In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Mawaddah Association is pleased
to present to you snapshots from the lives of the Companions,
authored by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
may Allah have mercy on him.
Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, may Allah be pleased with him.
On the day the light of prophethood illuminated Yathrib, Sa'd ibn Mu'adh
was a knight among the most influential knights of Yathrib in status,
possessing the highest authority and the most expansive prestige.
He stood at the pinnacle of Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal,
while Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal stood at the pinnacle of the Aws clan,
and he was the young leader and master of the Aws.
He listened to the news of the Meccan caller to Islam, Mus'hab ibn 'Umayr,
yet paid it little attention.
He knew that Mus'hab had settled as a guest of his maternal cousin, As'ad ibn Zurarah,
and that they were cooperating to spread the call to the new religion throughout Yathrib.
However, he refrained from obstructing their path out of respect for his cousin's rights over him.
While the master of the Aws was walking in the outskirts of the homes of Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal,
accompanied by Usayd ibn al-Hudayr,
he suddenly spotted the Meccan caller and his host in an orchard near his people's dwellings,
resting in the shade of its palm trees
and drinking from its well,
surrounded by a group of believers in the new religion
who had gathered around Mus'hab, asking him to instruct them in Allah's religion
and to recite to them portions of the Book of Allah.
This deeply offended the master of the Aws,
and it pained him that the boldness of his cousin and his guest had reached such an extent
that they openly proclaimed the religion of Muhammad in his very stronghold.
So he said to Usayd ibn al-Hudayr:
"May you not lack a father, O Usayd!
Go to those two and deal with this Meccan man
who has come to slander our religion,
revile our gods, and beguile our weak-minded ones.
Rebuke him sternly so that he never approaches our homes after today."
He then added, saying:
"Were it not that Ibn Zurarah is my cousin,
holding the close relation to me that you know,
I would have spared you the task,
and I would have dealt with them myself."
Usayd ibn al-Hudayr grabbed his spear
and headed toward As'ad ibn Zurarah
and his companion, Mus'hab ibn 'Umayr,
until he stood directly before them.
Mus'hab greeted him with a cheerful face
and gentle words,
beginning to invite him to Islam.
He started reciting verses from the Qur'an to him—
verses capable of softening hardened hearts
and winning over averse souls—
until Usayd's face beamed and his countenance relaxed.
He said to Mus'hab:
"How beautiful and fine these words are!
What do you do if you wish to enter
into this new religion?"
He replied: "You wash yourself, purify your garment,
testify to the testimony of truth,
and pray two rak'ahs for Allah.
And this water is right beside you."
So Usayd immediately stepped to the water and washed,
testified to the testimony of truth,
and prayed two rak'ahs for Allah.
Then he said to Mus'hab:
"Behind me is a man who,
if he follows you two, not a single person from his tribe will lag behind.
I will send him to you right now,
so handle him with fine tact."
Usayd returned to the gathering of his people,
and when Sa'd ibn Mu'adh saw him approaching,
he looked at him and said to those around him:
"I swear by Allah, Usayd has returned to you
with a different face than the one he left with."
Then he turned to him and said:
"What have you done, O Usayd?"
He replied:
"I spoke to the two men,
and by Allah, I saw nothing objectionable in them."
Sa'd ibn Mu'adh stood up in anger,
took the spear from Usayd's hand, and said:
"By Allah, I see you have accomplished nothing!
If this state of affairs continues like this,
I will surely find them tomorrow in my own home,
inviting my wife and children
to abandon my religion and the religion of my forefathers!"
Sa'd ibn Mu'adh marched toward where
Mus'hab and his companion were sitting.
When his cousin,
As'ad ibn Zurarah, saw him approaching,
he said to Mus'hab:
"O Mus'hab!
By Allah, the master of his people has come to you!
If he follows you,
not a single one of them will stay behind.
So consider carefully how you will handle him."
No sooner had Sa'd reached them and stood over them,
than he turned sharply toward his cousin
and confronted him, saying:
"O Abu Umamah!
By Allah,
were it not for the kinship between you and me,
you would not have dared treat me like this!
Do you intrude upon our homes with that which we hate?"
Mus'hab ibn 'Umayr intervened
with his cheerful face and sweet words,
saying: "Will you not sit and listen?
If you are pleased with what we say and desire it,
you may accept our call;
and if you dislike it, we will depart from you at once."
These words softened Sa'd's heart, and he said:
"By Allah, that is fair.
Present what you have."
So Mus'hab began
presenting Islam to Sa'd ibn Mu'adh
in the most beautiful manner possible,
and recited to him from the Qur'an
that which humbled his heart,
brought serenity to his limbs,
and lifted his soul in devotion.
It was not long before he said to Mus'hab:
"What does one do who wishes to enter into this goodness?
By Allah, I have never heard speech more righteous
or noble than this."
The master of the Aws did not leave his spot
until he had declared the word of truth
and joined the caravan of faith.
Sa'd ibn Mu'adh picked up his spear
and turned back to the gathering of his people.
When they saw him approaching, they said:
"We swear by Allah,
Sa'd has returned to you with a different face than the one he left with."
When he reached the gathering, he said:
"O Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal!
How do you know my standing among you?"
They said: "You are our master in truth,
the best of us in judgment,
and the most complete of us in intellect."
He said: "Then the speech of your men and women is forbidden to me
until you believe in Allah and His Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him."
By evening, there was not a single man or woman in the homes of Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal
except that they had become Muslims.
From that day onward,
Mus'hab ibn 'Umayr—
the first messenger of Islam—
moved to the home of the master of the Aws, Sa'd ibn Mu'adh,
taking his house as a sanctuary for the call,
until there remained not a single household among the Ansar
except that it contained Muslim men and Muslim women.
Thus, the gates of Yathrib were opened wide before the Emigrants from Mecca,
who began arriving in groups and individually,
finding within its borders protection and security.
Indeed, Sa'd ibn Mu'adh's acceptance of Islam was a great blessing for Islam
and a source of grace for the Muslims.
He displayed monumental stances in supporting the call,
filling the noble Prophet's heart, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
with love and admiration for him.
On the day of Badr, when the Messenger, peace be upon him, set out
to intercept the caravan of Quraysh,
he soon found himself in a critical situation.
This was because the Muslims had set out with the Prophet, peace be upon him,
merely to capture a caravan
guarded by no more than forty men;
however, the situation suddenly shifted into a confrontation with a formidable army
driven by obstinacy, fueled by grudges, and impelled by defiance.
The noble Messenger, peace be upon him, had with him
only three hundred and seventeen men,
and he had to make a decisive choice:
either return to Medina,
leaving the army of the idolaters to range freely through the land
and flaunt its power before the tribes dwelling between Mecca and Medina,
or confront the massive idolater army with his small force.
This decision hinged upon the stance of the Ansar,
because the bulk of his army was drawn from them,
and they were the ones who would bear the brunt of the battle on their shoulders.
Furthermore, when they gave allegiance to the Messenger, peace be upon him, at the Second Pledge of 'Aqabah,
they pledged to protect him only as they protected themselves, their children, and their families,
without promising to fight alongside him outside their own lands.
At that moment, Sa'd ibn Mu'adh stood up
and announced in decisive, resolute words
the determination of the Ansar to engage in battle alongside the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
He said: "O Messenger of Allah!
We have believed in you, affirmed your truth,
and given you our oaths and covenants to hear and obey.
So proceed, O Messenger of Allah, to whatever you intend!
For by Him Who sent you with the truth,
if you were to cross this sea with us,
we would plunge into it with you!
Indeed, O Messenger of Allah, we are
steadfast in war,
truthful upon encounter!
And perhaps Allah will show you from us that which delights your eyes."
The Messenger, peace be upon him, was overjoyed
with the utmost joy and delight by this.
He entrusted the banner of the Ansar to Sa'd ibn Mu'adh
and the banner of the Emigrants to 'Ali ibn Abi Talib.
On the day of the Trench,
Sa'd had another legendary stance;
when the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
saw the severity of the siege imposed by the Confederates upon the people of Medina,
he wished to lighten their burden,
So he negotiated with the leaders of Ghatafan
to offer them a third of Medina's produce
if they abandoned fighting the Muslims,
and they agreed to those terms.
When Sa'd ibn Mu'adh learned
of what was transpiring between the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
and Ghatafan,
he approached the Prophet (peace be upon him)
and asked, "Is this something you desire,
so that we may execute it for you?
Or is it something Allah has commanded you to do,
so that we must hear and obey?
Or is it a strategy you are devising for us to lighten our burden?"
The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied,
"Rather, it is something I am doing for your sake.
By Allah, I only initiated this
because I saw the Arabs uniting against you as one single bow."
Sa'd ibn Mu'adh said to him,
"O Messenger of Allah,
by Allah, we and these people were once steeped in polytheism and idol worship,
and they never aspired to take a single fruit from us except through purchase or hospitality!
Now that Allah has honored us with Islam
and dignified us through you,
shall we give them our wealth?
By Allah, O Messenger of Allah,
we shall give them nothing but the sword
until Allah judges between us and them,
for He is the best of judges!"
The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) was overjoyed
by Sa'd's words
and called off the arrangement.
On that very day of the Trench,
Sa'd was struck by an arrow that severed his medial arm vein,
bringing him to the brink of death.
As the young hero of Islam, Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, lay dying,
the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) placed Sa'd's head in his lap,
covered him with a white garment,
and looked at him with profound sorrow and grief, praying:
"O Allah, indeed Sa'd strove in Your cause,
believed Your Messenger,
and fulfilled his duty.
So receive his soul with the best reception You have ever granted any soul."
At that, Sa'd's face brightened with joy
even as he wrestled with the pangs of death,
and he opened his eyes and said,
"Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah.
I bear witness that you are indeed the Messenger of Allah."
Then his pure soul departed.
Sa'd ibn Mu'adh,
the standard-bearer of the Ansar at Badr.