Steadfastness in the Battle of Uhud
Whilst describing the moment when there only remained a few steadfast companions near the Holy Prophet (sa) on the occasion of the Battle of Uhud, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib (ra) has written:
“The Holy Prophet (sa) would hand arrows to Sa‘d (ra) himself and Sa‘d (ra) would continue to shower the enemy with arrow upon arrow. At one instance, the Holy Prophet (sa) addressed Sa‘d (ra) saying, ‘May my mother and father be sacrificed upon you – go on shooting arrows!’ Even to the very end of his life, Sa‘d (ra) would recall these words of the Holy Prophet (sa) with great pride.”
(Sirat Khatamun-Nabiyyin, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra), p. 495)
In one of the narrations, it is mentioned that Hazrat Sa‘d bin Abi Waqas (ra) relates, “On the day of Uhud, the Holy Prophet (sa) took out arrows from his quiver, scattered them out for me and said, ‘Shoot the arrows! May my parents be sacrificed for you!’”
(Sahih Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Maghazi, Hadith no. 4055)
Hazrat Ali (ra) relates, “I never heard the Holy Prophet (sa) offer this prayer of his parents being sacrificed for anyone but Hazrat Sa‘d (ra) bin Abi Waqas.”
On the occasion of the Battle of Uhud, the Holy Prophet (sa) said to Hazrat Sa‘d (ra), “May my parents be sacrificed for you! Continue to fire arrows O mighty youth! Continue to fire arrows!”
(Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi, Kitab-ul-Manaqib, Hadith no. 3753)
Here, it is also worth mentioning that a note has been added that in history, aside from Hazrat Sa‘d (ra), the name of Hazrat Zubair bin al-Awwam (ra) is also found regarding whom the Holy Prophet (sa) said:
فِدَاکَ اَبِیْ وَاُمِّیْ
“May my parents be sacrificed for you!” This is a narration from Bukhari.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Fazail al-Sahaba al-Nabi, Hadith no. 3720)
Mentioning the incident of the Battle of Uhud, Hazrat Sa‘d (ra) relates that on the day of Uhud, the Holy Prophet (sa) made reference to both of his own parents, saying may they be sacrificed for Hazrat Sa‘d (ra). Hazrat Sa‘d (ra) relates that there was a man from among the idolaters who had caused trouble for the Muslims. The Holy Prophet (sa) said to him, i.e., to Hazrat Sa‘d (ra), “Shoot arrows! May my parents be sacrificed for you!” Hazrat Sa‘d (ra) says, “I shot one arrow that did not have an arrowhead, into his side [of the idolater], as a result of which he died and he was left exposed from his lower region. I saw that the Holy Prophet (sa) expressed happiness.
(Sahih Muslim, Kitab-ul-Fazail al-Sahaba, Hadith no. 2412)
In another narration, this incident has been recorded in the following manner that this idolater, whose name is mentioned as Hibban in the books of history, shot an arrow that struck Hazrat Umme Ayman in the lower region of her body, whilst she was occupied in providing water for the wounded. Upon this, Hibban began to laugh. The Holy Prophet (sa) gave an arrow to Hazrat Sa‘d (ra), which struck the throat of Hibban. He fell backwards leaving him exposed, as result of which the Holy Prophet (sa) smiled.
(Al-Isaba, Vol. 3, p. 64, Sa‘d bin Malik, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1995)
Regarding this hadith [saying of the Holy Prophet (sa)], which is from Sahih Muslim, the Noor Foundation has translated it and added an explanatory note, which is very adequate and appropriate. It states that this joy of the Holy Prophet (sa) was as a result of the favour of Allah in that He removed a dangerous enemy from the path with an arrow that did not even have an arrowhead.
(Sahih Muslim, Vol. 13, p. 41, Noor Foundation)
In one narration, it is mentioned that on the day of the Battle of Uhud, Hazrat Sa‘d (ra) fired one thousand arrows.
(Roshan Sitari, Ghulam Bari Saif, Vol. 2, p. 71)