BEARER OF GOODNESS

Zayd ibn Muhalhil was born in Najd before the advent of Islam. He was a poet and also earned fame as a swordsman and skilled horseman. Because of this, he came to be known as Zayd al-Khayl—“Zayd of the Horses.” In Arabic, khayl refers to horses and horsemen.

Before he met with the Prophet, he composed a stirring poem that praised horsemanship and swordsmanship. About his tribe, he wrote:

“My people are the leaders of men, and the leader is the one who steps forward when war is ignited by blazing hands.”

(Wa qawmī ruʾūsu al-nāsi wa al-raʾsu qāʾidu / idhā al-ḥarbu shabbath-hā al-akuffu al-musāʿiru)

After the Prophet migrated to Madinah, Zayd came to meet him and, inspired by his message, chose to join his company. The Prophet, however, did not prefer the name Zayd al-Khayl—al-khayl at the time, connoting pride and warfare — so he renamed him Zayd al-Khayr, meaning “Zayd of Goodness.” Zayd passed away in Madinah in the year 9 AH.

This incident reflects the ethos of Islam. The purpose of Islam is not to nurture “Zayd, the Horseman” but to nurture “Zayd, the Man of Goodness”. In pre-Islamic Arab society, valour in horse-riding and swordsmanship was seen as the essence of heroism. The Prophet of Islam rechannelled this spirit, giving people a new aspiration: to become bearers of goodness, to achieve greatness through virtue, and to offer life to others—not the threat of death.

In contemporary terms, one might say that the central aim of Islam is to cultivate creative human beings. Faith in God awakens a person’s creative faculties. Such a person becomes renewed—their thinking rises above the ordinary, their character surpasses conventional standards, and they walk the earth as a soul touched by the divine.

The believer’s mission is not to become “Zayd of the Horses”, but “Zayd of Goodness”. This is the essence of a true believing personality.