Question:

Is the author of the work “Musnad Zaid” one of the followers of Umar?

Answer:

The author of the book writes:

,,It is narrated that Abu Al-Khattab and a group entered to Imam Zaid. They asked him about his belief, whereupon he said: ,,I distance myself before God from the comparers who compare God with His creation and from those who deny the free will and attribute their sins to God and from the postponers who desire to excuse the wrongdoers from God and from the apostates, who declare the Commander of the Faithful, Ali Ibn Abi Talib, to be a disbeliever and from the rejecters (rafidah) who declare Abu Bakr and Umar to be disbelievers.” So this is the pure belief from the people of righteousness as professed by the one who uses his reason and intellect.” [Musnad Zaid, page 9]

وروى أن أبا الخطاب وجماعة دخلوا على الإمام زيد فسألوه عن مذهبه فقال إني أبرأ إلى الله من المشبهة الذين شبهوا الله بخلقه ومن المجبرة الذين حملوا ذنوبهم على الله، ومن المرجئة الذين طمعوا الفساق في عفو الله، ومن المارقة الذين كفروا أمير المؤمنين علي بن أبي طالب، ومن الرافضة الذين كفروا أبا بكر وعمر. وهذا هو عين مذهب أهل العدل كما يعترف به من كان ذا فهم وعقل

,,In the historical work of Al-Yafi’i, it says that a large group came to Zaid when he was about to go out. They said to him: ,,Renounce Abu Bakr and Umar so that we will swear allegiance to you!” He said: ,,I do not renounce those two.” They said: ,,Then we reject you.” He said: ,,Get out of here, for you are the rejecters (rafidah)!” So at that time they were called the rejecters (Rafidah) and his followers were those, who professed Abu Bakr and Umar and they were called the Zaidites.” [Musnad Zaid, page 11]

وفي تاريخ اليافعي لما خرج زيد، أتته طائفة كبيرة قالوا له: تبرأ من أبي بكر وعمر حتى نبايعك. فقال: لا أتبرأ منهما. فقالوا: اذن نرفضك. قال: اذهبوا فأنتم الرافضة. فمن ذلك الوقت سموا رافضة وتبعته التي تولت أبا بكر وعمر وسميت الزيدية

,,Zaid ibn Ali narrated to me from his father, who narrated from his grandfather, that Ali, God be pleased with them, said: ,,There is no marriage except with a guardian and two witnesses. Neither do you conclude it for two dirhams nor for two days, which is like the fornication and there is no condition for marriage.” Zaid Ibn Ali narrated to me from his father, who narrated from his grandfather, that Ali, God be pleased with them, said: ,,The Messenger, God bless him and grant him prosperity, has forbidden the marriage for a limited time (Mut’ah) in the year of the Battle of Khaibar.” [Musnad Zaid, page 271]

حدثني زيد بن علي عن ابيه عن جده عن علي رضي الله عنهم قال: لا نكاح الا بولي وشاهدين ليس بالدرهم ولا بالدرهمين ولا اليوم ولا اليومين شبه السفاح ولا شرط في نكاح. حدثني زيد بن علي عن ابيه عن جده عن علي رضي الله عنهم قال: نهى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عن نكاح المتعة عام خيبر