The Distinction: Ghazwa vs Sariyya
Ghazwa (campaign): The Prophet personally participated. The major ghazawat are the battles most Muslims know: Badr (2 AH), Uhud (3 AH), al-Khandaq/Ahzab (5 AH), Khaybar (7 AH), Fath Makkah (8 AH), Hunayn (8 AH), Tabuk (9 AH).
Sariyya (expedition): The Prophet sent a detachment under a companion’s command. The first notable sariyya: ‘Abdullah ibn Jahsh expedition (2 AH / 623 CE), sent to gather intelligence near Nakhla — where the companions killed a Quraysh merchant during the sacred month (shahr haram), creating a major controversy the Quran addressed (2:217).
The Laws of Islamic Warfare (al-Siyar)
The Prophet’s instructions to his commanders before every expedition established what would become Islamic international humanitarian law:
“Do not kill women, children, the elderly, or monks in their monasteries. Do not burn palm trees. Do not cut fruit-bearing trees. Do not destroy buildings. Do not slaughter animals except those needed for food. Do not mutilate [bodies].” (Multiple hadith, including Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah)
Abu Bakr’s instruction to Usama’s army (the first Muslim army sent to Syria) preserved these principles: “You will find people who have devoted themselves in monasteries — leave them alone.”
The rules of war derive from the distinction between combatants and non-combatants — a distinction the Quran grounds in the principle that fighting is permitted against those who fight you, not those who do not (2:190-191).
The Priority of Peace
The saraya history reveals that the Prophet consistently pursued negotiated solutions before battle, and accepted settlements on terms unfavorable to himself when they served peace. The most dramatic example: at Hudaybiyya (6 AH), accepting terms that seemed humiliating — which the Quran called fath mubin (a manifest victory — 48:1).
See also: Seerah Badr, Seerah Uhud, Seerah Medina, Jihad, Prophet Muhammad, Sahaba