Preface:
This is only a summary of the life of Zaid Al-Khattab (RA) and does not
cover all the points of his life story. It is not intended to be a
biography, but rather a glimpse of the main incidents of his life so
that we can get an idea of his character. For ease of reading, we have
not inserted “May Allah be pleased with him (RA)” each time his name or
the name of each Companion is mentioned, but please take it that the
salutations apply to all of them, may Allah be pleased with them all.
One day the Prophet SAW sat with a group
of Muslims, and while they were talking, the Messenger paused, then
spoke to those who were sitting around him saying, “Among you there is a
man whose molar in He is greater than Mount Uhud.”
Fright and terror appeared upon the
faces of all those present because each one of them was afraid lest he
should be the person about whom the Prophet SAW prophesied a dreadful
end.
Years passed and all those Companions
met their ends as martyrs except Abu Hurairah and Ar-Rajjaal Ibn
Unfuwah, who were still alive. Abu Hurairah was extremely terrified by
that prophecy and did not feel comfortable until fate revealed the
secret of the unfortunate man: Ar-Rajjaal Ibn Unfuwah, who apostatised
from Islam and joined Musailamah the Liar, and thus witnessed the
fulfilment of prophecy upon him.
One day, Ar-Rajjaal Ibn Unfuwah went to
the Messenger of Allah SAW and acknowledged him and learned the
teachings of Islam. Then he went to his people and did not return to
Medina till the death of the Prophet and the choice of As-Siddiq as the
Caliph of the Muslims. Ar-Rajjaal told Abu Bakr the news of the
inhabitants of Al-Yamaamah and their support for Musailamah and proposed
that he be sent to Al-Yamaamah as an envoy in order to confirm Islam
among them! The Caliph gave him permission. Ar-Rajjaal went to
Al-Yamaamah, and when he saw the numerous supporters of Musailamah, he
believed that they would be the victors.
His perfidious nature caused
him to reserve a place in the prospective state of Musailamah.
Consequently, he apostatized from Islam and joined Musailamah, who
promised him a prosperous future.
Ar-Rajjaal was more dangerous to Islam
than Musailamah himself because he exploited his previous association
with Islam and the period he had lived with the Messenger in Medina,
memorizing many verses of the Holy Qur’an, and his intercession to Abu
Bakr, the Caliph of the Muslims. Ar-Rajjaal exploited all those things
for evil purposes and cunningly supported and confirmed the sovereignty
of Musailamah and his false prophethood.
He walked among people saying that he
heard the Messenger of Allah say that he had taken Musailamah into
partnership and when the Messenger SAW died, he was worthy of carrying
the banner of prophethood and revelation after him.
The number of Musailamah’s supporters
increased to a great extent because of the lies of Ar-Rajjaal and his
cunning exploitation of his previous relationships with Islam and the
Messenger SAW. When the news of Ar-Rajjaal reached Medina, the Muslims
were exceedingly angry because of the lies of this dangerous apostate
who used to mislead people. His evil words and deeds expanded the range
of the war and intensified the conflict the Muslims had with their
enemies and adversaries. The most anxious and the most eager to meet
Ar-Rajjaal was Zaid Ibn Al-Khattab, whose heroism and fame was
outstanding in the biographies and books of Islamic history.
I am sure that you have heard about Zaid
Ibn Al-Khattab. He was the brother of Umar Ibn Al‑Khattab. Yes, he was
his elder brother. He was older than Umar Ibn Al-Khattab and he embraced
Islam and gained the honour of martyrdom before him.
He was the ideal hero whose motto was
‘Actions speak louder than words.’ His faith in Allah and His Messenger
and His religion was strong and firm. He never stayed away from the
Messenger in any setting, and in every battle he sought martyrdom more
than he sought victory.
On the Day of Uhud, when the fight
between the believers and the polytheists was very fierce, Zaid was
fighting boldly. His brother Umar Ibn Al-Khattab saw him as his shield
fell down and he was within reach of the enemies. Umar cried, “O Zaid,
take my shield and fight with it!” Zaid replied, “I want martyrdom as
you want it.” He continued fighting without his shield with astonishing
heroism.
As we mentioned before, Zaid was longing to meet Ar-Rajjaal, wishing to put an end to his devilish life.
In Zaid’s opinion, Ar-Rajjaal was not
only an apostate but also a hypocrite and self-seeker. Zaid was like his
brother Umar Ibn Al-Khattab in his abhorrence of hypocrisy and lying,
especially when hypocrisy aimed at selfish gain and mean purposes. For
those mean purposes Ar-Rajjaal committed his atrocious acts, resulting
in the numbers of Musailamah’s supporters greatly increasing and causing
great numbers of deaths in the Apostate Battles. First he deceived
them, and finally he led them to their deaths for the sake of his
devilish hopes.
Zaid prepared himself to conclude his
faithful life by annihilating that impiety not only in Musailamah’s
person but also in Ar-Rajjaal Ibn Unfuwah, who was more dangerous and
more cunning.
The Day of Al-Yamaamah began gloomy and
dim. Khalid Ibn Al-Walid gathered the Army of Islam and directed it to
its positions and left the leadership of the army to Zaid lbn
Al-Khattab, who fought Bani Hanifah, the followers of Musailamah, boldly
and fiercely. At the beginning, the battle was leaning towards the side
of the polytheists, and many of the Muslims fell as martyrs. Zaid saw
the feelings of horror in the hearts of some Muslims, so he climbed a
hill and cried, “O people! Grit your teeth, fight your enemy and go
straight By Allah, I’ll never speak till Allah beats them or I meet Him
and then I give my evidence.” Then he descended, gritting his teeth,
pressing his lips, never moving his tongue with even a whisper.
His only hope was to kill Ar-Rajjaal, so
he began to penetrate the enemy army like an arrow searching for its
target, until he saw him.
Then he began to attack him from right
and left. Whenever the deluge of the battle swallowed Ar-Rajjaal and hid
him, Zaid dived towards him until the waves pushed him to the surface
again. Zaid approached him and stretched out his sword towards him, but
the furious human waves swallowed Ar-Rajjaal again. Then Zaid followed
and dived after him so as not to allow him to escape.
At last, Zaid held him by his neck and
with the sword, he cut off his head which was full of vanity, lies, and
villainy. By the death of the great liar, the ranks of its whole army
began to fall. Musailamah and Al-Mahkam lbn At-Tufail were filled with
horror. The killing of Ar-Rajjaal spread in Musailamah’s army like a
fire on a stormy day.
Musailamah used to promise them
inevitable victory and that he, Ar-Rajjaal, and Al-Mahkam Ibn At-Tufail
would promulgate their new religion and establish their state on the day
following their victory! Now that Ar-Rajjaal was killed, the whole
prophecy of Musailamah was seen as a lie, and tomorrow Al-Mahkam and
Musailamah would meet the same fate. Thus the fatal blow of Zaid Ibn
Al-Khattab caused all that destruction in the lines of Musailamah.
No sooner did the Muslims hear the news
than they were filled with pride and dignity. The wounded men rose again
holding their swords, taking no interest in their wounds.
Even for those who were about to die,
nothing connected them with life except that very faint light caused by
hearing the good news which was like a very beautiful and rosy dream.
They wished, if they had any strength to fight with, they would be able
to witness the triumph of the battle in its glorious conclusion. But how
could that be? Since the doors of Paradise had opened to welcome them,
they were now hearing their names while they were being called to
immortality!
Zaid raised his hands towards Heaven
supplicating Allah and thanking Him for His blessings. Then he returned
to his sword and his silence, as he had sworn by Allah not to utter a
word until he had completed the victory or gained the honour of
martyrdom.
The battle began to lean to the side of
the Muslims and their inevitable victory began to approach rapidly. At
that moment Zaid did not desire a better conclusion to his life than
praying to Allah to grant him martyrdom on that Day of Yamaamah! The
wind of Paradise blew to fill his soul with longing, his eyes with
tears, and his determination with firmness. He began to fight as if he
were searching for his glorious destiny, and the hero fell. So he died a
martyr, magnanimously, gracefully and happily. The Army of Islam
returned to Medina victorious.
While Umar and the Caliph Abu Bakr were
welcoming those who were returning triumphantly, Umar began to search
for his homecoming brother with longing eyes.
Zaid was so tall that he could be easily
recognized. But before Umar had strained his eyes, one of the returning
Muslims approached and consoled him. Umar said, “May Allah have mercy
upon Zaid, he preceded me in two instances. He embraced Islam before me
and gained martyrdom before me, too.”
In spite of the victories that Islam won
and enjoyed, Umar ‘Al Farooq’ (Umar) never forgot his brother Zaid, and
he always said, “Whenever the east wind blows, I smell the scent of
Zaid.”
Yes! The east wind carries the perfume
of Zaid. But if the caliph gives me permission to add these words to his
great expression so as to complete the meaning of his saying, these are
the words. “Whenever the winds of triumph blow on Islam since the Day
of Al-Yamaamah, I am finds the scent, the struggles, the heroism, and
the greatness of Zaid in these winds!” Blessings be upon Al-Khattab
under the flag of the Messenger SAW. Blessed be they the moment they
embraced Islam. Blessed be they when they fought and were martyred. And
blessings be upon them in the hereafter.
Source: Khalid, Khalid Muhammad, Men Around the Messenger, Islamic Book Service, 2004
http://hadithoftheday.com/zaid/
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