When the apostates apostatised at the time of Abu Bakr,¹ ‘Umar said: How can you fight the people, O Abu Bakr, when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “I have been commanded to fight the people until they say La ilaha illallah (There is no god but Allah),² and whoever says La ilaha illallah, his wealth and his life are protected from me except in cases dictated by Islamic law, and his reckoning will be with Allah`?<sup>3</sup> Abu Bakr said: By Allah, I will most certainly fight those who separate prayer and zakah,<sup>4</sup> for zakah is what is due on wealth. By Allah, if they withhold from me a small she-goat that they used to give to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), I will certainly fight them for withholding it. `Umar bin al-Khattab said. By Allah, as soon as I saw that Allah had opened Abu Bakr`s heart to the idea of fighting, I knew that he was right.

"From 'Ubaid bin As-Sabbaq, that Zaid bin Thabit narrated to him, he said: 'Abu Bakr As-Siddiq sent for me - (regarding) those killed at Al-Yamamah - and 'Umar bin Al-Khattab was with him. He (Abu Bakr) said: "'Umar came to me and said: The fighting inflicted many casualties among the reciters of the Qur'an on the Day of Al-Yamamah, and I fear that there will be more casualties among the reciters in other parts of the land,¹ such that much of the Qur'an may be lost.

In my view, you should order that the Qur'an be collected.'" Abu Bakr said to 'Umar: "How can I do something which was not done my the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)?" 'Umar said: 'By Allah! It is something good.' 'Umar continued trying to convince me until Allah opened up my chest to that which He had opened the chest of 'Umar, and I saw it as he saw it." Zaid said: 'Abu Bakr said: "You are a young wise man, and we have no suspicions of you. You used to write down the Revelation for the Messenger of Allah as the Qur'an was revealed." He (Zaid) said: 'By Allah! If they had ordered to move one of the mountains it would have been lighter on me than that.' He said: 'I said: "How will you do something which was not done by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)?" Abu Bakr said: "By Allah! It is something good." Abu Bakr and 'Umar continued trying to convince me, until Allah opened up my chest for that, just as He had opened their chests, the chest of Abu Bakr and the chest of 'Umar. So I began searching for Qur'anic material from parchments, leaf stalks of date-palms and Al-Likhaf - meaning stones - and the chests of men. I found the end of Surah Bara'ah with Khuzaimah bin Thabit: Verily, there has come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty. He is eager for you; for the believers (he is) full of pity, kind, and merciful. But if they turn away, say: "Allah is sufficient for me. There is no god but He, in Him I put my trust, and He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne (9:128 & 129).'"

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) turned to us and said: ‘O Muhajirun, there are five things with which you will be tested, and I seek refuge with Allah lest you live to see them: Immorality never appears among a people to such an extent that they commit it openly, but plagues and diseases that were never known among the predecessors will spread among them. They do not cheat in weights and measures but they will be stricken with famine, severe calamity and the oppression of their rulers. They do not withhold the Zakah of their wealth, but rain will be withheld from the sky, and were it not for the animals, no rain would fall on them. They do not break their covenant with Allah and His Messenger, but Allah will enable their enemies to overpower them and take some of what is in their hands. Unless their leaders rule according to the Book of Allah and seek all good from that which Allah has revealed, Allah will cause them to fight one another.’”

Khalid b. al-Walid arrived in al-Butah, whereupon he found no one there; he found that Malik had dispersed them among their flocks and forbidden them to gather when he became perplexed over his situation. [In doing so] he said, "Oh Banu Yarbu`, we have disobeyed our commanders, inasmuch as they called us to this religion, whereas the people held us back from it, so that we have neither prospered nor succeeded. I have reconsidered this situation and found it feasible for them without any managing (siyasah). For lo, the situation is one that the people do not manage. Beware of acting in a hostile manner against a group having a mandate [from God to exercise authority]¹; so disperse to your territories and enter into this cause." So they dispersed accordingly to their flocks, and Malik went out until he returned to his residence.

When Khalid reached al-Butah, he scattered portions of the army and ordered them to summon [the people] to Islam, and to bring to it whoever had not [yet] responded; and if he resisted, to kill him. [This] was part of that with which Abu Bakr had charged him "When you encamp someplace, make the call to prayer and the iqamah. Then, if the people make the call to prayer and the iqamah, leave them alone; but if they do not do so, there is no [course] but to raid them. [In that case] kill them by every means, by fire or whatever else. And if they respond to you in the call to Islam, then question them [further]; if they affirm [payment of] the alms tax, then accept that from them; but if they deny it, then there is no [course] but to raid them without any word [of warning]."

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) appointed him commander over a detachment. He said: I went out along with it. He (the Prophet) said: If you find so-and-so, burn him with the fire. I then turned away, and he called me. So I returned to him, and he said: If you find so-and-so, kill him, and do not burn him, for no one punishes with fire except the Lord of the fire.