And the need is an incitement to deter its inhabitants, just as there is a need to deter others. Umar wrote to Abu Ubaydah to flog the one who drinks wine eighty lashes while he was in al-Sham, which is one of the frontier zones (thughur).(15)
1679 - Issue: He said: "And when a fortress is conquered, those who have not reached puberty, or who have not grown [pubic] hair, or reached fifteen years of age, are not to be killed."
The summary of this is that when the Imam overcomes the disbelievers, it is not permissible for him to kill a young boy [who has not reached puberty], without disagreement. It was narrated by Ibn Umar that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade the killing of women and children. This is agreed upon.(3) Furthermore, because a child becomes a slave merely by being captured, killing him is the destruction of property. If he is captured alone, he becomes a Muslim, so destroying him is the destruction of someone who could have been made a Muslim. Puberty is attained by one of three causes: The first is nocturnal emission (ihtilam), which is the discharge of semen from the male's penis(4) or the female's private part, in a state of wakefulness or sleep. There is no disagreement regarding this, and Allah the Exalted says: {O you who have believed, let those whom your right hands possess and those who have not reached puberty among you ask permission of you three times} (5). Then He says: {And when the children among you reach the age of puberty, let them ask permission as those before them have asked} (6). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "There is no orphanhood after puberty." He also said to Mu'adh: "Take a dinar from every one who has reached puberty." Both were narrated by Abu Dawud.(7) The second is the growth of coarse hair around the private parts, which is a sign of puberty, based on what
(15) Reported by al-Bayhaqi, in: The chapter on one who claims that prescribed punishments (hudud) are not to be executed in the land of war until he returns, from the Book of Military Expeditions (Kitab al-Siyar). Al-Sunan al-Kubra 9/105. (1) Omitted from (B). (2) In (M): "The killing". (3) Its documentation preceded in: 12/265. (4) In (M): "the man's". (5) Surah al-Nur: 58. (6) Surah al-Nur: 59. (7) The first was reported by Abu Dawud, in: The chapter on what has been said regarding when orphanhood ends, from the Book of Wills. Sunan Abi Dawud 2/104. It was also reported by al-Bayhaqi, in: The chapter on divorce before marriage, from the Book of Khul' and Divorce. Al-Sunan al-Kubra 7/320. The second's documentation preceded in: 4/30.
