Saʿd ibn Muʿādh's Proposal

Saʿd ibn Muʿādh (may Allah be pleased with him) had a suggestion to make. He went to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and said, "We suggest that we build for you a shelter, and have some camels ready for you and some guards. If we win, then that is what we want. In case we are defeated, then you could leave and go back to Madīnah, because we have left behind in Madīnah men who do not love you any less than we do" — meaning they had left behind some people in Madīnah who loved him so much. Saʿd ibn Muʿādh was saying that the only reason they could not come out was that they were not ready — probably referring to many of the people of al-Aws who wanted to come out, but because the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said they had to come out immediately, they could not. Saʿd ibn Muʿādh was saying that he could go back, and they would fight with him. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) liked that idea, so he stayed in this shelter that was set up for him, and he had Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq (may Allah be pleased with him) as his bodyguard.