A—Who Is Imam Zayd

He is Zayd ibn ʿAlī , son of the Master of the worshippers ʿAlī ibn al-H usayn, son of the martyr, the Master of the youth of Paradise al-H usayn, son of the Master of the Arabs, the Commander of the Faithful ʿAlī ibn Abī T a lib (Peace be Upon Them). Beneath his lineage lies the cleaving of the radiant dawn—rather, the very rays of the sun and the moon. His forefathers were all masters, by the explicit statement of the Messenger (May Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace).
As for his father, ʿAlī ibn al-H usayn (Peace be Upon Him), it is narrated regarding him from the Prophet (May Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace) that he said: “If it is the Day of Resurrection, a caller will call out: Let the Master of the worshippers arise; so ʿAlī ibn al-H usayn will arise.”
As for his grandfather, al-H usayn (Peace be Upon Him), he is the Master of the youth of Paradise, as has been transmitted in the reports from the Master of mankind (May Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace).
As for ʿAlī ibn Abī T a lib (Peace be Upon Him), he is the Master of the Arabs, as we have narrated from the Prophet (May Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace) that a man said to him: “O Master of the Arabs,” so he said (May Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace): “I am the Master of the children of Adam, and ʿAlī is the Master of the Arabs.”
This, then, is the lofty lineage and the precious, surpassing essence. And some of them have said:
I hope that my Lord will grant me the utmost of my hope, Through love of Zayd ibn ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī.
His mother was a bondwoman whose name was Jayda . Al-Mukhta r ibn Abī ʿUbayd purchased her for thirty thousand dirhams and said: “I do not see anyone more entitled to you than ʿAlī ibn al-H usayn (Peace be Upon Him),” so he sent her to him. When she reached him, he presented her to one of his sons; and whenever one of them grew up, he would purchase bondwomen for them. When she perceived this, she said: “I want the shaykh,” so he retained her (Peace be Upon Him) for himself. And it is narrated from him (Peace be Upon Him) that one day he awoke and said to his companions: “I saw the Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace) last night; he took my hand, admitted me into Paradise, and married me to a h u rī , and I consummated the marriage with her, and she conceived. Then the Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace) called out to me: ‘O ʿAlī , name the child born from her Zayd.’ We had not yet risen when al-Mukhta r sent the mother of Zayd, having purchased her for thirty thousand.”
It is also narrated that ʿAlī ibn al-H usayn (Peace be Upon Him), when he prayed the dawn prayer, would not speak until the sun had risen. They came to him on the day Zayd was born and gave him the glad tidings after the dawn prayer. He turned to his companions and said: “What do you think I should name this newborn?” Each of them said: “Name him such-and-such.” He said: “O boy, bring me the Mus h af.” They brought the Mus h af and placed it in his lap. He opened it and looked at the first verse on the page, and there was: “Allah has preferred the strivers over those who sit back with a tremendous reward” [Al-Nisāʾ: 95]. Then he closed it, then opened it a second time and looked at the first verse on the page: “Indeed Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their wealth in exchange for Paradise: they fight in the way of Allah, so they kill and are killed—a true promise binding upon Him in the Torah, the Gospel, and the Qur’an. And who is more faithful to his covenant than Allah?” [Al-Tawbah: 111]. He said: “By Allah, he is Zayd,” so he was named Zayd. … And his birth (Peace be Upon Him) was in the year seventy-five