Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas

Sa'd embraced Islam at seventeen, the seventh free adult man to do so, and fought in every battle under Muhammad during the Medina years. His command at the Battle of al-Qadisiyyah broke Persian power, and the fall of Ctesiphon in 637 followed. He founded Kufa as a garrison city and led Rashidun forces through the conquest of Khuzestan, holding supreme command in Iraq until complaints over his conduct prompted Caliph Umar to dismiss him. When civil war erupted during the First Fitna, Sa'd led the neutral faction - the majority of Muhammad's companions and their followers - refusing to take sides. Chinese Muslim tradition credits him with bringing Islam to China on a diplomatic mission in 651, though historians dispute the claim.