Zayd ibn Harithah
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zayd ibn Harithah (Zayd ibn Muhammad or Zaid mawla Muhammad) (c. 578-627 CE) was a prominent figure in the early Islamic community. As an adopted[citation needed] son of Muhammad, he was an early convert to Islam and later, a military leader. He died c. 627 CE at the Battle of Mu'tah.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
He was the natural son of a man named Harithah -- not the Harith of the Banu Hashim, Harith ibn Abd al-Muttalib. Little is known of Zayd's natural father. Some sources say that Harithah was descended from the Arab poet Imri'el-Qays. One or more of his ancestors may have been of African descent, as he is said to have had very dark skin[1] (Other prominent African early Muslims include Bilal ibn Ribah).
Zayd is said to have been captured in an inter-tribal war and sold as a slave. He was given as a present to Muhammad's wife Khadijah. The couple freed him and treated him as a son; he was then known as Zayd ibn Muhammad, Zayd the son of Muhammad. He lived with Muhammad and Khadijah in their household in the city of Mecca, in the Hijaz region of western Arabia.[citation needed]
[edit] Conversion to Islam
When Muhammad reported that he had received a revelation from the angel Gabriel, his wife Khadijah believed and thus became the first convert to Islam. While the identity of the first male convert is disputed, Zayd is a strong possibility, as are, Ali ibn Abu Talib and Abu Bakr. See Identity of first male Muslim for further discussion.
Regardless, Zayd was clearly among the first Muslims. As Muhammad's adopted son he quickly became an important figure in the small community of pre-Hijra Meccan Muslims.
[edit] The Hijra
In 622, Zayd emigrated to the oasis of Yathrib (Later called Medina) with the rest of the small Muslim community. After Muhammad made the decision to initiate raiding upon Meccan caravans, he became a warrior and leader of raiding expeditions.
[edit] Marriage
Soon after the Hijra Zayd married Zaynab bint Jahsh, Muhammad's cousin. The marriage was made at the urging of Muhammad; Zaynab resisted marriage to an ex-slave of dubious lineage, but this marriage demonstrated that lineage was of no account in Islam, and that all were equal before God. The marriage was unhappy and Zayd ultimately divorced Zaynab. Zaynab is said to have set her heart upon marrying Muhammad, however, as she had married his adopted son, he was considered her father by the prevalent traditional standards and would have been scandalous. However, a revelation given to Muhammad soon after Zayd and Zaynab's divorce, Surah 33, Al-Ahzab, contradicted this mode of thought and declareded that blood ties, rather than adoption should be considered the determining factor in matters of parentage and kinship. Zayd changed his name from Zayd ibn Muhammad to Zayd ibn Harithah, and Zaynab was allowed to marry Muhammad.
Zayd is the only one of Muhammad's companions to be mentioned by name in the Qur'an (Surah 33:37).
[edit] Death
Zayd took part in an expedition in 630 CE. A Muslim force of 3000 men set out to raid the Byzantine city of Busra. They were intercepted at a place called Muta'h. The Battle of Mu'tah was a rare reverse for the Muslims. Zayd was killed as he held the standard, as were two other leaders, Jafar bin Abu Talib and Abdullah bin Rawahhah. He was the first Muslim to be killed on foreign soil.
[edit] Legacy
Zaid was the father of Usama ibn Zayd ibn Harithah, whom one time commanded over Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman.[2]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
also:
- Watt, Montgomery, Muhammad at Mecca, Oxford University Press, 1953
- Watt, Montgomery, Muhammad at Medina, Oxford University Press, 1956
