Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (1/276)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

Meaning: he was replying to Saʿd ibn Muʿādh, the chief of the Aws. Yet this is problematic, for Ibn Muʿādh had already passed away (1).

Jarīr ibn Ḥāzim narrated—on the authority of Ibn Sīrīn—that Saʿd ibn ʿUbādah used to return to his household every night with eighty of the Ahl al-Ṣuffah so that he could give them supper.

ʿUrwah said: Saʿd ibn ʿUbādah would pray, “O Allah, grant me praise and honor. O Allah, a small amount will not set me right, and I am not fit to live on a small amount.” (2)

I say: He was a noble, high-status leader who was obeyed. On the day the Messenger of Allah ﷺ died, the Anṣār (3) gathered around him to pledge their allegiance to him. He was stricken with fever until Abū Bakr and the group arrived and turned them away from that course, and Saʿd did not take it well.

Al-Wāqidī related: Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ (4) told us, on the authority of al-Zubayr ibn al-Mundhir ibn Abī Usayd al-Sāʿidī, that al-Ṣiddīq sent word to Saʿd ibn ʿUbādah: “Come and give the pledge, for the people have pledged.”

He replied, “No, by Allah, I will not pledge allegiance to you until I fight you with those who are with me.”

Bashīr ibn Saʿd said, “O Successor of the Messenger of Allah, he has refused and persisted; he will not pledge allegiance to you unless he is killed, and he will not…"

(1) The objection rests on the premise that the Battle of the Khandaq (Trench) occurred before the expedition of al-Muraysi, for Saad ibn Muadh died from the arrow-wound he received at the Khandaq; he prayed that Allah keep him alive until he could pass judgement on Banu Qurayza, after which the wound reopened and he died. According to the opinion—correct in our view—that al-Muraysi took place first, in Shaaban of year 5 AH, and the Khandaq in Shawwal of the same year, there is no difficulty in assuming Saad ibn Muadh was present at al-Muraysi. Thus the problem disappears. See the detailed discussion in Fath al-Bari 8/471–472. (2) Reported by Ibn Saad 3/2/143 and al-Hakim 3/253 through the chain: Abu Usama – Hisham ibn Urwa – his father. Saad ibn Ubada used to pray: “O Allah, grant me praise and grant me glory. There is no glory without noble deeds, and no noble deeds without wealth. O Allah, a small portion does not benefit me, nor can I thrive on it.” (3) In the printed edition the place where the word “Ansar” should appear is left blank. (4) The space is left blank in the printed text, and the editor remarks in the margin: “The word is defective.”

يَعْنِي: يَرُدُّ عَلَى سَعْدِ بنِ مُعَاذٍ سَيِّدِ الأَوْسِ. وَهَذَا مُشْكِلٌ، فَإِنَّ ابْنَ مُعَاذٍ كَانَ قَدْ مَاتَ (١) . جَرِيْرُ بنُ حَازِمٍ: عَنِ ابْنِ سِيْرِيْنَ: كَانَ سَعْدُ بنُ عُبَادَةَ يَرْجِعُ كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ بِثَمَانِيْنَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الصُّفَّةِ يُعَشِّيْهِم. قَالَ عُرْوَةُ: كَانَ سَعْدُ بنُ عُبَادَةَ يَقُوْلُ: اللَّهُمَّ هَبْ لِي حَمْداً وَمَجْداً، اللَّهُمَّ لاَ يُصْلِحُنِي القَلِيْلُ، وَلاَ أَصْلُحُ عَلَيْهِ (٢) . قُلْتُ: كَانَ مَلِكاً شَرِيْفاً، مُطَاعاً، وَقَدِ الْتَفَّتْ عَلَيْهِ الأَنْصَارُ (٣) يَوْمَ وَفَاةِ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ ﷺ لِيُبَايِعُوْهُ، وَكَانَ مَوْعُوْكاً، حَتَّى أَقْبَلَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَالجَمَاعَةُ، فَرَدُّوْهُم عَنْ رَأْيِهِم، فَمَا طَابَ لِسَعْدٍ. الوَاقِدِيُّ: حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بنُ صَالِحٍ (٤) ، عَنِ الزُّبَيْرِ بنِ المُنْذِرِ بنِ أَبِي أُسَيْدٍ السَّاعدِيِّ: أَنَّ الصِّدِّيْقَ بَعَثَ إِلَى سَعْدِ بنِ عُبَادَةَ: أَقْبِلْ فَبَايِعْ، فَقَدْ بَايَعَ النَّاسُ. فَقَالَ: لاَ وَاللهِ، لاَ أُبَايِعُكُمْ حَتَّى أُقَاتِلُكُم بِمَنْ مَعِي. فَقَالَ بَشِيْرُ بنُ سَعْدٍ: يَا خَلِيْفَةَ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ! إِنَّهُ قَدْ أَبَى وَلَجَّ، فَلَيْسَ يُبَايِعُكُمْ حَتَّى يُقْتَلَ، وَلَنْ

(١) هذا الاشكال مبني على ان الخندق كانت قبل المريسيع، لان سعد بن معاذ مات من الرمية التي رميها بالخندق، فدعا الله فأبقاء حتى حكم في بني قريظة ثم انفجر جرحه فمات منها. وأما على قول من يقول - وهو الصحيح - أن المريسيع كانت قبل الخندق في شعبان سنة خمس، وأن الخندق كانت في شوال من السنة ذاتها، فلا يمتنع أن يشهدها سعد بن معاذ. فلا يبقى إشكال. انظر تفصيل ذلك في " الفتح " ٨ / ٤٧١ - ٤٧٢. (٢) أخرجه ابن سعد ٣ / ٢ / ١٤٣، والحاكم ٣ / ٢٥٣ من طريق: أبي أسامة عن هشام بن عروة، عن أبيه، أن سعد بن عبادة كان يدعو: اللهم هب لي حمدا، وهب لي مجدا. لا مجد إلا بفعال، ولا فعال إلا بمال. اللهم لا يصلحني القليل ولا أصلح عليه. (٣) مكان كلمة " الانصار " فارغ في المطبوع. (٤) ترك مكانها فارغا في المطبوع وقال في الحاشية: كلمة مخرومة.