In the aftermath of my cycling trip to the CBD, I shall tell you a bit about the other inspirational Zayed - Zayed ibn Thabit.
The Qur'an that we recite today can be largely attributed to the efforts of Zayed ibn Thabit. This is the achievement I remember him most for. But first, a little about his early days.
Zayed was from Medina, and hence an Ansar (helper) to the Muhajirun from Mecca. He embraced Islam at the age of 11 with his tribe members.
In the nascent days of Islam, when Muslims comprised a small community of believers who felt the divine power in their hearts, and also directly through the Prophet s.a.w., many other groups were preparing to attack and destroy Muslims. The Muslim community seemed like a threat as, among other things, Islam empowered the weak and uprooted the old social order, namely in terms of rejecting false gods and implementing new forms of civilised behavior. Under the constant threat of warfare, the Muslims were always on "standby mode" to group and attack enemy forces at the command of the Prophet. Fighting in the army was not just about fighting for a nation or country with loved ones - it was about fighting for God to uphold his Message, the Universal Truth, in the face of untruth and rebellion. One would earn immense grace and reward from God if he were to fight in the path of God (or fee sabilillah).
Zayed tried at the age of 13 to get into the Muslim army, and again at age 14 and 15, because he so badly wanted to contribute to the Muslim community and earn the pleasure of God and His Prophet. But the Prophet smiled and declined his advances to join the army, as he was too young.
Finally, at the historic Battle of the Trench, where the Muslim community was besieged from within and without, Zayed was enlisted and he performed his duties.
But Zayed is not known as a soldier - he is known as a scholar. While waiting for his chance to join the army, Zayed developed his mind. He memorised the Qur'an, through which he obtained piercing insights. He learned foreign languages quickly, such as Syriac and Hebrew, and became one of the Prophet's scribes when writing letters to foreign leaders. He was also the interpreter for the Prophet when dealing with non-Arabic peoples.
Th Qur'an was revealed bit by bit, according to situations the Muslims faced during their first 23 years. Although many companions memorised the Qur'an, a fair number of them wrote it down in parchments and other material. Zayed was the one who compiled all these pieces of parchment in the order that the Qur'an was to be arranged, under the supervision of the Prophet s.a.w. himself.
After the passing of the Prophet s.a.w., a fierce battle was fought against a certain army whose leader was an imposter claiming to be a Prophet. This was not even a major battle, but it took the lives of many outstanding Muslims who had memorised the Qur'an. Umar Al-Khattab r.a. realised the need to consolidate all the pieces of text into a singular book, and convinced then-Caliph Abu Bakr Siddique r.a. to do so. Abu Bakr Siddique r.a. appointed Zayed ibn Thabit to do this job.
Understandably, Zayed was under pressure - the job of compiling the words of God was not something you did everyday. He tracked down every parchment, scroll, whatever people wrote on, and dug deep into the memories of men and verified and verified again the Qur'an.
At last, the job was completed, and to make a long story short, it is the version we have in our hands today.
Zayed was indeed a blessed companion who was given the responsibility and proportionate fortitude to compile the Holy Book. Truly, a warrior who fought for God in his destined way.
And thus we hope that our son takes after the scholarly characteristics of Zayed ibn Thabit, and does his din and mankind a service most pleasing to God.
The Qur'an that we recite today can be largely attributed to the efforts of Zayed ibn Thabit. This is the achievement I remember him most for. But first, a little about his early days.
Zayed was from Medina, and hence an Ansar (helper) to the Muhajirun from Mecca. He embraced Islam at the age of 11 with his tribe members.
In the nascent days of Islam, when Muslims comprised a small community of believers who felt the divine power in their hearts, and also directly through the Prophet s.a.w., many other groups were preparing to attack and destroy Muslims. The Muslim community seemed like a threat as, among other things, Islam empowered the weak and uprooted the old social order, namely in terms of rejecting false gods and implementing new forms of civilised behavior. Under the constant threat of warfare, the Muslims were always on "standby mode" to group and attack enemy forces at the command of the Prophet. Fighting in the army was not just about fighting for a nation or country with loved ones - it was about fighting for God to uphold his Message, the Universal Truth, in the face of untruth and rebellion. One would earn immense grace and reward from God if he were to fight in the path of God (or fee sabilillah).
Zayed tried at the age of 13 to get into the Muslim army, and again at age 14 and 15, because he so badly wanted to contribute to the Muslim community and earn the pleasure of God and His Prophet. But the Prophet smiled and declined his advances to join the army, as he was too young.
Finally, at the historic Battle of the Trench, where the Muslim community was besieged from within and without, Zayed was enlisted and he performed his duties.
But Zayed is not known as a soldier - he is known as a scholar. While waiting for his chance to join the army, Zayed developed his mind. He memorised the Qur'an, through which he obtained piercing insights. He learned foreign languages quickly, such as Syriac and Hebrew, and became one of the Prophet's scribes when writing letters to foreign leaders. He was also the interpreter for the Prophet when dealing with non-Arabic peoples.
Th Qur'an was revealed bit by bit, according to situations the Muslims faced during their first 23 years. Although many companions memorised the Qur'an, a fair number of them wrote it down in parchments and other material. Zayed was the one who compiled all these pieces of parchment in the order that the Qur'an was to be arranged, under the supervision of the Prophet s.a.w. himself.
After the passing of the Prophet s.a.w., a fierce battle was fought against a certain army whose leader was an imposter claiming to be a Prophet. This was not even a major battle, but it took the lives of many outstanding Muslims who had memorised the Qur'an. Umar Al-Khattab r.a. realised the need to consolidate all the pieces of text into a singular book, and convinced then-Caliph Abu Bakr Siddique r.a. to do so. Abu Bakr Siddique r.a. appointed Zayed ibn Thabit to do this job.
Understandably, Zayed was under pressure - the job of compiling the words of God was not something you did everyday. He tracked down every parchment, scroll, whatever people wrote on, and dug deep into the memories of men and verified and verified again the Qur'an.
At last, the job was completed, and to make a long story short, it is the version we have in our hands today.
Zayed was indeed a blessed companion who was given the responsibility and proportionate fortitude to compile the Holy Book. Truly, a warrior who fought for God in his destined way.
And thus we hope that our son takes after the scholarly characteristics of Zayed ibn Thabit, and does his din and mankind a service most pleasing to God.
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