The birth of Usamah Ibn Zayd was a happy event that brought joy to the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam and the Muslims at a time when they were suffering greatly from the harassment of Quraish, seven years before their migration to Madinah.

Usamah was the son of Zayd ibn Harithah, the freedman of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, whom he took as his own son before adoption was forbidden, and of Barakah Umm Ayman, the woman who took care of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, during his childhood, and about whom he said: “She is like my mother”.

The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, loved Usamah as much as he loved his father before him, to the point that the companions nicknamed him “Al-Hibb Ibnul-Hibb”, namely the loved one, son of the loved one. Usamah was close in age to Al- Hassan the Prophet’s grandson. He used to put them both on his lap, Usamah a snub-nosed, black boy looking very much like his Abyssinian mother, and Al-Hassan who had a fair skin and sharp features and looked a lot like his grandfather, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam. He would hug them lovingly and say: “O Allah, I love them both, and I pray that You love them.”

One day Usamah fell and cut his forehead so badly that blood covered all his face. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, asked Aisha to promptly clean the wound, but she disliked to do it, so he, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, held Usamah and cleaned the cut, while comforting him with words of affection and love.

If the Prophet loved Usamah when he was a boy, he loved him even more when he was a youth. A Quraish Chieftain offered him, on one occasion, an expensive garment that he bought in Yemen. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, declined to accept the gift because the man was a disbeliever, but he offered to buy it from him. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, wore it once at Jumu’ah, afterward he took it off and gave it to Usamah to wear it.

In his early teens, Usamah was already a young man of high merit, who showed the signs of a great leader. He was wise, brilliant and extremely courageous. He and three other youth left on the day of Uhud to join the Muslims in the battle. But the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, did not permit them to participate due to their young age. They returned home with their eyes bathed in tears for not being able to fight under the Prophet’s banner.

When the battle of the Trench (Al-Khandaq) started, Usamah came to the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, with a group of his friends to ask permission to participate. He stretched himself to look taller than he was. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, took pity on him and allowed him to join. He was fifteen years old.

On the day of the conquest of Makkah, the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, entered the city riding his camel, his head lowered out of respect to the sacred place. Behind him on his camel was riding Usamah. Abdullah Ibn Umar said: “I got ahead of people, and Ithe Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, enter the Ka’bah with Bilal and Usamah.”

A short time later, the battle of Hunayn took place. Twelve thousand men from among the Muhajireen, the Ansar, and the newly reverted, joined the Prophet to fight the tribe of Hawaazin in the mountain pass of Hunayn.

Usamah participated also in the battle of Mu’tah against the Byzantine. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, appointed Zayd Ibnu Harithah at the head of the expedition. When they arrived at Mu’tah they were met by a huge army that was manifold their size. Zayd, however, preferred to fight and attain martyrdom rather than withdraw. Usamah fought alongside his father Zayd. Never before did he see such courage among the Muslims who fought against one of the two greatest, most equipped armies in that time.

Usamah had another encounter with the Byzantines, this time as a leader himself. After his return from Hajj, the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, ordered the people to make an expedition to Syria and put over them Usamah. He ordered him to lead his cavalry into the territory of Balqa’ and Ad-Daarum in the land of Palestine. The men got ready, and all the first emigrants joined Usamah. He was thus leader over such eminent Sahabahs (companions) as Abu Bakr and Umar. This was the last mission, which the Prophet dispatched.

Now Abu Bakr was chosen as the Khalifah, and Usamah was awaiting orders from him. But a group from the Ansar that the expedition should be postponed until a later time. They sent ‘Umar to talk to Abu Bakr and told him: “If however Abu Bakr insisted upon sending the troops, then ask him to appoint a commander who is older than Usamah.” As soon as he heard what Umar had to say, Abu Bakr got up, took him by beard, and said: “May your mother lose you, O Ibn Al-Khattab! The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, has appointed him and you want me to take him down? By Allah I will never do it!”. Umar was very angry when he returned to the men. “Move on,” he said, “By Allah you have caused me great embarrassment.”

Abu Bakr marched with the troops to the outskirts of Madinah, while he was holding the reins of Usamah’s mount. Usamah said: “O Khalifah Abu Bakr, either you mount with me or I dismount.” “No by Allah,” he replied, “You will not dismount and I will not ride”, “It is only a small price that I dirty my feet for the sake of Allah”. Then he leaned toward him and said, “If you see that you can give permission to Umar to stay in Madinah to help me, do so”. Usamah agreed to it.

Usamah executed the orders of the Prophet and the Khalifah. He reached the territory of Balqa’, and the fortress of Darum. By doing so he has broken the myth that the Byzantines were unbeatable. Usamah returned to Madinah with a great booty, and lost none of his men. It was said “People no army that was safer and richer in booty than Usamah’s army”.

As long as he lived, Usamah was loved and respected by the sahabah. They used to give him precedence over others because of the love of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, for him. When Umar became Khalifah he used to give him a greater pension and used to say to his son who once made the remark to him: “You are not better than him. the Prophet loved his father (Zayd) more than your father, and loved him more than you, and he appointed him a commander over me”.

Usamah died on the fifty-forth year of Hijrah, and was buried in Madinah. , and with all the sahabah who loved and respected him.


[From: Al-Jumu'ah vol 12, issue 9]
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