Atiyya bin Saad
Encyclopedia
Atiyya ibn Sad belonged to the Judaila family of the tribe
known as Qays and his patronymic appellation was Abdul Hasan according to al-Tabari. Some accounts suggest Atiyya's mother was a Roman
slavegirl
.
and said: "O Commander of the Faithful! Allah has given me a son. Kindly propose his name." Ali said: "He is an atiyya (Arabic
; gift) of Allah". Thus he was named Atiyya.
al-Walid I. After Ibn Ash’ath was killed in 85 AH. Atiyya fled to Persia. Al-Hajjāj, who held staunch anti-Shi'a beliefs, wrote to Muhammad bin Qasim Thaqafi to summon Atiyya and ask him to curse Ali ibn Abi Talib and, in the event of his refusal to do so, to slash him four hundred times and to shave his head and beard. Muhammad summoned Atiyya and read over al-Hajjāj's letter to him so that he might choose one of the two alternatives. Atiyya declined to curse Ali
and agreed to the alternative.
When Qutayba bin Muslim became the Governor of Khorasan
Atiyya migrated there until Umar bin Habira became the Governor of Iraq
. Atiyya wrote a letter to him seeking permission to return to Iraq. Umar accorded him permission and he went to Kufa and continued to reside there until he died in 111 AH.
, by al-Tabari. In addition, he was a great exegete of the Qur'an
and wrote a commentary on it in five volumes. He was a student of the great Sahaba
Abdullah ibn Abbas.
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
known as Qays and his patronymic appellation was Abdul Hasan according to al-Tabari. Some accounts suggest Atiyya's mother was a Roman
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
slavegirl
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
.
Story surrounding his name
Saad bin Junada i.e. the father of Atiyya is reported to have approached the fourth caliphate and the cousin of the prophet Mohammed, Ali ibn Abi Talib in KufaKufa
Kufa is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000....
and said: "O Commander of the Faithful! Allah has given me a son. Kindly propose his name." Ali said: "He is an atiyya (Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
; gift) of Allah". Thus he was named Atiyya.
Lifetime
He fought with Ibn Ash’ath in his campaign against al-Hajjāj, the governor of the Iraqi provinces during the caliphate of the UmayyadUmayyad
The Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four major Arab caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. It was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty, whose name derives from Umayya ibn Abd Shams, the great-grandfather of the first Umayyad caliph. Although the Umayyad family originally came from the...
al-Walid I. After Ibn Ash’ath was killed in 85 AH. Atiyya fled to Persia. Al-Hajjāj, who held staunch anti-Shi'a beliefs, wrote to Muhammad bin Qasim Thaqafi to summon Atiyya and ask him to curse Ali ibn Abi Talib and, in the event of his refusal to do so, to slash him four hundred times and to shave his head and beard. Muhammad summoned Atiyya and read over al-Hajjāj's letter to him so that he might choose one of the two alternatives. Atiyya declined to curse Ali
Umayyad tradition of cursing Ali
The Umayyad tradition of cursing Ali was performed in state-controlled mosques from 657 to 717 CE.Muawiyah I, after the stalemate of the Battle of Siffin, began the custom of including a curse against Ali from the pulpit in Damascus...
and agreed to the alternative.
When Qutayba bin Muslim became the Governor of Khorasan
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
Atiyya migrated there until Umar bin Habira became the Governor of Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. Atiyya wrote a letter to him seeking permission to return to Iraq. Umar accorded him permission and he went to Kufa and continued to reside there until he died in 111 AH.
Achievements
Saad is regarded as a reliable transmitter of Prophetic narrations, hadithHadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
, by al-Tabari. In addition, he was a great exegete of the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
and wrote a commentary on it in five volumes. He was a student of the great Sahaba
Sahaba
In Islam, the ' were the companions, disciples, scribes and family of the Islamic prophet...
Abdullah ibn Abbas.