By Adil Salahi
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) valued all his Companions, recognising them as people of honesty, integrity, and good judgment.
Had they been otherwise, they would not have defied the world around them by accepting Islam.
They were the ones who stood by his side, supporting him in all situations. Those who joined his call in its early days earned an even higher position of distinction. The Prophet was very loyal to all his Companions, but those who were quick to respond to his call claimed a greater share of his love. One of these was Zaid ibn Harithah.
As a child, Zaid was kidnapped from his tribe’s quarters by some attacking group, and sold as a young slave by one master after another, until he was taken by an uncle of Lady Khadijah, the Prophet’s first wife. This took place long before he started to receive God’s revelations.
Lady Khadijah was given Zaid as a gift by her uncle, and she gifted him again to her husband, Muhammad (PBUH), after she married him. Zaid’s father looked for his son’s whereabouts and came to Makkah to buy him back. The Prophet made a counter offer of giving Zaid back to his father for free if Zaid wished to go back with him.
But Zaid opted for staying with his master, Muhammad (PBUH). His father was amazed by his act, but Zaid told him that he had seen certain qualities in Prophet that made him unwilling to change his situation with him for any other. Impressed, the Prophet announced his adoption of Zaid. Yet Zaid’s father was happy with this arrangement and left Makkah to go back home. Zaid was a favourite of the Prophet, and reciprocated his feelings.
Later, when the Islamic revelations started, he was, according to some authentic reports, the first man to embrace Islam. He continued to be called as Zaid ibn Muhammad until the prohibition of adoption, at which point he reverted to his original name.
Lady Aishah, the Prophet’s wife, reported: “Zaid ibn Harithah arrived back in Madinah when the Prophet was in my home. He came over and knocked. The Prophet immediately got up to open, putting on his robes, as he was undressed. By God, I never saw him undressed before or after this incident. He embraced Zaid and kissed him.” (Tirmidhi, 47)
It is clear that Zaid was away from Madinah, perhaps on a mission or an expedition. When he came back, he went immediately to Aishah’s home to report his duty to the Prophet.
We can note how eager the Prophet was to receive him. He would not wait to put on his robe, but he walked as he was wearing it, so that he would not be slow to open the door for Zaid even by one or two seconds.
A different hadith that shows the Prophet’s appreciation of people’s attitudes is reported by Anas ibn Malik who says: This hadith clearly expresses the Prophet’s gratitude to the Ansar for having fulfilled their commitments
The Prophet went out once when he was angry. He was met by some children and servants belonging to the Ansar (Muslims of Madinah). These were certainly not among the elders of the Ansar. He said to them:
“By Him who holds my soul in His hand, I do love you.”
He repeated this twice or three times. He then said: “The Ansar have fulfilled their commitments, and you still have to fulfill yours. Therefore, be kind to anyone of them who does well and overlook the actions of anyone who does badly.” (Ahmad)
This hadith clearly expresses the Prophet’s gratitude to the Ansar for having fulfilled their commitments to him when they pledged their support and loyalty to him shortly before Muslims of Makkah began to immigrate to Madinah.
He told those immigrants among his Companions that they should fulfill their commitments, and he told them how. The mention of the Prophet’s anger at the beginning of this hadith simply refers to his state at that particular moment; it has nothing to do with what comes after it.
The Prophet’s appreciation of his Companions’ loyalty is also seen in the following hadith reported by Anas ibn Malik: “If God’s Messenger noticed that anyone of his Companions was missing for three days, he would inquire after him. If he were told that the man was away, he would pray for him, but if he were not away, the Prophet would go and visit him. If he learned that he was ill, he would also pay him a visit.” (Al Suyuti)
This is a clear example of how far the Prophet took care of his community. He would mark the absence of any person, if it continued more than three days, he would inquire after him by asking the absentee’s immediate friends and relatives. Should he learn that the man was away, he would pray for him. Normally the Prophet’s Companions would take leave of him before they travelled. But some might occasionally not do so, particularly if they felt that their absence would not be long.
Otherwise, the Prophet would go and visit an absent Companion if he was not away. Paying such a visit would certainly be very pleasant to the absentee, because the Prophet would then be his guest. He would also visit any Companion who was taken ill. Although the action is the same in both situations, a visit to an ill person is somewhat different. When we visit a sick person, we do not prolong our stay. On the other hand, a visit to someone who is free of illness may take longer, because there is no possibility of anyone feeling uncomfortable by such a visit.
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