Zaid was enslaved as a young child. He was brought to Mecca and given as a present to Muhammad the prophet. He was treated so well by Muhammad that when his father located him and tried to redeem him he preferred to stay with Muhammad, who then freed him and adopted him.
His name was changed to Zain bin Muhammad, and he was made one of his father's generals. He was commander of the army during the Ghazwa of Mu'tah. Muhammad's marriage to Zainab (who was Zaid's divorced wife) has been the cause of considerable controversy inside and outside Islam.