Saʿd ibn Muʿādh ( ar, سعد ابن معاذ) () was the chief of the
Aws tribe in
Medina
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...
and one of the prominent
companions of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him). He died shortly after the
Battle of the Trench
The Battle of the Trench ( ar, غزوة الخندق, Ghazwat al-Khandaq), also known as the Battle of Khandaq ( ar, معركة الخندق, Ma’rakah al-Khandaq) and the Battle of the Confederates ( ar, غزوة الاحزاب, Ghazwat al- ...
.
Family
Sa'd was born in Medina 590
CE,
the son of Mu'adh ibn al-Numan, of the Abdul-Ashhal clan of the
Aws tribe, and of Kabsha bint Rafi, of the Jewish Banu al-Harith clan of the
Khazraj
The Banu Khazraj ( ar, بنو خزرج) is a large Arab tribe based in Medina. They were also in Medina during Muhammad's era.
The Banu Khazraj are a South Arabian tribe that were pressured out of South Arabia in the Karib'il Watar 7th century ...
tribe.
[Muhammad ibn Saad. ''Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir'' vol. 3. Translated by Bewley, A. (2013). ''The Companions of Badr''. London: Ta-Ha Publishers.] His siblings were Aws (apparently the eldest), Iyas, 'Amr, Iqrab and Umm Hizam.
[Muhammad ibn Saad. ''Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir'' vol. 8. Translated by Bewley, A. (1995). ''The Women of Madina''. London: Ta-Ha Publishers.]
He married his brother Aws's widow, Hind bint Simak,
who was his
agnatic
Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...
second cousin.
Her brother had been chief of the
Aws tribe until he was killed at the
Battle of Bu'ath
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
in 617.
They had two sons, Amr and Abdullah.
As'ad ibn Zurarah, chief of the
al-Najjar clan of the
Khazraj
The Banu Khazraj ( ar, بنو خزرج) is a large Arab tribe based in Medina. They were also in Medina during Muhammad's era.
The Banu Khazraj are a South Arabian tribe that were pressured out of South Arabia in the Karib'il Watar 7th century ...
, was Sa'd's maternal first cousin.
Usayd ibn Hudayr was his wife's fraternal nephew,
and was also said by
al-Waqidi
Abu `Abdullah Muhammad Ibn ‘Omar Ibn Waqid al-Aslami (Arabic ) (c. 130 – 207 AH; c. 747 – 823 AD) was a historian commonly referred to as al-Waqidi (Arabic: ). His surname is derived from his grandfather's name Waqid and thus he became fa ...
to have been Sa'd's first cousin.
Biography
Acceptance of Islam
Sa'd was among the leading figures among the
Ansar, as
Prophet Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monoth ...
had dubbed the people of
Aws and
Khazraj
The Banu Khazraj ( ar, بنو خزرج) is a large Arab tribe based in Medina. They were also in Medina during Muhammad's era.
The Banu Khazraj are a South Arabian tribe that were pressured out of South Arabia in the Karib'il Watar 7th century ...
from Medina who converted to Islam. He converted at the hands of
Mu'sab ibn Umair. His conversion led to the immediate conversion of his entire subtribe of the Aus, the Banu Abdul-Ashhal:
Confrontation with Abu Jahl and start of Badr hostilities
Prior to the
Battle of Badr
The Battle of Badr ( ar, غَزْوَةُ بَدِرْ ), also referred to as The Day of the Criterion (, ) in the Quran, Qur'an and by Muslims, was fought on 13 March 624 CE (17 Ramadan (calendar month), Ramadan, 2 Anno Hegirae, AH), near the ...
, Sa'd had visited Mecca once to perform his Umrah with his non-Muslim friend
Umayyah ibn Khalaf
Umayya ibn Khalaf () (died 13 March 624) was an Arab slave master and the chieftain of the Banu Jumah of the Quraysh in the seventh century. He was one of the chief opponents against the Muslims led by Muhammad. Umayya is best known as the master ...
, when they came across
Abu Jahl
ʿAmr ibn Hishām al-Makhzūmī ( ar, عمرو بن هشام المخزومي), (570 – 13 March 624), also known as Abu Jahl (lit. 'Father of Ignorance'), was one of the Meccan polytheist pagan leaders from the Quraysh known for his opposition t ...
. They had an argument, and as it became heated, Sa'd threatened Abu Jahl with preventing his safe passage through Medina if he stopped the Muslims from performing pilgrimage in Mecca.
Narrated 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud:
Battle of Badr
The Muslims originally expected a much smaller Meccan force, but were surprised by the large Meccan Army so
Prophet Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monoth ...
called Shura:
Battle of Uhud
Sa'd was one of the few companions who remained on the battlefield, when the Meccans led by
Khalid bin Walid
Khalid ibn al-Walid ibn al-Mughira al-Makhzumi (; died 642) was a 7th-century Arab military commander. He initially headed campaigns against Muhammad on behalf of the Quraysh. He later became a Muslim and spent the remainder of his career in ...
counterattacked and he continued to fight on until he was finally forced to retreat away from the Meccans. In fact, Sa'd was the last Muslim
Mus'ab ibn 'Umair
Muṣʿab ibn ʿUmayr ( ar, مصعب بن عمير) also known as Muṣʿab al-Khayr ("the Good") was a ''Sahaba, sahabi'' (companion) of Muhammad. From the Banū ʿAbd al-Dār branch of the Quraysh (tribe), Quraysh, he embraced Islam in 614 Com ...
met (Sa'd by that time had disengaged the Meccans) when he chided other Muslims for retreating and ferociously attacked the Meccans resulting in his brutal martyrdom at the hands of the Meccans.
He later met up with Muhammad and was part of the small contingent Muslims defending him.
Sa'd's brother 'Amr and his stepson (nephew) al-Harith ibn Aws were both among those who were killed at Uhud.
Battle of Trench and Qurayza
After the
Battle of the Trench
The Battle of the Trench ( ar, غزوة الخندق, Ghazwat al-Khandaq), also known as the Battle of Khandaq ( ar, معركة الخندق, Ma’rakah al-Khandaq) and the Battle of the Confederates ( ar, غزوة الاحزاب, Ghazwat al- ...
in 627 (5 AH), when Medina was unsuccessfully besieged by the
Meccan
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valle ...
army, the
Banu Qurayza
The Banu Qurayza ( ar, بنو قريظة, he, בני קוריט'ה; alternate spellings include Quraiza, Qurayzah, Quraytha, and the archaic Koreiza) were a Jewish tribe which lived in northern Arabia, at the oasis of Yathrib (now known as M ...
had treacherous dealings with the enemy.
["Mubarakpuri, The Sealed Nectar, Chapter Al-Ahzab Invasion] Later the
Muslims
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...
laid siege to their stronghold and the Banu Qurayza surrendered.
Several members of the
Banu Aws
The Banū Aws ( ar, بنو أوس , "Sons of Aws") or simply Aws ( ar, أوس, also romanised as Aus) was one of the main Arab tribes of Medina. The other was Khazraj, and the two, constituted the Ansar ("helpers f Muhammad) after the Hijra. ...
pleaded for their old Jewish allies and agreed to Muhammad's proposal that one of their chiefs should judge the matter. The Banu Qurayza themselves appointed Sa'd, and declared they would agree with whatever was Sa'd's verdict. The verdict for the Banu Qurayza, a Jewish clan in Medina, was consistent with the Old Testament
[When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. ''If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. When the Lord your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves.'' And you may use the plunder the Lord your God gives you from your enemies. This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance from you and do not belong to the nations nearby.
However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you. Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the Lord your God]
Deut. 20: 10-18
and some scholars claim the verdict was based on Deutoronomy 20:12-14.
Death
Sa'd had been wounded in the
Battle of Khandaq
The Battle of the Trench ( ar, غزوة الخندق, Ghazwat al-Khandaq), also known as the Battle of Khandaq ( ar, معركة الخندق, Ma’rakah al-Khandaq) and the Battle of the Confederates ( ar, غزوة الاحزاب, Ghazwat al- ...
, and was on the verge of death. Sa'd succumbed to the wounds and died after returning to Medina.
Legacy
He dutifully served as a member of the Muslim community and even commanded military campaigns for Muhammad during his lifetime. Saad is said to have been a stern, just and passionate man, willing to impulsively fight for what he believed in. In Muslim history, he is well regarded as a noble companion who enjoyed a close relationship with Muhammad.
Even after his death
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...
made constant references praising him:
According to one Hadith, Muhammad bestowed him a title of ''"Siddiq al-Ansar"'', (rightful man of Ansar or truthful man of Ansar), which according to later era scholars of Hadith, were counter part of
Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, a ''Siddiq'' which hailed from Muhajirun.
Early Arabic rock inscription
A rock inscription was discovered in
mount Sela; In the fourth and fifth line appear the words, “I am
Muhammad ibn Abdullah
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monoth ...
” and that is the full name of the prophet Muhammad as his father was Abdullah. In the eighth line is the name, “ I am
Salman the (?)”. In the twelfth line is the phrase “I am Sa'd bin Mu'adh”, and finally on the fifteenth line “I am
Ali ibn Abu Talib
ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...
”.
As it is known that Saad ibn Muad died in 627, the inscription can not be from a later era, further the location of this inscription may hint that it was meant to commemorate the Muslim victory in the battle.
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sad Ibn Muadh
590s births
627 deaths
Year of birth unknown
Sahabah killed in battle
Sahabah who participated in the battle of Uhud