In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Mawaddah Association is pleased
to present to you glimpses from the lives of the Companions,
by Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
may Allah have mercy upon him.
Zayd al-Khayr,
may Allah be pleased with him.
People are like mines;
the best of them in the Age of Ignorance
are the best of them in Islam.
Here are two portraits of a noble Companion:
the first drawn by the hand of the Age of Ignorance,
and the latter crafted by the fingertips of Islam.
That Companion
is Zayd al-Khayr,
as people called him in the Age of Ignorance,
and Zayd al-Khayr,
as the noble Messenger called him after his conversion to Islam.
As for the first portrait,
the books of literature narrate it, saying:
Al-Shaybani narrated from an elder of the Banu Amir,
who said:
A drought-stricken year befell us,
in which crops and livestock perished.
A man among us set out with his family toward al-Hirah,
and left them there, saying to them:
"Wait for me here until I return to you."
Then he swore that he would not return to them
unless he earned wealth for them or died.
He took provisions and walked all day,
until night approached.
He found a tent before him,
and near the tent was a tethered colt.
He said:
"This is the first of the spoils."
He went toward it and began to untie its tether.
No sooner had he intended to mount it than he heard a voice calling to him:
"Leave it alone and save yourself."
So he left it and went on.
He walked for seven days until he reached a place with a camel pen,
and beside it was a great tent,
containing a dome of tanned leather,
indicating wealth and prosperity.
The man said to himself:
"This pen must have camels,
and this tent must have inhabitants."
Then he looked into the tent,
and the sun was nearing its setting.
He found an elderly, frail man in its center,
so he sat behind him without the man noticing him.
It was only a short while
until the sun set,
and a horseman approached.
He had never seen a horseman greater or more imposing.
He was mounted on a tall steed,
with two servants walking to his right and left,
and with him were about a hundred camels,
led by a large stallion.
The stallion knelt,
and the camels knelt around it.
Then the horseman said to one of his servants:
"Milk this one,"
and he pointed to a fat she-camel,
"and give the elder a drink."
He milked it until he filled the vessel,
placed it before the elder, and stepped aside.
The elder took a sip or two and left it.
The man said:
I crept toward it stealthily,
took the vessel,
and drank everything in it.
The servant returned, took the vessel,
and said, "O my master,
he has drunk it all."
The horseman was surprised and said:
"Milk this one,"
and he pointed to another she-camel,
"and place the vessel before the elder."
The servant did as he was ordered,
and the elder took one sip and left it.
I took it and drank half of it,
but I refrained from finishing it all
so as not to arouse suspicion in the horseman.
Then the horseman ordered his second servant
to slaughter a sheep, and he slaughtered it.
The horseman stood up, took some of it for the elder,
and fed him with his own hands,
until he was full, then he and his two servants ate.
It was only a short while
until everyone went to their resting places
and fell into a deep, snoring sleep.
At that point, I went to the stallion,
untied its tether, and mounted it.
It bolted, and the camels followed it.
I traveled through the night,
and when the day broke,
I looked in every direction,
but I saw no one following me.
I continued to ride until the day grew bright,
then I looked back,
and there was something,
like an eagle or a large bird.
It kept drawing near until I recognized it;
it was a horseman on a horse.
He kept approaching me
until I knew it was my companion,
who had come in search of his camels.
At that point, I hobbled the stallion,
took an arrow from my quiver,
and placed it in my bow,
keeping the camels behind me.
The horseman stood at a distance
and said to me:
"Untie the stallion's tether."
I said, "No."
"I left hungry women behind in al-Hirah,
and I swore not to return to them
unless I had wealth or died."
He said, "You are a dead man;
untie the stallion's tether, may you have no father!"
I said, "I will not untie it."
He said, "Woe to you, you are arrogant."
Then he said:
"Point to the stallion's rein,"
which had three knots in it.
Then he asked me:
"In which knot do you want me to place the arrow?"
I pointed to the middle one,
and he shot the arrow,
piercing it
as if he had placed it there with his own hand.
Then he hit the second and the third.
At that point, I returned my arrow to the quiver
and stood in surrender.
He drew near to me,
took my sword and bow,
and said:
"Ride behind me."
So I rode behind him,
and he said:
"What do you think I will do to you?"
I said:
"The worst."
He said:
"And why?"
I said:
"Because of what I did to you,
and the trouble I caused you,
yet Allah has given you power over me."
He said:
"Do you think I would do you harm,
when you shared with Muhalhil"—
meaning his father—
"in his drink and food, and kept him company that night?"
When I heard the name Muhalhil,
I said:
"Are you Zayd al-Khayl?"
He said, "Yes."
I said:
"Be the best of captors."
He said:
"Do not worry."
He took me to his place
and said:
"By Allah, if these camels were mine,
I would have handed them to you,
but they belong to one of my sisters.
Stay with us for a few days,
for I am about to go on a raid
from which I may gain spoils."
It was only three days later
that he raided the Banu Numayr,
and captured nearly a hundred she-camels,
all of which he gave to me.
He sent men with me from his tribe to protect me
until I reached al-Hirah.
That was the portrait of Zayd al-Khayl in the Age of Ignorance.
As for his portrait in Islam,
the books of Seerah clarify it, saying:
When the news of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, reached him,
Zayd al-Khayl heard it,
and learned something of what he was calling to.
He prepared his mount,
and invited the masters and leaders of his people
to visit Yathrib
and meet the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
A large delegation from Tayy' rode with him,
among them Zurr ibn Sados,
Malik ibn Jubayr,
Amir ibn Juwayn,
and others.
When they reached Medina,
they headed to the noble Prophet's Mosque,
and made their mounts kneel at its door.
It happened that at the time of their entry,
the Messenger, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him,
was delivering a sermon to the Muslims from the pulpit.
His words awed them,
They were astonished by the Muslims' attachment to him,
their attentiveness to him,
and how deeply they were moved by his words.
When the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, saw them,
he addressed the Muslims, saying:
"I am better for you than Al-'Uzza,
and better than everything you worship.
I am better for you than the black stone idol
that you worship instead of Allah."
The words of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, fell
upon the soul of Zayd al-Khayl and those with him
in two different ways.
Some responded to the truth and embraced it,
while others turned away and grew arrogant toward it.
“And thus We have inspired in thee a Lecture in Arabic, that thou mayst warn the mother-town and those around it, and mayst warn of a day of assembling whereof there is no doubt. A host will be in the Garden, and a host of them in the Flame.” (42:7)
As for Zirr ibn Sudus,
no sooner had he seen the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in his magnificent stance,
surrounded by believing hearts,
and encircled by affectionate eyes,
than envy crept into his heart,
and fear filled his soul.
He then said to those with him:
"I see a man who will surely possess the necks of the Arabs,
but by Allah, I will never let him possess mine."
He then headed toward the Levant,
shaved his head, and converted to Christianity.
As for Zayd and the others,
they had a different destiny.
No sooner had the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, finished his sermon,
than Zayd al-Khayl stood up among the gathering of Muslims.
He was one of the most handsome of men,
perfect in physique and towering in height.
Indeed, he was so tall that when he rode a horse,
his feet would touch the ground,
as if he were riding a donkey.
He stood with his graceful stature,
raised his resonant voice,
and said, "O Muhammad,
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,
and that you are the Messenger of Allah."
The noble Messenger turned toward him
and asked, "Who are you?"
He replied, "I am Zayd al-Khayl ibn Muhalhil."
The Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to him:
"Rather, you are Zayd al-Khayr (Zayd of Goodness),
not Zayd al-Khayl (Zayd of Horses)."
"Praise be to Allah who brought you from your plains and mountains,
and softened your heart toward Islam."
From then on, he was known as Zayd al-Khayr.
The Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, then took him to his home,
accompanied by 'Umar ibn al-Khattab,
and a group of the Companions.
When they reached the house,
the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, laid out a cushion for Zayd.
Zayd felt it was too great an honor to recline in the presence of the Messenger,
so he returned the cushion.
The Messenger kept offering it back to him,
and he refused it three times.
Once they were settled in their gathering,
the Messenger said to Zayd al-Khayr:
"O Zayd,
never has a man been described to me,
and then I saw him, but that he was less than his description—except for you."
He then said to him:
"O Zayd,
you possess two qualities that Allah and His Messenger love."
He asked,
"And what are they, O Messenger of Allah?"
He replied:
"Deliberation and forbearance."
He said,
"Praise be to Allah who has made me possess what Allah and His Messenger love."
He then turned to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and said:
"Give me, O Messenger of Allah, three hundred horsemen,
and I guarantee you that I will raid the lands of the Romans with them,
and I will be one of them."
The noble Messenger marveled at his high ambition,
and said to him:
"May Allah reward you, O Zayd;
what a man you are!"
Then, all those from his people who accompanied him embraced Islam with Zayd.
When Zayd intended to return,
he and those with him, to their homes in Najd,
the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, bade him farewell,
and said:
"What a man this is!
How great his standing would have been,
had he been spared the plague of Medina."
At that time, Medina was
afflicted with fever.
No sooner had Zayd al-Khayr departed from it,
than he was struck by it.
He said to those with him:
"Keep me away from the lands of Qays,
for there were feuds between us from the follies of the Jahiliyyah,
and by Allah, I will not fight a Muslim
until I meet Allah the Almighty."
Zayd al-Khayr continued his journey toward his people's lands in Najd,
even though the grip of the fever
was intensifying upon him hour by hour.
He had hoped to meet his people,
and that Allah would decree Islam for them at his hands.
He began to race against death,
and death was racing against him.
But it was not long before death won the race,
and he breathed his last on the road.
There was not enough time between his conversion and his death
for him to commit a single sin.
"You possess two qualities that Allah and His Messenger love:
deliberation and forbearance."
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
[The text here is fragmentary/garbled; context suggests a concluding reflection on the excellence of the Companions.]