It is narrated from Sayyiduna Usama bin Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him) that Sayyiduna Ja'far, Sayyiduna Ali, and Sayyiduna Zaid bin Harithah gathered together. Sayyiduna Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah loves me the most among you. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah loves me the most among you. And Sayyiduna Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him) also said: The Messenger of Allah loves me more than all of you. Then they all said: Let us go to the Messenger of Allah, so all of them sought permission to present themselves before the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Usama, go outside and see who they are. He informed: It is Sayyiduna Ja'far, Sayyiduna Ali, and Sayyiduna Zaid. I did not say that it was my father (note that Sayyiduna Zaid was the father of Sayyiduna Usama). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Allow them to come in. So they came and asked: Who among us do you love the most? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Fatimah. They said: We are asking you about the men. He said: O Ja'far! Your appearance resembles mine and my appearance resembles yours, you are from me and from my family. O Ali! You are my son-in-law and the father of my children, I am yours and you are mine. And O Zaid! You are my freed slave and from me, your connection to me is deep and you are the most beloved to me.

It is narrated from Sayyida Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) that whenever the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Zaid bin Haritha (may Allah be pleased with him) with any army, he appointed him as its commander. If he had lived after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he would have made him the commander of the armies.