Sa’ad Ibn Muath - The Young Martyr
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This is the story of a man who only lived for 6 years as a Muslim. He was a chief in the city of Medina who wanted to reject the message of Islam when he first heard of it. However, he ended up being a noble and intelligent warrior for the Muslims who died from injuries from the Battle of the Trench.
Background
Sa’ad Ibn Muath was a tall and fit man who rushed to the house of As’ad Ibn Zurara to meet the man who came from Makkah. This man was none other than Mus’ab Ibn Umayr (RA), who was sent by the Prophet ﷺ as an ambassador to Medina. Sa’ad (RA) wanted to send Mus’ab (RA) back to Makkah because he wanted to keep a new religion out of Medina. As soon as he neared and heard of the message, his heart changed. He immediately took the Shahadah and gave his allegiance to the Prophet ﷺ. Now, Sa’ad became a chief of the Ansar and joined in the Battles of Badr and Uhud with the Muslims.
The Battles of Badr and Uhud
In the Battle of Badr, the Prophet ﷺ turned towards the Companions from Makkah and the Ansar and asked for their opinions on a matter in battle. Sa’ad Ibn Muath (RA) stood up tall and proclaimed the following:
“Oh Messenger of Allah! We believed in and trusted you, and we testifies that whatever you came with was the truth; and for that, we gave you our pledges and covenants. Go on, Oh Messenger of Allah, to what you intended and we are with you! By Him who sent you with the truth, if you led us to the sea and plunged into it, we for sure would follow you and plunge into it with you with no one from us absent. However, we do not dislike to face our enemy tomorrow, because we are persistent in wars and steadfast in fighting. Might Allah show you from us what pleases you. Go on with us, by Allah’s blessing."
Battle of the Trench
In the Battle of the Trench, Sa’ad Ibn Muath’s bravery and love for the Prophet ﷺ was evident. As you recall, the Battle of the Trench was difficult, resulting in many lost lives. The Quraysh, a tribe in Makkah, were joined by the tribe of Ghatafan, which was one of the biggest Arab tribes at the time, and the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza. When the Prophet ﷺ heard of this huge army coming their way, he heard Salman Al-Farisi’s suggestion and ordered the men to build a large trench around the city of Medina to protect the Muslims.
Sa’ad Ibn Muath (RA) and Sa’ad Ibn Obada (RA) were sent to the leader of Banu Qurayza, Ka’b Ibn Asad. Previously, peace treaties and contracts were signed between the Prophet ﷺ and Banu Qurayza. However, Ka’b Ibn Asad claimed that there were no such treaties between the Prophet and their tribe. Now, the Muslims became increasingly worried about the army that day by day was coming closer to Medina.
The Prophet ﷺ thought of the best way to end this concern peacefully and thought to separate the armies of Quraysh from the Ghatafan tribe. This would decrease the number of soldiers significantly. The Prophet ﷺ came to an agreement with the chiefs of Ghatafan to withdraw from this war in return for one-third of the fruits in Medina. This was an agreement they came to verbally, and a contract needed to be written.
Before making the agreement official with Ghatafan, the Prophet ﷺ gathered Sa’ad Ibn Muath (RA) and Sa’ad Ibn Obada (RA), who were the leaders of Medina and took their opinions. The first thing they asked him was if this was a direct revelation from Allah SWT. When they heard that this was the Prophet ﷺ’s solution for fear of the Muslim Ummah, they began to think. They knew this was a difficult test from Allah SWT that they had to think carefully about.
Eventually, Sa’ad Ibn Muath (RA) suggested that they cancel this agreement because the fruits of Medina were a blessing from Allah SWT and their strength is going to come from Allah SWT. So, the Prophet ﷺ respected their opinions as the chiefs of Medina and canceled the negotiation with the tribe of Ghatafan.
Becoming Injured in Battle
In one of the attacks during the Battle of the Trench, Sa’ad’s arm was injured significantly with an arrow. The Prophet ﷺ ordered that he be taken to the mosque where a tent was set up to treat the wounded. As the Sahabah carried Sa’ad to the mosque, Sa’ad looked to the sky and said,
“Oh Allah! You know that there is nothing more beloved to me than to fight in Your cause against those who disbelieved in Your Prophet and turned him out (of Makkah). Oh Allah! If there still remains any fight with the Quraysh, then keep me alive until I fight against them in Your cause. But if You have brought the war to an end, then let this wound burst and cause my death. And do not cause me to die before I see what pleases me concerning Banu Qurayza.”
While Sa’ad was recovering from his injury, the Quraysh stopped their fight and returned to Makkah. As for the Banu Qurayza tribe, the Prophet ﷺ ordered that the Muslims no longer fight the Quraysh as they are retreating, but to continue fighting the Banu Qurayza. That is because they broke their agreement with the Prophet ﷺ and turned their backs on the people of Medina. This was unacceptable. The fight continued and the Banu Qurayza tribe became surrounded by the Muslims for 25 days. Seeing that there was no way to win this battle, they surrendered. They then requested that their former ally, Sa’ad Ibn Muath (RA) , come up with a judgment on how to respond to their surrender.
Taking Revenge on Banu Qurayza
Sa’ad was very close to his death at this point, and extremely weak, but he was brought out of the tent to make the judgment on the tribe of Banu Qurayza. He remembered the many times that they were betrayed by Banu Qurayza, and specifically their betrayal during the Battle of the Trench, and said this:
In this way, Sa’ad was able to take revenge on Banu Qurayza while he was still alive. His injuries and health kept deteriorating and he did not live for much longer.
The Death of Sa’ad
One day, the Prophet ﷺ went to visit Sa’ad and check in on his health. It was his last moments before his death. The Prophet ﷺ put Sa’ad’s head on his lap and said,
“Oh Allah! Indeed Sa’ad strove (with himself and property) in Your way, trusted Your Messenger, and fulfilled what was incumbent [required in responsibility] upon him to do. So, admit his soul in the best way You admit a (good) soul.”
Sa’ad opened his eyes, hoping to see the Prophet ﷺ as the last thing before his death. He looked at the Prophet ﷺ and gave his Shadahah before passing. His life ended with the Prophet ﷺ saying, “Congratulations for you, Oh Abu Amr!”
While the Muslims were very distressed at his death, the Prophet ﷺ said,
“The Throne of The Most Gracious (Allah SWT) trembled for the death of Sa’ad Ibn Muath.”
As the Sahabah were digging his grave, they said they smelled the sweet scent of musk. SubhanAllah, what an honor to have after your death.