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Rejoice,
Abu 'Amr !
He committed himself to Islam at the age
of 31 and won marytrdom at 37. This
seven years lapse was a tough one in
which Sa'd Ibn Mu’aadh (May Allah be
pleased with him) exerted all his enegry
in the service of Allah and His
Messenger (PBUH).
Look !
Do you see that handsome, gallant, tall
man with a radiant face? He is the one.
He ran
quickly to As’ad Ibn Zuraarah to see
this man who came from Makkah, Mua'ab
Ibn 'Umair, whom Muhammad (PBUH) had
sent to Al-Madiinah to call people to
commit themselves to Islam and
monotheism. He was going there to drive
this stranger out of Al-Madiinah along
with his religion ! But no sooner had he
approached Mu&'ab's assembly at the
house of his nephew, As'ad Ibn Zuraarah,
than his heart was revived by a sweet
pacifying breeze. No sooner had he
reached those men who gathered there,
taken his place among them and listened
intently to Mus"ab's words than
Allah guided him to the right path that
illuminated his heart and soul. In one
of the incredible miracles of fate, the
leader of the Ansaar put aside his spear
and shook hands with Mus^ab as a sign of
his allegiance to the Prophet (PBUH).
A new
sun shone on Al-Madiinah as soon as Sa'd
Ibn Mu'aadh committed himself to Islam.
It would encompass many hearts that
would revolve in the sphere of Islam
later on. Sa'd committed himself to
Islam and withstood the hardships that
ensued with much heroism and greatness.
When the Prophet (PBUH) emigrated to Al-Madiinah,
the houses of Bani Al-Ashhal — Sard's
tribe — welcomed the Muhaajiruun, and
their money was utterly at their
disposal without arrogance, abuse, or
limitation.
When
the Battle of Badr was about to take
place, the Prophet (PBUH) gathered his
Companions, both Anfiaar and Muhaajiruun,
to consult them on the preparations for
war. His amiable face turned towards the
Ansaar and he addressed them saying,
"I want to know your opinion about
what should be done concerning the
imminent battle."
Sa'd
Ibn Mu'aadh stood up and said "O
Prophet of Allah, we firmly believe in
you, and we witness that what descends
on you is the truth. We swore a solemn
oath and gave you the allegiance, so go
ahead with whatever you want, and we
shall stand by your side. We swear by
Allah Who has sent you with the truth
that if you reach the sea and cross it,
we will cross it hand in hand with you.
No man will lag or stay behind. We are
absolutely ready to go to war against
our enemy tomorrow for we are given to
terrible warfare and we are sincere in
our desire to meet Allah. I hope that
Allah will make us do what will make you
proud of us. So go on with whatever is
in your mind. Allah bless you."
Sa'd's
words made the Prophets' face brighten
with satisfaction and happiness as he
addressed the Muslims and said,
"Rejoice, for Allah promised me one
of the two parties of the enemy (either
the army or the caravan). By Allah I can
almost see with my own eyes where each
one of the enemy will be killed."
In the
Battle of Uhud, the Muslims lost control
and dispersed as they were taken by
surprise by the army of disbelievers.
Everything was hectic, yet Sa'd Ibn
Mu'aadh stood there as if pinned to the
ground next to the Prophet (PBUH). He
defended him courageously as a noble
warrior should do.
The
Battle of Al-Khandaq came as a suitable
opportunity for Sa'd to show his
admirable manliness and amazing valor.
The Khandaq Battle came as a clear sign
for the shrewd and deceitful schemes
with which Muslims were being ruthlessly
haunted by an enemy who had no
consideration whatsoever for justice or
covenant. For while the Prophet (PBUH)
and his Companions were living in Al-Madiinah
in peace, reminding one another to
worship and obey Allah, hoping that the
Quraish would refrain from their
hostility, a group of Jewish leaders
stealthily headed for Makkah to
instigate the Quraish against the
Prophet (PBUH). The Jews pledged to help
the Quraish if they decided to raid Al-
Madiinah. They made an agreement with
the disbelievers and even laid down the
battle plan. Moreover, on their way home
they incited Bani Ghatfaan — one of
the biggest Arab tribes —and made an
agreement with its leaders to join
forces with the Quraish army.
The
war plan was ready and everyone knew his
role. The Quraish and Ghatfaan were to
attack Al-Madiinah with an enormous
army, whereas the Jews were to sabotage
Al-Madiinah simultaneously with the
attack.
When
the Prophet (PBUH) found out the
treacherous scheme, he resorted to
counterplot. First, he ordered his
Companions to dig a trench around Al-Madiinah
to hold back the attackers. Second, he
sent Sa'd Ibn Mu'aadh and Sa'd Ibn 'Ubaadah
to Ka'b Ibn Asad, the leader of Bani
Quraidhah, to learn exactly where they
stood concerning the imminent war. At
that time, mutual agreements and
treaties were already signed between the
Prophet (PBUH) and the Jews of Bani
Quraidhah. The two messengers of the
Prophet met with the Jewish leader, yet
to their surprise he denied the
agreement by saying, "We did not
sign any agreement or treaty with
Muhammad."
It was
hard for the Prophet to expose the
people of Al-Madiinah to such a deadly
invasion and exhausting siege;
therefore, the only answer was to
neutralize Ghatfaan so that the
attacking army would lose half of its
men and strength. He began to negotiate
with the Ghatfaan leaders so that they
would forsake the Quraish in exchange
for one third of Al-Madiinah's crops.
The leaders of Ghatfaan accepted this
agreement, and both parties were to sign
it shortly.
The
Prophet (PBUH) could not go any further
without consulting his Companions. He
valued Sa'd Ibn Mu'aadh and Sa'd Ibn 'Ubaadah's
opinion, for they were the leaders of
Al- Madiinah and had the right to have a
say in any decision that affected it.
The
Prophet (PBUH) told them about his
negotiations and that he had resorted to
this compensation lest Al-Madiinah and
its inhabitants be exposed to this
dangerous attack and horrible siege.
Both Sa'ds asked the Prophet (PBUH),
"Is it a matter of choice or is it
an inspiration from Allah?" The
Prophet (PBUH) answered, "It is
actually a matter that I chose for you.
By Allah, I only do this because I can
clearly see that the Arabs joined forces
to strike you as one man so I want to
curb their strength." Sa'd Ibn
Mu'aadh had the intuition that their
fate as men and as believers was being
subtly tested so he said, "O
Messenger of Allah, when we and those
Jews were disbelievers and polytheists,
they did not even dream of eating a date
from our land unless we gave it to them
out of generosity, hospitality, or for
trade purposes. So how is it, after
Allah has guided us to Islam and made us
honored by it and by you, that we give
them our money? By Allah, we can do
without this agreement, and we will give
them nothing but warfare until Allah
settles our dispute." The Prophet (PBUH)
at once changed his mind and notified
Ghatfaan's leaders that his Companions
rejected the proposed agreement and that
he approved and supported their opinion.
A few
days later Al-Madiinah witnessed a
horrible siege. It was, in fact, a siege
which it brought upon itself rather than
was forced upon it due to the trench
that was dug as a protection and safely
procedure. The Muslims were prepared for
war. Sa'd Ibn Mu’aadh marched around
with his sword and spear and recited
lines of poetry that mean, "I
waited anxiously for the battle to
start. How beautiful death seems when
the time is the right time."
In one
of the rounds of war, Sa'd's arm was
showered with the irrows of one of the
disbelievers, and blood gushed severely
from his wounds. He received first aid
assistance to stop the bleeding, then
the Prophet (PBUH) ordered him carried
to the mosque where a tent was put up so
that he would be near the Prophet while
he was nursed. The Muslims carried their
great hero into the Prophet's mosque and
Sa'd looked up to the sky and said,
"O Allah our Lord, if the war
against the Quraish is to last any
longer, please do let me live a little
while longer to fight against them, for
I like nothing better than fighting
those people who hurt Your Prophet,
disbelieved him, and even drove him to
emigrate. But if the war has already
ended, please make my wounds pave my way
to martyrdom. I implore You, dear Allah,
not to let me die until I avenge myself
upon Bani Quraidhah!"
Allah
will stand by you, Sa'd Ibn Mu'aadh! For
who could say such a thing in such a
situation but you? Allah did fulfil his
suplication. His injury caused his death
a month later, but he did not die until
he had taken his revenge on the Jews of
Bani Quraidhah. After the Quraish became
desperate in their attempt to vanquish
Al-Madiinah and their soldiers were
gripped by panic, they took their arms
and equipment and returned to Makkah
ashamed and disappointed.
The
Prophet (PBUH) believed that Al-Madiinah
had been compromised by the deceit and
treachery of the Jews for too long. They
left the Muslims in the lurch whenever
they chose, a thing that the Prophet
could no longer accept. Therefore, he
ordered his Companions to march towards
Bani Quraidhah, and there the Muslims
besieged them for 25 days. When the Jews
were certain that there was no escape
from the Muslims, they pleaded with the
Prophet (PBUH) to let Sa'd Ibn Mu'aadh,
their ally in pagan times, decide what
would become of them.
The Prophet (PBUH) sent his Companions
to bring Sa'd from his tent at the
mosque. He came carried on a camel and
he looked so pale and sick. The Prophet
(PBUH) addressed him, "Sa'd, decide
what should be done to Bani Quraidhah."
Sa'd remembered their treachery and
deceit in general and in the Battle of
Al Khandaq in particular, when Al-Madiinah
had come too close to its ruin, and
said, "I say kill their warriors,
capture their children, and distribute
their money." Thus Sa'd did not die
until he had taken his revenge.
Sard's
wounds became worse every day. One day,
the Prophet (PBUH) visited Sa'd and
found him on the verge of death, so he
put his head on his blessed lap and
called upon Allah, "O Allah, Our
Lord, Sa'd has striven hard in the way
of Allah. He believed in Your Prophet
and did his very best. So please do
accept his soul with goodly
acceptance." The words of the
Prophet (PBUH) fell like coolness and
safety on the departing noble soul. He
strove to open his eyes, hoping that the
last face he saw would be the Prophet's
and said, "Peace be upon you.
Prophet. I do witness that you are
indeed the Messenger of Allah."
The
Prophet (PBUH) took a farewell look of
Sa'd's face and said, "Rejoice, Abu
‘Amr." Abu Sa'iid Al-Khudriy (May
Allah be pleased with him) said, "I
was one of those who dug Sa'd's grave,
and each time we dug out a layer of
sand, we smelled musk. This went on
until we reached his burial niche."
Sa'd's death was a tragic loss for the
Muslims. Their only consolation was when
they heard the Prophet (PBUH) say,
"The throne of the Most Beneficient
shook when Sa'd Ibn Mu'aadh died."
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