You Are the One
Despite the precautions, Hazrat Ali’s رضي الله عنه father came to know that he had accepted Islam. So he asked Hazrat Ali رضي الله عنه about it.
Upon hearing his father’s question, Hazrat Ali رضي الله عنه said:
“Dear father! I have believed in Allah and His Messenger, and I have affirmed the truth of everything that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has brought. Therefore, I have entered his religion and have adopted his way of following him.”
Upon hearing this, Abu Talib said:
“As for him (that is, Muhammad ﷺ), he will not lead you to anything except goodness. Therefore, never leave his side.”
Abu Talib would often say:
“I know that whatever my nephew says is the truth. If I did not fear that the women of Quraysh would taunt and shame me, I would certainly have accepted following him.”
‘Afif al-Kindi رضي الله عنه was a merchant. He relates:
“Long before I accepted Islam, I once came for Hajj. I went to Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib to purchase some merchandise for trade. He was my friend and would often bring perfumes from Yemen and sell them in Makkah during the Hajj season.
I was sitting with him in Mina when a young man came.
He gazed carefully toward the setting sun. When he saw that the sun had set, he performed ablution very carefully and then began to pray, facing the Kaaba.
Then a boy came who was approaching the age of maturity. He performed ablution and stood beside the young man and began to pray.
Then a woman came out of the tent and stood behind them, intending to pray with them.
After that, when the young man bowed into ruku‘, the boy and the woman also bowed.
When the young man went into prostration, both of them also went into prostration.
Seeing this scene, I asked Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib:
‘Abbas! What is happening?’
He told me:
‘This is the religion of the son of my brother, Abdullah. Muhammad ﷺ claims that Allah Almighty has sent him as a prophet.
This boy is my nephew, Ali ibn Abi Talib, and this woman is Muhammad’s ﷺ wife, Khadijah.’”
After ‘Afif al-Kindi رضي الله عنه became a Muslim, he used to say:
“I wish that I had been the fourth person among them at that time.”
At the time of this incident, Hazrat Zayd ibn Harithah and Hazrat Abu Bakr al-Siddiq رضي الله عنهما were probably not present there, although both of them had already accepted Islam by that time.
Hazrat Zayd ibn Harithah رضي الله عنه was the first among the slaves to accept Islam.
He was the freed slave of the Noble Prophet ﷺ. Previously, he had been the slave of Sayyidah Khadijah رضي الله عنها.
After her marriage, she gave Zayd ibn Harithah رضي الله عنه to the Prophet ﷺ as a gift.
How he became a slave is also worth hearing.
During the Age of Ignorance, his mother was taking him to visit her parents when the caravan was attacked and looted.
The robbers also took her son, Zayd ibn Harithah رضي الله عنه.
He was then brought to the fair of ‘Ukaz to be sold.
Meanwhile, Sayyidah Khadijah رضي الله عنها had sent Hakim ibn Hizam رضي الله عنه to the fair.
She wanted to purchase a slave.
Hakim ibn Hizam رضي الله عنه was her nephew.
When Hakim ibn Hizam رضي الله عنه arrived at the fair, he saw Zayd ibn Harithah رضي الله عنه being sold.
At that time, Zayd was eight years old.
Hakim ibn Hizam رضي الله عنه liked him, so he purchased him for Sayyidah Khadijah رضي الله عنها.
Sayyidah Khadijah رضي الله عنها also liked him and took him into her possession as a slave.
Then she gifted him to the Noble Prophet ﷺ.
In this way, Hazrat Zayd ibn Harithah رضي الله عنه became the slave of the Prophet ﷺ.
Then, when the Prophet ﷺ invited people toward Islam, he immediately believed in him ﷺ.
Later, the Prophet ﷺ freed him, but Zayd remained in the service of the Prophet ﷺ throughout his life.
His father had been searching for him for a long time.
Someone told him that Zayd had been seen in Makkah.
His father and uncle immediately set out for Makkah al-Mukarramah to bring him back.
When they reached Makkah, they came into the presence of the Prophet ﷺ and told him that Zayd was their son.
After hearing the entire matter, the Prophet ﷺ said:
“You may ask Zayd. If he wishes to go with you, I have no objection. And if he wishes to remain here with me, then that is his choice.”
When Zayd رضي الله عنه was asked, he preferred to remain with the Noble Prophet ﷺ.
Upon this, his father said:
“May you come to harm, Zayd! You are choosing slavery over freedom.”
Hazrat Zayd رضي الله عنه replied:
“Yes! Compared with him, I can never choose anyone else.”
When the Prophet ﷺ heard these words from Hazrat Zayd رضي الله عنه, he immediately went to the Black Stone and announced:
“From today onward, Zayd is my son.”
His father and uncle became disappointed.
However, the Noble Prophet ﷺ gave them permission to come and meet Zayd whenever they wished.
Therefore, they continued to come to visit him.
So this was Hazrat Zayd ibn Harithah رضي الله عنه, who was the first among the slaves to accept Islam.
Hazrat Zayd رضي الله عنه is the only Companion whose name has been mentioned explicitly in the Holy Qur’an.