Sa'd Ibn Mu'aadh is hardly ever
mentioned without Sa'd Ibn 'Ubaadah.
Both were leaders of Al-Madiinah. Sa'd
Ibn Mu'aadh was the leader of Al-Aws
tribe and Sa'd Ibn 'Ubaadah of Al-Khazraj.
Again, both were foremost in Islamic
faith. They witnessed the Pledge of Al-'Aqabah
and lived next to the Prophet (PBUH) as
obedient and sincere believers and
soldiers.
Sa'd Ibn 'Ubaadah held a special
position among the Ans.aar as he had his
share of the abuse and torture Muslims
were subjected to at the hands of the
Quraish in Makkah! It was only natural
that the Quraish would torture those who
lived in Makkah, but to torture a man
from Al-Madiinah was rather exceptional.
'Ubaadah was not an ordinary man; he was
a distinguished 'and influential leader.
This was a privilege that was enjoyed
only by Sa'd Ibn 'Ubaadah.
After the Pledge of Al-'Aqabah
allegiance was concluded in secret and
the Ans.aar were getting ready to
travel, the Quraish found out about the
allegiance the Ans.aar had given to the
Prophet (PBUH). Their agreement with the
Prophet (PBUH) allowed him to emigrate
with his Companions to Al-Madiinah to
flee the power of polytheism and
darkness and seek sanctuary and support
there.
At that point, the Quraish lost
self-control, so they went on hunting
those who pledged the Prophet. The
disbelievers captured Sa'd Ibn 'Ubaadah,
tied his hands to his neck with his
saddle girths, and dragged him back to
Makkah, where they beat and tortured
him!
How could this happen to Sa'd Ibn 'Ubaadah?
He was the leader of Al-Madiinah who
always helped anyone of the Quraish who
needed help, protected their trade, and
was hospitable to them whenever they
visited Al-Madiinah. Those who captured
and abused him surely did not know who
he was. But even if they had known,
would it have made any difference? They
were the ones who tortured the elite of
Makkah when they committed themselves to
Islam, were they not? In those days, the
Quraish were absolutely mad. They
watched Ignorance collapse under the
pressure of Truth, so the only thing
that they could do was to avenge
themselves ruthlessly and heedlessly.
As we have already said, Sa'd Ibn "Ubaadah
was surrounded by disbelievers who
battered and tortured him. Now, let us
hear the story as told by Sa'd himself:
By Allah, I was in such a terrible state
in their mercy, when I saw a group of
people from the Quraish approaching me.
Among them there was this white man who
looked as bright as daylight, so I said
to myself. Well if there is someone
among those people left with the least
sense of compassion and mercy, then it
must be this man. Unfortunately, as he
came close to me, he raised his fist and
punched me severely, so I said to myself
that none of them is kind-hearted enough
to come to my rescue. And there I was a
prey in their hands as they dragged me
when a man hurried to me and scolded me
saying, "Fie on you! Doesn't anyone
of the Quraish owe you a favor of good
neighborliness?" I answered,
"Yes, of course, I used to help
Jubair Ibn Muta'm's traders and stand by
them against those of my people who were
unjust to them. I also gave aid to Al-Haarith
Ibn Harb Ibn Umaiyah." Then the man
urged me to shout their names and say
they owe me the right of good
neighborliness so I did. Then the man
rushed to them and told them, "A
man from Al-Khazraj is being beaten in
the valley and he is calling out your
names and saying that you owe him the
right of good neighborliness." They
asked him who I was, and as soon as he
told them, they told him that everything
I said was true and rushed to rescue me.
Sa'd left Makkah after this premature
assault which made him realize the
extent of brutality and savageness the
Quraish were willing to exercise against
unarmed people who called for good,
truth, and peace. This assault sharpened
his will, and he decided to do his
utmost to help the Prophet (PBUH) and
his Companions.
The Prophet (PBUH) emigrated to Al-Madiinah
just after the Hijrah of his Companions.
There, Sa'd put his fortune at the
disposal of the Muhaajiruun. Sa'd was
generous by nature and heredity, being
the son of 'Ubaadah Ibn Dulaim Ibn
Haarithah, who was famous for his
generosity in pagan times. Sa'd's
generosity turned into a sign of his
deep-rooted and solid faith.
Narrators commented upon his generosity
and said, "The Prophet's houses
were always full of food sent by Sa'd."
They also said that a man from the
Ansaar used to invite one, two, or even
three Muhaajiruun over for meals,
whereas Sa'd Ibn 'Ubaadah used to invite
over 80 of Muhaajiruun.
Solely for this, Sa'd always implored
Allah to bestow him with more of His
good provision and used to invoke,
"O Allah, little provision does not
suffice me to be righteous or to act
righteously." Therefore, it was
justifiable for the Prophet (PBUH) to
supplicate saying, "O Lord, bring
Your blessings and mercy on the family
of Sa'd Ibn 'Ubaadah."
Sa'd directed not only his fortune to
the service of Islam, the straight and
right religion, but also his energy and
skills. He was a skilled marksman. He
showed singular spirit of self-sacrifice
during the battles under the Prophet's
command (PBUH). Ibn 'Abbaas said about
him (May Allah be pleased with them
both), "The Prophet (PBUH) used
only two standards each time he was at
war: the Muhaajiruun's flag with 'Aliy
Ibn AbiyTaalib and the Ansaar's flag
with Sa'd Ibn 'Ubaadah.
It seemed that his characteristic
strictness was part of his strong
personality. He was stem in upholding
what was right or what he believed to be
his right. If he was convinced about a
certain matter, he would rise to make it
known in public in an unwavering
outspokenness and uncompromising
firmness. This strictness, or should we
say this extremism, was the reason
behind many of his viewpoints which were
called into question.
For instance, on the Day of the Conquest
of Makkah, the Prophet (PBUH) assigned
him to lead an army battalion. Hardly
had he reached the outskirts of Makkah,
the sacred town, when he shouted,
"Today is the day of fierce battle.
Today is the day of transgression."
^Umar Ibn Al-KhajLtaab heard his threat
and hurried to the Prophet (PBUH) and
said, " Messenger of Allah, listen
to what Sa'd just said. . . He should
not be entrusted with the command of the
battalion that will attack the Quraish."
The Prophet (PBUH) gave his assent and
ordered 'Umar to catch up with him and
take his place in the command.
It seems that when Sa'd saw Makkah in a
state of surrender and helplessness, he
saw flashbacks of the abuse and torture
that the believers and he himself had
suffered at one time at the hands of
disbelievers. He recalled all the wars
they had waged against the Muslims who
called for monotheism just because they
believed that there is no god but Allah.
His stem nature made him rejoice at the
Quraish's calamity and vow revenge.
This sternness or extremism that was
characteristic of Sa'd made him take his
famous attitude on the Day of As-Saqiifah.
After the Prophet (PBUH) died, a group
of the Ansaar met Sa'd at Bani
Saa'adah's shaded meeting place to tell
him that the Prophet's caliph must be
one of the Ansaar, as the caliphate was
an honor in this world and in the next;
therefore they craved to win that honor.
But the Prophet (PBUH) had already
chosen his caliph when he asked Abu Bakr
to take his place as Imam (prayer
leader) while he was sick. His
Companions saw this and other special
qualities enjoyed by Abu Bakr — for
instance, he was the second of the two
in the cave — as a sign for his right
to the caliphate.
On the one hand, 'Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab,
along with his companions, took the side
of Abu Bakr and held fast to their
opinion. On the other hand, Sa'd Ibn 'Ubaadah,
along with his companions, took the
other side and held fast to it. This
angered many of the Prophet's Companions
who held Ibn 'Ubaadah responsible for
such a dispute.
However, Sa'd Ibn 'Ubaadah was only
being himself when he held fast to his
viewpoint, for as we have already said,
he always held tenaciously to his
convictions and insisted on being
outspoken and precise concerning exactly
where he stood. This feature came out
dearly at the Battle of Hunain before
the Prophet himself. When the Muslims
were victorious in battle, the Prophet (PBUH)
always distributed the spoils of war
among all the Muslims, yet on that
particular day, he took special care of
those whose hearts Allah had joined,
namely, the elite who had committed
themselves to Islam a short time before,
so as to help them discipline themselves
by this privilege. He did not give
anything to the Muslims in whom Islam
was deeply rooted, as he thought that
their Islam sufficed them. He gave to
the warriors who were in need. The
Prophet's mere bounty was an honor most
people competed for. The war booty
became an important source of revenue on
which the Muslims lived. Therefore, the
Ansaar bitterly wondered what made the
Prophet deprive them of the booty.
Hassan Ibn Thaabit, the poet of the
Ansaar, recited lines of poetry that
mean: Go to the Prophet and say you are
the best among all human beings. Why
should you invite Sulaim tribe to take a
share of war spoils although they are
mere Muhaajiruun while you deprived the
Ansaar who gave shelter, support and
help to Muhaajiruun. Allah called them
the Ansaar because they believed in and
supported the religion of guidance in
the time of fierce struggle and war.
They rushed to strive in the way of
Allah and endured difficulties and
hardships without getting weary or
losing faith.
In those lines, the poet of the Prophet
and the Ansaar expressed quite
eloquently the embarrassment and
disappointment the Ansaar felt when the
Prophet gave his Companions the spoils
of war and did not give them anything.
The leader of the Ansaar, Sa'd Ibn
"Ubaadah, realized the dilemma they
were in, as he heard people talk about
it secretly. This did not appeal to him,
so urged by his candor, he went
immediately to the Prophet (PBUH) and
said, "O Messenger of Allah, this
group of the Ansaar are displeased with
what you did with the spoils of war. You
have distributed war booty among your
people and were most generous to the
Arab tribes, but you did not give the
Ansaar anything."
Thus, the frank man got it off his chest
and gave the Prophet a candid account of
the situation. The Prophet (PBUH) asked
him, "What is your opinion about
it?" Sa'd answered with the same
bluntness, "I have the same
viewpoint as my people." Then the
Prophet (PBUH) asked him to gather the
Angaar. We must narrate the story to its
very end as it is irresistably
fascinating.
When the Prophet (PBUH) came where the
Ansaar gathered, he looked at their
disgruntled faces, and his smile
brightened with gratitude and
appreciation. Then he said, "O
Ans.aar, I heard that an incident that
happened recently made you feel ill at
ease. Now, didn't I find you ignorant
and guided you to the way of Allah.
Didn't I find you poor and Allah
enriched you of His bounty? And didn't I
find you enemies and Allah joined your
hearts together?"
They answered, "Indeed, Allah and
His Prophet are far more generous and
better."
The Prophet then said, "Don't you
have anything to say?"
They answered, "There is nothing to
be said but that Allah and His Prophet
have the grace and bounty."
The
Prophet (PBUH) then said, "By
Allah, you could have justly said, We
believed in you at a time when all
called you a liar. We supported you at a
time when you were frustrated. We gave
you our money at a time when you were
poor and we even sheltered you at a time
when you were homeless. O Ansaar, are
you upset for a thing so trivial and
worldly that I gave to some people so as
to join their hearts to Islam and left
you out of it, believing that your Islam
sufficed you? Is it not enough for you
that the rest of the people will go home
with a sheep or a camel, whereas you
will return accompanied by the Prophet's
love and appreciation? By Allah, if I
were not one of the Muhaajiruun I would
rather be one of the Ansaar, and if
people moved in different ways, I would
choose the way taken by the Ansaar.
Allah, do have mercy on the Ansaar,
their children, and their children's
children."
By the time the Prophet (PBUH) concluded
his words, their beards were wet with
tears, for the words of the great
Prophet filled their hearts with
tranquility and enriched their souls.
All of them including Sa'd cried out,
"It is enough for us to have the
Prophet's love as our reward."
In the first days of 'Umar's caliphate,
Sa'd went to the Commander of the
Faithful and said with his extreme
candor, "By Allah, we prefer your
companion Abu Bakr over you. By Allah, I
cannot stand to live near you."
‘Umar calmly answered, "Anyone
who hates his company should seek a
better one elsewhere." Sa'd said,
"I will indeed seek better company
somewhere else."
Sa'd words to 'Umar were not an
expression of hate or spite, for the man
who was satisfied with the Prophet's
love as his reward cannot possibly deny
loyality to such a man as 'Umar, whom
the Prophet (PBUH) had always cherished
and honored. It was just that Sa'd Ibn 'Ubaadah
did not want to wait around for some
event to come up and result in an
inevitable dispute between him and the
Commaner of the Faithful 'Umar Ibn Al-
Khattaab, a thing he did not want or
accept. Sa'dwasone of the Companions
whom the Qur'aan described as
"merciful among themselves."
He traveled to Syria. Shortly after he
had settled in the Hauran plateau, he
died and went back to the Lord the Most
Merciful.
Sheikh Abdulfattah Abu-Abdullah Adelabu (Ph. D. Damas),
a West African Islamic Academic founded AWQAF Africa, of
which he's the first al Amir (i.e. President).
Sheikh Dr. Adelabu was studying Postgraduate Degrees in
Damascus early 1990's during when Syria reviewed its
national security after an ‘Oslo Accord'...
Syria like many other countries around the world
witnessed, during this period, the flood of refugees
from war troubled nations like Somalia, arrival of
people from Algeria during the brutal struggling between
the Mujahidun and the government, resettlement of the
Palestinians fleeing from sophisticated guns of the
Israelis as well as adventure of African migrants for
reasons uncountable…
Back
Forward