In the Battle of Mu'tah, the Prophet (PBUH)
stood to pay his farewell to the
departing Muslim army on its way to
fight the Romans and to announce the
name of the three successive commanders
of the army: "Zaid Ibn Haarithah is
your first commander, but in case he is
wounded, Ja'far Ibn Abi Taalib will take
over the command, and if the latter is
wounded then 'Abd Allah Ibn Rawaahah
will replace him." But who was Zaid
Ibn Haarithah. Who was the beloved one
of the Prophet (PBUH)?
Narrators and historians described his
appearance as short, c'ark, swarthy, and
snub-nosed. As for his reality, he was
truly a great Muslim.
If we go back in time, we will see
Haarithah, Zaid's father, just putting
the luggage on the camel that was to
carry his wife, Su'dah, to her family.
Haarithah paid his farewell to his wife
who carried Zaid - at that time a young
child - in her arms. But every time he
was about to leave his wife and child
who were going with a caravan, to return
to his house and work, he. was driven by
a mysterious and inexplicable urge to
keep his wife and son in sight; yet it
was time for them to set out on their
way and Haarithah had to pay his last
farewell to his wife and head back home.
His tears flowed as he said goodbye and
stood as if pinned to the ground until
he lost sight of them. At that moment,
he felt broken-hearted.
Su'dah stayed with her family for a
while. One day, suddenly her
neighborhood was attacked by one of its
opposing tribes. Taken by surprise, Bani
Ma'n were defeated and Zai Ibn Haarithah
was captured along with other war
prisoners. His mother returned home
alone. When Haarithah heard the sad
news, he was thunderstruck. He traveled
everywhere and asked everyone about his
beloved Zaid. He recited these lines of
poetry on the spur of the moment to
lament the loss of his son:
My heart was broken when I lost Zaid. I
don't know if he is alive or dead or if
I will ever see him again. By Allah, I
still do not know if he was killed on
the plain or slain on the mountain. His
picture comes to the mind's eye whenever
the sun rises or sets. Even when the
wind blows, it brings along his memory.
Alas,1 am shrouded by my sadness, grief,
and fear for him.
At that time, slavery was a recognized
and established social fact that turned
into a necessity. This was the case in
Athens, which had long enjoyed a
flourishing civilization, in Rome, and
in the entire ancient world, including
the Arab Peninsula. When the opposing
tribe attacked the Bani Ma'n, it headed
to the market of 'Ukaadh, held at that
time, to sell its prisoners of war. The
child Zaid, was sold to Hakiim Ibn
Huzaam, who gave him to his aunt
Khadiijah as a gift. At that time,
Khadiijah was married to Muhammad Ibn 'Abd
Allah but the revelation had not yet
descended on him. However, he enjoyed
all the promising great qualities of
prophets (PBUH). Khadiijah, on her part,
gave her servant Zaid as a gift to her
husband, Allah's Prophet. He was very
pleased with Zaid and manumitted him at
once. His great and compassionate heart
overflowed with care and love towards
the boy.
Later on, during one of the Hajj
seasons, a group of Haarifhah's tribe
ran into Zaid in Makkah and told him
about his parents anguish and grief ever
since they had lost him. Zaid asked them
to convey his love and longing to his
parents. He told them, 'Tell my father
that I live here with the most generous
and loving father." No sooner did
his father know his son's whereabouts
than he hastened on his way to him,
accompanied by his brother.
As soon as they reached Makkah, he asked
about the trustworthy Muhammad. When he
met him, he said, "0 son of Ibn Abd
Al-Mutialib! 0 son of the master of his
tribe! Your land is one of security and
sanctuary and you are famous for helping
the distressed and sheltering the
captive. We have come here to ask you to
give us back our son. So please confer a
favor on us and set a reasonable ransom
for him." The Prophet knew the
great love and attachment Zaid carried
in his heart for him, yet at the same
time, he respected Haarithah's parental
right. Therefore, he told Haarithah,
"Ask Zaid to come here and make him
choose between you and me. If he chooses
you, he is free to go with you, but if
he chooses me then, by Allah, I will not
leave him for anything in the
world." Haarithah's face
brightened, for he did not expect such
magnanimity; therefore, he said,
"You are far more generous than
us." Then the Prophet (PBUH)
summoned Zaid. When he came he asked
him, "Do you recognize these
people?" Zaid said, "Yes, this
is my father and this is my uncle."
The Prophet (PBUH) told him what he had
told Haarithah. Zaid replied, "I
will not choose anyone but you, for you
are a father and an uncle to me."
The Prophet's eyes were full of thankful
and compassionate tears. He held Zaid's
hand and walked to the Ka'bah, where the
Quraish were holding a meeting, and
cried out, "I bear witness that
Zaid is my son, and in case I die first,
he will inherit from me, and in case he
dies first, I will inherit from
him." Haarithah was overjoyed, for
not only had his son been manumitted but
he had also become the son of the man
who was known by the Quraish as
"The Honest and Trustworthy".
Moreover, he was a descendant of Bani
Haashim and was raised to a high station
among his people.
Zaid's father and uncle returned back
home leaving their son safe and sound
after he had become master of himself
and after the Prophet (PBUH) had set to
rest their fears concerning his fate.
The Prophet (PBUH) adopted Zaid and from
that moment on he was known as Zaid Ibn
Muhammad.
Suddenly, on a bright morning whose
brightness has never been seen before or
since, the revelation descended on
Muhammad: <Read! In the name of your
Lord who created - created mankind from
something which clings; read! And your
Lord is the Most Noble; who taught by
the pen; taught mankind what he did not
know > (96:1-5). Then the revelation
continued: <0 you encovered - Arise
and warn! And magnify your Lord>
(74:1-3). <0 Messenger! Proclaim the
message which has been sent down to you
from your Lord. And if you do not, then
you have not conveyed His message. Allah
will protect you from mankind. Verily,
Allah guides not the people who
disbelieve> (5 : 61).
As soon as the Prophet (PBUH) had
shouldered the responsibility of his
message, Zaid submitted himself to
Islam. Narrators said that he was the
second man and more probably the first
man to embrace Al-Islam.
The Prophet (PBUH) loved Zaid so dearly
due to his singular loyalty, greatness
of spirit, conscientiousness, honesty,
and trust-worthiness. All this and more,
made Zaid Ibn Haarithah or Zaid the
Beloved One, as the Companions used to
call him, hold a distinguished place in
the Prophet's heart (PBUH). 'Aa'ishah
(May Allah be pleased with her) said,
"The Prophet (PBUH) never sent Zaid
on an expedition but as a commander and
if his life had not been so short, he
would have made him his successor."
Was it possible for anyone to be held in
such great esteem by the Prophet? What
was Zaid really like?
As we have mentioned, he was that boy
who had been kidnapped, sold, and
manumitted by the Prophet (PBUH). He was
this short, swarthy, snub-nosed man.
Above all, he had a compassionate heart
and a free soul. Therefore, he was
raised to the highest position by his
Islam and the Prophet's love for him,
for neither Islam nor the Prophet (PBUH)
took notice of descent or prestige.
Muslims like Bilaal , Suhaib, Khabbaab,
'Ammaar, Usaamah and Zaid were all alike
according to this great religion. Each
one of them played an important and
distinctive role in giving impetus to
the rapidly spreading religion. These
saintly ones and commanders were the
sparkling stars of Islam. Islam
rectified life values when the glorious
Qur'aan said: <Surely, the most
honorable among you in the sight of
Allah are the most pious of you >
(49:13). Moreover, it encouraged all
promising talents and all pure,
trustworthy, and productive
potentialities.
The Prophet (PBUH) married his cousin
Zainab to Zaid. It seems that Zainab
(May Allah be pleased with her) accepted
that marriage because her shyness
prevented her from turning down the
Prophet's intercession. Unfortunately,
the gap between them widened every day,
and finally their marriage collapsed.
The Prophet (PBUH) felt that he was , in
a way, responsible for this marriage
which ended up in divorce; therefore, he
married his cousin and chose a new wife,
Umm Kulthuum Bent "Uqbah for Zaid.
The slanderers and the enemies of the
Prophet spread doubt concerning the
legality of Muhammad's marriage to his
son's ex-wife.
The Qur'aan refuted their claims by
striking a distinction between sons and
adopted sons. It abrogated adoption
altogether saying: <Mohamtned is not
a father of any man among you, but he is
the Messenger of Allah and the last of
the Prophets > (33:90). Hence, Zaid
was called after his father's name once
again, namely, ZaidIbnHaarithah.
Now, do you see the Muslim troops that
marched towards the Battle of Al-Jumuuh?
Their commander was Zaid Ibn Haarithah.
Do you see those Muslims troops that
marched to At- Tarf, APlis, and Hismii
and other battles? The commander of all
those battles was Zaid Ibn Haarithah.
Truly, as "Aa'ishah (May Allah be
pleased with her) said, "The
Prophet never sent Zaid on as expedition
but as a commander."
At last, the Battle of Mu'tah took
place. It seems that the Romans and
their senescent empire were filled with
apprehensions and forebodings about the
rapid spread of Islam. They saw it as a
genuine and fatal threat to their very
existence, especially in Syria, which
bordered the center of the new, sweeping
religion. Therefore, they used Syria as
a springboard to the Arab Peninsula and
the Muslim nation.
The Prophet (PBUH) realized that the aim
of the Roman skirmishes was to test the
Muslim combat readiness. Therefore, he
decided to take the initiative and
exhibit in action Islam's determination
to resist and to gain ultimate victory.
On 1 Jumaadii A.H. 8, the Muslim army
marched towards Al-Balqaa' in Syria
until they reached its borders where
Heraclius's armies of the Romans and
Arabicized tribes residing at the
borders were. The Roman army pitched
camp at a place called Mashaarif,
whereas the Muslim army pitched camp
near a town called Mu'tah. Hence, the
battle was named Mu'tah.
The Prophet (PBUH) knew how important
and crucial this battle was; therefore
he chose for its command three of those
who were worshippers by night and
fighters by day. Those three fighters
sold their lives and property to Allah
and renounced their needs and desires
for the sake of great martyrdom which
would pave their way to win Allah's
pleasure and to see Allah, the Generous.
These three commanders were in
succession: Zaid Ibn Haarithah, Ja'far
Ibn Abi Taalib and 'Abd Allah Ibn
Rawaahah. (May Allah be pleased with
them and they with Him, and may Allah be
pleased with all the Companions.) Thus,
the Prophet (PBUH) stood to bid farewell
to his army and gave them his order
saying, "Zaid Ibn Haarithah is your
first commander, but in case he is
wounded, Ja'far Ibn Abi Taalib will take
over the command, and if he is also
wounded, \Abd Allah Ibn Rawaahah will
take it over."
Although Ja'far Ibn Abi Taalib was one
of the Prophet's closest friends who had
valor, fearlessness, and good lineage,
yet the Prophet chose him as the second
commander after Zaid. Thus, the Prophet
(PBUH) stressed the fact that the new
religion of Islam came to abolish
corrupt human relationships based on
false and superficial discrimination. It
established new, rational human
relationships instead.
It was as if the Prophet foresaw the
proceedings of the imminent battle, for
he assigned the command of the army to
Zaid, Ja'far, and then "Abd Allah
and strangely enough, all of them were
raised to Allah in the same order set by
him. When the Muslims saw the vanguard
of the Roman army, which they had
estimated at 200,000 warriors, they were
stunned by its enormity that surpassed
all expectation. But since when did the
battles of faith depend on number?
At that moment, the Muslims flung
themselves into the battlefield
regardless of the consequences or
jeopardy. Their commander, Zaid, carried
the Prophet's standard and fought his
way through the enemy's spears, arrows,
and swords. He was not so much searching
for victory as for concluding his deal
with Allah, Who has purchased the lives
and properties of Muslims in exchange
for Paradise.
Zaid saw neither the sand of AI-Balqaa'
nor the Roman forces. The only things
that he saw were the hills of Paradise
and its green cushions. These unages
flickered through his mind like the
fluttering flags that had announced his
wedding day. When he thrust and struck,
he not only smote at the necks of his
enemies, but also Hung the doors open
that stood in his way to the vast door
through which he would reach the home of
peace, the eternal Paradise and Allah's
company. Zaid clung to his destiny. His
spirit, on its way up to heaven, was
overjoyed as it took its last glance at
the body of its master that was not
covered with soft silk but rather with
pure blood shed in the way of Allah. His
serene smile widened when he saw the
second commander, Ja'far, dart towards
the standard and hold it high before it
touched the ground.
Sheikh Abdulfattah Abu-Abdullah Adelabu (Ph. D. Damas),
a West African Islamic Academic founded AWQAF Africa, of
which he's the first al Amir (i.e. President).
Sheikh Dr. Adelabu was studying Postgraduate Degrees in
Damascus early 1990's during when Syria reviewed its
national security after an ‘Oslo Accord'...
Syria like many other countries around the world
witnessed, during this period, the flood of refugees
from war troubled nations like Somalia, arrival of
people from Algeria during the brutal struggling between
the Mujahidun and the government, resettlement of the
Palestinians fleeing from sophisticated guns of the
Israelis as well as adventure of African migrants for
reasons uncountable…