Early Years
On the deposition of Walid b Uqba, Saeed b Al'Aas was appointed the Governor General of Kufa in 651 C.E. He belonged to the Umayyad section of the Quraish. His father was 'Aas b Umayya b Abd Shams. His mother was Umm Kulsum bint 'Amr b Abdullah b Abi Qais. His father was killed by Ali at the battle of Badr. Saeed was then only two years old. Uthman took care of the child. Saeed was intelligent and well read. When he grew up he accepted Islam, and went to Muawiyah in Syria. Umar recalled him to Madina, and entrusted him some important duties. When Uthman constituted a board for the recension of the Holy Quran, Saeed was one of the members. Saeed was a young man of great qualities. He never turned down a beggar. When a beggar called on him and he had perchance nothing to pay, he would give the beggar a chit on the basis whereof he could recover the amount specified in the chit, from him later. He invited friends to a feast every Friday, and gave them expensive presents and gifts. He was eloquent, and was known for his scholarship.

Saeed's first address at Kufa
On taking charge as the Governor General of Kufa, Saeed addressed the congregation in the mosque. He said:

"I swear by God that I have not come to you of my free will. 1 had no desire for the office and I did not ask for it. I was ordered to accept this office and I had no option but to comply. The office of the governorship is a great challenge, and I have accepted it in the interests of the State. I see that disorder is aboard in Kufa. It will be my foremost duty to establish law and order, and crush all attempts at disorder. In this task I will value your cooperation, but I will discharge my obligations even if such cooperation is not forthcoming. O men of Kufa beware that if you take to the path of righteousness you will find me your best supporter, but if you choose to follow the path of mischief, I will have no option but to subject you to the penalty of law. I therefore warn you in your own interests that you should abandon your ways of the past, and tread the path that behooves a good citizen. I appeal to you in the name of Islam not to disturb the peace of the land. If you have any legitimate grievances, apprise me of such grievances and I assure you that I will leave no stone unturned in redressing such grievances. "