Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah

How old was Usamah ibn Zayd (radhiyAllah ‘anhu)when the Messenger of Allah appointed him as the commander of the army and instructed him to go to Shāam?

· 25 Jumada II 1435 AH1 min readFatwa 29010English

Question

Is it aunthentic that usamah bin zaid was 18 years old youth when the prophet ordered him to command an army in Ghazwah? Which ghazwah was this? Was usamah the adopted son of the prophet?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

‘Allāmah Ibn al-‘Athīr writes, “The Messenger of Allah e appointed Usmāh ibn Zayd as the commander of the army at the age of 18.” He further writes, “As for Usāmah ibn Zayd, the Messenger of Allah appointed him as the commander of the army and instructed him to go to Shām.”[1]

Although Usamāh (radhiyAllah ‘anhu) was not the adopted son of Rasūlullah e, he was the son of Zayd ibn Hāritha (radhiyAllah ‘anhu), who was the adopted son of Rasūlullah e.[2]

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Muntasir Zaman

Student Darul Iftaa
USA

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

References (Arabic / Urdu sources)

[1] أسد الغابة ط العلمية (1/ 194)

واستعمله النَّبِيّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وهو ابن ثماني عشرة سنة.... وأما أسامة، فإن النَّبِيّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ استعمله عَلَى جيش

[2] روح المعاني (11/ 146)

..... قال له زيد: ما أنا بمختار عليك أحدا أبدا أنت معي بمكان الوالد والعم قال أبوه وعمه: أيا زيد أتختار العبودية؟ قال: ما أنا بمفارق هذا الرجل فلما رأى رسول الله صلّى الله تعالى عليه وسلم حرصه عليه قال: اشهدوا أنه حر وأنه ابني يرثني وأرثه

Answered by
Muntasir Zaman
Checked & approved by
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
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Source: Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah — https://askimam.org/public/question_detail/29010
Fatawa SA: https://fatawa.co.za/fatwa/askimam-29010

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