Introduction:
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is considered the history's greatest military commander and war strategist. He fought wars for the propagation of divine message and for the defense of the nascent Islamic polity in a most praiseworthy manner by losing least in men and material and gaining most in the wars as far as the results are concerned. Holy Prophet (PBUH) achieved great successes by incurring minimum human losses. According to the book Muhammad at Medina by Montgomery Watt the intensity of war waged by and under the Prophet (PBUH) was the least in the history which can be estimated from the fact that only 1058 (259 Muslims were martyred while 799 non-Muslims were killed) causalities happened in 100 wars (27 Ghazwat and 73 Saryat) led by or fought under the Prophet (PBUH) from migration of Medina to his death (622-632).
Principles of warfare as established by Prophet of Islam: Peace maker:
Sulaimah bin Buraidah narrates that whenever Allah's Messenger (PBUH) appointed a leader on an army or on a battalion, he used to instruct to him:
"Let your invasion be in the name of Allah and for His sake. Fight those who disbelieve in Allah. Invade but do not plunder nor conceal booty. Never deform the corpse of a dead person or kill an infant child."
When it happened that he arrived at the battlefield by night, he would never invade the enemy till morning.
He utterly forbade burning in fire, killing children and women or even beating them.
Corruption of tillage, killing of the animals and cutting down of trees was all forbidden unless they were badly needed and there was no other substitute. He said:
"Do not kill a wounded person nor run after a fleeing one nor kill a captive."
He decreed that envoys cannot be killed. He also strictly prohibited the killing of those who made covenants.
He even said: "Whoever kills one, who is under pledge to a covenant, shall not smell Paradise, though its smell could be experienced at a forty year distance from it."
Qualities of Holy Prophet (PBUH) as a military commander / strategist:
The personality of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was complete in all respects. He was entrusted to convey the message of Allah to all of humanity. All of his wars therefore were for Judgement the cause of Allah and propagation of Islam. He was possessed of great military acumen and war-stratagem in and outside the battlefield.
i. Strong Belief in Allah:
The Prophet (PBUH) had absolute belief in Allah whose message he was carrying in one hand (Quran) and the sword in the other.
ii. Outstanding Achievements:
By virtue of his qualitative leadership, without great loss, the Muslims conquered more than two million square kilometer in a decade. Above all, he united a fractious society which had a long history of unrest and unabated war.
iii. Bravery:
The Prophet (PBUH) was the bravest of the brave. As for the dauntless courage and valour of the Prophet of God, the testimony of Ali (R.A) the lion of God, is sufficient to illustrate the point. He says: "When the battle used to become fierce and the eyes seemed to be coming out of the sockets, we used to look for the Prophet (PBUH) in order to find a refuge behind him. Then, we found none closing up with the enemy as the Prophet (PBUH). This was how it happened in Badr, we were taking shelter behind the Prophet (PBUH) who was then going at the enemy more closely than anyone of us."
iv. Loving and Affectionate:
Every soldier wanted to sacrifice his life upon the Holy Prophet (PBUH). At the time of Battle Uhd when pagans surrounded him, the devout companions faced arrows and swords on their own hands and while coming back from the battle of Uhd a Sahabia was waiting the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). One of his companions told her that her husband has been martyred. The other told that her son had been martyred but she continued to enquire about the safety of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). When she was told about his safety, she thanked God. The love for the Prophet (PBUH) was an integral part of belief of every companion.
Military Strategies of the Holy Prophet (PBUH):
i. Changing Philosophy of War:
The Holy Prophet (PBUH) totally changed the philosophy of war. Previously, wars were waged on personal grudges, racism, ravage, looting or putting pressure of showing off their powers. The Prophet (PBUH) gave the concept of war as to fight in the way of Allah for the propagation of His message.
ii. Preparations of War: It is said in the Holy Quran:
"Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies". (al-Anfaal 8:60)
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) always used to make great preparations for an imminent war. He maintained very strict discipline and order among the ranks of fighting men.
iii. Espionage and Surveillance of Enemy:
Espionage is a crucial war strategy for risk assessment and better preparations. Keeping in mind the importance of espionage, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) took practical steps to find out the enemy's plans, the strength of their forces and the nature of their weaponry. Army patrolling was also a major war strategy. For this purpose the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) deployed his companions all over the Arabian Peninsula who kept him informed of the enemy's activities.
iv. Secrecy in War Planning / Strategy:
The Holy Prophet (PBUH) always prepared his war plans very carefully and took every possible precaution that they were not disclosed to anyone except his close advisers with whom he used to counsel regarding the preparations for and techniques of war.
v. Innovative War Strategies:
The Prophet (PBUH) always adopted new war techniques and strategies in order to thawrt the plans of enemy. Therefore, this method was used in the battle of Ahzab, when he dug out trenches. This was quite innovative war strategy and unexpected for the Arabs.
vi. Effective Strategies in the Battlefield:
The Holy Prophet (PBUH) always took advantage of his position and selected a better place for fighting. In the Battle of Badr he selected higher place and sandy land so that in case of rain earth would be leveled. He selected that direction where sun was in his back while sunlight beaming in enemy's eyes.
vii. Kind and Humane Treatment of Prisoners of War (PoWs):
Before the advent of Islam, captives were killed brutally. After fixing in earth, arrows were thrown upon them. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) treated the prisoners well and advised his companions to treat them mildly. In the Battle of Badr, seventy pagans were captured. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) distributed prisoners among his companions with strict instructions that they should be well treated. They offered them food while they remained hungry. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) forbade disrespecting them. He forbade killing the prisoners and liberated them on easy conditions. Some of the conditions for getting liberty were: Embracing Islam, paying ransom, or educating the Muslim children.