Detailed discussion about the verse “But you did hide in yourself (i.e. what Allah has already made known to you that He will give her to you in marriage) that which Allah will make manifest” Quran [al-Ahzab 33:37]

Mohamad Mostafa Nassar
Twitter:@NassarMohamadMR

Question

Is it true that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw the wife of Zayd ibn Haarithah he liked her, and he asked Zayd to divorce her so that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) could marry her? Please explain this story. I ask Allah to forgive me and you. Thank you very much.

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

Firstly:

Introduction:

The status of Prophethood is a noble one. Allah chose the Prophets over all others on the basis of knowledge. What is narrated in the books of isra’iliyyaat (reports from Jewish sources) and some books of tafseer – unfortunately – detracts from that noble status of the Prophets (blessings and peace of Allah be upon them). One example of that is the story narrated from some of them which says that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) fell in love with Zaynab bint Jahsh,

but he told her husband – Zayd ibn Haarithah – “Keep your wife,” even though he was concealing his love for her. It is not appropriate to the status of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to narrate such a story or attribute it to him (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)?

None of these reports that have been narrated in the books of Tafseer from any of the salaf is saheeh (sound), but there are those who have been misled by these reports and have used them to explain the verses which speak of this issue.

Imam Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

Ibn Jareer and Ibn Abi Naatim narrated reports from some of the salaf (may Allah be pleased with them) which we would like to ignore completely, because they are not saheeh, so we will not quote them.

Tafseer Ibn Katheer (6/424).

There is a report from Anas ibn Maalik and ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with them both) which indicates how difficult these verses were for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

Based on their deep knowledge, these two Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with them) stated that if the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) were to have concealed anything, he would have concealed this verse.

It was narrated that Anas said: Zayd ibn Haarithah came complaining, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Fear Allah and keep your wife.” Anas said: If the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had concealed anything, he would have concealed this. He said:

Zaynab used to boast to the other wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saying: “Your families arranged your marriages, but Allah arranged my marriage from above the seven heavens.”

Narrated by al-Bukhari (6984).

Muslim (177) narrated a report like that of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her).

Secondly:

The verse, the reason for its revelation and a summary of its meaning:

Allah said (interpretation of the meaning):

“And (remember) when you said to him (Zayd bin Haarithah رضى الله عنه the freed‑slave of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم) on whom Allah has bestowed grace (by guiding him to Islam) and you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم too) have done favour (by manumitting him):

‘Keep your wife to yourself, and fear Allah.’ But you did hide in yourself (i.e. what Allah has already made known to you that He will give her to you in marriage) that which Allah will make manifest, you did fear the people (i.e., their saying that Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم married the divorced wife of his manumitted slave) whereas Allah had a better right that you should fear Him.

So, when Zayd had accomplished his desire from her (i.e. divorced her), We gave her to you in marriage, so that (in future) there may be no difficulty to the believers in respect of (the marriage of) the wives of their adopted sons when the latter have no desire to keep them (i.e. they have divorced them). And Allah’s Command must be fulfilled”

Quran [al-Ahzaab 33:37]

Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahmaan al-Sa’di (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

The reason for revelation of these verses was that Allah wanted to a prescribe a law for all believers, that adopted sons did not come under the same rulings as real sons, in any way, and that there was nothing wrong with those who had adopted them marrying their wives (after divorce).

This was one of the regular customs which could not be changed except by means of a major incident. So, Allah wanted this law to be introduced by the words and actions of His Messenger. When Allah wills something, He creates a cause for it. Zayd ibn Haarithah was called Zayd ibn Muhammad.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had adopted him and he was called by that name until the verse “Call them (adopted sons) by (the names of) their fathers” [al-Ahzaab 33:5] was revealed, then he became known as Zayd ibn Haarithah.

He was married to Zaynab bint Jahsh, the daughter of the paternal aunt of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). It had occurred to the Messenger that if Zayd divorced her, he might marry her.

And Allah decreed that there should happen between her and Zayd that which would cause Zayd ibn Haarithah to come and ask the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) for permission to divorce her.

Allah said “And (remember) when you said to him (Zayd bin Haarithah رضى الله عنه __ the freed‑slave of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم) on whom Allah has bestowed grace” i.e., by blessing him with Islam.

“And you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم too) have done favour” i.e., by manumitting him. When he came to you to consult you about leaving her, you told him, advising him despite what you felt in your heart towards her:

“Keep your wife to yourself”, i.e., do not leave her, and bear whatever you face from her with patience. “And fear Allah” in all your affairs in general, and with regard to your wife in particular, for fearing Allah encourages one to be patient.

“But you did hide in yourself that which Allah will make manifest”. What he was hiding was that if Zayd divorced her, he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would marry her.

“You did fear the people” when you did not disclose what you were thinking, “whereas Allah had a better right that you should fear Him”, because fearing Him brings all goodness and wards off all evil.

“So when Zayd had accomplished his desire from her” means, when he willingly turned away from her and separated from her, “We gave her to you in marriage” and We only did that for an important purpose, which is, “so that (in future) there may be no difficulty to the believers in respect of (the marriage of) the wives of their adopted sons” when they see that you married the (former) wife of Zayd ibn Haarithah, who had previously been named after you.

Tafseer al-Sa’di (p. 665, 666)

There is a great difference between the idea that what he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was concealing in his heart was love for Zaynab, and the fact that what was being concealed was his thinking of marrying her.

It is for this reason that Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her) used to boast that the One Who had arranged her marriage was Allah, may He be exalted, as stated above, where we quoted the report concerning that from Saheeh al-Bukhari.

This supports the correct view and no other view is acceptable, that what he was concealing was the idea of marrying her, and that he was afraid of what the people would say about that.

Thirdly:

Detailed discussion about the verse

1 – Imam al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

It was narrated from ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had received revelation from Allah telling him that Zayd was going to divorce Zaynab and that he should marry her on the basis that Allah was giving her to him in marriage.

When Zayd complained to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about Zaynab’s attitude, and said that she did not obey him, and told him that he wanted to divorce her, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to him, by way of good manners and advice:

“Fear Allah in what you say and keep your wife”, but he knew that Zayd was going to divorce her and that he was going to marry her, and this is what he was concealing. He did not intend to tell him to divorce her, because he knew that he was going to marry her.

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was afraid of what the people would say about him if he were to marry Zaynab after Zayd, who was his freed slave, if he told him to divorce her.

But Allah rebuked him for that fear of what the people would say about something that Allah had permitted to him and for telling him to keep her even though he knew that he was going to divorce her, and He told him that Allah was more deserving of being feared, i.e., in all things.

Our scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) said: This is the best interpretation of this verse and it is the view adopted by the prominent mufassireen and the well-versed scholars, such as al-Zuhri, al-Qaadi Bakr ibn al-‘Ala’ al-Qushayri, al-Qaadi Abu Bakr ibn al-‘Arabi and others.

What is meant by the words “you did fear the people” refers to his concern about the propaganda of the hypocrites, suggesting that he had forbidden marrying sons’ wives, but he married the wife of his own son.

As for the report which says that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) liked Zaynab the wife of Zayd, and some immoral people even use the word “fell in love”, this comes from one who is ignorant of the infallibility of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who was protected against such things, or from one who has no respect for him.

Tafseer al-Qurtubi (14/190, 191).

2 – Shaykh al-Shanqeeti (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

The correct view – in sha Allah – concerning this issue is that which we have said the Qur’aan points to, which is that Allah told His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that Zayd was going to divorce Zaynab.

And that He would give her to him (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in marriage, and at that time she was still married to Zayd. When Zayd complained to him (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) he said to him: “Keep your wife and fear Allah.”

Allah rebuked him for saying “Keep your wife” after he knew that she was to become his own wife, for fear that if he disclosed what he knew about her becoming his wife, the people would say that he wanted to marry his son’s wife at the time when she was still married to Zayd.

Two things point to that:

The first is what we have mentioned above that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, said: “But you did hide in yourself that which Allah will make manifest”. This is what Allah had disclosed to him, which is that He was giving her to him in marriage, when He said:

“So, when Zayd had accomplished his desire from her (i.e. divorced her), We gave her to you in marriage”. Allah did not disclose anything of that which they claim, namely that he loved her. If that had been what was meant, then Allah would have disclosed it as you see.

The second point is that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, clearly stated that He was the One Who gave her to him in marriage, and that the divine wisdom behind this marriage was to put an end to the prohibition on marrying the wives of adopted sons, as He says,

The phrase “so that (in future) there may be no difficulty to the believers” clearly explains the reason behind this marriage, as we have said. The fact that Allah is the One Who gave her to him in marriage for this important purpose clearly shows that the reason why he married her was not because he loved her and that is why Zayd divorced her – as they claim.

It is explained by the words of Allah, “So when Zayd had accomplished his desire from her…” because it indicates that Zayd had accomplished his desire from her, and no longer had any interest in her, so he divorced her by his own choice, and Allah knows all things.

Adwa’ al-Bayaan (6/582, 583).

4 – The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked:

What is the story of Zayd ibn Haarithah and his marriage to Zaynab, whom the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married after him? How did their marriage begin, and how did it end?

We have heard some people in some Arab countries say that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) fell in love with Zaynab and other things that I cannot bear to tell you what I have heard. Please advise me.

They replied:

Zayd was the son of Haarithah ibn Shurahbeel al-Kalbi, the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who manumitted him and adopted him, so he was known as Zayd ibn Muhammad, until Allah revealed the words “Call them (adopted sons) by (the names of) their fathers” [al-Ahzab 33:5].

Then he was called Zayd ibn Haarithah. Zaynab was the daughter of Jahsh ibn Rabaab al-Asadi, and her mother was Umaymah bint ‘Abd al-Muttalib, the paternal aunt of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

As for the story of Zayd’s marriage to Zaynab, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the one who arranged that for him, because he was his freed slave and adopted son, so he approached her on behalf of Zayd, but she refused and said:

I am of a better lineage than him. It was narrated that Allah revealed the words “It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he has indeed strayed into a plain error” Quran[al-Ahzab 33:36] concerning that.

So, she responded in obedience to Allah and so as to fulfil the wishes of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). She lived with Zayd for nearly a year, then there arose between them the kind of problems that may arise between a husband and wife, and Zayd complained about her to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), because of their position in relation to him, as he was his freed slave and adopted son.

And Zaynab was the daughter of his paternal aunt Umaymah. It is as if Zayd hinted that he wanted to divorce her, but the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told him to keep her and be patient with her, even though he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) knew from the revelation of Allah that he would divorce her

and she would become his wife. But he was afraid that the people would criticize him for marrying his son’s wife, as that was forbidden during the Jaahiliyyah. Allah rebuked His Prophet for that in the words

Whereas Allah had a better right that you should fear Him” meaning – and Allah knows best – you hid in yourself that which Allah had told you, that Zayd would divorce his wife Zaynab and you would marry her, in obedience to Allah’s command, and in fulfilment of His wisdom,

but you feared the people’s comments and criticism of you for that, but Allah is more deserving that you should fear Him and announce what He has revealed to you about your situation and that of Zayd and his wife Zaynab, without worrying about what the people will say or how they will criticize you.

With regard to the marriage of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to Zaynab, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) proposed to her after the end of her ‘iddah following her divorce from Zayd, and Allah gave her to him in marriage without any wali (guardian) or witnesses, because he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the wali of all the believers, and is closer to them than their own selves.

Allah said (interpretation of the meaning):

“The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves” [al-Ahzab 33:6]. Thus, Allah abolished the jaahili custom of adoption, and made it permissible for the Muslims to marry the wives of those whom they had adopted, after the latter separated from them by death or divorce, as a mercy from Him towards the believers and so as to relieve them of hardship.

As for the reports which say that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw Zaynab from behind a screen and that he was attracted to her and fell in love with her, and Zayd found out about that and began to dislike her.

And he wanted to give precedence to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) concerning her, so he divorced her so that he could marry her after him, none of that has been proven by means of any sound isnad=narration.

The Prophets are of the highest status and are too chaste in heart and too noble and honourable in attitude to do any such thing. Moreover, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the one who had arranged her marriage to Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him), and she was the daughter of his paternal aunt.

If he had been attracted to her, he would have kept her for himself in the first place, especially since she was reluctant to marry Zayd and did not agree to it until the verse was revealed, then she agreed. This was the decree of Allah which He arranged in order to abolish jaahili customs, and to show mercy to the people and make things easier for them, as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“So when Zayd had accomplished his desire from her (i.e. divorced her), We gave her to you in marriage, so that (in future) there may be no difficulty to the believers in respect of (the marriage of) the wives of their adopted sons when the latter have no desire to keep them (i.e. they have divorced them). And Allah’s Command must be fulfilled.

38. There is no blame on the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) in that which Allah has made legal for him. That has been Allah’s way with those who have passed away of (the Prophets of) old. And the Command of Allah is a decree determined.

39. Those who convey the Message of Allah and fear Him, and fear none save Allah. And Sufficient is Allah as a Reckoner.

40. Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the last (end) of the Prophets. And Allah is Ever All‑Aware of everything”

[al-Ahzaab 33:37-40].

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Razzaaq ‘Afeefi, Shaykh ‘Abd-Allah ibn Ghadyaan, Shaykh ‘Abd-Allah ibn Qa’ood.

Fataawa Islamiyyah (18/137-141).

And Allah knows best.

Islam Compass

Serving Islam until Almighty Allah is pleased with us permanently.

Detailed discussion about the verse “But you did hide in yourself (i.e. what Allah has already made known to you that He will give her to you in marriage) that which Allah will make manifest” Quran [al-Ahzab 33:37]