Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas

Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas
سَعْد بْنِ أَبِي وَقَّاص
Governor of Kufa
Monarchs
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byAl-Mughira ibn Shu'ba
Personal details
Bornc. 595
Mecca, Arabia
Diedc. 674(674-00-00) (aged 78–79)
Medina, Umayyad Caliphate
Spouses
  • Salma bint Khasafah
  • Makhita bint Amr
RelationsBanu Zuhra (clan)
Children
Military service
Allegiance
Years of service624–c. 644
Battles/wars

Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas ibn Wuhayb al-Zuhri (Arabic: سَعْد بْنِ أَبِي وَقَّاص بْنِ وهَيْب الزُّهري, romanizedSaʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ ibn Wuhayb al-Zuhrī) was an Arab Muslim commander. He was the founder of Kufa and served as its governor under Umar ibn al-Khattab. He played a leading role in the Muslim conquest of Persia and was a close companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Sa'd was the seventh free adult man to embrace Islam, which he did at the age of seventeen.[1] Sa'd participated in all battles under Muhammad during their stay in Medina. Sa'd was famous for his leadership in the Battle of al-Qadisiyyah and the conquest of the Sasanian capital Ctesiphon in 636. After the Battle of al-Qadisiyyah and the Siege of Ctesiphon (637), Sa'd served as the supreme commander of the Rashidun army in Iraq, which conquered Khuzestan and built the garrison city of Kufa.[citation needed] Due to complaints about his conduct, he was later dismissed from his post by the caliph Umar.[2] During the First Fitna, Sa'd was known for leading the neutral faction that contained the majority of the companions of Muhammad and their followers, who refused to be involved in the civil war. Traditions of Chinese Muslims hold that he introduced Islam to China during a diplomatic visit in 651, though these accounts are disputed.[citation needed]

Sunni historians and scholars regard Sa'd as an honored figure due to his companionship with Muhammad, his inclusion as one of the ten to whom Paradise was promised, and his participation in the Battle of Badr, whose participants are collectively held in high esteem.[3][4][5]

  1. ^ Thomas Patrick Hughes (1895). "Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas". A Dictionary of Islam. London: W. H. Allen & Co. p. 554.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Leslie skepticism was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference FahmiJihadDeathOfSa'dMawdoo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Encyclopedia of the Companions was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Usd Ghabah fi Ma'rifat was invoked but never defined (see the help page).