Usama ibn Zayd

Usāmah ibn Zayd رضي الله عنه was the son of Zayd ibn Ḥārithah and Umm Ayman. He was literally born in the household of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, his parents were both servants there, and grew up as a child of that household. The companions would go to him when they needed the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to grant something, saying "You are the Ḥibbu an-Nabiyy, the beloved of the Prophet; he never refuses you." They called him the beloved of the beloved.

After his father Zayd was martyred at the Battle of Muʾtah, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم appointed Usāmah to lead the next campaign against the Byzantines, even though he was only about sixteen or seventeen. When the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم died before the army departed, ʿUmar argued for replacing Usāmah given the crisis of the apostasy wars. Abū Bakr refused: "How could I remove someone the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم appointed?" The army of Usāmah marched.

ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb gave Usāmah a higher stipend than his own son ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar, and when ʿAbdullāh complained, ʿUmar said: "Because Usāmah was more beloved to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم than you, and his father was more beloved to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم than I was."