Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. O Allah! I seek refuge in You from knowingly associating partners with You in any way, and I seek Your forgiveness for that which I do not know. Ameen.
Zaid ibn Harithah was born in 581 CE and died in 629 CE at the age of 48 years old.
He was an early Muslim, companion and also the adopted son of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.
When he was only eight years old and a small shepherd, he had gone with his mother to one of their relative’s homes where he was captured as a slave during the raid of another tribe. He was purchased by Khadijah’s r.a. nephew and was brought to Mecca. Khadijah r.a. took him from her nephew and sheltered him in her home.
His parents did not know where he was taken and whom he was sold to. The Harithah family cried for their missing child every day.
One day, a few people from the Kalb tribe visited the Ka'bah. During this time, they saw Zaid. When Harithah received this message, he immediately arrived with his brother, Kab, in Mecca; they carried a large sum of money with the intention of saving Zaid.
However, Zaid did not share the same conviction; he said, “My dear father, I have seen such remarkable things from this individual that I can never prefer anyone to him.”
In this way, little Zaid had proven his loyalty and attachment to Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. later freed and legally adopted Zaid as his own son.
He was regarded as the fourth person to have accepted Islam, after Prophet Muhammad's s.a.w. wife Khadijah Bintu Khuwaylid, Muhammad's s.a.w. cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib r.a. and Muhammad’s s.a.w. best friend Abu Bakar r.a.
Zaid was married to prominent women of Prophet Muhammad's s.a.w. household, including his cousin Zainab Bintu Jahsh and his loyal servant Umm Ayman.
Zaid was a commander in the early Muslim army and led several early military expeditions during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. Zaid died as a matyr as he was killed during the Battle of Mu'tah.
Subhanallah! From being captured made into a slave to being Prophet Muhammad's s.a.w. adopted son. Such is the remarkable destiny of Zaid Bin Harithah.
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