Sayyiduna Abu Saeed Al-Khudri

Shining Stars

Sayyidunā Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ

Mawlana Adnan Ahmad Attari Madani

A Companion of the Messenger states:

My father was martyred in the Expedition of Uhud without leaving any inheritance. So, we became desperately needy. My mother said to me, “Go to the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and bring something back.” At that time, the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was in a gathering. After greeting everyone, I sat down. The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم stated, “Whosoever desires richness, Allah Almighty makes him rich; whosoever wishes to avoid begging, Allah Almighty saves him; whosoever desires something only to the extent that he requires, Allah Almighty grants it to him.” I said to myself that I do not need anything, and so I did not say anything and returned home. When my mother asked me, I informed her of what had occurred. In the end, Allah Almighty granted us patience and sustenance too.

Another version states: “Allah Almighty granted us so much sustenance that I am not aware of a house from the Anṣār that is wealthier than ours.”^[1]

This young Companion, a prominent jurist of Madina and scholar of hadith, was Saʿd ibn Mālik ibn Sinān, better known as Sayyidunā Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ. Al-Khudrī is a reference to his ancestor, Khudra.^[2]

Virtues and merits: He was present during the Pledge of Ridwan and a learned man from the Companions of the Bench. As a trusted point of reference for people, he issued legal edicts (fatāwā) for a long time.^[3] He once fell ill, and so the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم came to visit him. His sister served lamb shank, of which the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم ate a little. He is the son of the esteemed Companion regarding whom the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “Whosoever wishes to see a man whose blood has mixed with my blood, he should look at Mālik ibn Sinān.”^[4]  This was because during the Battle of Uhud, when the noble Prophet’s blessed face was wounded, Sayyidunā Mālik ibn Sinān رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ, with great fervour, sucked the flowing blood and swallowed it, and he did not allow a single drop to fall on the ground.^[5]

Memories from his childhood: He رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْه recalled:

I was 13 years old when the Expedition of Uhud took place. My father took me by the hand to the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and said, “Dear Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم! Even though this boy is of a small stature, he has strong bones.” The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم lifted his gaze and then lowered it again, and replied, “Send him back,” so, my father sent me back.^[6]  When we received news that the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم had been injured at Uhud, I went out with a few boys from our tribe. We waited for the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and to hear about his well-being and safety. Then one day, we saw some people coming from the valley, but we were focused only on the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. We were looking towards the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, and when the army of Islam returned to Madina, we went out to see the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, who looked at me and asked, “Are you Saʿd ibn Mālik?” I replied, “May my mother and father be ransom upon you! Yes, I am Saʿd ibn Mālik.” Then I went closer to him. He صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was mounted on his horse at that time, and so I kissed his knee. The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم then said, “Your father has been martyred. May Allah Almighty reward you on account of your father.”^[7]

Worship: He would worship Allah in abundance. After the mid- morning prayer (ḍuḥā), he would continue praying for a lengthy time.^[8]

Teaching: As a passionate teacher of the Quran, he devised a special method for teaching the Book of Allah.  After teaching 5 verses in the morning he would teach 5 more in the evening.^[9] Sayyidunā ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAbbās advised his son, Sayyidunā ʿAlī, and his student, Sayyidunā ʿIkrima رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُم to “learn hadith from Sayyidunā Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī.” When they went to him, he was tending to his garden, but seeing them, he wrapped himself in a shawl and began to narrate hadith.^[10]

As a warrior: The Expedition of Khandaq, which took place in 5 AH, was the first battle that he took part in alongside the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. In total, he participated in 12 expeditions.^[11] He accompanied Sayyidunā ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ in the Expedition of Nahrwan against the Khawarij.

Residence: During the lifetime of Sayyidunā Ḥuzayfa ibn al-Yamān رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ, he went to Midian, but later settled in Madina.^[12]

Tests: In 63 AH, during the massacre of Harrah, he confined himself to his home. Some of the perpetrators entered his house and said, “Take out whatever you have.” He replied, “I do not have anything.” Upon this, those wicked individuals tugged at his beard hair and beat him harshly. They then tied him to a pillar and began to take even the smallest items in his home, even the wool filling and linen of his bed and pillow. Whilst leaving, one of them stole a pair of pigeons that were in his house.^[13]

Demise and final will: He said to his son, “I have grown old, and my time is near; so, take my hand.” Thus, with the support of his son, he went to an empty part of al-Baqīʿ cemetery and said, “When I pass away, bury me here.” He further announced to a group of Companions رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُم, “When I die, bury me in the clothes in which I would offer salah and perform the dhikr of Allah.”^[14]  When afflicted by his final illness, some people came to enquire about his well-being, but he was unconscious at that time. When he regained consciousness, the people said, “It is time for salah.” He replied, “I have already prayed through gestures, and that is sufficient for me.”^[15] He passed away in Madina on a Friday in Muharram, 74 AH, aged 86 years.^[16]

As a hadith teacher: Sayyidunā Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allah and Sayyidunā ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAbbās رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُم are from the Companions who narrated hadith from him.^[17] In total, 1170 hadith are related from him.^[18] Forty-three of these are agreed upon by al-Bukhārī and Muslim, while a further 16 are narrated by al-Bukhārī, and 52 by Muslim in their respective compendiums.^[19]