Zayd’s birth is commonly reconstructed as 80 AH / 699 CE from the report that he died at age forty-two in 122 AH.

Sources: [3] Classical chronology, [5] Biographical chronology, [6] 80 AH reconstructed from age-at-death report

The sources place Zayd’s birth broadly between 75 and 80 AH, so the exact year remains uncertain.

Sources: [2] Classical biography, [5] Birth chronology, [6] 75–80 AH range

Ali Zayn al-Abidin was Zayd’s father and one of his principal teachers in law and hadith.

Sources: [3] Transmission biography, [5] Family learning, [6] Father and teacher

After their father’s death, Muhammad al-Baqir was one of Zayd’s principal teachers.

Sources: [1] Classical biography, [5] Family scholarly relation, [6] Studied with al-Baqir

Zayd met Wasil ibn Ata, but the claim that Zayd should simply be classified as Wasil’s disciple or as adopting Muʿtazili doctrine wholesale is disputed.

Sources: [1] Later simplification not securely established, [5] Theological context, [6] Meeting and partial influence reported

Zayd was widely remembered as a learned jurist with significant competence in legal reasoning.

Sources: [1] Classical reputation, [5] Scholar and jurist, [6] Strong juristic reputation

Zayd transmitted hadith and was himself cited by later transmitters, including members of his family.

Sources: [1] Classical transmission, [3] Hadith biography, [6] Hadith transmission network

Later reports say Abu Hanifa approved Zayd’s revolt and contributed money to his cause.

Sources: [5] Later reports, [6] Support reported, [8] Historical relationship context

Modern analysis rejects the claim that Abu Hanifa studied under Zayd for two years; it finds that they met in Kufa and that Abu Hanifa heard and respected him without becoming his disciple.

Sources: [5] Relationship tradition, [6] Later teaching claims, [8] Rejects two-year discipleship

Historical reports give very large pledge figures for Zayd’s revolt, often around fifteen thousand, but these numbers are reported rather than independently verified.

Sources: [4] Revolt narrative, [5] Political history, [6] Large pledge figures

The later story that the label Rafida originated when supporters abandoned Zayd over his refusal to condemn Abu Bakr and Umar is polemically transmitted and should not be treated as an uncontested etymology.

Sources: [1] Sectarian biographical memory, [5] Origin story requires caution, [6] Later sectarian story

Many later sources portray Zayd as refusing to condemn Abu Bakr and Umar, but the precise formulations attributed to him vary by sectarian source.

Sources: [1] Later biographical tradition, [5] Sectarian profile, [6] Refusal to condemn reported

Zayd led an uprising in Kufa against Umayyad rule in 122 AH / 740 CE.

Sources: [4] Historical chronicle, [5] Revolt chronology, [6] Kufa revolt 122 AH

A large proportion of those who had pledged support failed to join Zayd when the uprising reached its decisive stage.

Sources: [4] Revolt narrative, [5] Historical summary, [6] Support collapsed

Historical accounts report that Zayd was struck in the forehead by an arrow and died after it was removed.

Sources: [2] Biographical death report, [4] Historical narrative, [6] Arrow wound and death

Umayyad authorities discovered Zayd’s secret grave, exhumed his body and publicly displayed it.

Sources: [4] Historical narrative, [5] Aftermath, [6] Exhumation/display

The later Zaydi branch of Shiism took its name from Zayd and made his revolt a central historical precedent.

Sources: [4] Revolt as precedent, [5] Zaydi historical identity, [6] Eponym of Zaydiyya

The extant al-Majmuʿ / Musnad Zayd is attributed to Zayd, but its transmission and direct authorship are disputed.

Sources: [6] Major attributed work, [7] Attribution and transmission debated, [8] Uses al-Majmu critically

Later Zaydi doctrine made public daʿwa and active resistance by a qualified descendant of Hasan or Husayn important conditions of legitimate imamate, but this mature doctrine developed after Zayd.

Sources: [4] Historical revolt background, [5] Zaydi doctrinal development, [6] Later Zaydi imamate doctrine

Zayd died in 122 AH / 740 CE during the Kufa revolt.

Sources: [3] Biographical chronology, [5] Death chronology, [6] 122 AH / 740 CE