Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 517
! ! 517 had liberated. After being freed, Ha z rat Zaid ra did not wish t o leave the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa. Haz rat Zaid ’s ra uncle and father came to take him back. They requested the Holy Prophet sa to allow Haz rat Zaid ra to accompany them back home. H is mother had lost her eyesight [due to her] crying for him. The Holy Prophet sa said he had already set Haz rat Zaid ra free , and he gladly permitted him to go with them. He sent for Haz rat Zaid ra and told him that his father and uncle had come to take him back with them and he should go. The reality was that Haz rat Zaid ra was from a free family. When he was younger, Christian robbers had kidnapped him. After being repeatedly sold from place to place , he was finally bought by Ha z rat Khadija h ra. When the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa married Haz rat Khadija h ra , she dedicated th is slave to him , and the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa freed him. Haz rat Zaid ’s ra father asked the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa , “Take as much money as you wish and release Zaid ra. ” The Holy Prophet sa replied, “I h ave already freed him , and you have my full permission to take Zaid ra back with you. ” The Holy Prophet Muhammad sa told Haz rat Zaid ra , “Your parents are devastated due to their separation from you therefore you should go with them. ” Haz rat Zaid ra replied , “You may have freed me, but I do not consider myself to be free. I am not ready to leave you under any condition and you are dearer to me than my parents. ” P ointing to himself , he then stated, “I love my mother so very much. Give her my salaam but tell her that my love for the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa is greater than my love for her. ” When Haz rat Zaid ra gave this response to his father , the Holy Prophet Muhammad ’s sa heart filled with such love, that he stood and announced: “ O P eople , listen ! F rom today on , Zaid ra is my son. ” At that time, the tradition of mutab a nna [ C ustom of considering the adopted son to be one’s actual son in all respects ] was still permitted and was not yet forbidden. The Holy Prophet Muhammad sa appointed Haz rat Zaid ra to be the officer to lead the army as I mentioned above. However, along with this , he also stated, “I appoint Haz rat Zaid ra to be the leader of this army , but if he dies in battle then Haz rat Jaffar ra will take over and if he is killed, then Haz rat Abdullah Bin Rawah ra w ill lead them. I f he is also killed, then who m ever the Muslims agree