Qays ibn Sa'd

Qays ibn Sa'd قيس بن سعد
Governor of Egypt
In office 657 (6 months)
Caliph	Ali
Preceded by	Muhammad ibn Abi Hudhayfa
Succeeded by	Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr
Personal details
Born	Medina, Hijaz, Arabia
Died	59 AH (678–679 CE) Medina, Umayyad Caliphate
Relations	Banu Khazraj
Parents	Sa'd ibn Ubadah (father) Fukayha bint Ubayd ibn Dulaym (mother)
Military service
Allegiance	Muhammad (622-632) Rashidun Caliphate (656–661)
Battles/wars	First Fitna Battle of the Camel Battle of Siffin Kharijite Rebellions against Ali Battle of Nahrawan

Qays ibn Saʿd (Arabic: قيس بن سعد) was a prominent companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad^[1] and a military leader during the Rashidun Caliphate. He served as governor of Egypt and later Adharbayjan^[2][3] under Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib^[4], and took part in major engagements such as the Battle of Siffin and the Battle of Nahrawan. Following the assassination of Ali, Qays remained a prominent supporter of Hasan ibn Ali until Hasan concluded a peace treaty with Mu'awiya I, after which Qays retired from public and political life during the early years of the Umayyad Caliphate.

Qays ibn Sa'd was born in Medina during the lifetime of Muhammad. His father was Sa'd ibn Ubadah, the chief of the Khazraj tribe and one of the leading figures among the Ansar.^[4]

Before his conversion to Islam, Qays was described as intelligent and strategic, though he was reputed to employ his wit in self-serving ways.^[4] According to Khalid Muhammad Khalid, he was known for outsmarting others in Medina and its surroundings prior to embracing Islam.^[4]

As a member of the Ansar, Qays was known by the nisba al-Ansari (الأنصاري), meaning “the helper” or “supporter.”^[5]

After his father accepted Islam, Sa'd introduced Qays to Muhammad and pledged his son's service to him.^[4] Muhammad reportedly expressed approval and granted Qays a place among his companions.^[4]

Following his conversion, Qays was said to have reformed his conduct and devoted himself fully to Islamic principles.^[4] He later remarked, "If it were not for Islam, I would have used my craftiness to outwit all the Arabs," a statement reflecting his moral transformation after embracing the faith.^[4]

Qays belonged to a family widely noted for generosity, a quality that both contemporary and later sources attribute strongly to him.^[4] Muhammad is reported to have said, "Generosity is the dominant trait of this family."^[4]

According to Khalid Muhammad Khalid, Qays was exceptionally charitable and often lent money without expecting repayment, reflecting both family tradition and personal conviction.^[4] His generosity was reportedly so extensive that Abu Bakr and Umar cautioned his father that it might exhaust his wealth, to which Sa'd ibn Ubadah replied that he would not raise his son to be miserly.^[4]

Al-Tabari records that during the Expedition of al-Khabat, Qays ibn Sa'd, who served as commander, slaughtered nine riding camels to feed the exhausted soldiers. When a large sea creature was cast ashore, the expeditionary force remained there for several days, consuming its meat, drying it, and extracting its fat. Upon returning to Medina, they informed Muhammad of Qays’s actions, and he is reported to have remarked that generosity was characteristic of Qays’s family, thereby affirming his conduct.^[6]

Physically, Qays was said to lack a traditional Arab beard, a trait for which the Ansar reportedly teased him in good humor.^[4]

According to Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Qays ibn Saʿd is recognized for his reliability and diligence in managing the Prophet Muhammad’s affairs, described in the narration as "used to be, to the Prophet, in the position of the head of police for a ruler." This reflects his integrity and careful oversight in matters entrusted to him, qualities highly valued among the Sahaba. The narration is graded sahih.^[7]

Qays ibn Sa'd was known for his courage, bravery, and boldness in combat. He served as the standard-bearer of the Ansars during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad and participated in several of the Prophet’s military campaigns. During the Conquest of Mecca, the Prophet took the banner from Qays’s father, Sa'd ibn Ubadah, and handed it to Qays himself, recognizing his strength and valor as a warrior.^[8]

Ali, the fourth caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate, appointed Qays ibn Saʿd as governor of Egypt. According to Wilferd Madelung, this appointment was intended as a gesture of reconciliation toward the Ansar and was perceived by the Quraysh opposition as evidence that Ali sought to curtail their political dominance.^[2]

Qays entered Fustat with only a small retinue, had Ali’s appointment letter read publicly in the mosque, and secured general allegiance without resistance. He deliberately avoided confrontation with supporters of Uthman ibn Affan, permitting them to remain neutral and continue paying taxes under his authority.^[9]

A group of Uthman loyalists who had withdrawn to Kharbita near Alexandria under Yazid ibn al-Harith al-Kinani refused to pledge allegiance but agreed not to obstruct tax collection. Qays accepted this arrangement, which enabled him to collect the land tax throughout Egypt.^[9]

During his governorship, Qays became the target of repeated attempts by Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan to draw him into the Syrian camp. Muʿawiya accused Qays and the Ansar of complicity in Uthman’s killing and offered him future rule over Iraq and influence in the Hijaz in exchange for supporting the demand for vengeance. Qays rejected these overtures, denied involvement in Uthman’s death, and deliberately stalled in order to avoid provoking a Syrian attack on Egypt.^[10]

After failing to secure Qays’s allegiance, Muʿawiya circulated a forged letter claiming that Qays had submitted to him. Although Ali initially dismissed the report as false, tensions increased when Qays defended his arrangements with the Uthmanid loyalists at Kharbita and refused to take military action against them. Under pressure, Ali dismissed Qays and replaced him with Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr.^[11]

After his dismissal from Egypt, Qays ibn Saʿd continued to serve Ali ibn Abi Talib in senior military and administrative roles. In preparation for renewed operations against Muʿawiya, Ali appointed Qays as governor of Adharbayjan and instructed him to proceed to Kufa to join the main army. Qays was ordered to appoint ʿUbayd Allah ibn Shubayl al-Ahmasi as his deputy before departing.^[3]

According to later historical traditions preserved by al-Zuhri, Qays was promised the governorship of Adharbayjan as a reward for his leadership and loyalty and was entrusted with command responsibilities during the mobilization against Syria.^[12]

He remained aligned with Ali until the latter’s assassination in 661, after which Adharbayjan ceased to play a central role in the conflict as Hasan ibn Ali moved toward a negotiated settlement with Muʿawiya.^[13]

Qays fought for Ali at the Battle of Siffin against Mu'awiya.^[4] He led a contingent of foot soldiers from Basra numbering over 10,000 men.^[14] Tabari records that during the battle, the Iraqi fighters (qurra) were led by Ammar ibn Yasir, Qays ibn Saʿd, and ‘Abdallah ibn Budayl, while Ali positioned himself in the center among the men of Medina.^[15] While he initially planned strategic maneuvers against Mu'awiya’s forces, he later abandoned certain deceptive tactics, citing religious principles.^[4]

After the arbitration at Siffin, a faction of Ali’s former supporters rejected his authority and became known as the Kharijites. The Kharijites later murdered Ali’s envoy Abd Allah ibn Khabbab, his pregnant wife, and Umm Sinan al-Saydawiyya. Ali received this news while preparing to confront Mu'awiya, and his troops urged him to first deal with the rebels due to the danger they posed to their families and property.^[16]

Ali sent Qays ibn Sa'd ahead to al-Mada'in to join his governor, Sa'd ibn Mas'ud al-Thaqafi, and to communicate with the Kharijites. He demanded that they surrender the murderers and offered to leave them alone until after he fought the Syrians, hoping they would reconsider. The Kharijites refused, claiming that all of them had participated in the killings and that the blood of Ali’s partisans was lawful to shed.^[3]

Qays addressed the Kharijites, stressing the severity of their crimes, but was challenged by ‘Abd Allah ibn Shajara, who rejected Qays’s authority and insisted they would not join Ali’s party unless they were presented with someone like Umar ibn al-Khattab. Qays responded that he knew no one comparable to Umar except Ali himself, and asked the Kharijites if they had such a figure among them. He urged them not to destroy their lives. Abu Ayyub al-Ansari also pleaded with them, warning that their rebellion would only lead to bloodshed. The Kharijites replied that if they pledged allegiance to Ali, he would later agree to arbitration.^[3]

Ali’s forces subsequently confronted the Kharijites at the Battle of Nahrawan. Tabari records that Ali organized his army, appointing Hujr ibn Adi over the right wing and Shabath ibn Rib‘i (or Ma‘qil ibn Qays al-Riyahi) over the left. Abu Ayyub al-Ansari was placed over the cavalry, Abu Qatada al-Ansari over the infantry, and Qays ibn Sa'd ibn Ubadah commanded the men of Medina, numbering 700–800.^[17]

After the Assassination of Ali in 661, Qays ibn Saʿd remained as one of the most prominent supporters of Hasan ibn Ali. He played a key role in urging the Kufans to rally behind Hasan and accompanied him during the early stages of the mobilization against Muʿawiya.^[18]

Hasan appointed Qays as one of his senior commanders alongside Saʿid ibn Qays, placing them in advisory roles beneath Ubayd Allah ibn Abbas, who led the vanguard. Madelung notes that Hasan’s preference for Ubayd Allah reflected his reluctance to be drawn into open battle, despite Qays’s reputation as a capable and resolute military leader.^[19]

When negotiations between Hasan and Muʿawiya intensified, Qays remained loyal to Hasan’s authority. Following the conclusion of the peace agreement, Qays formally pledged allegiance to Muʿawiya in Hasan’s presence, though later accounts emphasize the symbolic and reluctant nature of this act.^[20]

Qays returned to Medina after the peace treaty and spent his remaining years in retirement. He died in 59 AH (678–679 CE) during the late period of Muʿawiya’s caliphate.^[21]

• Ali ibn Abi Talib
• Hasan ibn Ali
• Sa'd ibn Ubadah
• List of Sahabah that did not give Bay'ah to Abu Bakr
• Sulaym ibn Qays

• Madelung, Wilferd (1997). The Succession to Muhammad: A Study of the Early Caliphate. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-64696-0.
• al-Tabari, Muhammad ibn Jarir (1998). The History of the Prophets and Kings: Volume 17, The First Civil War. Vol. 17. Translated by G. R. Hawting. State University of New York Press.
• al-Tabari, Muhammad ibn Jarir (1998). The History of the Prophets and Kings: Volume 8, The Victory of Islam. Vol. 8. Translated by Michael Fishbein. State University of New York Press.
• Wellhausen, J. (1927). The Arab Kingdom and Its Fall. Translated by Weir, M.G. University of Calcutta. OCLC 752790641.
• Muhammad Khali Khalid and Khalid Muhammad Khalid (2005). Men Around The Messenger. Islamic Book Trust. ISBN 978-9839154733.
• Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib. Nahjul Balagha: Peak of Eloquence. ISBN 978-0940368422.
• Carl F. Petry, ed. (2008). The Cambridge History of Egypt. Vol. 1. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521068857.
• Michael G. Morony (2006). Iraq after the Muslim Conquest. Gorgias Press. ISBN 978-1593333157.
• Radi Aal-Yasin (2013). Sulh al-Hasan: The Peace Treaty of al-Hasan. Ahlulbayt Organization. ISBN 978-1494438135.