Introduction
Hazrat Sa‘d (ra) bin Ubadah belonged to the tribe of Banu Sa‘idah, which was a branch of the Khazraj tribe of the Ansar. His father’s name was Ubadah bin Dulaim and mother’s name was Umrah (ra), who was the third daughter of Mas‘ud bin Qais. His mother also had the honour of pledging allegiance to the Holy Prophet (sa). Hazrat Sa‘d (ra) bin Ubadah was the maternal cousin of Hazrat Sa‘d (ra) bin Zaid Ashhali, who was from among the Badri companions (ra). Hazrat Sa‘d (ra) had two marriages. One of his wives was Ghazia bint Sa‘d to whom Saeed, Muhammad and Abdur Rahman were born. The second wife was Fuqayha bint Ubaid to whom Qais, Umamah and Sadoos were born.
(Al-Tabaqaat-ul-Kubra li ibn Sa‘d, Vol. 3, pp. 460-461, Sa‘d bin Ubadah, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1990)
Mandus (ra) bint Ubadah was the sister of Hazrat Sa‘d bin Ubadah, who pledged allegiance to the Holy Prophet (sa) and accepted Islam. Hazrat Sa‘d (ra) bin Ubadah had another sister whose name was Laila (ra) bint Ubadah and she also had the honour of pledging allegiance to the Holy Prophet (sa) and entering the fold of Islam.
(Al-Tabaqaat-ul-Kubra li ibn Sa‘d, Vol. 8, pp. 277, Wa min Bani Sa‘idah ibn Ka‘b bin al-Khazraj, Mandus bint Ubadah, Layla bint Ubadah, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1990)
Hazrat Sa‘d (ra) bin Ubadah’s title was Abu Thabit and it has also been reported as Abu Qais, however the former seems more authentic and correct. Hazrat Sa‘d (ra) bin Ubadah was a guardian for the Khazraj tribe of the Ansar. Hazrat Sa‘d (ra) bin Ubadah was a leader of his people and extremely generous. He held the flag of the Ansar in all the battles he participated in. Hazrat Sa‘d (ra) bin Ubadah was held in great esteem and considered among the leaders of his people in Medina and he was regarded for his leadership by his people.
(Usdul Ghabah, Vol. 3, p. 441, Sa‘d bin Ubadah, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2003)
During the era of ignorance [era prior to the advent of Islam], Hazrat Sa‘d (ra) bin Ubadah knew how to write in Arabic, even though very few people in that time could write. He was also very skilled in swimming and archery. Anyone who possessed these qualities would be known as kamil.