his father, from his grandfather, who said:

“My father and Waraqah ibn Nawfal set out in search of the true faith. They journeyed until they reached Syria. There, Waraqah embraced Christianity, whereas Zayd was told, ‘The religion you seek lies ahead of you.’ He therefore continued on until he arrived in Mosul, where he met a monk. The monk asked, ‘From where has the rider come?’ Zayd replied, ‘From the House of Abraham.’ He asked, ‘What are you looking for?’ He answered, ‘Religion.’ The monk offered him Christianity, but Zayd refused while chanting:

‘At Your service in truth, in worship and humble submission;
I seek righteousness, not mere family ties—
The emigrant is unlike the one who only speaks.

I have sought refuge in what Abraham sought refuge in,
Facing the qiblah as he stood upright;
My humbled nose is pressed to You, O Allah—
Whatever burden You lay upon me, I shall bear.’

He would then fall down and prostrate himself toward the Kaʿbah.

“Zayd later passed by the Prophet ﷺ and Zayd ibn Ḥārithah while they were eating from a tray of food. They invited him to share it, but he said, ‘My dear nephew, I do not eat anything that has been slaughtered for the idols.’ From that day on, the Prophet ﷺ was never seen eating meat sacrificed for the idols until he was commissioned as a prophet.

“Afterwards, Saʿīd ibn Zayd came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, Zayd was just as you saw—or as you have heard—so ask forgiveness for him.’ He replied, ‘Yes. Seek forgiveness for him.’”