The First to Shoot an Arrow for Islam
Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas سَعْد بْن أَبِي وَقَّاص
One of the ten promised Paradise, among the very first converts at seventeen, the first to shed blood for Islam, and the commander whose army conquered Persia at the decisive Battle of al-Qadisiyyah. The Prophet ﷺ prayed that his supplications be answered.
A Mother's Hunger Strike
Embracing Islam young, Sa'd faced his mother's vow to neither eat nor drink until he renounced the faith. As she starved herself, he told her with love but firmness that he would not leave his religion for anything — and Allah revealed verses commanding kindness to parents but not obedience in disbelief.
But if they endeavour to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them, but accompany them in this world with kindness.
The Answered Supplication
The Prophet ﷺ prayed for him, 'O Allah, answer Sa'd when he calls upon You.' Thereafter Sa'd was known for prayers that were granted, and people feared his supplication against injustice. He was the first man to fire an arrow in the path of Allah.
Conqueror of Persia
Umar appointed him to lead the Muslim army against the Sasanian Empire. At al-Qadisiyyah in 15 AH, though bedridden with illness and directing the battle from a height, his forces shattered the vast Persian army, opening Iraq and Persia to Islam. He later founded the city of Kufa.
Last of the Muhajirun
Pious and cautious, Sa'd withdrew from the later civil wars, refusing to fight fellow Muslims. He was among the last of the early emigrants to die, around 55 AH, and was buried in his shroud — the same cloak he had worn at Badr, kept for that day.
Lessons
- Obey parents in all good, but never in disobedience to Allah.
- A righteous person's supplication is a force to be reckoned with.
- When Muslims fight Muslims, the safest sword is the one kept sheathed.
Quran references
31:14-15