سَعْدُ بْنُ عُبَادَة
رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ
Sa'd ibn Ubadah
Chief of Khazraj · One of the twelve at Aqabah · Ansari
may Allah be pleased with him
Khazraj — Banu Sa'idah, of Madinah · Madinah, up to about 15 AH
A chief of Khazraj and one of the twelve the Ansar appointed to answer for them at Aqabah. His household fed people as a standing habit, and Quraysh caught and beat him for the pledge he had just given.
Known for
He was one of the twelve the Ansar appointed at Aqabah to answer for them
Feeding people was a standing arrangement in his house, not an occasion
The reports describe food going out from his household continuously, and he carried the habit into the campaigns.
Quraysh caught him after the pledge at Aqabah and beat him
He was released when Makkans he had trade dealings with intervened on his behalf.
He was the figure the Ansar were gathered around at Saqifah
What followed at that gathering is recorded differently across the classical accounts, and this record does not narrate it.
His story in moments
Short episodes from his life, in order. Read one at a time.
Life & legacy
Madinah
Sa'd was of Banu Sa'idah, a clan of Khazraj, and a chief among them. When the men of Yathrib gave the second pledge at Aqabah, they appointed twelve of their number to be answerable for their people, and he was one.
What happened to him immediately afterwards is set out in the moment below.
He was present through the campaigns of the Madinan decade, and his household's habit of feeding people is one of the few things the sources mention about him repeatedly rather than once.
After the Prophet ﷺ died
When the Prophet ﷺ died, the Ansar gathered at Saqifah Bani Sa'idah, and Sa'd was the figure among them. The classical accounts of what was said there, and of what he did, differ materially from one another. This record does not narrate them, for the reason set out in the review dossier.
He left Madinah for Syria afterwards and died there. The sources give the year variously, generally in the mid teens AH, and the accounts of his death differ too.
How the sources describe him
His generosity was structural rather than occasional
He spoke as someone his people expected to speak for them
Connect
People around him
Alongside
- The Prophet Muhammad ﷺCompanion
He was one of the twelve appointed at Aqabah to answer for the Ansar.
Chief of Aws as Sa'd ibn Ubadah was chief of Khazraj — the two tribes that had been fighting each other before Islam, and that the Ansar were formed from.
Full timeline
- Shortly before the Hijrah
Appointed one of the twelve at Aqabah
- The Madinan years
Present in the campaigns of the Madinan decade
- 11 AH reports differThe gathering is agreed; the accounts of what was said and done there differ materially.
The Ansar gather at Saqifah Bani Sa'idah
- The sources differ approximate, reports differReports generally place it in the mid teens AH and do not agree.
Dies in Syria
Part of
Sources & review
In reviewBased on the listed sources. See something to correct? Tell us.
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
Companions of the Prophet
Modern biography · Abdul Wahid Hamid
SahabaMate editorial summary
Editorial summary
References follow the citation detail available in the source material.
Notice an error?
If something looks wrong or missing, send a correction and we’ll check it against the listed sources.
Notice an errorWant to remember what you learn about the Sahabah?
Pro adds Smart Review, the full Sahaba Album, adaptive quizzes, learning paths, a Mistake Notebook and personalised daily sessions across both apps.