Explaining and Analyzing Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)'s Approach to Electing Commanders of Sariyyas

The wars that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) did not personally fight but appointed commanders to lead the battles are called Sariyya. Early sources have cited 36 Sariyyas during the prophet's age, whose functions can be broadly divided into offensive, defensive, propaganda, and intelligence. The commanders of these wars were elected with regard to the Prophet (SAW)'s goals. The present descriptive-analytical study tries to investigate the process and reasons of electing the commanders given the features and the nature of Sariyyas in order to shed light on the approach adopted by the Prophet (SAW). The findings of this study show that in electing commanders, the Prophet (SAW) not only considered military and political points, but also paid attention to religious and tribal facts. He elected commanders from among the Muhajirun and their tribes and the Ansar and Medina' tribes. People elected as commanders by him were trustworthy and militarily-capable.