Sa’id ibn Zayd (RA)
Zayd ibn Amr’s Rejection of Idol Worship:
Zayd ibn Amr, the father of Sa’id ibn Zayd stayed away from the Quraysh during their celebrations at one of their festivals.
Zayd shouted: O People of Quraysh? It is Allah Who has created the sheep. He is Who has sent down rain from the skies of which they drink and He has caused fodder to grow from the earth which they are fed. Then even so you slaughter them in names other than His. Indeed, I see that you are an ignorant folk.
Reaction of Umar ibn al-Khattab’s Father:
Zayd’s uncle al-Khattab, the father of Umar ibn al-Khattab, was angered by this, he slapped Zayd and said: Damn you! We still hear from you such stupidity!
Al-Khattab then gathered a number of people to persecute Zayd ibn Amr and this occurred before the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ received his propethood.
Zayd’s Open Declaration and Persecution:
Zayd ibn Amr stated that he worshipped the God of Prophet Ibrahim.
Al-Khattab was a follower of the old pagan ways of the Quraysh and was shocked by Zayd publicly dismissing the gods that they worshipped.
Al-Khattab continued to persecute Zayd ibn Amr to the point that he was forced to leave Makkah and seek refuge in surrounding mountains.
The Search For the Religion of Ibrahim:
Zayd secretly managed to enter Makkah and he would meet Waraqah ibn Nawfal, Abdullah ibn Jahsh, Uthman ibn al-Harith and Umaymah bint Abdul Muttalib, the aunt of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
They all agreed to search for the religion of truth.
Zayd and his companions went to Jewish rabbis and Christian scholars to learn more and go back to the religion of Ibrahim.
Waraqah became a Christian and Abdullah ibn Jahsh and Uthman ibn al-Harith did not reach any conclusion.
Zayd ibn Amr’ found a monk in Syria who had told him that the religion of Ibrahim no longer existed.
However, the monk told him that the time was near where God would send forth a Prophet who would revive the religion of Ibrahim.
The Martyrdom of Zayd ibn Amr:
Zayd ibn Amr’ then headed for Makkah intending to meet the expected Prophet.
As soon as he passed Lahkm (an area on the southern border of Syria), he was attacked by a group of nomad Arabs and killed before he could meet the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Zayd ibn Amr’s Last Dua to Allah SWT for his Son Sa’id ibn Zayd:
Before he passed away, Zayd ibn Amr looked up and said: O Lord, if You have prevented me from attaining this good, do not prevent my son from doing so.
The Prophet on Zayd ibn Amr:
The Prophet ﷺ praised Zayd ibn Amr’ and said: on the Day of Resurrection, he will be raised as having, in himself alone, the worth of a whole people.
Allah SWT Answers the Prayer of Zayd ibn Amr:
Allah SWT answered the prayer of Zayd ibn Amr’.
When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ started inviting people to Islam, his son Sa’id ibn Zayd was one of those who believed in Allah SWT alone and followed the teachings Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Sa’id ibn Zayd Embraces Islam:
Sa’id accepted the religion Islam before he turned twenty years old.
His wife Fatimah, daughter of al-Khattab and sister of Umar also accepted Islam and they all managed to hide their acceptance from the Quraysh.
Umar ibn al-Khattab’s Plan to Kill the Prophet:
One day, Umar ibn al-Khattab planned to kill the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
On his way to the house of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, he encountered Nuaym ibn Abdullah, who was a Muslim.
Umar told Nuaym: I am going to kill Muhammad. Nuaym ibn Abdullah replied: O Umar, why not first go back to the people of your own house?
Nuaym ibn Abdullah said this to divert Umar ibn al-Khattab in order to warn the Prophet of Umar’s intentions.
Umar asked: what people in my house?
Nuaym ibn Abdullah replied: your sister Fatimah and your brother-in-law Sa’id. They have both left your religion and are followers of Muhammad ﷺ in his religion.
The Conversion of Umar ibn al-Khattab:
Umar then went to his sister’s house.
A slave called Khabbab ibn al-Aratt often went to recite the Quran to Fatimah and Sa’id. When they heard Umar’s voice, Khabbab hid in a corner of the house and Fatimah hid the manuscript of the Quran they were reading.
Umar heard them reading the Quran and asked: what is this haynamah (gibberish) I heard?
Fatimah tried to assure him that it was just a normal conversation but Umar ibn al-Khattab knew something was up.
Sa’id ibn Zayd said to Umar: Have you not considered whether the Truth is not to be found in your religion?
When Umar heard this, he hit Sa’id ibn Zayd and when his sister Fatimah came to her husband’s defence, he also struck her on the face, and she started to bleed.
When Umar saw the wound of Fatimah, he was sorry for what he had done and asked his sister: Give me that script that you have so that I may read it.
Fatimah replied: You are impure and only the pure may touch it. Go and wash yourself or make ablution.
Umar ibn al-Khattab went to wash himself and when he returned, Fatimah gave him the page which consisted of verses from Surah Ta-Ha.
Umar began to read it and when he reached the verse: ‘Verily I – I alone – am Allah, there is no deity but me. So, worship Me alone and be constant in Prayer and to remember Me.’ (Quran, 20:14)
When Umar read this, he asked: Show me where Muhammad is.
Umar ibn al-Khattab then went to the house of al-Arqam and accepted Islam.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his companions were very happy with the conversion of Umar ibn al-Khattab.
Sa’id ibn Zayd’s Devotion and Service:
Sa’id ibn Zayd was totally devoted to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his service of Islam.
Sa’id ibn Zai’d in the Battles:
He witnessed all the major campaigns in which the Prophet engaged in except for the Battle of Badr.
Before Badr, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ sent Sa’id and Talhah as scouts to Hawra’ on the Red Sea to bring news of a Quraysh tribe returning from Syria.
When Talhah and Sa’id returned to Madinah, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ had already left for Badr with the first Muslim army of around three hundred and thirteen men.
Sa’id ibn Zayd’s Legacy and Promise of Paradise:
After the Prophet passed away, Sa’id ibn Zayd continued to play a major role in the Muslim community.
Sa’id ibn Zayd was one of the ten companions who the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ visited one day and promised Jannah.
Hadith on Sa’id ibn Zayd:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: Abu Bakr is in Paradise, Umar is in Paradise, Uthman is in Paradise, Ali is in Paradise, Talhah is in Paradise, Az-Zubayr is in Paradise, Abdur-Rahman ibn Awf is in Paradise, Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqas is in Paradise, Sa‘id ibn Zayd is in Paradise, and Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah is in Paradise. (Tirmidhi)
Sa’id ibn Zayd narrated that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: Whoever usurps (seizes) the land of somebody unjustly, his neck will be encircled with it down the seven earths (on the Day of Resurrection). (Bukhari)