Saad Ibn Abi Waqqaas radhiallahu anhu was born in 578 CE and passed away in 664 CE (54AH) at the age of 86. He was closely related to the Prophet r’s mother, Aminah. Aminah’s father was a brother of Saad radhiallahu anhu’s grandfather and the Prophet r called him his uncle. Saad was one of the first people to accept Islam. His mother, Hamnah, starved herself for days trying to get Saad to leave Islam. When she saw he was firm on Islam, she started eating and drinking again. By the age of 40 Saad only had one daughter. Later on he got many more children. Saad narrated 271 Hadith and often wept out of the fear of Allah Ta’ala. The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said he was equal to 1,000 warriors. He was promised Paradise in this world. He was blessed with a lot of wealth and was very generous.
Saad took part in many of the battles with the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. He was the first Muslim to shed the blood of a disbeliever who taunted Muslims who were praying. Saad was also the first person to shoot an arrow in the defence of Islam. Due to his bravery, Saad was put in command of many Muslim armies. He was commander-in-chief of the Muslim army in the historical Battle of Qadisiyyah when the Persian empire collapsed. In the march on Madden, Saad’s army crossed the Tigris River without the horses’ feet becoming wet.
Saad planned and established the city of Kufe (in present-day Iraq) with a Musjid in the centre, wide roads, and a large, empty space as a playground for children and soldiers’ training ground. Umar radhiallahu anhu chose Saad as one of 6 possible successors to him as Khalifah. Just before his death Saad asked his children to open a box that he had always kept locked. In it was the garment he’d worn against the enemy in the Battle of Badr and he asked his children to wrap him in it and bury him. Some reports state that Saad was sent as envoy to a Chinese Emperor Gaozong in 650 CE, becoming the first Muslim in China.
Saad Ibn Abi Waqqas radhiallahu anhu
