Khalifah ialah ketua tentera, dan dialah yang melantik Ketua Staf serta seorang Amir bagi setiap briged, dan seorang komander bagi setiap divisyen. Bagi jawatan-jawatan lain dalam tentera, mereka dilantik oleh komander-komander briged. Dalam hal melantik seseorang ke dalam staf, ia mestilah selaras dengan budaya ketenteraannya, dan dia dilantik oleh Ketua Staf.

The Khalifah is the leader of the army and he is the one who appoints the Chief of Staff and an Amir to every brigade, and a commander to every division. In regards to the other posts in the army they are appointed by the commanders of the brigades. In regards to appointing a person to the staff, it has to be according to his military culture and he is appointed by the Chief of Staff. .

Ini kerana Khalifah ialah kepimpinan umum bagi seluruh umat Islam di dunia, untuk menegakkan hukum-hukum Syariah dan menyampaikan risalah kepada dunia. Cara menyampaikan risalah kepada dunia ialah melalui Jihad. Oleh itu, Khalifah hendaklah mengambil alih tanggungjawab Jihad, kerana akad Khilafah hanya diberikan kepadanya seorang, maka tidak dibenarkan bagi mana-mana orang lain untuk melaksanakannya selain dirinya sendiri. Dengan demikian, Khalifah memikul sendiri tanggungjawab Jihad. Tidak dibenarkan sesiapa selain dirinya untuk mengambil alih, walaupun setiap Muslim melaksanakan Jihad. Maka melaksanakan Jihad ialah satu perkara, manakala memikul tanggungjawab bagi Jihad ialah perkara yang lain. Jihad adalah kewajipan ke atas setiap Muslim, tetapi memikul tanggungjawab bagi Jihad hanya untuk Khalifah.

This is because the Khalifah is the general leadership of all the Muslims in the world, for establishing the Shariah rules and conveying the message to the world. The way of conveying the message to the world is through Jihad. Therefore, the Khalifah should take charge of the Jihad because the Khilafah contract has been convened to him alone, so it is not allowed for any other person to carry it out other than himself. Thus the Khalifah takes responsibility for Jihad himself. It is not allowed for anyone other than him to undertake it, although every Muslim carries out Jihad. Hence carrying out Jihad is one matter and holding the responsibility for it is another. Jihad is a duty upon every Muslim, but holding the responsibility for the Jihad is only for the Khalifah. .

Namun Khalifah boleh melantik orang lain bagi pihaknya untuk menjalankan tugas ini, yang dibenarkan selagi di bawah pemerhatian dan pengawasannya sendiri, tetapi tidak dibenarkan untuk ia dilaksanakan secara bebas tanpa pemerhatian dan pengawasannya. Jenis pewakilan ini tidak sama dengan kerja seorang pembantu kepada Khalifah. Melapor kepada Khalifah dalam konteks ini bermakna orang yang melaksanakan Jihad bagi pihaknya hendaklah berada di bawah pengawasannya. Kepimpinan tentera dengan syarat ini, iaitu di bawah pemerhatian dan pengawasan Khalifah, dibenarkan untuk diberikan kepada sesiapa yang dikehendakinya. Tetapi mengambil alih pimpinan tentera tanpa pemerhatian dan pengawasannya, sehingga Khalifah hanya menjadi ketua boneka, tidak dibenarkan. Ini kerana akad Khilafah telah dipikulkan ke atasnya, maka dia wajib memikul tanggungjawab bagi urusan Jihad. Oleh itu, apa yang biasanya dikatakan dalam sistem bukan Islam ialah ketua Negara adalah ketua tertinggi tentera, yang bermaksud dia hanyalah pemimpin secara formal, sementara seorang pemimpin lain menjalankan tentera secara bebas, satu pendapat yang dianggap tidak sah pada pandangan Islam. Ia adalah perkara yang tidak diluluskan oleh Syariah, bahkan syarak mewajibkan Khalifah menjadi pemimpin sebenar tentera. Namun bagi jenis kepimpinan lain seperti urusan pentadbiran dan teknikal, Khalifah dibenarkan melantik seseorang bagi pihaknya untuk menjalankannya secara bebas, dan wajib mereka berada di bawah pemerhatian sebenarnya sebagaimana kepimpinan tersebut.

However the Khalifah may appoint another person on his behalf to carry out this duty, which is allowed under his own observation and supervision but it is not allowed for it to be done in an independent way without his observation and supervision. This type of delegation is not the same as the work of an assistant to the Khalifah. Reporting to the Khalifah in this context means that the one who carries out Jihad on his behalf should be under his supervision. Leadership of the army with this restriction i.e. under the Khalifah’s observation and supervision, is allowed to be given to whomever he wishes. But to take charge of the army without his observation and supervision leaving the Khalifah only as a figurehead, is not allowed. This is because the Khilafah contract has been convened upon him, so he has to take the responsibility for the matters of Jihad. Therefore, what is usually said in the non-Islamic systems is that the head of State is the supreme leader of the army, meaning he is a formal leader only, while another leader runs the army independently, an opinion which is considered invalid in the view of Islam. It is a matter which is not approved by the Shariah, rather, shara obliges the Khalifah to be the actual leader of the army. However for other types of leadership issues like the administrative and technical matters, the Khalifah is allowed to appoint someone on his behalf to carry them out independently, and it is necessary that they be under his actual observation like the leadership. .

Rasulullah ﷺ juga sendiri memimpin tentera, memimpin peperangan, dan baginda turut melantik ketua bagi bahagian-bahagian tentera yang keluar berperang tanpa baginda, iaitu ekspedisi-ekspedisi. Bagi setiap ekspedisi baginda melantik seorang panglima, dan dalam sesetengah keadaan baginda mengambil langkah berjaga-jaga dengan menamakan siapa yang patut menggantikan panglima sekiranya dia terbunuh, sebagaimana yang berlaku dalam ekspedisi Mu'tah. Al-Bukhari meriwayatkan daripada Abdullah bin 'Umar yang berkata:

Also the Messenger (PBUH) used to undertake the leadership of the army himself, undertake the leadership of the battles and he also appointed leaders of the divisions of the army which went out for fighting without him, namely the expeditions. For every expedition he used to appoint a commander and in some cases he used to take the precaution of naming who should succeed the commander in case he was killed as happened in the expedition of Mu’ta. Al Bukhari narrated on the authority of Abdullah b. ‘Umar who said: .

Rasulullah ﷺ melantik Zayd bin Harith sebagai Amir dalam peperangan Mu'tah. Rasulullah ﷺ bersabda: "Jika Zayd terbunuh, maka Ja'far (sebagai Amir), dan jika Ja'far terbunuh, maka Abdullah bin Ruwahah (sebagai Amir)." Maka, Khalifah ialah orang yang melantik ketua-ketua tentera, panglima-panglimanya, mengikatkan bendera untuk mereka, dan melantik ketua-ketua pasukan.

“The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) appointed Zayd bin Harith as an Amir in the battle of Mu’ta. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: “If Zayd is killed, then it will be Ja’far (as the Amir) and if Ja’far is killed then it will be Abdullah b. Ruwahah (as the Amir ).’” So the Khalifah is the one who appoints the leaders of the armies, its commanders, ties for them the flags and appoints the leaders of the divisions. .

Jadi tentera yang dihantar ke Syam, seperti Tentera Mu'tah dan tentera Usamah, merupakan satu liwa' (briged), kerana dalilnya ialah Nabi ﷺ telah mengikat panji kepada Usamah. Begitu juga ekspedisi-ekspedisi yang berperang di Semenanjung Arab dan kemudiannya kembali ke Madinah, seperti ekspedisi Sa'd bin Waqqas yang dihantar ke arah Makkah, adalah dalam bentuk kepala-kepala pasukan (firqah/divisyen). Ini menunjukkan bahawa amir-amir briged dan komander-komander divisyen dilantik oleh Khalifah. Selain daripada amir-amir tentera dan amir-amir briged serta divisyen, tidak terbukti bahawa Rasulullah ﷺ melantik mereka. Ini bermakna baginda menyerahkan pelantikan para pemimpin dalam ekspedisi kepada ketua-ketua mereka. Adapun Ketua Staf yang bertanggungjawab ke atas urusan teknikal, beliau sama seperti ketua tentera dari segi dilantik oleh Khalifah, dan boleh dijadikan bebas serta menjalankan tugasnya tanpa diselia secara langsung oleh Khalifah, walaupun beliau tetap berada di bawah pemerintahannya.

So the army which was sent to Syria like the Army of Mu’ta and the army of Usama, was one brigade because the evidence for this is that the Prophet (PBUH) had tied the flag to Usama. Also the expeditions which fought in the Arabian Peninsula and would return back to Madinah such as the expedition of Sa’d bin Waqqas which he sent towards Makkah were in the form of divisions. This indicates that the Amirs of the brigades and the commanders of the divisions are appointed by the Khalifah. However, other than the amirs of the army and brigades of the divisions, it was not proved that the Messenger (PBUH) appointed them. This means he left their appointment in the expedition to their leaders. In regards to the Chief of Staff who is responsible for the technical matters, he is like the army leader in terms of being appointed by the Khalifah and he can be made independent and carry out his duties without being directly supervised by the Khalifah, although he has to be under his command.