Zayd ibn Arqam

Zayd ibn Arqam ibn Zayd ibn Qays ibn al-Nu'man al-Khazraji; his kunya is disputed — said to be Abu Amr or Abu Amir ¹.

He was judged too young on the day of Uhud; his first battle was the Trench — or it is said al-Muraysi'. He campaigned with the Prophet seventeen campaigns, established in the Sahih ¹.

Ibn Ishaq said: Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr told me from some of his people, from Zayd ibn Arqam, who said: I was an orphan in Abdullah ibn Rawaha's care, and he took me out with him riding behind him — meaning to Mu'ta ¹. His mention recurs in the Mu'ta campaign.

It was he who heard Abdullah ibn Ubayy say what the Qur'an relates in Surat al-Munafiqun: al-Munafiqun 8. He told the Prophet, who asked Abdullah, who denied it — and God sent down confirmation of Zayd; the Prophet said to him: "God has confirmed you, Zayd". This is established in the two Sahihs ¹.

He has many hadiths, and also accounts from Ali; from him related Anas in writing, Abu al-Tufayl, Abu Uthman al-Nahdi, Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Layla, Abd Khayr and Tawus ¹. Abu al-Minhal said: I asked al-Bara' about exchange and he said: ask Zayd ibn Arqam, for he is better than me and more learned ¹.

He witnessed Siffin with Ali and died at Kufa in al-Mukhtar's days, year sixty-six — or it is said sixty-eight ¹.