﴿ إِلَّا ٱلْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ ٱلرِّجَالِ وَٱلنِّسَآءِ وَٱلْوِلْدَٰنِ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ حِيلَةًۭ وَلَا يَهْتَدُونَ سَبِيلًۭا ﴾

“But excepted shall be the truly helpless - be they men or women or children - who cannot bring forth any strength and have not been shown the right way:”

Allah then showed who had an excuse, saying: (Except the feeble among men) the elderly and the weak, (and the women, and the children, who are unable to devise a plan) for leaving Mecca (and are not shown a way) they do not know how to leave.