Said ibn Zayd

Said ibn Zayd (593-673 CE) was one of the ten companions promised Paradise (al-Asharah al-Mubasharah) and among the earliest converts to Islam. He was the son of Zayd ibn Amr ibn Nufayl, who was a hanif (monotheist) in the pre-Islamic period and had rejected the idolatry of the Quraysh in favor of the religion of Ibrahim, dying before the Prophet's mission began. The Prophet said of Said's father that he would be raised as a nation unto himself on the Day of Judgment.

Said and his wife Fatimah bint al-Khattab (the sister of Umar ibn al-Khattab) were among the first to accept Islam. Their home was a center for early Muslims in Mecca, and it was at their house that Umar came intending to confront them about their faith. Upon hearing the recitation of Surah Taha, Umar's heart was softened and he converted to Islam, one of the most pivotal moments in early Islamic history. Said thus played an indirect but critical role in one of Islam's most important conversions.

Said participated in the battles of Uhud, the Trench, and all subsequent campaigns. He was absent from the Battle of Badr only because the Prophet had sent him on a reconnaissance mission. He fought in the conquests of Syria and Iraq during the caliphate of Umar and Uthman. He was a humble and pious man who avoided political involvement during the civil strife (fitnah) that followed Uthman's assassination. He died in Medina in 51 AH (673 CE) and is buried in al-Baqi cemetery.