He then advanced until he carried out the raid; they returned laden with booty and without a single casualty.
ʿUmar used to say, “I would never confirm anyone in command except Usāmah, for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed away while he was the commander.” He continued, “They marched on, and when they drew near the Syrian frontier a dense fog enveloped them and concealed them until they struck and obtained their objective. News of the Messenger of Allah’s death and of Usāmah’s incursion into a sector of Heraclius’s realm reached the emperor at the same time. The Byzantines exclaimed, ‘How is it that these people lose their leader and still raid our land?’
Al-Zuhrī relates that Usāmah set out in Rabīʿ al-Awwal, reached the Syrian territories, and then returned; his outward and return journey together lasted forty days. It is also said that he was twenty years old at the time.
Ibn Lahīʿah narrates—from Abū al-Aswad, from ʿUrwah—that once the pledge of allegiance had been concluded and the people felt secure, Abū Bakr said to Usāmah ibn Zayd, “Proceed to your destination.” Some men from the Emigrants and the Helpers spoke to him, saying, “Hold Usāmah back and do not send him out, for we fear the Arabs will rise against us when they learn of the Messenger of Allah’s death.”
Abū Bakr replied, “Shall I detain an army that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ himself dispatched? That would be a grave presumption indeed! By Him in whose hand is my soul, for the Arabs to turn against me would be dearer to me than that I should detain an army sent forth by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Go, Usāmah, with your troops along the route you were ordered. Then attack, as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded you, toward Palestine and against the people of Muʾtah. Allah will suffice me regarding what I leave behind. Yet, if you see fit to allow ʿUmar to remain so that I may consult him and seek his assistance, then do so.” Usāmah agreed.
He departed, and during his absence the bulk of the Arabs—especially those in the eastern regions—as well as the tribes of Ghatafān, Asad, and most of Ashjaʿ, reverted from Islam, whereas the tribe of Ṭayyʾ remained steadfast.