 | ||
Parents Mua'dh bin al-Nu'man bin Imru Al Qais, Kabshah bint Rafi' bint Obaid Similar Mus‘ab ibn 'Umair, Muadh ibn Jabal, 'Abd al‑Rahman ibn 'Awf, Abu Ubaidah ibn al‑Jar, Zubayr ibn al‑Awam | ||
Sa'd ibn Mu'adh (Arabic: سعد ابن معاذ) (c.591-627) was the chief of the Aws tribe in Medina and one of the prominent companions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He died shortly after the Battle of the Trench.
Contents
Family
Sa'd was born in Medina c.591, the son of Mu'adh ibn al-Numan, of the Abdul-Ashhal clan of the Aws tribe, and of Kabsha bint Rafi, of the al-Harith clan of the Khazraj tribe.
He married Hind bint Simak, his agnatic second cousin, whose brother had been chief of the Aws tribe until he was killed at the Battle of Bu'ath. They had two sons, Amr and Abdullah.
As'ad ibn Zurarah, chief of the al-Najjar clan of the Khazraj, was Sa'd's maternal first cousin. Usayd ibn Hudayr was his wife's fraternal nephew, and was also said by al-Waqidi to have been Sa'd's first cousin.
Acceptance of Islam
Sa'd adopted Islam in 622 (1 AH), when Muhammad arrived in Madina, then known as Yathrib. He was among the leading figures among the Ansar, as Muhammad had dubbed the people of Aws and Khazraj from Madina who reverted to Islam.
Sa'd was an intimate friend of Umayah ibn Khalaf. When Sa'd was in Makkah, he used to stay with Umayah, and when Umayah was in Madina, he used to stay with Sa'd.
Confrontation with Abu Jahl and start of Badr hostilities
Prior to the Battle of Badr, Sa’d had visited Mecca once to perform his Umra with his non-Muslim friend Umayah ibn Khalaf, when they came across Abu Jahl. 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 the Prophet called Shura:
Battle of Uhud
Sa'd was one of the few companions who remained on the battlefield, when the Meccans led Khalid bin Walid counterattacked the unsuspecting Muslims and fought fiercely against the attacking Meccans. He later met up with Muhammad and was part of the small contingent Muslims defending him.
Battle of Trench and Qurayza
After the Battle of the Trench in 627 (5 AH), when Medina was unsuccessfully besieged by the Meccan army, the Banu Qurayza had treacherous dealings with the enemy. Later the Muslims laid siege to their stronghold and the Banu Qurayza surrendered unconditionally after several weeks of siege.
Several members of the Banu Aus pleaded for their old Jewish allies and agreed to Muhammad's proposal that one of their chiefs should judge the matter. Banu Qurayza, themselves appointed Sa'd, and declared they will agree with whatever was Sa'd's verdict, the Verdict was consistent with the Bible and some scholars claim the verdict was based on the Bible.
Sa'd had been wounded in the earlier battles, 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 the Prophet 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 the Prophet.
Even after his death Muhammad made constant references praising him: