‘Abdullāh ibn Sa‘ad ibn Abī as-Sarḥ (Arabic: عبدالله بن سعد بن أبي السرح) was the foster brother of Uthman. His father was Saad ibn Abi Sarh. Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi'l Sarh built a strong Egyptian Arab navy. Under him the Muslim navy won a number of naval victories including its first major naval battle against Constans II at the Battle of the Masts in 655 CE. Abdullah bin Sa'ad bin Abi'l Sarh was the Governor of Egypt at the time. One of his achievements while governor of Egypt, was the capture of Tripoli in 647 whereby he brought Libya into the folds of Islamic Empire.
Abd Allah Ibn Sa'd Ibn Abi Sarh[1] was a governor of Upper Egypt during the reign of Uthman (644–656). He was the co-founder of the first Muslim Navy.
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According to Baidawi in Tafsir “Anwar al-Tanzil wa Asrar al-Ta'wil”, Muhammad dictated verses starting at (Qur'an 23:12) that says;
Abdullah said, "So Blessed be God the Fairest of creators!" in amazement at the details of man's creation. The prophet said, "Write it down; for thus it has been revealed." Abdallah doubted and said, "If Muhammad is truthful then I receive the revelation as much as he does, and if he is a liar, what I said is as good as what he said.". After this incident, Abdullah repudiated Islam, left Medina and went to Mecca, spreading his belief that Muhammad composed the Qur'an himself without Divine Intervention.
Muslims believe, however, that this account is false, as the verses in question(23:12-14) were alleged to have been revealed in Mecca prior to the initial conversion of 'Abdullah ibn Saad.[2]
Another questionable account states that following the conquest of Mecca in 629 CE, Muhammad ordered that Abdullah should be executed but Uthman protected him. When conditions calmed, he was presented to Muhammad seeking pardon and offering the oath of loyalty. However, Muhammad withheld his hand and maintained silence. Uthman begged him to pardon Abdullah and on the third attempt Muhammad accepted Abdullah's oath of loyalty, effectively pardoning him. As soon as Abdullah had left, Muhammad turned to the Muslims who were in the room and asked: “Was not there a wise man among you who would stand up to him when he saw that I had withheld my hand from accepting his allegiance, and kill him?” The companions, aghast, responded: “We did not know what you had in your heart, Apostle of Allah! Why did you not give us a signal with your eye?” Muhammad said: “It is not advisable, for a Prophet to play deceptive tricks with the eyes.”
This account, however, also does not appear to be accurate as al-Tabari has recorded that although 'Abdulllah ibn Saad had apostatized initially for unknown reasons, he converted back to Islam before the conquest of Mecca.[2]
When Uthman became caliph in 644 CE, he appointed Abdullah governor of Egypt replacing 'Amr ibn al-'As, and Muhammad ibn Hudhaifa as his aide. Abdullah brought over a large foreign entourage and established the Diwan, "and commanded that all the taxes of the country should be regulated there".[3]
The Copts viewed Abdullah as a "lover of money" who spent the revenues upon himself. In his time a famine struck Upper Egypt such that many Copts fled to the Delta.[3] Soon the Arabs protested his governorship, too.
Some of the protests appear to have been instigated by his aide, Muhammad ibn Hudhaifa. Muhammad's father (Hudhaifa) was an early convert to Islam who died in the Battle of Yarmouk. Muhammad was raised by Uthman. When he reached maturity he participated in the foreign military campaigns and accompanied Abdullāh ibn Sa‘ad ibn Abī as-Sarh to Egypt as an aide. Muhammad bin Hudhaifa admonished Abdullah, recommending changes in the government but Abdullah did not respond. After continuous efforts, eventually Muhammad ibn Hudhaifa lost patience and turned from sympathetic admonisher to a disillusioned opponent – first of Abdullāh ibn Sa‘ad ibn Abī as-Sarh and later of Uthman for appointing him. Abdullah wrote to Uthman claiming that Muhammed was spreading sedition and that if nothing was done to stop him, the situation would escalate. Uthman attempted to silence Muhammad's protests with 30,000 dirhams and expensive presents. This bribe backfired, with Muhammad bringing the money and presents into the Great Mosque saying;
Uthman sent numerous placatory letters to Muhammad, but he continued building the agitation against Abdullāh ibn Sa‘ad ibn Abī as-Sarḥ . In 656 the leaders of Egypt decided to send a delegation to Medina to demanding Abdullah's dismissal. Abdullah also left for Medina to defend himself at the court of the caliph. In his absence, Muhammad ibn Hudhaifa assumed charge of the government.
When Abdullah reached Elath, he was told that Uthman's house was under siege (Siege of Uthman) and decided to return to Egypt. At the border he was informed that Muhammad ibn Hudhaifa had given orders to prevent him from entering Egypt. He then went to Palestine awaiting the outcome of events in Medina. In the meantime, Uthman was killed in Medina, and when Abdullah heard the news, he left Palestine, and went to Damascus to live under the protection of Muawiyah I.