Sa'id ibn Zayd
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Sa'id ibn Zayd, (Arabic: سعيد بن زيد), was one of the most known companions of the Prophet Muhammad (saw)(Arabic: Sahabi). He is also nicknamed "Abu-al-Aawar" [1].
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[edit] Family
Said ibn Zayd was the son of Zayd ibn Umar.
Khattab ibn Nufayl was the father of Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Sunni Caliph.
Sa'id's grandfather, Umar ibn Nufayl was the brother and then also step-father of Khattab ibn Nufayl, since Sa'id's great grandmother and then also grandmother married one of her sons (Sa'id's grandfather) after becoming a widow. Said's grandmother and great granmother where the same woman, she came from Fehm tribe known as San'a [2].
Before Islam, Said ibn Zayd was a hanif, the monotheistic tradition of Abraham, and hence never worshipped idols and used to mock his uncle Khattab ibn Nufayl for worshiping idols, which resulted in him receiving his uncles wrath.
He eventually married Fatimah bint al-Khattab, and both became Muslims and hid their faith for Umar, the wifes brother, until the wife managed to contribute to Umar becoming a Muslim also.
[edit] Background
Said (Allah be pleased with him) enjoys the odd distinction among the companions of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) that his father, Zaid hated idolatry and its attendant evils even before the advent of Islam.
[edit] His Father – A Seeker of Truth
Zaid (Zayd) was so temperate that even before the advent of Islam he refused to accept the meat offered to gods as sacrifice and said boldly, “I do not taker the meat of animals sacrified for your gods……”
Although he did not believe in idol-worship, he wondered about the path that leads to one God - Allah. He traveled far and wide in search of the truth. He met the learned rabbis among the Jews.
He visited the Christian priests and put before them his spiritual dilemma. They said, “You will find pure ‘Tauhid (belief in one God) in ‘Deen-e-Haneef, only. Zaid said, “What is Deen-e-Haneef?” They explained, “Deen-e-Haneef is the religion of Ibrahim (Abraham) (peace be upon him)”.
Zaid returned to Mecca with the name of Deen-e-Ibrahim and a great curiosity for it. People would see him often sitting with his back to the wall under the Holy Ka ‘ba, and saying “By Allah, none among you, besides me, adheres to the religion of Ibrahim.”
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." This pious man died with a burning desire in his heart to see Deen-e-Hanif in its complete and pure form.
[edit] Hardships after Conversion to Islam
His virtuous son responded zealously to the call of Din-e-Ibrahim (Islam) in its complete form, presented by Muhammad (peace be upon him). To him, the call to Tawhid was not unfamiliar. His faithful wife also joined him in embracing Islam.
Those were the days when the pagans of Makkah could not tolerate anybody embracing Islam, especially, when a person from their own family turned Muslim, the other members of the clan considered it a mark of personal shame before their friends and relatives.
Hence the person who inflicted the most painful torture upon his Muslim relation was often his non-believer father, brother, or some other close relative.
The wife of Said (Allah be pleased with him), Fatimah, was the sister of ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with him). The sister got the treasure of Islam through her husband ; but the brother embraced Islam through his sister.
It is an awe-inspiring event of history. The infields of Mecca pressed ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with him) to kill the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with him) took his sword and went out to find the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) took his sword and went out to find the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).In the way he met a friend who said, “Where are you going ‘Umar ?” “I am going to kill Muhammad “, said ‘Umar. “Well, look to your own house first. Go and see your own sister and husband. “They have embraced Islam” taunted the friend. These words added fuel to his rage. ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with him) went to his brother-in-law’s house in a fit of frenzy. He began to beat his brother-in-law Said (Allah be pleased with him) mercilessly. When Fatimah (Allah be pleased with her) saw her brother’s cruelty and her husband’s perseverance, she came forward to intercede. ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with him) became more enraged, and he beat his sister even more. But he could not lead both of them astray from the path of Islam. The sister said very boldly. “O ‘Umar ! You may take our lives but you cannot take Islam out of our hearts. If you do not follow the truth, your Creator will take revenge from you.”
Seeing the fortitude of his sister and brother-in-law, Umar (Allah be pleased with him) stood aghast. The sister’s words moved his heart. He grew calm, and said, “Then let me listen to what you were reading.” Said (Allah be pleased with him) recited some verses from the Holy Qur’an. The time had come. Allah’s blessings were with him. So when he pondered over the meaning of those verses, he was altogether changed. He had come to slay his sister and her husband, but when he got up to depart, the truth of Islam had fully dawned upon him. He had no way out but to go to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and embrace Islam. Thus by the will of Allah, Said (Allah be pleased with him) became an instrument to lead ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with him) to embrace Islam.
[edit] During the lifetime of the Prophet
From the books on the life-history of Said (Allah be pleased with him), we come to know that he never did any thing throughout his life against the teaching of Allah and the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). A phrase by a historian depicts a very true picture of him. It says that ‘Said (Allah be pleased with him) always covered the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) keeping himself ahead and in front of him in the battle and always stood behind him in prayers. He took part in a number of battles, even after the death of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), for the sake of Islam, and fought very bravely.
He participated in all of the battles in which the Prophet (saw) participated personally with the exception of the battle of Badr. Prophet Muhammad (saw) had sent Talha and Sa'id ibn Zayd to get information on the movement of the Quraysh army. They missed the Quraysh army and by the time they returned, the battle had been won by the Muslims. However, both of them were given their share of the war trophies of the battle.
[edit] During the time of the Caliphs
He was offered the office of a Governor on account of his courage and administrative abilities, but he did not accept it.
Once he was appointed Governor of Damascus without his consent. He wrote to Abu ‘Ubaidah (Allah be pleased with him), “I am unable to offer such a sacrifice. You will perform Jehad while I will be deprived of it. Please send someone else to replace me as soon as you receive this letter. I am coming to you soon.” Later, he fought as an ordinary soldier in all the battles which were waged for the cause of Islam.
He passed the rest of his life in perfect peace. Allah had favored him with a heart full of patience and resignation. He did not ever incline towards the mundane pleasures of life.
He disliked taking an oath. Once he had to attend a court of law in connection with a suit. The judge asked him to speak on oath. He withdrew his case and abandoned his claim. His submission to faith, his fear of Allah, and his services for the cause of Islam, earned him the glad tidings from the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) during his lifetime that he would enter the Eternal Gardens in the life hereinafter.
[edit] Death
He expired at the age of seventy years in 671 CE, and met his Creator striving continuously to seek His Pleasure.
[edit] Lagacy
Sunnis praise him as one of The Ten Promised Paradise.
[edit] See also
- Family tree of Said ibn Zayd
- Sahaba
[edit] References
- ^ [1]
- ^ al Maarif, by Ibn Qutaybah page 77, Chapter "Dhikr Umar" [2]
[edit] External links
- http://www.youngmuslims.ca/online_library/companions_of_the_prophet/SaidZayd.html
- http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/seerah/0019.htm
- http://www.umr.edu/~msaumr/reference/companions/English/SaidZayd.html
- http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Articles/companion/02_abu_bakr.htm
- http://www.esaj.net/Mobashareen.html
