Al-Matalib al-'Aliyah 2149 — Appointing as commander one skilled

It is narrated from Imam al-Zuhri (may Allah have mercy on him) that after the expedition of Dhat al-Salasil, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) appointed Sayyiduna Usamah bin Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) as commander, while he was still a young man. In that expedition many people of the Arabs were taken captive and enslaved. In this army of Sayyiduna Usamah (may Allah be pleased with him) were also Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab and Sayyiduna al-Zubayr bin al-Awwam (may Allah be pleased with them both). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away before this army could set out, so after the death of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) carried out this expedition. When the pledge of allegiance had been given to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyiduna Usamah (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him (and Sayyiduna Usamah (may Allah be pleased with him) had not departed until the pledge of allegiance had been given at the hand of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)): "You know the mission on which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent me, but I fear that the Arabs may apostatise; so if you see fit, I will stay nearby until you have assessed the situation." Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: "I will never take back an order that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave; however, if you wish to permit Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) to stay with me, then do so." So he gave him permission. Then Sayyiduna Usamah (may Allah be pleased with him) set out until he reached the place the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had ordered him to go. There a thick fog descended, so much so that a man could not even see his companion. The narrator said: They came upon a man from that region and seized him, and he guided them to their intended destination. They launched a raid on the place they had been ordered to attack. When people heard of this expedition, they began saying to one another: "Do these people imagine that discord and division have arisen among the Arabs, while their horses are present (in battle) at such-and-such a place?" Through this expedition Allah Almighty averted (the dangers of the enemy) from the Muslims, and Sayyiduna Usamah bin Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) continued to be addressed as 'Commander' until his death. People used to say: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent him as commander and did not remove him from that post until his death."
Imam al-Zuhri (may Allah have mercy on him) said: When Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) sent armies to put an end to the apostasy (riddah), he said: "Be steadfast, and from whichever settlement you hear the call to prayer (adhan), hold back (from attacking) there, for the adhan is the sign of faith."
Ma'mar said that Hisham bin Urwah narrated that the apostates used to come to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and say: "Give us weapons so that we may fight them (the opponents)," and he would give them weapons, but they would turn and fight him (the Muslims). At this, Sayyiduna Abbas bin Mirdas al-Sulami (may Allah be pleased with him) said (in his verses): "Do you take his weapons in order to fight him? With Allah there are grave sins in this deed."