سَعْدُ بْنُ أَبِي وَقَّاص
رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ
Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas
Commander at al-Qadisiyyah · Early Muslim · Muhajir
may Allah be pleased with him
Quraysh — Banu Zuhrah · Makkah, Madinah and Iraq, up to about 55 AH
He accepted Islam as a young man and held to it against a mother who refused to eat until he gave it up. Decades later he commanded the army at al-Qadisiyyah, and in old age he kept out of the fighting between Muslims.
Known for
Named among the Ten given glad tidings of Paradise
The first to shoot an arrow in the way of Allah
He commanded the army at al-Qadisiyyah
Umar appointed him to lead the force sent into Iraq. The city of Kufa was laid out afterwards under his authority.
The Prophet ﷺ called him his maternal uncle
Sa'd was of Banu Zuhrah, the clan of the Prophet's ﷺ mother, and the reports have him introduced that way.
Story
His story in moments
Short episodes from his life, in order. Read one at a time.
In full
Life & legacy
Makkah
Sa'd accepted Islam young, in the earliest years, when the Muslims of Makkah were still very few. His family did not accept it, and the pressure they applied to him is the episode he is best remembered for from this period.
He emigrated to Madinah with the community and was present at Badr, Uhud and the campaigns after them.
Iraq, and after
Umar appointed him to command the army sent into Iraq, and it was under him that the decisive engagement at al-Qadisiyyah was fought. The garrison town of Kufa was laid out afterwards under his authority, and he governed there for a period.
He was one of the six Umar named to choose a successor. When the community later divided, he kept out of it entirely and took no part in the fighting between Muslims.
He died at al-Aqiq, outside Madinah, and was buried in the city. He is generally reported to have been the last of the Ten to die.
How the sources describe him
Pressure from the people closest to him did not move him
He would not fight other Muslims
When the community divided, he took no side and stayed out of it.
Connect
People around him
Alongside
- The Prophet Muhammad ﷺCompanion
Of his mother's clan, Banu Zuhrah, and among the earliest to accept Islam.
Appointed him to command in Iraq, and named him among the six who were to choose the next caliph.
Of the same clan, Banu Zuhrah, and named with him among the Ten.
Full timeline
- The early Makkan years
Accepts Islam in Makkah as a young man
- 2 AH
Present at Badr
- Around 15 AH approximate, reports differThe engagement is dated to 14, 15 and 16 AH in different accounts.
Commands the army at al-Qadisiyyah
- Around 55 AH approximate, reports differReports give 54, 55 and 58 AH.
Dies at al-Aqiq and is buried in Madinah
Part of
Sources & review
Draft content — undergoing reviewThis content was written for SahabaMate and has not yet been checked by a reviewer against the works below. Treat it as a starting point, not a citation.
The Qur'anالقرآن الكريم
Qur'an
Sahih al-Bukhariصحيح البخاري
Hadith collection · Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari
Sahih Muslimصحيح مسلم
Hadith collection · Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj
Jami' at-Tirmidhiجامع الترمذي
Hadith collection · Muhammad ibn 'Isa at-Tirmidhi
As-Sirah an-Nabawiyyahالسيرة النبوية
Classical biography · Ibn Hisham, from the recension of Ibn Ishaq
Kitab at-Tabaqat al-Kabirالطبقات الكبرى
Classical biography · Ibn Sa'd
Tarikh ar-Rusul wa'l-Mulukتاريخ الرسل والملوك
Classical history · Muhammad ibn Jarir at-Tabari
Al-Isabah fi Tamyiz as-Sahabahالإصابة في تمييز الصحابة
Classical biography · Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani
Siyar A'lam an-Nubalaسير أعلام النبلاء
Classical biography · Shams ad-Din adh-Dhahabi
SahabaMate editorial summary
Editorial summary
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