Harithah’s Poem and Search for Zayd

Zayd’s father, Harithah, was overcome with grief and wept for him: “I wept for Zayd, not knowing what had become of him: is he alive, so that he may be hoped for, or has death overtaken him? By Allah, I do not know, though I keep asking: did the plain destroy you, or the mountain? I wish I knew whether you might someday return; of this world, your return to me would suffice. The sun reminds me of him at its rising, and his memory comes to mind when it sets. When the winds blow, they stir his remembrance; how long my grief and fear for him endure! I will urge my camels across the land with all my strength and will not tire of travelling, nor let the camels tire, for as long as I live or death comes to me; every person will perish, even if hope deceives him.”

Harithah later came to the Messenger, who told Zayd that he could stay or go with his father. Zayd chose to remain with the Messenger. He stayed with him until Allah sent him as a Prophet; Zayd affirmed him and accepted Islam.

The commentary explains the poem’s terms for being destroyed, enough, sunset, the winds, fear, and the swift pace of camels. Al-Suhayli records additional lines in which Harithah entrusts Zayd to his relatives. Another report gives a verse attributed to Zayd expressing longing for his family. The variants are preserved as reports rather than merged into the poem.