In the last four or five expeditions, the command of Zaid bin Ḥārithah(ra) has been mentioned. Our readers are aware that he was a freed slave, and prior to the revelation of the Qur’ānic injunction, the Holy Prophet(sa) had made him his son. Until his demise, which occurred in 8 A.H., the Holy Prophet(sa) sent him as the commander of many expeditions, and many great companions were kept under his command. After his demise, the Holy Prophet(sa) had a special love for his son, Usāmah(ra). Therefore, most of the companions thought that no one could speak to the Holy Prophet(sa) with as much frankness and freedom as Usāmah(ra) could. The Holy Prophet(sa) sent Usāmah(ra) on numerous expeditions as a commander as well, and various great companions served under him. When various newly educated Muslims objected to this, on account of the genealogy of Usāmah(ra), the Holy Prophet(sa) was very displeased. The Holy Prophet(sa) responded saying, “Prior to Usāmah, you have already objected to the commandership of Zaid as well, but only natural worthiness is taken into account by Islām. By God, as Zaid was worthy of commandership, so is his son, Usāmah, worthy of commandership and I love both of them dearly.”1 The companions bowed their necks before this prophetic proclamation, which was the conveyor of Islām’s true equality. Furthermore, they realised that for someone to be a slave or the son of a slave, or to be from an apparently lower class, could not become the means of hindrance in his path to success, according to Islām. In every case, the actual standard (for success) is based on fear of Allāh and natural worthiness.
1 Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābu Faḍā’ili Aṣḥābin-Nabiyyi(sa), Bābu Manāqibi Zaid-ibni Ḥārithata..., Ḥadīth No. 3730
Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 3, pp. 26-27, Aṭ-Ṭabaqatul-Ūlā ‘Alas- Sābiqati Fil-Islāmi Mim-Mann Shahida Badran/Dhikru Zaidil-Ḥibbi, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)
Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 4, pp. 352-353, Aṭ-Ṭabaqith-Thāniyatu Minal-Muhājirina Wal-Anṣār/Usāmatu Al-Ḥibb-ubnu Zaidin, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)