Participation in the Battle of Badr

With regard to Hazrat Sa‘d (ra) bin Ubadah participating in the Battle of Badr, there are two varying opinions. Waqidi, Madayini and ibn Kalbi are of the opinion that Hazrat Sa‘d (ra) bin Ubadah participated in the Battle of Badr, however, according to Ibn Ishaaq, Ibn Uqbah and Ibn Sa‘d, he did not participate in the Battle of Badr. Nonetheless, a narration of At-Tabaqat al-Kubra sheds further light on this incident. It states that Hazrat Sa‘d (ra) bin Ubadah was not present in the Battle of Badr. He was making preparations for the battle and would visit various houses of the Ansar to ensure they were prepared for the battle. However, before the army left for Badr, Hazrat Sa‘d (ra) bin Ubadah was bitten by a dog and as a result of this he was not able to participate in the battle. The Holy Prophet (sa) stated that although Sa‘d (ra) did not participate in the battle, he desired fully to partake and thus granted him a share from the spoils of the battle. Hazrat Sa‘d (ra) bin Ubadah participated in all the battles alongside the Holy Prophet (sa) including the battles of Badr, Uhud and Khandaq.

(al-Isti’ab, Vol. 2, p. 594, Sa‘d bin Ubadah, Dar-ul-Jeel, Beirut, 1992) (Al-Tabaqaat-ul-Kubra li ibn Sa‘d, Vol. 3, p. 461, Sa‘d bin Ubadah, Dar-ul-Kutub al Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1990) (Siyar as-Sahaba, Vol. 3, p. 377, Sa‘d bin Ubadah, Darul Isha‘at, Karachi, 2004)