Saad Ibn Mo'adh

Saad Ibn Mo'adh  was born into a large family in the Bani Abd al-Ashal clan which affiliated  to  Ows tribe in Medina about 32 years before the prophet’s migration from Mecca to Medina. His father died before  the advent of Islam, but his mother survived until the time of the Prophet Muhammad’s prophecy and converted to Islam. Saad was a resourceful and brave man and an influential figure among his tribe. Therefore, he was elected as the head of the Ows tribe when he was a young man.

Saad Ibn Mo'adh married Hind, daughter of Sammak, and had two sons, Amr and Abdullah. After the First Treaty of Aqabah and the mission of Mas'ab Ibn Umair to Medina, the head of the Bani Abd al-Ashal clan converted to Islam by Mas'ab.

Saad's conversion to Islam had a tremendous impact on the spread of the Prophet's religion in Medina; in such a way that, through his initiative, all the people of Banu al-Ashal  became Muslims in one day. From that time until his martyrdom, in  spreading and promoting Islam he tried his best, and did not allow any hesitation in his heart, and was present in all scenes.

After the Battle of Badr, he participated in the Battle of Ohod, the Battle of Bani Qeynoqa’a, the "Sariyyah" of the killing of Ka'b Ibn al-Ashraf("Sariyyah" refers to a war or a force deployment during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in which the Prophet himself was not present and was commanded by one of his companions.), and the Battle of Bani Nazir. His last battle scene was the Battle of Khandaq on the Day of the Parties, where his arm was injured and he was declared as a  disabled war veteran.

Saad's name and lineage

His name and lineage are Saad Ibn Mo’adh Ibn No'man Ibn Amru al-Qeys. He was one of the great companions of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) and the head of the Ows tribe. His mother, Kabshah, daughter of Rafe', was the first woman among the Ansar and the people of Medina to believe in the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and his family) between the first and second pledges of allegiance at Aqabah .

Saad’s Conversion  to Islam

Saad converted to Islam  by Mos'ab Ibn Umayr in Medina (between the two treaties of Aqabah), and with his conversion to Islam, all members of the Abdul Ashal family became MuslimsIbn .        

This family was the first family whose men and women all converted to Islam .After converting to Islam, Saad, along with Asid Ibn Hazir, broke the idols of the Bani Abdul Ashal familyIbn Saad, Kateb Vaqedi , Muhammad ibn Saad.(1989). Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra,vol.3, first edition, research, Atta, Muhammad Abdul Qadir, Beirut: Dar al-Kutb al-IlmiyyahIbn.

After the migration of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and Muslims to Medina, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) concluded a brotherhood pact between Saad and Abu Ubaydah  Jarrah .

Saad was one of the elders of the Ansar and the chief of the Ows tribe, a brave man, decisive in his speech and decision-making, and steadfast in struggle and jihad.

Saad and the revelation of the verse of Qur’an

Ibn Ishaq narrates through his document of transmission from Ibn Abbas that Mo’adh Ibn Jabal, Sa’d Ibn Mo’adh, and Kharejah Ibn Zeyd asked some Jewish rabbis(Rabbis means a scholar of Jewish religion) about some things mentioned in the Torah. They concealed and refused to answer the question, and the following verses were revealed in this regard :

إِنَّ الَّذِینَ یَکْتُمُونَ مَا أَنْزَلْنَا مِنَ الْبَیِّنَاتِ وَالْهُدَی مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا بَیَّنَّاهُ لِلنَّاسِ فِی الْکِتَابِ أُولَئِکَ یَلْعَنُهُمُ اللَّهُ وَیَلْعَنُهُمُ اللَّاعِنُونَ * إِلَّا الَّذِینَ تَابُوا وَأَصْلَحُوا وَبَیَّنُوا فَأُولَئِکَ أَتُوبُ عَلَیْهِمْ وَأَنَا التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِیمُ [بقره–۱۵۹-۱۶۰]

BEHOLD, as for those who suppress aught of the evidence of the truth and of the guidance which We have bestowed from on high, after We have made it clear unto mankind through the divine writ - these it is whom God will reject, and whom all who can judge will reject.

Excepted, however, shall be they that repent, and put themselves to rights, and make known the truth: and it is they whose repentance I shall accept - for I alone am the Acceptor of Repentance,the Dispenser of Grace .

The end of his life

Although Sa'd's arm wound had healed, after he returned from the Bani Qorayzah fortress, while he was sleeping, a goat kicked  a place of arrow in his arm,so  causing the wound to open again and bleed profusely, and  whatever they tried for treatment, it had no effect. As a result, he was martyred in 5 AH at the age of 37 .

When the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was informed about Saad's wound, he visited him and embraced him. While the blood from Saad's hand was splashing on the head and face of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), he placed his head in his lap and spread a white cloth over him. Whenever he covered his face, his feet were bare, and if he covered his feet, his face remained bare. Then the prophet prayed for him in this way:

O Allah! Saad fought in Your way and acknowledged Your Prophethood, so accept his soul in a good manner." Upon hearing the words of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family), Saad regained consciousness, opened his eyes, and said: "Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah!" Be a witness that I accepted your mission."

The family of Saad, who saw this love and kindness of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), wept bitterly. Then the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) said: "I ask God that angels as numerous as you, descend and be present at Saad's death."

Saad's mother recites the elegy for her son.The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "All those who lament for the dead are liars, except the mother of Saad ."

The Prophet and the admiration of Saad's funeral

After the story of opening Saad's wound, one morning when the Messenger of God (peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family) woke up, Gabriel descended and said: "O Messenger of God! A righteous servant from your nation has passed away, for whom the gates of heaven have been opened and the “Arsh” of God has been shaken."

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Saad Mo’adh was sick.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) went to the mosque and asked those present: “What happened to Saad?” They said: “He died.

So his relatives took him to his house. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed the morning prayer and left the mosque, and the crowd followed him. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) walked so fast that people were followed with difficulty; shoes were slipping off  their feet and robes were falling off  their shoulders.

A man said: "O Messenger of Allah! You have caused trouble to the people!" The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "I fear that the angels will precede us and wash him, just as they preceded us and washed  Hanzalah (Hanzalah  Ibn Abi Amer, known as Ghasil al-Malaikah  (martyrdom 3rd century), one of the companions of the Prophet (PBUH) who was martyred in the Battle of Ohod)i. "

When the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) entered Saad's house, he saw his relatives bathing him. The Prophet sat down to one side, but unexpectedly, they saw that he had folded his knees. When they asked him why?, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "An angel descended and there was no place for him, so I made  place for him."

Saad was washed three times and shrouded in three pieces of cloth. Then he was placed in a coffin and the Prophet (peace be upon him) held the front of the coffin until it was placed on the ground outside the house. After that, he would sometimes walk in front of the corpse, sometimes on the right side, sometimes on the left side, and in front and behind the coffin. Because Saad Ibn Mo'adh was a stout and fat man.

When he was being buried, the hypocrites wanted to criticize him, so they said: "We have never seen a corpse in such a slight  until today, and this contemptible is because of the judgment he made about the Bani Qorayzah." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) became aware of their words, so he said: "By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, angels will carry his coffin; seventy thousand angels have come to bury him, whom they have not yet come to earth Ibn Saad, Kateb Vaqedi , Muhammad ibn Saad.(1989). Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra,vol.3, first edition, research, Atta, Muhammad Abdul Qadir, Beirut: Dar al-Kutb al-IlmiyyahIbn; Dhahabi, Muhammad ibn Ahmad.(1989). History of Islam,vol.2, Beirut:Dar Alkotob  Alarabi."

Saad's burying Ceremony

The Muslims carried Saad's body to the beginning of Baqie 'and dug a grave for him at the foot of the wall of the house of Aqil Ibn Abi Talib (which was built later).

The person who dug his grave said: "Every time we dug a pickaxe into the ground and dug up some soil, we could smell the scent of musk".

When the grave was ready, the body was placed in front of it and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) prayed over him. Four people, one of whom was Saad's nephew, placed him in the grave. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) himself entered the grave and arranged Saad's coffin. After the coffin was arranged, he said:

"Give me soft clay," and he filled all the gaps between the bricks. Then he said, "Although I know it will soon be destroyed, God loves that whenever His servant does everything he does well and firmly."

The grave was built and the grave was leveled by pouring soil. The mother of Saad Ibn Mo’adh, who was sitting nearby, said: "May Paradise be pleasant to you." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) said: "Mother of Saad! Be silent! What do you expect from God? The grave put a heavy pressure on Saad." And in some narrations, the Prophet said three times: "Glory be to Allah."

And the people followed him and said the “Sohanallah”( Glory be to Allah) three times. They asked him why? He said: "The grave has put pressure on Saad, and if anyone could be relieved of this pressure, Saad would be one of them." The people asked: "O Messenger of Allah, did you treat Saad in a way that you have not done to anyone else; did you bury him bare foot and without a robe?"The Prophet said: "Since the angels came without clothes and shoes, I followed them."

The people said: Why did you hold the four corners of the coffin? He said: "Because my hand was in the hand of Gabriel and wherever he held, I would hold it too." They said: With all this respect and honor, did you say that Saad felt the pressure of the grave? The Imam said: "Yes, this was because Saad was behaving badly with his family ."