celebrated one of their festivals. Men were dressed in rich turbans of
brocade and expensive Yemeni burdabs. Women and children were also
exquisitely turned out in their fine clothes and glittering jewelry.
Zayd watched as sacrificial animals, gaily caparisoned were led out to
slaughter before the Quraysh idols. It was difficult for him to remain
silent. Leaning against a wall of the Kabah, he shouted:
"O people of Quraysh! It is God Who has created the sheep. He itis Who
has sent down rain from the skies of which they drink and He has
caused fodder to grow from the earth with whichthey are fed. Then even
so you slaughter them in names other than His. Indeed, I see that you
are an ignorant folk."
Zayd's uncle al-Khattab, the father of Umar ibn al-Khattab, seethed
with anger. He strode up to Zayd, slapped him on the race and shouted:
"Damn you! We still hear from you such stupidity. We have borne it
until our patience is exhausted."
Al-Khattab then incited a number of violent people to harass and
persecute Zayd and make life extremely uncomfortable for him. These
incidents which took place before Muhammad's call to Prophethood gave
a foretaste of the bitter conflict that was to take place between the
upholders of truth and the stubborn adherents of idolatrous practices.
Zayd was one of the few men, known as hanifs, who saw these idolatrous
practices for what they were. Not only did he refuse to take part in
them himself but he refused to eat anything that was sacrificed to
idols. He proclaimed that he worshipped the God of Ibrahim and, as the
above incident showed, was not afraid to challenge his people in
public.
On the other hand, his uncle al-Khattab was a staunch follower of the
old pagan ways of the Quraysh and he was shocked by Zayd's public
disregard for the gods and goddesses they worshipped. So he had him
hounded and persecuted to the point where he was forced to leave the
valley of Makkah and seek refuge in thesurrounding mountains. He
evenappointed a band of young men whom he instructed not to allow Zayd
to approach Makkah and enter the Sanctuary.
Zayd only managed to enter Makkah in secret. There unknown to the
Quraysh he met with people like Waraqah ibn Nawfal, Abdullah ibn
Jahsh, Uthman ibn al-Harith and Umaymah bint Abdul Muttalib, the
paternal aunt of Muhammadibn Abdullah. They discussed how deeply
immersed the Arabs were in their misguided ways. To his friends, Zayd
spoke thus:"Certainly, by God, you know that your people have no valid
grounds for their beliefs and that they have distorted and
transgressed from the religion of Ibrahim. Adopt a religion which you
can follow and which can bring you salvation."
Zayd and his companions then went to Jewish rabbis and Christian
scholars and people of other communities in an attempt to learn more
and go back to the pure religion of Ibrahim.
Of the four persons mentioned, Waraqah ibn Nawfal became a Christian.
Abdullah ibn Jahsh andUthman ibn al-Harith did not arrive at any
definite conclusion. Zayd ibn Amr however had quite a different story.
Finding it impossible to stay in Makkah, he left the Hijaz and went as
far as Mosul in the north of Iraq and from there southwest into
Syria.Throughout his journeys, he always questioned monks and rabbis
about the religion of Ibrahim. He found no satisfaction until he came
upon a monk in Syria who told him that the religion he was seeking did
not exist any longer but the time was now near when God would send
forth, from his own people whom he had left, a Prophet who would
revive the religion of Ibrahim. The monk advised him that should he
see this Prophet he should have no hesitation in recognizing and
following him.
Zayd retraced his steps and headed for Makkah intending to meet the
expected Prophet. As he was passing through the territory of Lakhm on
the southern border of Syria he was attacked by a group of nomad Arabs
and killed before he could set eyes on the Messenger of God, may God
bless him and grant him peace. However, before he breathed his last,
he raised his eyes to the heavens and said:
"O Lord, if You have prevented me from attaining this good, do not
prevent my son from doing so."
When Waraqah heard of Zayd's death, he is said to have written an
elegy in praise of him. The Prophet also commended him and said that
on the day of Resurrection "he will be raised as having, in himself
alone, the worth of a whole people".
God, may He be glorified, heard the prayer of Zayd. When Muhammad the
Messenger of God rose up inviting people to Islam, his son Said was in
the forefront of those who believed in the oneness of God and who
affirmed their faith in the prophethood of Muhammad. This is not
strange for Said grew up in a household which repudiated the
idolatrous ways of the Quraysh and he was instructed by a father who
spenthis life searching for Truth and who died in its pursuit.
Said was not yet twenty when he embraced Islam. His young and
steadfast wife Fatimah, daughter of al-Khattab and sister of Umar,
also accepted Islam early. Evidently both Said and Fatimah managed to
conceal their acceptance of Islam from the Quraysh and especially from
Fatimah's family for some time. She had cause to fear not only her
father but her brother Umar who was brought up to venerate the Kabah
and to cherish the unity of the Quraysh and their religion.
Umar was a headstrong young man of great determination. He saw Islam
as a threat to the Quraysh and became most violent and unrestrained in
his attacks on Muslims. He finally decided that the only way to putan
end to the trouble was to eliminate the man who was its cause. Goaded
on by blind fury he took up his sword and headed for the Prophet's
house. On his way he came face to face with a secret believer in the
Prophet who seeing Umar's grimexpression asked him where he was going.
"I am going to kill Muhammad..."
There was no mistaking his bitterness and murderous resolve. The
believer sought to dissuade him from his intent butUmar was deaf to
any arguments. He then thought of diverting Umar in order to at least
warn the Prophet of his intentions.
"O Umar," he said, "Why not firstgo back to the people of your own
house and set them to rights?" "What people of my house?" asked Umar.
"Your sister Fatimah and your brother-in-law Said. They have both
forsaken your religion and are followers of Muhammad in his
religion..."
Umar turned and made straight for his sister's house. There he called
out to her angrily as he approached. Khabbab ibn al-Aratt who often
came to recite the Quran to Said and Fatimah was with them then. When
they heard Umar's voice, Khabbab hid in a corner of the house and
Fatimah concealed the manuscript. But 'Umar had heard the sound of
their readingand when he came in, he said to them: "What is this
haynamah (gibbering) I heard?"
They tried to assure him that it was only normal conversation that he
had heard but he insisted: "Hear it I did," he said,"and it is
possible that you have both become renegades."
"Have you not considered whether the Truth is not to be found in your
religion?" said Saidto Umar trying to reason with him. Instead, Umar
set upon his brother-in-law hitting and kicking him as hard as he
could and when Fatimah went to the defence of her husband, Umar struck
her a blow on her face which drew blood.
"O Umar," said Fatimah, and she was angry. "What if the Truth is not
in your religion! I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and I
bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God."
Fatimah's wound was bleeding, and when Umar saw the blood he was sorry
for what he had done. A change came over him and he said to his
sister:
"Give me that script which you have that I may read it." Like them
Umar could read, but when he asked for the script, Fatimah said to
him:
"You are impure and only the pure may touch it. Go and wash yourself
or make ablutions."
Thereupon Umar went and washed himself, and she gave him the page on
which was written the opening verses of Surah Ta-Ha. He began to read
it and when he reached the verse, 'Verily, I alone am God, there no
deity but me. So, worship Me alone, and be constant in Prayer so as to
remember Me, 'he said:"Show me where Muhammad is."
Umar then made his way to the house of al-Arqam and declared his
acceptance of Islam and the Prophet and all his companions rejoiced.
Said and his wife Fatimah were thus the immediate cause whichled to
the conversion of the strong and determined Umar and this added
substantially to the power and prestige of the emerging faith.
Said ibn Zayd was totally devoted to the Prophet and the service of
Islam. He witnessed allthe major campaigns and encounters in which the
Prophetengaged with the exception of Badr. Before Badr, he and
Talhahwere sent by the Prophet as scouts to Hawra on the Red Sea coast
due west of Madinah to bring him news of a Quraysh caravan returning
from Syria. When Talhah and Said returned to Madinah the Prophet had
already set out for Badr with thefirst Muslim army of just over three
hundred men.
After the passing away of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him
peace, Said continued to play a major role in the Muslim community. He
was one of those whom Abu Bakr consulted on his succession and his
name is often linked with such companions as Uthman, Abu Ubaydah and
Sad ibn Abi Waqqas in the campaigns that were waged. He was known for
his courage and heroism, a glimpse of which we can get from his
account of the Battle ofYarmuk. He said:
"For the Battle of Yarmuk, we were twenty four thousand or thereabout.
Against us, the Byzantines mobilized one hundred and twenty thousand
men. They advanced towards us with a heavy and thunderous movement as
if mountains werebeing moved. Bishops and priests strode before them
bearing crosses and chanting litanies which were repeated by the
soldiers behind them.
When the Muslims saw them mobilized thus, they became worried by their
vast numbers and something of anxiety and fear entered theft hearts.
Thereupon,
Abu Ubaydah stood before the Muslims and urged them to fight.
"Worshippers of God" he said, "help God and God will helpyou and make
your feet firm."
"Worshippers of God, be patient and steadfast for indeed patience and
steadfastness (sabr) is a salvation from unbelief, a means of
attaining the pleasure of God and a defence against ignominy and
disgrace."
"Draw out your spears and protect yourselves with your shields. Don't
utter anything among yourselves but the remembrance of God Almighty
until I give you the command, if God wills."
"Thereupon a man emerged from the ranks of the Muslims and said: "I
have resolved to die this very hour. Have you a message to send to the
Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace?"
"Yes" replied Abu Ubaydah,"convey salaam to him from me and from the
Muslims and say tohim: O Messenger of God, we have found true what our
Lord has promised us."
"As soon as I heard the man speak and saw him unsheathe his sword and
go out to meet the enemy, I threw myself on the ground and crept on
all fours and with my spear I felled the first enemy horseman
racingtowards us. Then I fell upon the enemy and God removed from my
heart all traces of fear. The Muslims engaged the advancing Byzantines
and continued fighting until they were blessed with victory."
Said was ranked by the Prophet as one of the outstanding members of
his generation. He was among ten of the companions whom the Prophet
visited one day and promised Paradise. These were Abu Bakr, Umar,
Uthman, Ali, Abdur-Rahman ibn Awl, Abu Ubaydah, Talhah, az-Zubayr, Sad
of Zuhrah,and Said the son of Zayd the Hanif. The books of the
Prophet's sayings have recorded his great praises of the PromisedTen
(al-'asharatu-l mubashshirun) and indeed of others whom on other
occasions he also gave good tidings of Paradise.
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And Allah Knows the Best!
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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA
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