Sa'd ibn Mua'dh

Saad ibn Muʿādh al-Ansari was the chief of the Aws tribe in Medina and one of the prominent companions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He died shortly after the Battle of the Trench.

Family Sa'd was born in Medina 590 CE, His siblings were Aws (apparently the eldest), Iyas, 'Amr, Iqrab and Umm Hizam.

He married his brother Aws's widow, Hind bint Simak,

Confrontation with Abu Jahl and the start of Badr hostilities Before the Battle of Badr, Sa'd had visited Mecca once to perform his Umrah with his non-Muslim friend Umayyah ibn Khalaf, when they came across Abu Jahl. They argued, and as it became heated, Sa'd threatened Abu Jahl with preventing his safe passage through Medina if he stopped the Muslims from performing the pilgrimage in Mecca. Narrated 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud:

Battle of Badr The Muslims originally expected a much smaller Meccan force and were surprised by the large Meccan Army so Muhammad called Shura:

Battle of Uhud Sa'd was one of the few companions who remained on the battlefield, when the Meccans led by Khalid bin Walid counterattacked and he continued to fight on until he was finally forced to retreat away from the Meccans. In fact, Sa'd was the last Muslim Mus'ab ibn 'Umair met (Sa'd by that time had disengaged the Meccans) when he chided other Muslims for retreating and ferociously attacked the Meccans resulting in his brutal martyrdom at the hands of the Meccans. He later met up with Muhammad and was part of the small contingent Muslims defending him.

Sa'd's brother 'Amr and his stepson (nephew) al-Harith ibn Aws were both among those who were killed at Uhud. Later the Muslims laid siege to their stronghold and the Banu Qurayza surrendered.

Several members of the Banu Aws pleaded for their old Jewish allies and agreed to Muhammad's proposal that one of their chiefs should judge the matter. The Banu Qurayza themselves appointed Sa'd, and declared they would agree with whatever was Sa'd's verdict. The verdict for the Banu Qurayza, a Jewish clan in Medina, was consistent with the Old Testament and some scholars claim the verdict was based on Deutoronomy 20:12-14.

Death Sa'd had been wounded in the same Battle of Trench and was on the verge of death. Sa'd succumbed to the wounds and died after returning to Medina.

Legacy

He dutifully served as a member of the Muslim community and even commanded military campaigns for Muhammad during his lifetime. Saad is said to have been a stern, just and passionate man, willing to impulsively fight for what he believed in. In Muslim history, he is well regarded as a noble companion who enjoyed a close relationship with Muhammad.

Even after his death Muhammad made constant references praising him:

According to one Hadith, Muhammad bestowed him a title of "Siddiq al-Ansar", (rightful man of Ansar or truthful man of Ansar), which according to later era scholars of Hadith, were counterpart of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, a Siddiq which hailed from Muhajirun.