سَعْدُ بْنُ مُعَاذ
رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ
Sa'd ibn Mu'adh
Chief of Aws · Ansari · Spoke for the Ansar at Badr
may Allah be pleased with him
Aws — Banu Abd al-Ashhal, of Madinah · Madinah, up to 5 AH
The chief of Aws in Madinah, whose acceptance of Islam brought his whole clan with him. He answered for the Ansar on the eve of Badr, was wounded at the Trench, and died of that wound.
Known for
His acceptance of Islam brought his clan with him
He was the chief of Banu Abd al-Ashhal. When he accepted Islam through Mus'ab ibn Umayr, he went to his people and told them plainly, and the clan followed.
He spoke for the Ansar on the eve of Badr
The Prophet ﷺ asked the army for its view. The pledge the Ansar had given was for defending Madinah, not for marching out — and Sa'd answered for them anyway.
He was wounded at the Trench and died of it
An arrow struck his arm during the siege of Madinah in 5 AH. The wound killed him.
Both Sahih collections carry a report about his death
The report describes the throne of the Most Merciful shaking at the death of Sa'd ibn Mu'adh. It is stated here as what the collections carry, without interpretation.
Story
His story in moments
Short episodes from his life, in order. Read one at a time.
In full
Life & legacy
Madinah
Sa'd was chief of Banu Abd al-Ashhal, a clan of Aws, in the years when Aws and Khazraj had been fighting each other for a long time and neither had won.
He accepted Islam through Mus'ab ibn Umayr, who had been sent to the town to teach before the Hijrah. The reports describe him going straight from that conversation to his clan and telling them that speaking to him was forbidden to them until they accepted Islam too. They did.
That single decision is why a large part of Aws was Muslim before the Prophet ﷺ arrived.
Badr to the Trench
At Badr he answered for the Ansar when the question of marching out was put to the army, which is set out in the moment below.
In 5 AH Madinah was besieged, and a trench was dug to hold the attackers off. Sa'd was struck in the arm by an arrow during the siege. He was brought back into the city and a tent was put up for him in the mosque so that he could be looked after nearby.
In the aftermath of the siege he was appointed to give judgement in the matter of Banu Qurayzah. That episode is not narrated in this record — see the review dossier, where the reason is set out.
The wound did not heal. He died of it in 5 AH.
How the sources describe him
He did not deliberate in public and then hedge
His people followed where he went
Connect
People around him
Alongside
- The Prophet Muhammad ﷺCompanion
He answered for the Ansar before Badr and was nursed in the mosque when wounded.
The teacher sent to Madinah before the Hijrah, through whom Sa'd accepted Islam. The sources describe the meeting directly.
Full timeline
- Shortly before the Hijrah
Accepts Islam through Mus'ab ibn Umayr, and his clan follows
- 2 AH
Answers for the Ansar on the road to Badr
- 5 AH
Wounded by an arrow during the siege of Madinah
- 5 AH
Dies of the wound 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.
Sahih al-Bukhariصحيح البخاري
Hadith collection · Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari
Sahih Muslimصحيح مسلم
Hadith collection · Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj
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
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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