Part of Pictures from the lives of the Companions (series completed)
· Lesson 27 of 93
Pictures from the lives of the Companions - Episode (42) - Zaid bin Thabit Al-Ansari, may God be pleased with him
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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Mawaddah Association is pleased
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to present to you snapshots from the lives of the Companions,
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by 'Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
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may Allah have mercy on him.
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Zayd ibn Thabit,
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may Allah be pleased with him.
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We are in the second year of the Hijrah,
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and the city of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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was surging with intense activity,
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in preparation for the Battle of Badr.
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The noble Prophet
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was casting his final glances over the first army moving under his command to strive in the cause of Allah
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and to establish His word upon the earth.
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Here, a young boy stepped forward toward the ranks,
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who had not yet reached thirteen years of age,
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glowing with intelligence and acumen,
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radiant with noble aptitude and zeal.
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In his hand was a sword equal to him in length,
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or perhaps slightly taller.
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He approached the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and said,
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"May I be sacrificed for you, O Messenger of Allah!
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Grant me permission to join you
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and strive against the enemies of Allah beneath your banner."
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The noble Messenger looked at him with delight and admiration,
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patted his shoulder with gentleness and affection,
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comforted his heart,
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and turned him back due to his young age.
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The young boy returned, dragging his sword along the ground, sorrowful and grieving,
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because he was deprived of the honor of accompanying the Messenger of Allah in the very first campaign he was to fight.
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Behind him returned his mother, Al-Nuwar bint Malik,
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no less sorrowful and grieving than he was.
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She had longed for her eyes to be delighted by the sight of her young son
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marching with the men, striving in cause beneath the banner of the Messenger of Allah.
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She had hoped he would occupy the stature that his father had been expected to gain with the Prophet,
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had he remained alive.
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But the young Ansar boy,
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when he saw that he had failed to gain proximity to the Messenger of Allah in this realm due to his tender age,
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his acumen unlocked another realm that had no relation to age—
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one that would bring him close to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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and draw him near to his side.
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That realm was the realm of knowledge and memorization.
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The boy mentioned the idea to his mother,
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and she was delighted, overjoyed, and eagerly set out to realize it.
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Al-Nuwar spoke to men from their tribe about the boy's desire
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and mentioned his idea to them.
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So they took him to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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and said, "O Prophet of Allah!
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This is our son, Zayd ibn Thabit.
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He has memorized seventeen surahs of the Book of Allah,
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reciting them correctly just as they were revealed to your heart.
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Moreover, he is skilled and proficient in reading and writing,
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and he wishes to draw closer to you through this and to remain in your company.
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So listen to him if you wish."
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The noble Messenger listened to the young boy, Zayd ibn Thabit, recite some of what he had memorized,
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and found his performance radiant and his pronunciation crystal clear.
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The words of the Qur'an glistened upon his lips
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just as the stars glisten across the face of the sky.
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Furthermore, his recitation reflected deep emotion for what he was reciting,
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and his pauses demonstrated mindfulness of what he read and excellent comprehension.
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The noble Messenger was delighted with him,
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finding him to be even beyond what they had described.
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His joy in him was further increased
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by his mastery of writing.
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So the noble Prophet turned to him and said,
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"O Zayd,
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learn for me the writing of the Jews,
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for by Allah, I do not trust them regarding what I say."
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He replied,
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"At your service, O Messenger of Allah!"
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He immediately devoted himself to Hebrew until he mastered it in a short time.
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He began writing it for the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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whenever he wished to write to the Jews,
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and reading it to him whenever they wrote to him.
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Then he learned Syriac at his command, peace and blessings be upon him,
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just as he had learned Hebrew.
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Thus, the youth Zayd ibn Thabit became
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the translator for the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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Once the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was fully assured of Zayd's sound judgment, trustworthiness,
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precision, and understanding,
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he entrusted him with the revelation from heaven to earth,
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appointing him as a scribe of Allah's revelation.
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Whenever any part of the Qur'an was revealed to his heart,
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he would send for him and say,
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"Write, O Zayd!"
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And he would write it down.
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Thus, Zayd ibn Thabit was receiving the Qur'an directly from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
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moment by moment,
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growing along with its verses,
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receiving it fresh and pristine from his noble mouth,
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connected to the very contexts of its revelation.
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His soul shone with the lights of its guidance,
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and his mind was illuminated by the secrets of its divine law.
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Suddenly, this fortunate youth became a specialist in the Qur'an,
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becoming the primary authority in it for the Ummah of Muhammad
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after the passing of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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He was the head of those who gathered the Book of Allah during the era of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq,
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and the foremost among those who standardized its copies during the time of 'Uthman.
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Is there, after such a rank, any rank to which high aspirations could aspire?
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Is there above this glory any glory to which souls could yearn?
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It was among the blessings of the Qur'an upon Zayd ibn Thabit
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that it illuminated for him the paths of truth in situations where men of intellect would be bewildered.
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On the Day of Saqifah,
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the Muslims differed as to who should succeed the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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The Emigrants said,
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"The succession of the Messenger of Allah lies among us,
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and we are most entitled to it."
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Some of the Ansar said,
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"Rather, the succession shall be among us,
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and we are most worthy of it."
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Others among them said,
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"Rather, the succession shall be shared between us and you together,
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for whenever the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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appointed one of you to an office,
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he would pair him with one of us."
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A great tribulation was on the verge of erupting,
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while the Prophet of Allah was still shrouded among them,
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not yet buried.
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A decisive, wise word was imperative—
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one radiant with the guidance of the Qur'an,
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to nip the tribulation in the bud
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and illuminate the path for those who were confused.
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That word came forth from the mouth of Zayd ibn Thabit al-Ansari,
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as he turned to his people
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and said, "O assembly of the Ansar!
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Indeed, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
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was from the Emigrants;
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therefore, his successor must be an Emigrant like him.
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And we were the supporters (Ansar) of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him;
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so we shall be supporters to his successor after him,
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and his helpers upon the truth."
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Then he extended his hand to Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and said,
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"This is your successor, so give him your allegiance!"
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By virtue of the Qur'an, his deep understanding of fiqh within it,
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and his long companionship with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, Zayd ibn Thabit became
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a beacon for the Muslims.
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Their caliphs consulted him in complex dilemmas,
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the general populace sought his legal verdicts in difficult matters,
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and they referred to him in inheritance law in particular,
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for there was no one among the Muslims
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at that time who was more knowledgeable than him concerning its rulings,
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or more skilled in its distribution.
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Indeed, 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, addressed the Muslims on the Day of al-Jabiyah,
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saying, "O people!
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Whoever wishes to ask about the Qur'an,
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let him come to Zayd ibn Thabit.
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Whoever wishes to ask about fiqh,
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let him come to Mu'adh ibn Jabal.
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And whoever wishes to ask about wealth,
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let him come to me,
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for Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, has made me its custodian
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and its distributor."
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The seekers of knowledge among the Companions and the Tabi'un recognized
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Zayd ibn Thabit's true worth;
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they honored and revered him
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for the knowledge settled in his chest.
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Here was the ocean of knowledge, 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abbas,
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seeing Zayd ibn Thabit about to mount his riding beast;
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he stood before him,
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held his stirrup for him,
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and took hold of the reins of his mount.
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Zayd ibn Thabit said to him,
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"Do not do that, O cousin of the Messenger of Allah!"
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Ibn 'Abbas replied,
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"Thus were we commanded to treat our scholars."
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Zayd then said to him,
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"Show me your hand."
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Ibn 'Abbas extended his hand to him,
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whereupon Zayd leaned over it and kissed it,
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saying,
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"Thus were we commanded to treat the household of our Prophet."
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When Zayd ibn Thabit passed on to the proximity of his Lord,
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the Muslims wept over his death, lamenting the knowledge that was buried with him.
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Abu Hurayrah said,
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"Today, the learned scholar of this Ummah has died;
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perhaps Allah will make Ibn 'Abbas a successor to him."
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The poet of the Messenger of Allah, Hassan ibn Thabit, eulogized him,
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eulogizing himself along with him, saying:
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"Who is left for poetry after Hassan and his son?
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And who is left for deep meanings after Zayd ibn Thabit?"
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"Who is left for poetry after Hassan and his son?
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And who is left for deep meanings after Zayd ibn Thabit?"
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Hassan ibn Thabit.
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O poetry, excuse me as I pour forth in their praise—shall we excel?