If my brother had been killed at Al-Yamamah as your brother was, I would never have wept for him!

والصَّلَاةُ والسَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَشْرَفِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْنَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ الطَّيّبِيْنَ الطَّاهِرِيْن

The annals of Islamic history and the illustrious pages of Muhammadan glory are replete with the names of heroes who inscribed the most magnificent acts of heroism and the noblest of Muhammadan demeanours on these pages. Each of them, whilst deeply devoted to his faith and showing mercy towards his brethren, was equally relentless against the enemies of the religion.

They shielded the Prophet ﷺ with their bodies, chests, faces, and even their eyes, thereby attaining lofty ranks, with many among them being martyred in battles against the infidels. Among these heroes is the venerable martyr, the pious and concealed warrior, Abu ^Abdi r-Rahman Zayd ibnu l-Khattab, the brother of the rightly guided and just Caliph, ^Umar ibnu l-Khattab, may Allah accept their deeds.

His Name and Lineage

He is the esteemed companion, Zayd ibnu l-Khattab ibnu Nufayl ibnu ^Abdi l-^Uzza ibnu Riyah ibnu ^Abdi l-Lah ibnu Qurt ibnu Razah ibnu ^Adiyy ibnu Ka^b ibnu Lu’ay al-Qurashiyy al-^Adawiyy, the brother of ^Umar ibnu l-Khattab from his father’s side. He was known as Abu ^Abd r-Rahman. His mother was ‘Asma’ bintu Wahb ibnu Habib from Banu ‘Asad tribe, and ^Umar’s mother was Hantamah bintu Hashim ibnu l-Mughirah al-Makhzumiyyah. Zayd was older than ^Umar and embraced Islam before him.

Zayd had a son named ^Abd r-Rahman, whose mother was Lubabah bintu Abi Lubabah ibnu ^Abdi l-Mundhir ibnu Rifa^ah ibnu Zubayr ibnu Zayd ibnu ‘Umayyah ibnu Zayd ibnu Malik ibn ^Awf ibnu ^Amir ibnu ^Awf. He also had a daughter named ‘Asma’, whose mother was Jamilah bintu Abi ^Amir ibnu Sayfiyy.

His Biography

Zayd ibnu l-Khattab, may Allah accept his deeds, was among the first to embrace Islam, preceding his brother ^Umar by approximately seven years. He was also among the early migrants and a warrior alongside the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ bonded him with Ma^n ibnu ^Adiyy Al-^Ajlaniyy when he bonded the Muhajirun and the ‘Ansar after arriving in Medina. Both were martyred at the Battle of Al-Yamamah, which occurred in Rabi^u l-‘Awwal in the twelfth year of Hijrah, during the caliphate of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq.

His Jihad

Zayd witnessed the battles of Badr, ‘Uhud, Al-Khandaq, and all other battles alongside the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He lived as a warrior with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, protecting him with his body, devoting his soul, and fighting with him, seeking martyrdom. On one occasion, his brother ^Umar ibnu l-Khattab said to him, "I swear upon you to wear my armour." He wore it but then took it off. ^Umar asked him, "What is the matter with you?" He replied, "I seek for myself what you seek for yourself, which is martyrdom."

This shows how the companions competed for jihad and martyrdom in the way of Allah. They had such strong faith that they did not resort to worldly means of protection in battle.

Zayd held the banner of the Muslims at the Battle of Al-Yamamah. He continued to advance with it into the enemy's frontlines and fought until he was killed. The banner fell and Salim, the freedman of ‘Abu Hudhayfah took it up.

Zayd ibnu l-Khattab was the one who killed Ar-Rajjal ibnu ^Unfuwah, whose name was Nahar ibnu ^Unfuwah. Ar-Rajjal had migrated and learned the Qur’an, but then he went to Musaylimah as an apostate, falsely claiming that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ include Musaylimah in his prophethood. He was a greater source of trial for some of Banu Hanifah than Musaylimah himself, because what he claimed was false testimony and lies, asserting that the Prophet  ﷺhad included Musaylimah with him in prophethood and messengership, may Allah protect us from such falsehood.

It is narrated from ‘Abu Hurayrah that he said: "I sat with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with less than ten people and Ar-Rajjal ibnu ^Unfuwa was with us. The Prophet ﷺ said, 'Indeed, among you is a man whose molar tooth in the fire will be as large as Mount ‘Uhud.' ‘Abu Hurayrah said, 'Everyone in the group died, except me and Ar-Rajjal ibnu ^Unfuwa. I was scared about this until Ar-Rajjal went out with Musaylimah and testified for his prophethood. Then, Zayd ibnu l-Khattab killed him at the Battle of Al-Yamamah.'"

His Martyrdom

He was martyred in Rabi^u l-‘Awwal in the twelfth year of Hijrah during the Battle of Al-Yamamah, one of the wars against apostasy. ^Umar grieved deeply for him, often saying, "The east wind never blows without bringing me the scent of Zayd."

The account of his martyrdom includes that he was carrying the banner of the Muslims on the day of the Battle of Al-Yamamah. The Muslims were pushed back until Banu Hanifah overpowered the Muslim encampments and infiltrated them. Zayd then said, "As for the camps, there are no camps, and as for the men, there are no men." He then cried out at the top of his voice, "O Allah, I apologise to You for the retreat of my companions, and I disavow what Musaylimah has brought." And he continued to press forward with the banner against the enemy, then he fought with his sword and battled as one seeking martyrdom until he was killed and the banner fell. Salim, the slave of ‘Abu Hudhayfah took it up. The Muslims said to him, "O Salim, we fear we may be attacked from your direction." He replied, "What a bad bearer of the Qur’an I would be if you were attacked from my side."

The one who killed Zayd was ‘Abu Maryam al-Hanafiyy. Some said it was Salamah ibnu Subayh, the cousin of Abu Maryam. Some historians prefer this view, and Allah knows best.

When ^Abdu l-Lah ibnu ^Umar returned to his father after Zayd was martyred, he said, "Zayd has died, and you are alive. Why do you not conceal your face from me?" ^Abdu l-Lah replied, "He sought martyrdom and was granted it while I strove to attain it, but it was not granted to me." ^Umar wept, saying, "May Allah have mercy on Zayd. He was better than me" meaning in a particular quality, or it was humility from Umar. Otherwise, ^Umar ibnu l-Khattab is the best of this nation after the Prophetﷺ and ‘Abu Bakr. "He preceded me to the two good things: he embraced Islam before me and was martyred before me."

From him, his nephew ^Abdu l-Lah ibnu ^Umar narrated the prohibition of killing the house snakes, and his son ^Abdu r-Rahman narrated two Hadiths.

Al-Faruq and the Killer of His Brother Zayd

Time passed, and ^Umar ibnu l-Khattab became the Caliph of the Muslims. During his caliphate, ‘Abu Maryam, the killer of Zayd ibnu l-Khattab, became a judge in Basra, as narrated by Ibnu Sa^d in the "Tabaqat" and others.

May Allah have mercy on Al-Faruq, Umar, the just ruler. This story is but a drop in the ocean of his justice that filled the horizons.

A Poignant Consolation for Al-Faruq for His Brother Zayd

As time passed, Al-Faruq remained sorrowful over his brother. One day, he met Mutammim ibnu Nuwayrah and said, "May Allah have mercy on Zayd ibnu l-Khattab. If I could compose poetry, I would weep for him as you wept for your brother." Mutammim replied, "O Commander of the Faithful if my brother had been killed at Al-Yamamah as your brother was, I would never have wept for him!" ^Umar was pleased with Mutammim’s words and said, "No one has consoled me for my brother as Mutammim has."

And Allah knows best, and He is the Wisest. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.

Sources

These matters are compiled and summarised from:

• "Siyaru A'lam an-Nubala" by Ibnu Kathir.
• "Al-‘Isabaty fi Tamyizi s-Sahabah" by Ibnu Hajar.
• "Al-Kamilu fi t-Tarikh" by Ibnu l-‘Athir.
• "Al-Bidayatu wa n-Nihayah" by Ibnu Kathir.
• "At-Tabaqatu l-Kubra" by Ibnu Sa^d.