Zayd ibn Harithah (581-629) was a sahabah of Muhammad who was slain at the Battle of Mu'tah by the Byzantine Empire in 629. He was the freed slave of Muhammad and the father of Usama ibn Zayd, whom Muhammad considered to be a grandson.
Biography[]
Zayd ibn Harithah was born in 581, born to the Udhra branch of the Kalbids of Nejd, central Arabia. The Qayn tribe raided his family's tents as they were staying with the Maan tribe, and Zayd was purchased by Hakim ibn Hizam and then sent to Hakim's aunt Khadija bint Khuwaylid. Zayd remained in her possession until her marriage to Muhammad, and he became their slave. Muhammad became attached to Zayd, referring to him as al-Habib, meaning "the beloved". Zayd was adopted by Muhammad, and he became one of the first Muslims after he refused to slaughter meat for the idols in Mecca. In 622, he joined the other sahabah on the hijra to Medina, and he took Hamza ibn Abdul-Muttalib as a "brother in God". After the Sura al-Ahzab asked people to call Muslims by their fathers' names, he stopped being called "Zayd ibn Muhammad" and was reverted to "ibn Harithah", and adoption was banned by Islam. One of the famous companions of Muhammad, he fought in the early battles of Islam, and he was governor of Medina while Muhammad raided al-Muraysi. From 624 to 628, he led six expeditions against the pagan Arab tribes, and in 629 he led an expedition against the Byzantine Empire. This resulted in the Battle of Mu'tah, where he was struck down by a spear thrust and killed.