Biography of Qays ibn Sa'd

No. 21: Qays ibn Sa'd ibn Ubada ibn Dulaym al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him, ibn Haritha ibn Abi Hazima ibn Tha'laba ibn Tarif ibn al-Khazraj ibn Sa'ida ibn Ka'b ibn al-Khazraj.

The commander, the striver, Abu Abd Allah, master of the Khazraj and son of their master Abu Thabit, al-Ansari, al-Khazraji, al-Sa'idi, companion of the Messenger of Allah, peace and the salutation of Allah be upon him, and son of his companion.

He has several hadiths.

The narrators of Qays ibn Sa'd

Those who narrated from him: Abd Allah ibn Malik al-Jayshani; Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Layla; Abu Ammar al-Hamdani; Urwa; al-Sha'bi; Maymun ibn Abi Shabayb; Arib ibn Humayd al-Hamdani; al-Walid ibn Abada; and others.

He paid a courtesy visit to Mu'awiya, who honored him and gave him wealth.

He narrated in Kufa, Syria and Egypt.

Al-Waqidi said: his kunya is Abu Abd al-Malik; he remained with Ali; and when Ali was killed, Qays returned to his homeland.

Ahmad ibn al-Barqi said: he was bearer of the banner of the Prophet in some of his campaigns, and was in Egypt governor over it for Ali.

Ibn Yunus said: he was present at the conquest of Egypt, traced a dwelling there, and Ali appointed him governor over it in year six; he removed him from it in year seven.

Amr ibn Dinar said: Qays ibn Sa'd was a huge, massive man, small-headed, without a beard; when he rode a donkey his legs dragged along the ground; he came to Mecca, and someone said: "Who will buy the flesh of the tavern-keeper?"

An allusion to Qays, that he does not eat the flesh of the tavern-keeper.

Abu Ishaq: from Yarim Abu al-Ala:

Qays ibn Sa'd said: "I accompanied the Prophet, peace and the salutation of Allah be upon him, for ten years."

Thumama: from Anas, who said:

Qays ibn Sa'd, before the Prophet, peace and the salutation of Allah be upon him, held the rank of the chief of police before the emir; his father spoke to the Prophet, peace and the salutation of Allah be upon him, about Qays, and he diverted him from the position he had given him, fearing he might overstep in something; he diverted him.

The wording of Abu Hatim, from al-Ansari, from his father, from Thumama.

Al-Zuhri: Tha'laba ibn Abi Malik informed me:

That Qays ibn Sa'd, bearer of the banner of the Prophet, peace and the salutation of Allah be upon him, set out for the hajj; he unbraided one of the two sides of his head; a boy of his rose, garlanded his sacrificial animal and uttered the talbiyya, while he had not unbraided the other side.

Asim ibn Umar mentioned that the Prophet, peace and the salutation of Allah be upon him, had appointed Qays ibn Sa'd over the alms.

There came, in some routes of the hadith of the fish called anbar, from Jabir, that their commander was Qays ibn Sa'd; what is established is Abu Ubayda.

And Amr ibn Dinar narrated, that he heard Abu Salih the grain merchant mention:

That Qays ibn Sa'd slaughtered for them, in that campaign, several tavern-keepers.

Ibn Asakir declared good its routes.

Al-Waqidi said: Dawud ibn Qays, Malik and a group narrated to us, saying:

The Messenger of Allah, peace and the salutation of Allah be upon him, sent Abu Ubayda on an expedition in which were the Emigrants and the Ansar, three hundred, to the seashore, to a clan of Juhayna, and a severe hunger seized them.

Abu Ubayda ordered the provisions gathered; they were gathered, to the point that they shared out a single date.

Qays ibn Sa'd said: "Who will buy from me a date for a tavern-keeper? He delivers the tavern-keeper to me here, and I deliver the date to him in Medina."

Umar kept saying: "Wonderful is this lad: he contracts debt with the wealth of another."

He found a man of Juhayna and bargained with him; the man said: "I do not know you!"

He said: "I am Qays ibn Sa'd ibn Ubada ibn Dulaym."

He said: "Your lineage tells me nothing; there is between me and Sa'd a friendship: master of the people of Yathrib."

He bought from him five tavern-keepers, each tavern-keeper for a wasq of dates, and had a group testify for him.

Umar said: "I do not testify: this one contracts debt and has no wealth; the wealth belongs to his father."

The Juhani said: "By Allah, Sa'd would not make his son a liar for a handful of dates; and I see a fine face." He slaughtered them for them in three places.

On the fourth day his commander forbade him and said: "You want to ruin your pledge, and you have no wealth!"

Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Sahl narrated to me, from his father, from Rafi' ibn Khudayj, who said:

Sa'd heard of the famine that had seized the people and said: "If Qays is as I know him, he will slaughter for the people."

When he returned, he related to his father how they had prevented him, at the last, from slaughtering; he wrote him four estates, the least productive of which yields fifty wasq.

It is said: when it reached the Prophet, peace and the salutation of Allah be upon him, he said: "Indeed, he is of a house of generosity."

Abu Asim: Juwayriyya narrated to us, who said:

Qays would borrow and feed people; Abu Bakr and Umar said: "If we leave this lad, he will ruin his father's wealth."

They walked among the people; Sa'd stood before the Prophet, peace and the salutation of Allah be upon him, and said: "Who will excuse me from the son of Abi Quhafa and the son of al-Khattab, who are stingy with me over my son?"

It is said: an old woman came to Qays and said: "I complain to you of the scarcity of raisins."

He said: "How fine this allusion! Fill her house with bread, meat, clarified butter and dates."

Malik: from Yahya ibn Sa'id, who said:

The generosity of Qays ibn Sa'd

Qays ibn Sa'd would feed the people on his journeys with the Prophet, peace and the salutation of Allah be upon him; when what he had ran out, he would take loans, and he would call out every day: "Come to meat and tharid!"

Ibn Sirin said: Sa'd used to call from his rooftop: "Whoever loves clarified butter and meat, let him come!"; then I found his son the same.

And from Hisham ibn Urwa, from his father, who said: Qays ibn Sa'd sold to Mu'awiya wealth worth ninety thousand; he ordered the town crier of Medina: "Whoever wants a loan, let him come."

He lent forty thousand, came back with the rest, and wrote a receipt to each man he had lent to.

He fell ill with an ailment whose attacks grew rare; he said to his wife Qurayba, sister of the Truthful: "Why are my attacks rare?"

She said: "Because of the debt." He sent to every man his receipt and said: "O Allah, grant me wealth and deeds: deeds avail only with wealth."

Amr ibn Dinar: from Abu Salih:

Sa'd divided his wealth among his children, went out to Syria and died there; and a child was born to him afterward; Abu Bakr and Umar came to his son Qays and said: "We see that you return something to this one."

He said: "I shall change nothing of what Sa'd did; but my share is for him."

And this account came also from Ibn Sirin and from Ata.

Mis'ar said: from Ma'bad ibn Khalid, who said:

Qays ibn Sa'd remained ever thus, his glorifying finger raised: meaning he was supplicating.

The generosity of Qays is made a proverb, and so is his cunning.

Al-Jarrah ibn Malih al-Bahrani narrated, from Abu Rafi', from Qays ibn Sa'd, who said:

"Had I not heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and the salutation of Allah be upon him, say: cunning and deceit are in the Fire,

I would have been the most cunning of this community."

Ibn Uyayna: Amr narrated to me, who said:

Qays said: "Were it not for Islam, I would have plotted a cunning the Arabs could not bear."

And from al-Zuhri: they counted Qays among the cunning men of the Arabs, and he was among the men of judgment.

They said: the cunning men of the Arabs when the strife broke out were five: Mu'awiya, Amr, Qays, al-Mughira and Abd Allah ibn Budayl ibn Warqa al-Khuza'i.

Qays and Ibn Budayl were with Ali, and Amr ibn al-As with Mu'awiya; al-Mughira had withdrawn to Ta'if until the two arbiters arbitrated.

'Awf: from Muhammad, who said:

Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr and Muhammad ibn Abi Hudhayfa ibn Utba were among the harshest toward Uthman; Ali appointed Qays ibn Sa'd governor of Egypt, and he was resolute.

I was informed that he used to say: "Had cunning not be vice, I would plot a cunning at which the people of Syria would tremble among themselves."

Qays ibn Sa'd and the strife

Mu'awiya and Amr wrote to him, inviting him to pledge allegiance to them both.

He wrote them a letter in which there was harshness.

They wrote him a letter in which there was violence; he wrote them a letter in which there was gentleness.

When they read it, they knew they would not outmatch him in cunning.

They proclaimed in Syria that he had joined them; that reached Ali; his companions said to him: "Take Egypt: Qays has pledged to Mu'awiya."

He sent Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr and Muhammad ibn Abi Hudhayfa to Egypt, and appointed the son of Abi Bakr.

When they arrived at Qays at his removal, he knew Ali had been deceived and said to Muhammad:

"O son of my brother, beware, meaning the people of Egypt: they will greet you both, and you will both be killed."

It was as he had said.

And from Yazid ibn Abi Habib, who said:

Qays held Egypt firmly, holding off Mu'awiya and Amr by cunning and craft, making provisions flow to them, and carried no food to the people of Syria.

He said: they plotted against Ali, and Mu'awiya composed a letter in Qays's hand addressed to him, mentioning what had come to Uthman of a momentous affair, and: I am for hearing and obedience.

Then Mu'awiya proclaimed: prayer is assembled! He preached and said: "O people of Syria: Allah grants victory to His oppressed caliph and abandons his enemy; receive glad tidings: this is Qays ibn Sa'd, the fang of the Arabs, who has seen the matter clearly, declared it of himself, returned to seek the blood of your caliph, and has written to me.

He ordered the letter brought, and it was read; he had ordered food loaded for you: pray Allah for Qays and raise your hands." They clamored, and Mu'awiya clamored, and they raised their hands for an hour.

Mu'awiya said to Amr: "Watch for the going out of the spies: in seven or eight days the report will reach Ali, and he will remove Qays; and whoever governs Egypt will be lighter for us."

When the report reached Ali, Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr and al-Ashtar entered upon him, censured Qays, and Ali kept refusing.

Then he removed him and appointed al-Ashtar, who died before reaching it.

I say: it was said: poisoned.

He appointed Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, who was killed there, and Amr prevailed over it.

Damra ibn Rabi'a said: Mu'awiya kept saying: "Pray for your companion, meaning Qays: he is upon your view."

Ali removed him and appointed over it Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr.

And he forbade him from confronting Ibn Hudayj and his companions, who were four thousand, encamped at Nukhayla, having stood apart from the two parties after Siffin; he roughed them up.

He said: Qays moved to Medina;

the Umayyads roughed him up, and he joined Ali.

Mu'awiya wrote to Marwan: "What have you done, pushing Qays out to him?"

He said: Ibn Hudayj and his companions wrote to Mu'awiya: "Send us a commander."

He sent them Amr ibn al-As; Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr took refuge with an old woman; her son reported on him; they killed him and burned him in the belly of a donkey; Muhammad ibn Abi Hudhayfa fled, and he too was killed.

And from al-Zuhri, who said:

Qays came to Medina; al-Aswad ibn Abi al-Bakhtari and Marwan conspired to kill him by night; that reached Qays, who said:

"By Allah, this is ugly, that I should part from Ali even if he removes me; by Allah, I shall join him."

He joined him and told him what he relied upon in Egypt; Ali knew that Qays had been conducting a great matter with cunning; Ali obeyed Qays in the whole matter, and put him at the head of his army.

Mu'awiya sent to rebuke Marwan and al-Aswad, and said: "You have reinforced Ali with Qays? By Allah, had you reinforced him with a hundred thousand fighters, nothing would have angered me more than your sending Qays to him."

Its like was narrated also from Ma'mar, from al-Zuhri.

Hisham ibn Urwa: from his father:

Qays was in the vanguard of Ali; five thousand men had shaved their heads after Ali died; when al-Hasan entered into the pledge to Mu'awiya, Qays refused to enter, and said to his companions:

"If you wish, I shall fight with you until the quicker of us dies; and if you wish, I shall obtain for you safety."

They said: "Obtain it for us."

He obtained it for them, without obtaining it for himself in particular.

When he departed toward Medina with his companions, he kept slaughtering for them each day a tavern-keeper until he reached Sirar.

Ibn Uyayna: from Abu Harun al-Madani, who said:

Mu'awiya said to Qays ibn Sa'd: "You are but a rabbi among the rabbis of the Jews: if we prevail over you we kill you, and if you prevail over us you depose us."

He said: "You and your father are but two idols among the idols of the jahiliyya: you entered Islam unwillingly, and you left it willingly."

This account is disconnected.

Al-Mada'ini: from Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Ajlani, from Sa'id ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Hassan, who said:

Qays ibn Sa'd, with a clan of the Ansar, entered upon Mu'awiya, who said: "O company of Ansar! What do you seek that lies before me? By Allah, you were few with me and heavy upon me, and you blunted my blade on the day of Siffin, until I saw the deaths lapping at your teeth, and you satirized me, until Allah established what you sought to swerve; you said: preserve in us the testament of the Messenger of Allah, peace and the salutation of Allah be upon him: far be it! The just man refuses flattery.

Qays said: "We seek what lies before you, Islam: Allah suffices against aught besides Him, not by that whereof you boast to the factions; as for our enmity to you: if you wished you could stay it; as for satire: a word whose falsehood passes and whose truth stands; as for the steadiness of the affair upon you: it is against our will; as for our blunting of your blade: we were with a man whose obedience to Allah we saw; as for the testament of the Messenger of Allah, peace and the salutation of Allah be upon him, concerning us: he who forgoes it, guards it [...]