Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas (ra) — Seerah Encyclopedia

An early convert, one of the Ten Promised Paradise, a maternal relative of the Prophet ﷺ, and the man who shot the first arrow in the cause of Allah. Later the conqueror of Persia at al-Qadisiyya.

Identity & lineage

Sa’d ibn Malik of Banu Zuhrah — the clan of the Prophet’s ﷺ mother Aminah — so the Prophet ﷺ would call him “my maternal uncle.” Among the earliest to accept Islam (often counted the 6th or 7th), aged ~17.

Role in the Seerah (this source)

First arrow fi sabilillah: he shot the first arrow in Islam during the Sariyya of Ubaydah ibn al-Harith, an early pre-Badr expedition.
On Sariyya Nakhla he and Utbah ibn Ghazwan lost their camel and dropped out, so were spared the Sacred-Month incident.
One of the two horsemen at Badr; he asked the Prophet ﷺ for a fine sword he had taken, prompting (with the wider dispute) the revelation of Q 8:1 on ghanima.

At Uhud (EP 041–050)

One of the small band who shielded the Prophet ﷺ during Khalid‘s counterattack. The Prophet ﷺ handed him arrows saying “Shoot, O Sa’d — may my father and mother be your ransom” (fidaka abi wa ummi) — the only person for whom the Prophet ﷺ ever combined both parents in this phrase. Sa’d also saw two white-clad figures (angels) guarding the Prophet ﷺ. An expert archer.

Character & lessons

Renowned as a warrior and marksman, and one whose du’a was answered. He is repeatedly named among the family members the Prophet ﷺ placed in danger’s path (Nakhla), not out of it.

Death

Died c. 55 AH near Madinah, among the last of the Muhajirun. (Beyond this source.)

Cross-references

The Battle of Badr · Sariyya Nakhla (The Nakhla Expedition) · The Muakha (Brotherhood of Muhajirun & Ansar) · Aminah bint Wahb · Muhammad ﷺ · Jihad (and the Legislation of Fighting) · Seerah Timeline · The Battle of Uhud · Khalid ibn al-Walid (ra)

Sources

S006 — Yasir Qadhi Seerah EP 035–040. Ibn Ishaq, al-Waqidi; reports on the first arrow and the spoils of Badr.
S007 — Yasir Qadhi Seerah EP 041–050 (Uhud: shielding the Prophet ﷺ, fidaka abi wa ummi, the angels).