Hadith 1095

وعن سمرة رضي الله عنه قال : قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم: « اقتلوا شيوخ المشركين واستبقوا شرخهم » رواه أبو داود وصححه الترمذي.
Samurah (RAA) narrated that The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Kill the mature men of the polytheists but spare their children.” Related by Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi graded it as Sahih.
Hadith Reference بلوغ المرام / 1095
Hadith Grading محدثین: ضعيف
Hadith Takhrij «أخرجه أبوداود، الجهاد، باب في قتل النساء، حديث:2670، والترمذي، السير، حديث:1583.* قتادة مدلس وعنعن.»
Related hadith on this topic
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Safi ur-Rahman Mubarakpuri
Takhrij:
«أخرجه أبوداود، الجهاد، باب في قتل النساء، حديث:2670، والترمذي، السير، حديث:1583.* قتادة مدلس وعنعن.»©Explanation:
This hadith establishes that it is permissible to kill those elderly among the enemies of Islam who possess military expertise, experience, and physical and mental strength, whereas one should refrain from killing young adolescents.

Moreover, there is generally greater hope from the younger generation that they will soon enter the fold of Islam and become helpful and supportive in spreading Islam, while such hope is rarely held for the elderly and aged people.
Source: Bulugh al-Maram: Commentary by Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri, Page: 1095
Shaykh Dr. Abdur Rahman Freywai
Commentary:
Note:
(In the chain of narration, both Qatadah and Hasan al-Basri are mudallis narrators, and the narration is with ‘an‘anah.)
Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhi – Majlis ‘Ilmi Dar al-Da‘wah, New Delhi Edition, Page: 1583
Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi
Benefits and Issues:
By "elders" (shuyukh) are meant such old men
whose youth has passed,
but who are still capable of fighting,
or who incite the young men to fight.
Source: Sunan Abu Dawood – Commentary by Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi, Page: 2670