Chapter Six
Zayd’s Legacy
Some Names of Zayd’s Companions and Narrators
Imam Zayd left us with a wealth of enduring ideas. He drew on his blood and he inked them with his pen. His blood traced for us the road to freedom. He also left us with a community of first-rate disciples who went to faraway lands preaching deen as it is: not tainted by officials and not second to the status quo. Some of Zayd’s remarkable disciples and narrators were:
*Abu Khaled al-Waseti who was imprisoned until after Imam Zayd (AS) was killed.
*Abu Haneefah al-Nu‘man ibn Thabet who spent two years in the scholarly circle of Imam Zayd. About these two years Abu Haneefah says: “Had it not been for these two years I would have died down.”
*Shu‘bah ibn al-Hajjaj who used to preface his reference to Imam Zayd by saying: We were told by the incomparable of Hashemites.
*Mansur ibn al-Mu‘tamer an Imam and a hafez. He would go with Imam Zayd to the ‘ulema and call on them to be involved in the jihad with tears and watery eyes.
* ‘Uthman ibn ‘Umair Abu al-Yaqthan – the faqih.
*Isma‘il ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Suddi the well known mufassir (exegesist).
*Abu Hamzah Thabet ibn Dinar al-Thumali, he and his three sons went to the battlefield with Zayd.
* ‘Abdullah ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali otherwise known as al-Kamel.
*Harun ibn Sa‘d al-‘Ajali.
*Abu al-Jarud Ziyad ibn al-Munthir al-A‘ma.
*Jaber ibn Yazid al-Ja‘fi.
*Imam Yahya ibn Zayd (AS).
*Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Sadeq.
*Isma‘il ibn Abi Khaled al-Ahmasi… and others.[53]
His Books and Missives
He left us with a compilation of books and letters which are considered to be the first ever written books in the history of Islamic culture. Following are some of his works:
1- Majmu‘ al-Imam Zayd. In it are Zayd’s quotes and fiqhi discourses. It has been published under the title: Musnad al-Imam Zayd under the supervision of the eminent scholar ‘Abd al-Wase‘ ibn Yahya al-Wase‘i, may Allah bless him. We are in the process of reviewing and reproducing it with a new format.
2-Tafsir Gharib al-Quran, recently published and verified by Dr. Hasan Muhammad al-Hakim.
3- Manasek al-Hajj wa al-‘Umrah, printed in Baghdad.
4- Majmu‘ Rasa’el wa Kutub al-Imam Zayd. I have just finished reviewing and verifying it. It is now being printed. It contains the following:
a- Resalat al-Iman which explains the meaning of Iman and some details about the offenders who are people of the qiblah.
b-Resalat al-Safwah: it defines who Allah’s elites are, it also speaks about Ahl al-Bayt and how Allah chose them to guide people.
c-Resalat Madh al-Qillah wa Thamm al-Kathrah, this is a dialogue between Imam Zayd and people from al-Sham. In it he quotes many ayats from the Quran that hail the “minority” and assail the “majority.”
d- Resalat Tethbit al-Wasiyah: in it there is evidence that the Prophet (P) willed that ‘Ali (AS) be his successor.
e- Resalat Tethbit al-Imamah: in it there are admonitions that ‘Ali (AS) was the most qualified to lead after the Prophet’s death.
f- Resalat ela ‘ulema al-Ummah which is Zayd’s letter to the scholars of the ummah in which he calls on them to bear their responsibilities and support him in his revolution.
g- Resalat al-Radd ‘ala al-Mujberah: these are a few pages that express Zayd’s opinion about predetermination, meant to be a respond to extremist fatalists.
h- A Exchange between Zayd and people of al-Sham concerning the death of ‘Uthman and the minority vs. majority affair.
i- Al-Resalat al-Madaniyah: answers to questions he received from al-Madinah.
j- A compilation which includes some of Zayd’s dialogues, answers, sermons, poetry, missives, and short presentations.
k- Al-Resalat al-Shamiyah: answers by Imam Zayd to one of his companions questions from al-Sham.
l- An answer to Wasel ibn ‘Ata concerning the concept of Imamat.
m A collection of poetry attributed to Imam Zayd.
n A collection of du‘as related to Imam Zayd.
o- The tafsir (explanation) of Surat al-Fatihah
p- Meanings of some unclear verses in the Quran.
q – Manasek al-Hajj wa al-‘Umrah
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Closing
That was Imam Zayd ibn ‘Ali. A scholar and a knight. A leader and an ascetic. His lifetime is an open book and a discourse for action and movement. His personality is the prototype for people with an Islamic mission.
His was a life dedicated for the betterment of the ummah, full with honesty and altruism, all combined in one character.
He fell as a martyr for us, future generations. He wanted us to have the values and concepts embedded in true Islam and not the Islam of forgery and contamination.
He did not want us to receive a contorted Islam; he saw to it that his blood was shed and his body was mutilated for us to obtain a fresh Islam.
It behooves us to be appreciative of Imam Zayd’s sacrifices by moving forward in the same direction he did, to preserve our impeccable Islam. He was interested in having the Muslims draw from the source of Islamic knowledge and the Islamic model of behavior which Allah’s Prophet (P) offered us all. Be faithful. Keep the faith, and do not disparage their sacrifices and their heritage.
Allah remains our source of inspiration and our guide. All thanks are due to Him the Lord and Sustainer of the universe. And may His peace and blessings be upon Muhammad and his pure and polite progeny.
