Sa'd ibn An-Nu'man

Saʿd ibn al-Nuʿmān al-Awsī was an elderly Anṣārī man from the Banū ʿAmr ibn ʿAwf sub-tribe of the Aws. He traveled from Madinah to Makkah solely to perform ʿUmrah, a pilgrimage journey that even the Quraysh, in their enmity to the Muslims, normally permitted, as the sanctity of the Ḥaram protected visitors of all groups.

Abū Sufyān, enraged by the losses at Badr and his refusal to pay his son ʿAmr's ransom, seized Saʿd while he was inside the Ḥaram and held him prisoner, demanding that the Muslims release ʿAmr ibn Abī Sufyān in exchange. This was a flagrant violation of the Ḥaram's inviolability, the same Ḥaram the Quraysh had used to condemn the Muslims when, months earlier, a caravan was attacked in a sacred month during Sariyyah al-Nakhlah.

The Prophet ﷺ, rather than allow an innocent elderly civilian to remain hostage indefinitely, arranged the exchange. Saʿd was returned safely to Madinah. Dr. Qadhi highlights the double standard: the Quraysh erupted over the Nakhlah incident but committed a far worse violation of sacred space themselves without a word of protest from anyone.