Commander · c. 595 to 674

Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas

An early convert from the clan of the Prophet's mother. He won at Qadisiyyah, took the Persian capital Ctesiphon and founded the garrison city of Kufa.

At a glance

Lived: c. 595 to 674
Role: Commander
Era: Abu Bakr and Umar: the great conquests
Chapter: 1. The Rightly Guided Caliphs

Battles

636
Battle of Qadisiyyah
Decisive Muslim victory. Over several days the Persian army and its war elephants were broken, and Rustam was killed.
637
Conquest of Ctesiphon (Mada'in)
City taken. The Persian capital fell and its treasures were sent to Madinah.

Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas's world

644: Abu Bakr and Umar: the great conquests

Within twelve years the Muslims defeated both superpowers of the age. Byzantium lost Syria at Yarmouk and Egypt soon after. Persia lost Iraq at Qadisiyyah and its heartland at Nahavand. Jerusalem surrendered in 637 and Umar came in person to accept it.

See the 644 map Read chapter 1

People of the same era

Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Umar ibn al-Khattab Khalid ibn al-Walid Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah Amr ibn al-As

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