Sa'd ibn Mu'adh

Saʿd ibn Muʿādh ( ar, سعد ابن معاذ) () was the chief of the Aws tribe in Medina and one of the prominent companions of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him). He died shortly after the Battle of the Trench.

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 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 second cousin. Her brother had been chief of the Aws tribe until he was killed at the Battle of Bu'ath in 617. 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.

Biography

Acceptance of Islam

Sa'd was among the leading figures among the Ansar, as Prophet Muhammad had dubbed the people of Aws and Khazraj 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, Sa'd had visited Mecca once to perform his Umrah with his non-Muslim friend Umayyah 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 Prophet Muhammad 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 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 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 in 627 (5 AH), when Medina was unsuccessfully besieged by the Meccan army, the Banu Qurayza had treacherous dealings with the enemy."Mubarakpuri, The Sealed Nectar, Chapter Al-Ahzab Invasion Later the Muslims laid siege to their stronghold and the Banu Qurayza surrendered.

Several members of the Banu Aws 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 TestamentWhen 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, 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 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” 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”. 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