Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas

Saad
Born 595
Mecca, Arabia
Died 664
Madinah, Arabia.
Allegiance Rashidun Caliphate.
Service/branch Rashidun army
Years of service 636-644
Rank Commander
Governor of Ctesiphon (637-638)
Governor of Busra (638-644), (645-646)
Commands held Rashidun conquest of Persian Empire

Saad ibn Abī Waqqās (Arabic: سعد بن أبي وقاص‎) was an early convert to Islam in 610-11 and one of the important companions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Sa'd was the seventeenth person to embrace Islam at the age of seventeen. He is mainly known for his commandership in the conquest of Persia in 636, governorship over it, and diplomatic sojourns to China in 616 and 651.

Contents

Family

Born in 595 (Makkah), Sa'd was from the Banu Zuhrah clan of the Quraysh tribe,[1] and was a cousin to Aminah Bint Wahb, mother of Muhammad. He was seventeen years old when he accepted islam.

Biography

During Muhammad's era 610–632

Conversion to Islam

He was one of the first to accept Islam.[1]

Sa'ad relates:

When my mother heard the news of my Islam, she flew into a rage. She came up to me and said: "O Sa'ad! What is this religion that you have embraced which has taken you away from the religion of your mother and father...? By God, either you forsake your new religion or I would not eat or drink until I die. Your heart would be broken with grief for me and remorse would consume you on account of the deed, you have done and people would censure you forever more.' 'Don't do (such a thing), my mother,' I said, 'for I would not give up my religion for anything.' However, she went on with her threat... For days she neither ate nor drank. She became emaciated and weak."

"Hour after hour, I went to her asking whether I should bring her some food or something to drink but she persistently refused, insisting that she would neither eat nor drink until she died or I abandoned my religion. I said to her, 'Yaa Ummaah! In spite of my strong love for you, my love for Allah and His Messenger is indeed stronger. By Allah, if you had a thousand souls and each one depart one after another, I would not abandon this religion for anything.' When she saw that I was determined she relented unwillingly and ate and drank.

This was referenced in the Qur'anic verse 31:14-15.[1]'

Battles

In 614, the muslims were on their way to the hills of Mecca to offer prayer with the prophet Muhammad, when a group of polytheists observed them. They began to abuse and fight them. Sa`ad beat a polytheist and shed his blood, reportedly becoming the first muslim to shed blood in the name of islam. [1][2]

He fought at the battle of Badr with his young brother Umayr. Being only in his early teens, Umayr was denied access to battle, but after struggling and crying, he was later given permission by the Prophet to fight in battle. Sa`d returned to Medina alone; Umayr was one of the fourteen Muslims who died in the battle.

At the battle of Uhud, Sa`d was chosen as an archer together with Zayd, Sa`īb (the son of Uthmān ibn Mazūn) and others. Sa`d was among those who fought in defense of Muhammad after some Muslims had deserted their positions. Muhammad honoured him by declaring him one of the best archers of that time. During the battle, the Prophet gathered some arrows for him.

Farewell Pilgrimage

He fell ill during the Farewell Pilgrimage, and he had only a daughter during this period. Sa'ad said:

O Messenger of Allah. I have wealth and I only have one daughter to inherit from me. Shall I give two thirds of my wealth as Sadaqah?" "No," replied the Prophet. "Then, (shall I give) a half?." asked Sa'ad and the Prophet again said 'no.' "Then, (shall I give) a third?' asked Sa'ad. "Yes," said the Prophet. "The third is much. Indeed to leave your heirs well-off is better than that you should leave them dependent on and to beg from people. If you spend anything seeking to gain thereby the pleasure of Allah, you will be rewarded for it even if it is a morsel which you place in your wife's mouth.[1]

During Caliph Umar (r.a)'s era 634–644

Sa`d also fought under Umar's command against the Sassanid army at the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah and Battle of Nahāvand. He was later appointed governor of Kufa and Nejd during the caliphate of Umar.

Some narrations state that although Umar deposed him from his post as governor, he recommended that the caliph who succeeded him reinstall Sa'd, since Umar had not deposed Sa'd due to any treachery.[3]

He was one of six people nominated by Umar ibn al-Khattab for the third caliphate.

During Caliph Uthman(r.a)'s era 644–656

Uthman carried out Umar's recommendation and appointed Sa'd as governor of Kufa.[3]

S'ad has been traditionally credited by Chinese Muslims with introducing Islam to China in 650, during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang,[4][5] although modern secular scholars don't find any historical evidence for him actually travelling to China.[6]

During Muawiyah(r.a)'s era 661–664

Sa'd was mentioned in a hadith relevant to the Umayyad tradition of cursing Ali.[7]

He outlived all ten blessed companions, and died a wealthy man at the age of eighty, in the year 664.[1]

Legacy

Sunni view

Sunnī Muslims regard him as one of the ten to whom paradise was promised.

One Sunni source states: To urge him on [during Uhud], the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said:

"Shoot, Sa'ad ...may my mother and father be your ransom." However, Ali ibn Abi Talib said that he had not yet heard the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) promising such a ransom to anyone except Sa'ad Bin Malik. Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 59, Number 389.

Diplomatic Sojourns

Sa’d ibn abi Waqqas ( سعد بن أبي وقاص‎ Sa'd, son of Abi Waqqas) who was born in 594 CE is mainly remembered as a statesman, commander and diplomat as Sa’d served the Prophet and the first four Caliphs known as Rashidun Caliphs earnestly. He was the Caliphate’s governor of Kufain 637-38, and of Busra in 638-644, 645-646. Sa’d also led the embassy sent by Caliph Usman to Tang Emperor Kao-tsung of China in 651 who also exchanged embassies with Emperor Harsha of Kanauj in 640s. Sa’d died at the age of eighty in 674 at Aqiqa and was buried in Madinah. From obscurity as a maternal uncle of Prophet Muhammad, he rose to imminence by dint of hard work, selflessness, wide-traveling and broad outlook. As his activities showed, Sa’d was keen to interact with different peoples and nations, and believed that mutual interactions, free flow of ideas and trade among nations and empires were beneficial to all at stake. Old Chinese sources (records of Tang dynasty, 618-906 CE) reveal much of Sa’d ibn abi Waqqas’ sojourn to East Asia in general and to China in particular where the diplomacy and missionary of the time went hand in hand.

In China and India

The Chinese sources that inform us of the overseas career of Sad’d ibn abi Waqqas are- the Tangshu (唐书Tang History, pub.945 CE), the Ming Geography (Ta-Ming-i-t’ing Chi 大明一統志 pub.1461) and the Minshu ( 閩書, Fujian provincial Gazetteer, pub. 1620 ). The sources state that Sa’d ibn abi Waqqas arrived in China twice and Tang records reveal that the second visit, after a gap of twenty-five years, was when he (Sa’d) headed a 15-member embassy sent by Caliph Usman Tang King Gaozhong (Kao-Tsung), by sea route; the Arab emissaries landed Canton, and reached Chang‘an (capital) on 25 August 651.

Multiple Chinese sources inform that his father (Abi Waqqas aka king Abi Waqqas or Malik abi Waqqas), came to China thrice- in 586 CE (pre-Islamic period), 628 CE and 634 CE. Following the foot-step, Sa’d too was a keen traveler and arrived in China twice- in 618 and 651. Sa’d embraced Islam early in 611 CE at the of seventeen and he was among more than hundred Sahabas (Companions of the Prophet) who were dispatched to Abyssinia by Prophet Muhammad to avoid the virulent Quraish opposition and persecution in 615. Four Sahabas including Sa’d did not return (from Abyssinia to Madinah till 622 as others did) and they were later discovered to have sailed off to China. Sa’d was accompanied by his father Abi Waqqas in his 615-18 trip and that Abi was dead in China in-between 629 and 635 and was buried there; but much confusion has been made between Abi Waqqas and Sa’d ibn abi Waqqas, prompting many to believe (“learn”) that Sa’d ibn abi Waqqas was buried in China and that “his tomb” still lies there in Canton. The tomb if any belonged to Abi Waqqas.

While in Manipur (northeast India) annals, ‘Sa’d’ was noted as ‘Sadik’ (seemingly a more familiar name), a name attributed to a Muslim preacher in the reign of Manipur king Naophang Ahal (594-624 CE).Sa’d and three other Sahabas sailed from Abyssinia to Chittagong from where they took the land journey to next destination. As is Arab tradition to write names with those of immediate ancestors in suffix in the form of family tree, Sa’d is written in Arabic accounts as Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas Malik ibn Uhayb ibn 'Abdu Manaf ibn Zuhra ibn Kilab ibn Murra ibn Ka'b ibn Lu'ayy al-Qurashi az-Zuhri (as he belonged to the Zuhri clan of the Quraish).

Dru C. Gladney (1987) wrote: “The Lingshan tombs are primarily those of two Muslim saints said to have been sent to China by the Prophet Muhammad, who were buried in their present location before the Yuan dynasty. According to He Qiaoyun’s Minshu (c. 1620), the two saints buried in Quanzhou are Imam Sayid and Imam Waggas (Waqqas) from Medina. They were two of four foreign Muslims said to have visited southern China during the Tang Emperor Wu De’s reign (618-26). Fujian provincial and local municipal publications proudly proclaim Quanzhou as the site of the third most important Islamic holy grave and the fifth most important mosque in the world” (quoting Yang Hongxun, 1985).

Gladney further writes: “Wahb Abu Kabcha is said to be buried in the Guangzhou’s famous ‘Bell tomb’. The fourth saint is buried in Yangzhou.”

Old Manipuri accounts note that two Muslim preachers Sadik Para Koireng and Qutwan Khan arrived and preached in Manipur in the reign of Naophang Ahal i.e, Naophangba I wherein ‘Para Koireng’ and ‘Khan’ are suffix titles. J.C Higgins (1933) and Dr. John Parrat (1998) wrote: “The first Muhammadans, the Aribam family, came to Manipur in the time of Naophangba”.

During the nascent stage of Islam (614-15 CE), an increasing Quraish persecution of the adherents of Islam compelled the Prophet to advise more than a hundred Muslims (Sahabas)- including women (Shaybat) to take shelter (hijarat) in Abyssinia (Ethiopia), then ruled by a friendly Christian king Najashi and that the Muslims went to Abyssinia in two batches in 613/4 and 615.

The Muslims returned to Arabia by 622 but the Record of the immigration to Abyssinia noticed that some Sahabas, including Sa’d ibn abi Waqqas did not return. It was only after Sa’d’s return to Arabia in 623 it became known that that Sa’d accompanied by three other Sahabas sailed off from Abyssinia in 615 to extend their hijrat to China. Around this time in 630s and 640s, Harsha Vardhan ruled in central India with capital at Kanauj and Bhaskavarman reigned in Kamrup (in Assam) as Buddhist pilgrim Huen Tsang from China who was in India (630-44) noted in his accounts. The sojourn of Sa’d is ironically comparable to that of Huen Tsang who also visited India without informing the Chinese king or others but he (Huen Tsang) was much applauded and decorated, once back home, for his memorable and productive journey as the latter collected several texts of Buddhism which he furnished to king Tai-Tsung. But hardly any of Sad ibn abi Waqqas’ overseas and diplomatic accounts survive in Arabic texts when the Caliph’s library was sacked and torched during the political upheaval as Muawiyah was about to succeed Ali in 660.

Emperor Harsha had a good diplomatic relation with China. D. Devahuti (1970) noted: “According to our sources Harsha took the initiative in opening diplomatic relations with T‘ai Tsung. It is stated that, on assuming the title of ‘the king of Magadh’ in A.D. 641, Harsha sent an envoy to China. Neither the Indian sources nor even Hsuan-tsang’s ‘Records’ or the ‘Life’ refer to or suggest any special career in AD 641 with regard to Magadha. It seems to us that the simple fact of the use of the title ‘the King of Magadh’ by Harsha in the royal documents carried by his envoy to China in AD 641 has happened to be so recorded in the Chinese sources as to give the impression that a noteworthy event such as the assumption of a new title by Harsha took place in that year. Harsha preferred to be known as the King of Magadh rather than the King of Kanauj, especially in a foreign communication, and for all we know in some hitherto undiscovered internal records as well, is understandable in the light of the reputation that Magadha had come to enjoy as the seat of imperial power from pre-Mauryan days.”

India (al-Hind) or China (as-Sin) were no strangers to the Arabs as they already travelled by both land and sea silk-routes to the Indian, Chinese and Sumatran coasts before the birth of the Prophet in 570 CE. Prophet Muhammad metaphorically stated: “I get cool breeze from the side of al-Hind”. Another pronouncement (hadith) is: “Go unto China if to seek knowledge as education (learning) is obligatory for all believers” (reported by Anas ibn Malik- the sahaba, and later by Baihaqi and Ibn Adi in their books).

Once Sa’d and other Sahabas sailed off by sea from Abyssinia in the Indian Ocean and then towards the Bay of Bengal landing at Chittagong from where they could reach china by land-route via the NE India and Upper Burma route or by sea route through the Malacca Strait rounding the Malay Archipelago. Sa’d chose to proceed by land route from Chittagong and those Arabs evidently confused the Chin Hills (adjoining Manipur and Burma) with Chin (China). Sa’d and the companions including his father Abi Waqqas, Jahsh, Jafar ibn Abu Talib arrived in Manipur hinterland and preached for some time in Kamrup-Cachar-Manipur region till 616 where many individuals from the Pang tribe embraced Islam who were later known as Pangals. Chinese gazetteer Manshu recorded that Imam Waggas (i.e. Sa’d ibn abi Waqqas) and Imam Sayid arrived in around 618 in Wu-De’s reign. On geographical (locational) ambiguity to those early voyagers, the following details may suffice to explain.

G.P Singh noted, the Arabs even if they knew China (Sin) since ancient time, their geographers, traders and explorers often faced difficulty being confused with similar names as Chin (Hills) which lied in eastern frontier Manipur (of Northeast India), the Chin Hills being extended from the Upper Burma (Shan) to the Arakan coast in western Burma.

So, some sea-faring Arab preachers and merchants instead landed in Arakan or Chittagong port (in the Bay of Bengal) rather than the Canton port of China. This happened to Sa’d ibn abi Waqqas who landed in Chittagong port in 615-16 instead of a Chinese coast; similarly Muhammad al-Hanafiyya landed in Arakan in 680-81 coming via the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean. Both landed in Chin Hills (aka Kuki Chin domains) and later they realized that the real China (as-Sin of Arabs) was still far away.

Singh added: “While describing the countries of eastern India including Pragjyotisa, he (Alberuni, 1030 CE) refers to the Cina, Kirata and Suvarnabhumi and further makes it clear that Cina is Chin Hills (Burma) bordering Manipur.”

“James Tayl“James or is of the firm opinion that “the country of Cina described as adjacent to Kamrupa on the east can be no other than the eastern part of the valley of Assam”.

McCrindle also noted: “After having made a thorough investigation into the classical sources, I have come to the conclusion that Sina or Sinae corresponds to Assam and Thina or ‘This’ to China proper”.

N.N. Acharya also noted: "Alberuni in his Kitab-ul-Hind mentions the various countries of Eastern India, namely Pragjyotisha, Lohitya, Udayagiri, Paundra, Kirata, China and Subarbabhumi. The land of Udayagiri may be identified with Manipur. Similarly, the reference to China evidently means the Chin Hills on the borders of Manipur."

Arab merchants

He Qiaoyun ( Minshu, 1620) wrote: "Activities of Persians and Arabs in these cities (Yang-chou and Canton) were confined to maritime trade because the majority of them were merchants. There were also Islamic disciples who came to China with the intention to preach. In the reign of Wu-te (AD 618-626), four Islamic disciples were dispatched to China to spread the Muhammadan faith. Of these four, one was posted in Canton, one in Yang-chou and the other two were stationed in Ch'uan-chou”. At that time the Quran was not even fully revealed but Sa’d was evidently in possession of some 50-60 verses of the Quran that was enough to preach the Prophethood of Muhammad, a monotheistic belief in the Oneness of God (Allah). The Chinese king allowed them to preach and practice Islam in the kingdom.”

Dr. Md. Yusuf Ali & Abu Sadat Nurullah (1999) noted: “The advent of Islam in Bengal is said to be in around year 620 CE (around 10th year of prophethood). Mujaddith Imam Abadan Marwazi, wrote that the Companions of the Prophet like Abu Waqqas Malik ibn Wahaib, Qays bin Huzayfah, ‘Urwa ibn Athathah, Abu Qays ibn al-Hārith and some other Companions, in the seventh year of prophet hood, went on a voyage from Ethiopia (after the first migration) towards China. During their long journey on the ocean for nine years, they stopped over at the ports of Bengal. By their influential characters, many a one accepted Islam there. This is inconsistent with Chinese record, and the year being attributed to Sa’d’s presence in Chittagong in 620 seems to be his stopover on his return journey.

The Chinese geographical account mentioned that Abi Waqqas went to China in around 600 CE, some say in 586 CE even before the Prophethood period but his name (Abi Waqqas) seems to be confused with Sa’d as the latter was called Sa’d ibn abi Waqqas in Arabic pattern. C.L. Pickens transliterated: “Sahib Sa'd Wakkas came to China in the years of K'ai Huang (581-601 AD) of the Sui Dynasty; says the ‘Great Ming Geography’ (Ta-ming i-t'ung chih) which was commenced in AD 1370 and published in AD 1461.”

Derk Bodde also points out: “As per Great Ming Geography (大明一統志 ), during the period of Kai-Huang (開皇), Sa-ha-pa Sa-a-ti Wo-ko-ssu a man from Medina, first arrived in China”.

Abi Waqqas was also once addressed by the Caliph Umar as Waheeb when Umar called Sa'd ibn abi Waqqas as Sa'd ibn Waheeb. Actually, Sa’d was Prophet’s maternal cousin while Abi Waqqas was Prophet’s maternal cousin. However, Sa’d was also addressed as his uncle by the Prophet as records and tradition point out.

Subodh Kapoor (2004) in the Encyclopedia of Islam wrote “Chinese tradition says that Islam found its way into the country (China) by sea. It recalls of a maternal uncle of the Prophet Muhammad, named Wahb Abu Kabsha who landed at Canton in AD 628 or 629, bearing presents from Muhammad to the emperor of China, together with an invitation to embrace Islam, and who then proceeded to His-an-fu. Other reports say that the earliest message was brought by Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas whose tomb may be seen in Canton.

Quran in China

This Wahb is the Waheeb (i.e., Abi Waqqas as mentioned above). Abu Kabsha means “lord of the mountain”; here no doubt that Abi Waqqas was also known as Abi Waqqas Mallik or king Abi Waqqas given his status, wealth and influence. By Chinese records and tradition, when Sa’d arrived in China for the second time, he brought a full copy of the Quran, but Quran was not fully revealed by 632, the year of the Prophet’s decease. So, it was Abi Waqqas (not Sa’d himself) who went to China in 628-9 CE. Indeed Chinese (Hui) accounts maintain Sa’d ibn abi Waqqas was dead due to sudden illness when he just started to leave the shore for home and so his body was brought back on shore and was buried at a Canton cemetery which still lies with a decorated tomb but the year of death was given as around 635 but Sa’d (ibn abi Waqqas) was actively in Arabia, was the commander of Persian conquest in 636 CE, left active service in 648 but Caliph Usman chose Sa’d ibn abi Waqqas to lead an Arab embassy of 15 members, in reciprocation to an earlier embassy to the Caliph, that reached China in 651 and Sa’d returned after some years to Arabia where he was dead in Atiq (Madinah) in 674 and buried in Madinah. So, the one who was dead in 635 was Abi Waqqas whose is the tomb existing still in Canton that has been much venerated.

First Muslim

A.M.A. Shushteby (1938) noted:“According to Chinese tradition, a certain S'ad, son of Vaqqas, or Wahab, the son of Abu-Kabshah, was the first Muslim who reached Canton by sea, as early as 629 AD.” E.J. Brill's 'First Encyclopedia of Islam noted: "Thiersant (1878) mentions the name Wahb Abu Kabsha in addition to Sa'd ibn Abu Wakkas. The legends have been collected by Thiersant and more critically by Deveria, in Origine".

Tang dynasty

Lilian Canraig noted: “As both Sa’d ibn abi Waqqas and Ibn Wahab are said to be maternal cousins of the Prophet and alleged to be buried in Canton”. This has been succinctly summed up by T.W. Arnold (1896)from Chinese sources as :

“It is at this period, at the commencement of the Tang dynasty (618-907), that mention is first made of the Arabs in the Chinese annals. The Chinese chroniclers speak of the arrival in Canton of a great number of strangers from the kingdom of Annam, Cambodia, Medina and several other countries." That these men were certainly Arabs and also Muslims may be determined from the details given of their habits and religious observances:" These strangers worshipped the heaven (i.e. God), and had neither statue, idol nor image in their temples. The kingdom of Medina is close to that of India: in this kingdom originated the religion of these strangers, which is different to that of Buddha. They do not eat pork or drink wine and they regard as unclean the flesh of any animal not killed by themselves. They are nowadays called Hoey-hoey (Hui Hui). They had a temple called the temple of the Blessed Memory (i.e. the mosque built by Wahab ibn Abi Kabshah), which was built at the commencement of the Thang dynasty. At the side of the temple is a large round tower, 160 feet high, called Kang-ta (the undecorated tower. These strangers went every day to this temple to perform their ceremonies. After having asked and obtained the Emperor's permission to reside in Canton, they built magnificent houses, of a different style to that of our country. They were very rich and obeyed a chief chosen by themselves." It is impossible to tell with certainty (and the Chinese Muhammadans themselves can only offer conjectures on the matter), who was the leader of this colony in Canton. In their traditional accounts his name is variously given as Sarta, Sa-ka-pa, (this name is important, as pointing to the fact that he was a Sahabi, or companion of the Prophet), or Wang-ka-ze, but in each case he is stated to have been a maternal uncle of Muhammad.

M.Dabry de Thiersant identifies him with Wahab ibn Abi Kabshah, who is said to have stood in that relationship to the Prophet; and he considers that the following account, derived from native Muhammadan sources and disentangled from among the legends and other embellishments that have gathered round the story of their great founder, may be taken to represent the main historical facts of his life. In the year 628 AD (AH 6, called in Arabian history, the year of the missions), Wahab ibn Abi Kabshah was sent by the Prophet to China to carry presents to the Emperor and announce to him the new religion. He was graciously received in Canton, and permission granted him to build a mosque, and the right of freely professing their religion in the empire was given to him and his co-religionists. After the accomplishment of his mission, he returned to Arabia in 632, but to his great grief found that the Prophet had died that same year. He must have stayed in Arabia a short time, because when he set out again for China, he took with him a copy of the Qur'an, which was first collected by the order of Abu Bakr in the eleventh or twelfth year of the Hijrah (A.D. 633-4). He died on his arrival at Canton, exhausted by the fatigues of his journey, and was buried in one of the suburbs of the city, where his tomb is still an object of reverence for all the Muhammadans of China. Around the mosque built by their founder, the little colony of Arab traders grew and flourished, living in perfectly friendly relations with their Chinese neighbours, their commercial interests being identical. They appear to have lived for some time as a foreign community, for an Arab merchant (about the middle of the ninth century) says that at that time the Muhammadans of the city of Canton had their own qadi, and did not pray for the Emperor of China, but for their own sovereign. This Muslim community, thus settled in Canton, speedily multiplied, partly through new arrivals, partly by marriage with the Chinese and by conversions from among them. In 758, however, they received an important addition to their numbers in 4,000 Arab soldiers who had been sent by the Caliph Al Mansur to help the Emperor Sah-Tsung in crushing a rebellion that had broken out against him.”

Kapoor further notes: “The tradition attaches special importance to an expedition of 4,000 Muslim troops which the Khalifah (Caliph) Mansur is said to have sent to assist the Emperor in a struggle with rebels (AD 755). The emperor permitted to settle them in the chief cities of the country. They took Chinese wives and became the progenitors of the numerous and important Muslim community in China.”

The embassy of Sa’d in 651 to the Tang capital has been elaborately recorded in both Old Tang History (Chiu T'ang Shu 舊唐書/旧唐书, 198.28b ) and New Tang History (Hsin T'ang Shu 新唐书, 221.19a ) records. When Sa’d commandeered the Arab conquest of Persia in 636, the Persian king appealed to China for help but to no avail. Then the prince Phiruz, son of the last Sassanid king Yezdgird fled and took shelter in China again in 650 pleading for help. The Tang monarch Gaozong , known to the Arabs as Yung Wei (永徽 Yǒng Huī) , in view of the changing political and geographical scenario, sent an embassy to caliph Usman in Makkah in 650 and the Chinese side was informed that Persia had to live in the Caliphate that would send a governor for the now Islamised land. And a return ambassadorial reciprocation was agreed upon. According to Tang histories, an Arab embassy from Caliph Usman (described as the fourth king) arrived at Tang court in 651 CE which was in the second year of Emperor Yong-hui.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f Sa'ad Ibn Abi Waqqas (radhi allahu anhu)
  2. ^ Nafziger 2003, p. 23
  3. ^ a b The Shi'a: The Real Followers of the Sunnah on al-Islam.org [1]
  4. ^ Wang, Lianmao (2000). Return to the City of Light: Quanzhou, an eastern city shining with the splendour of medieval culture. Fujian People's Publishing House. Page 99.
  5. ^ Lipman, Jonathan Neaman (1997). Familiar strangers: a history of Muslims in Northwest China. University of Washington Press. p. 29. ISBN 9622094686. http://books.google.com/books?id=4_FGPtLEoYQC. 
  6. ^ Lipman, p. 25
  7. ^ Sahih Muslim, 31:5915

References

External links