Sa'd ibn Ubadah

One of the most senior and respected leaders of the Khazraj tribe of Madinah. He was the sayyid (chief) of the Khazraj, the dominant tribe among the Anṣār. He had attended both Pledges of ʿAqabah and was among the closest Anṣārī companions to the Prophet ﷺ.

At the time of the Prophet ﷺ's death (11 AH), Sa'd ibn ʿUbādah was the natural Anṣārī candidate for the Caliphate. He led the Anṣār's case at the Saqīfah Banī Sāʿidah, the tribal meeting-house where the question of leadership was debated immediately after the Prophet's death. His argument was that the Anṣār were the majority, that they had provided the home and the protection for Islam at its most critical moment, and that leadership naturally belonged to them. This led to a tense standoff with the Muhājirūn, who were far fewer in number but claimed seniority through the Prophet's own Qurayshī lineage.

The matter was resolved by Abū Bakr and ʿUmar's intervention, and Abū Bakr was given the bayʿah as the first Caliph. Sa'd ibn ʿUbādah alone among the Anṣārī leaders did not give his oath of allegiance, a fact that illustrates both his principled position and the genuine tensions of that day.

His detailed story belongs to the Saqīfah events of 11 AH.