Yahya bin Abdullah bin Bukayr said: Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) died at Hawran in the year 16 AH.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ka'b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him): When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "Bring out for me twelve nuqaba' (representatives) (from among the Ansar)," we presented to him (peace and blessings be upon him) Sa'd bin Ubadah bin Dulaym bin Harithah bin Hazimah; he was the naqib of Banu Sa'idah.

Abd al-Hamid bin Abs bin Jabr narrates from his father that Quraysh heard at night, on Mount Abu Qubays, the voice of a caller (an unseen voice) saying: "If the two Sa'ds accept Islam, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) will rise in the morning in Makkah without any fear of the opposition of anyone who opposes him." When morning came, Abu Sufyan said: "Who are these two Sa'ds? Are they Sa'd bin Bakr and Sa'd bin Hudhaym?" When the second night came, they heard him saying again: "O Sa'd, Sa'd of the Aws (Sa'd bin Mu'adh), become a helper and supporter; and O Sa'd, Sa'd of the Khazraj with its noble chiefs (Sa'd bin Ubadah), you too answer the call. Respond to the one calling to guidance, and hope from Allah for that station in the Paradise of Firdaws which is the aim of one who truly knows. For the reward of Allah for the seeker of guidance is the gardens of Firdaws, full of greenery and green silk couches." When morning came, Abu Sufyan said: "By Allah, what is meant is Sa'd bin Mu'adh and Sa'd bin Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with them both)."

It is narrated from Muhammad bin Sirin that Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the rubbish heap of a people and urinated there standing, then suddenly fell down dead. Thereupon the jinn said (these verses): "We have killed the chief of the Khazraj, Sa'd bin Ubadah; we shot him with two arrows, and they did not miss his heart."

It is narrated from Qatadah that Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) remained for a time unable to urinate. Then, when he returned, he said: "I feel something (some pain) in my back." Not much time passed before he died, and the jinn lamented, saying: "We have killed the chief of the Khazraj, Sa'd bin Ubadah; we shot him with two arrows, and they did not miss his heart."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that when news of the approach of Abu Sufyan's (trade caravan) reached the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) spoke, but he (peace and blessings be upon him) turned away from him. Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) spoke, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) turned away from him too. Then Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah, by the One in whose Hand is my soul, if you were to order us to plunge into the sea, we would plunge into it; and if you were to order us to drive our mounts hard (at speed) as far as 'Bark al-Ghimad' (an extremely remote place), we would certainly do so." So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) called the people (to prepare), and they all set out until they encamped at Badr. This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Muslim, but the two Shaykhs did not record it.

Hisham bin Urwah narrates from his father that Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) used to supplicate: 'Allahumma hab li majdan wa la majda illa bi-fa'al, wa la fa'ala illa bi-mal, Allahumma la yuslihuni al-qalil wa la aslahu 'alayh' (O Allah, grant me glory and greatness, and there is no glory without noble deeds, and no (large-scale) deeds are possible without wealth. O Allah, a little wealth is not sufficient for me, nor can I do right (in the matter of generosity) with it). He had a crier who would stand on his fortress and call out: "Whoever wants fat and meat (to eat), let him come to Sa'd."

It is narrated from Abdullah bin Abi Bakr that (after the Pledge of Aqabah) the polytheists seized Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him), tied his hands to his neck, and brought him into Makkah beating him. They were dragging him by the hair of his forelock, and his hair was quite long.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates from Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) that his mother died while she still owed some fasts. He said: I asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about it, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered me: "Make up those fasts on behalf of your mother." The two Shaykhs agreed on recording the basis of this hadith, that the mother of Sa'd bin Ubadah died, but they did not record it as a connected report from him (Sa'd), while this hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of both of them.

Muhammad bin Umar said: Abu Sufyan bin al-Harith bin Abd al-Muttalib bin Hashim was the foster brother of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his (peace and blessings be upon him) paternal cousin. Sayyidah Halimah al-Sa'diyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) had nursed him for a few days. He was very attached to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Then, when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent as a prophet, he became hostile to him (peace and blessings be upon him), satirised him (peace and blessings be upon him) and his (peace and blessings be upon him) Companions, and remained firm in opposing the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) for twenty years. He did not stay behind from any campaign of Quraysh that set out to fight the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Then, when it was mentioned that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was setting out for the Conquest of Makkah, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, put Islam into his heart. So he met the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) before he encamped at al-Abwa', and he and his son Ja'far accepted Islam. He went out with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) (towards Makkah) and took part in the Conquest of Makkah and the Battle of Hunayn. Abu Sufyan said: When we met the enemy on the day of Hunayn, I leapt down from my horse with a drawn sword in my hand, and Allah knows that I wanted to die in front of him (peace and blessings be upon him) (protecting him (peace and blessings be upon him)), while he (peace and blessings be upon him) was looking at me. Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah, this is your brother and your paternal cousin, Abu Sufyan bin al-Harith; be pleased with him." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I have done so. May Allah forgive him every enmity he showed me." Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) turned towards me and said: "By my life, he is my brother." So I kissed his (peace and blessings be upon him) blessed foot in the stirrup. The narrator said: Abu Sufyan bin al-Harith died in Madinah four months less thirteen days after his brother Nawfal bin al-Harith. It is also said that he died in the year 20 AH. Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) led his funeral prayer, and he was buried in al-Baqi' at the corner of the house of Aqil bin Abi Talib. He is the one who dug his own grave three days before his death. I have already mentioned the acceptance of Islam of Abu Sufyan earlier, in the account of the Conquest of Makkah.