Narrated Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them): The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prepared an army and appointed Usama bin Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him) as its commander (who was young and of tender age). Some people criticized the leadership of Usama (may Allah be pleased with him), so the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "(O people!) If you are criticizing the leadership of Usama, then you had also criticized the leadership of his father before him. By Allah! Indeed, he (Zaid, may Allah be pleased with him) was worthy of leadership and was among those most beloved to me, and after him, this one (Usama, may Allah be pleased with him) is also among the most beloved of people to me."