Makers of Muslim History Zayd ibn ‘Amr

During the sixth and seventh centuries in the Middle East there was an expectation, a clear understanding that a world religious event was about to occur, and it would happen in in the Arabian Peninsula. There are authentic stories that allude to the fact that a Prophet was fully anticipated; even his physical qualities were known and remembered by the era’s religious authorities, primarily the People of the Book. The following is a brief true story about one man and one historic expectation.

A close relative of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, Zayd ibn ‘Amr was a determined man able to think independently of his surroundings. In pre-Islamic Makkah, this was not an easy quality to nurture. Zayd ibn ‘Amr resisted being trapped by the norms and culture of Makkah, which was mired in the worship of idols and that easily resorted to violence against anyone who would dare reject the stones and lumber people worshipped.

Zayd observed, painfully, his clansmen believing in things that made absolutely no sense to him. Idolatry in itself ran against logic and the natural yearning of the human soul to be close to its Maker; but it was especially absurd in a city whose?most important structure was the Ka‘ba, a House of worship built by Ibrahim (Abraham (peace be upon him)) and dedicated to the worship of the one, unseen, and only God.

Zayd did not keep his feelings secret. One day, when throngs of the Quraysh celebrated a festival—with the men decked out in brocade turbans and posh Yemeni attire, women glittering with jewelry, and children in their best clothing, all to watch garlanded animals slaughtered before dozens of idols—Zayd couldn’t contain himself.

He shouted, “O people of Quraysh! It is God who created the sheep. He sends rain from the skies from which they drink and causes the fodder to grow from which they feed. You slaughter them in names other than His. You are an ignorant folk!”

When al-Khattab, the father of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, heard Zayd say this, he marched toward toward him and slapped him on the face: “Damn you! We hear such idiocy from you!” Thereafter, al-Khattab provoked some of Makkah’s people to persecute Zayd and make his life unbearable, until Zayd was forced to leave the valley of Makkah and seek refuge in the surrounding mountains. (All of this took place before Mu^ammad (peace be upon him) was called to prophethood.)

Zayd ibn ‘Amr would not regret his stand. In fact, he took it to a higher level when he left the region altogether, journeying throughout the land to find answers. His search took him as far north as Mosul in the north of Iraq and back southwest to Syria. In his journey, he asked?monks and rabbis about the religion of Ibrahim (peace be upon him). But the answers did not satisfy him.

Finally, he came across a monk in Syria who was honest with Zayd and told him that the religion of Ibrahim that he sought no longer existed. The monk, however, told him that this was about to change, for the time had come when God would send forth, from Ibrahim’s own lineage, a prophet who would revive the religion of Ibrahim. The monk also told Zayd that he would never mistaken this prophet if he should ever see him. The monk said one more thing: this prophet would soon appear in the very city that Zayd had been forced to leave, Makkah.

Zayd retraced his steps toward Makkah. His intentions were to meet this expected prophet. He believed in him though he had not met him. But as Zayd traveled through Lakhm, on the southern border of Syria, he was attacked by a group of bandits and killed before he could set eyes on the Messenger of God (peace be upon him). It is said that his last words were: “O Lord, if You have prevented me from attaining this good, do not prevent my son from doing so.”

The Prophet (peace be upon him), later during his mission, praised Zayd ibn ‘Amr, although he had died before meeting the Prophet (peace be upon him). Still, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said that on the Day of Resurrection Zayd “will be raised as a nation in himself.”

Allah the Exalted answered Zayd’s final prayer, for Zayd’s son, Sa’id ibn Zayd, became a believer when he was less than twenty. He and his wife, Fa~imah (‘Umar ibn al-Khattab’s sister) had become close followers of the Prophet (peace be upon him). It was Sa’id and Fa~imah that ‘Umar grew enraged at when he learned that they had become believers, as the well-known conversion story of ‘Umar is recorded.?When ‘Umar confronted the couple about the rumor of their acceptance of Islam, they boldly admitted it. ‘Umar hit Sa’id and even struck his sister, who bled. ‘Umar was immediately ashamed at what he had done and calmed down. He then heard the Quran recited. ‘Umar’s life changed, and shortly thereafter he declared his faith before the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself.