of .Hunayn, the Prophet had
passed by a group of people standing around a woman who lay on the
ground, and heard that she had been killed by Khalid ibn al-\'Valid (who
was then, as we have seen, a recent convert). He was deeply angered and
asked that I bn al-Walid be told: "God's 1fessenger fo rbids killing children,
women, and slaves." 7 He had also blamed him when he had killed men
who had already surrendered after a battle. Tn both cases, then, the mes-
sage was the same: one should fight only enemy soldiers, while sparing all
those who did not directly take part in armed conflict or could no longer
cause any harm. The Prophet had clearly stated before sending the M utah
expedition: "You shall not be treacherous, you shall not deceive, you shall