069 - The Prophet SAW's Marriage to Zaynab

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Brief Background About Zaynab bint Jahsh RA

We will discuss the story of Zaynab bint Jahsh (زينب بنت جحش). Who is she? And when did she marry the Prophet PBUH? Zaynab was not born Zaynab, she was born Barrah (برة). She is Qureshi but not of the Banu Hashim tribe, she was of the Banu Khuzayma (بنو خزيمة). Her mother was Umayma bint Abdul Muttalib (أميمة بنت عبد المطلب) the sister of Abdullah. So from her mother's side, she is a first cousin of the Prophet PBUH. And she was probably around 15 years younger than the Prophet PBUH. Most likely she was 35 when she married him PBUH. She had been previously married in Makkah but then widowed. And she migrated with her brother to Madinah and was available for marriage, so the Prophet PBUH sent a proposal on behalf of his 'son' Zayd. (Side note: Zayd was called 'Zayd ibn Muhammad' until now. Verse [33:5] had not yet been revealed.) But she said, "I am the widow of a Qureshi and you want me to marry Zayd?"—we can sense from the beginning she was not too happy with Zayd — she felt he isn't of her caliber; and it's human nature that a woman wants a man she can look up to and respect, and she felt Zayd is beneath her, so she kind of said, "It's not appropriate." But the Prophet PBUH insisted, and according to one interpretation, Surah al-Ahzab verse 36 was revealed because of this:

وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَلَا مُؤْمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَمْرًا أَن يَكُونَ لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِمْ ۗ وَمَن يَعْصِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا مُّبِينًا

"It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter] have any choice about their affair. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly strayed into clear error." [33:36]

In the early seerah books, the scholars said this verse was revealed for this issue. Both she and her brother said, "Zayd isn't worthy for our family," but when the ayah was revealed, both of them said, "We are content with Zayd."

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Competition Between Aisha RA and Zaynab RA

[Note: Later on, Zayd divorced Zaynab and she married the Prophet PBUH.]

And it's well known that Zaynab was the only competition Aisha RA had in terms of the love the Prophet PBUH had for his wives. The wives of the Prophet PBUH were divided into two camps: The camp of Zaynab and the camp of Aisha. And regarding the verse where Allah says, "O Prophet! Why do you prohibit [yourself] from what Allah has made lawful to you, seeking to please your wives?" [Quran, 66:1], one interpretation Bukhari has in his Sahih says this was revealed because the Prophet PBUH overstayed in Zaynab's house. So Aisha and Hafsa concocted a plan: "When he enters in, ask him, 'What is that bad smell?'"—they're referring to the smell of a type of honey the Prophet PBUH ate at Zaynab's house. So when the Prophet PBUH entered in, the both of them said, "There is some bad smell coming from you," so the Prophet PBUH said, "I won't eat at Zaynab's house again," and at this, Allah revealed the verse, "Why do you prohibit [yourself] from what Allah has made lawful to you, seeking to please your wives?" The point is, as Aisha RA said in Sahih Muslim, "Zaynab was the only one who competed with me in status in the eyes of the Prophet PBUH."

But despite this jealousy she had for Zaynab, she also had a lot of praise for her. As we mentioned in episode 56, she said about her, "As for Zaynab, her deen protected her [from speaking badly about me during the incident of the Slander]. Allah protected her because of her deen."

In another incident, she said when speaking about her after her death, "I have never seen any woman more righteous, more fearful of Allah, more truthful in her speech, more caring for her relatives, more generous with her charity, more energetic in her efforts to come closer to Allah SWT, than Zaynab. But she had a temper that would come quickly and then go away." This is a very beautiful hadith where Aisha RA praises Zaynab in an entire paragraph in Sahih Muslim.

And Zaynab was sawwamah qawwamah (صوامة قوامة - one who fasts and prays a lot). And she was well known for being the most generous of all the wives of the Prophet PBUH — she was called the Mother of the Orphans, and the Mother of the Poor. And in the famous hadith when the wives discussed, "Who will be the first wife to pass away after the Prophet PBUH?" the Prophet PBUH said, "The one amongst you with the longest hand will be the first to meet me." So for the next few years after his death PBUH, they would line up against the wall and measure each other's hand lengths. Eventually, Zaynab was the first to die and they understood what the Prophet PBUH meant when he said 'longest hand.' It was the one who spends the most for the sake of Allah.

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When Did the Prophet PBUH Marry Zaynab?

When did the Prophet PBUH marry Zaynab? Lots of reports, but insha'Allah, the strongest opinion is that it took place in the beginning of Dhu al-Qa'dah of the 5th year of the Hijrah. We know this for multiple reasons, most importantly because the verses of hijab were revealed on the night of the wedding of the Prophet PBUH with Zaynab, and we know in other reports that the verses of hijab came down in Dhu al-Qa'dah of 5 AH. We also know for a fact the marriage took place before the Incident of the Slander of Aisha RA because as we said, Aisha mentions Zaynab protecting her tongue during the incident [see episode 56].

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The Walima

We also know that Zaynab's walima was the most luxurious out of all of the wives of the Prophet PBUH. The best walima the Prophet PBUH gave to any of his wives was that for Zaynab. And what was the walima? Anas RA said, "Meat and bread until all the people were filled": He PBUH sent Anas ibn Malik to invite everyone —Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, et al.— and then he said to invite the People of Suffa, and then anybody in the masjid, and then anybody on the pathway, and then anybody whom Anas meets; and they all ate from a small dish, and Anas said, "I thought it would only feed 2 or 3, but over 70 ate and when they all finished, it was still the same amount as it was at the start." And therefore, the story of the marriage of Zaynab is well known.

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The Prophet's PBUH Marriage to Zaynab bint Jahsh RA

We will discuss this story in the order as follows:

I. What the Quran says; then

II. What the books of hadith say; then

III. What the books of seerah say; then

IV. What the books of tafsir say.

I. What the Quran Says

As for the Quran, Allah says in Surah al-Ahzab verse 37:

وَإِذْ تَقُولُ لِلَّذِي أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْسِكْ عَلَيْكَ زَوْجَكَ وَاتَّقِ اللَّهَ وَتُخْفِي فِي نَفْسِكَ مَا اللَّهُ مُبْدِيهِ وَتَخْشَى النَّاسَ وَاللَّهُ أَحَقُّ أَن تَخْشَاهُ ۖ فَلَمَّا قَضَىٰ زَيْدٌ مِّنْهَا وَطَرًا زَوَّجْنَاكَهَا لِكَيْ لَا يَكُونَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ حَرَجٌ فِي أَزْوَاجِ أَدْعِيَائِهِمْ إِذَا قَضَوْا مِنْهُنَّ وَطَرًا ۚ وَكَانَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ مَفْعُولًا

"And [remember, O Muhammad], when you said to the one on whom Allah bestowed favor and you bestowed favor, 'Keep your wife and fear Allah,' while you concealed within yourself that which Allah is to disclose. And you feared the people, while Allah has more right that you fear Him. So when Zayd had no longer any need for her, We married her to you in order that there not be upon the believers any discomfort concerning the wives of their adopted sons when they no longer have need of them. And ever is the command of Allah accomplished" [33:37].

As the ayah says, the Prophet PBUH initially told Zayd, "Keep your wife, fear Allah, and do not divorce her." But as he said this, Allah says there was something in his heart PBUH he was hiding. That which he was hiding, Allah would make it known to the people. And Allah says why did the Prophet PBUH hide it? Because he was fearful of the people. So Allah gently rebuked him that why was he scared of the people? He should have been afraid of Allah alone. Then Allah mentions Zayd *by name* in the Quran. (Side note: No other sahaba had this honor. It was the single biggest blessing that Allah has given Zayd ibn Harithah RA. Even Abu Bakr RA is only referenced as "sahib" [see Quran, 9:40]. And it is narrated that when the Prophet PBUH died, one of the sahaba remarked, "Had Zayd been alive, we would never have chosen Abu Bakr over him." Zayd's maqam and status is so high, but it's unfortunately not known amongst the Muslims. He died in 8 AH in the Battle of Mu'tah.) Allah continues, "When Zayd had no longer any need for her," i.e. divorce took place, "We married her (Zaynab) to you (the Prophet PBUH)," meaning the Prophet PBUH should marry Zaynab. Why? To prove there is no haraj/problem for any believer to marry the wives of their adopted sons once they have divorced them. This is one of the wisdoms of the incident. The adopted son's wife is not a mahram for the parents.

(Side notes: The next page and a half are full of praise for the Prophet PBUH. That, "Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, rather he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the prophets" [Quran, 33:40]. Allah only mentions the name of Prophet Muhammad PBUH four times in the Quran, and this is one of them. And Allah says, "He [Allah] is the One Who showers His blessings upon you [O Prophet]" [Quran, 33:43]. And eventually in verse 56, Allah says the famous verse khatibs recite every Jumu'ah, "Indeed, Allah showers His blessings upon the Prophet, and His angels pray for him. O  believers! Invoke Allah’s blessings upon him, and salute him with worthy greetings of peace" [Quran, 33:56]. And Allah says in verse 38, "There is no blame on the Prophet for doing what Allah has ordained for him. That has been the way of Allah with those [prophets] who had gone before" [Quran, 33:38].)

So, from the Quran we learn that (i) the Prophet PBUH told Zayd not to divorce Zaynab, but he hid something in his heart which Allah revealed; and (ii) Allah married Zaynab to the Prophet PBUH directly — He SWT revealed the 'nikah contract' in the Quran.

II. What the Books of Hadith Say

Let us look at the books of hadith:

1. In Bukhari, Anas ibn Malik said Zayd came to the Prophet PBUH complaining about Zaynab, but the Prophet PBUH kept on saying, "Keep your wife, don't divorce her." Anas said, "If the Prophet PBUH were to have hidden anything from the wahy, he would have hidden this verse (verse [33:37])." Notice this version of Bukhari does not give us any details. It only says Zayd came to the Prophet PBUH complaining, and the Prophet PBUH said, "Keep your wife." What was Zayd complaining about? What was the Prophet PBUH hiding? It's not mentioned at all. So Bukhari and Muslim don't have anything explicit about what Allah is referencing that the Prophet PBUH hid.

2. We have other reports as well that don't quite mention what the Prophet PBUH was hiding, but they give other interesting details. Of them is in Sahih Bukhari, Anas RA reports, "The verses of hijab were revealed regarding Zaynab (i.e. on the night of her marriage). And Zaynab would boast to the other wives, 'Allah has married me from above the seven heavens.'"

3. In another version, Zaynab would say to the other wives, "As for you, your fathers and your brothers married you off to the Prophet PBUH, as for me, Allah married me off to the Prophet PBUH from above the seven heavens."

4. In al-Tirmidhi, we learn that Aisha RA says the same thing that is reported by Anas, "If the Prophet PBUH were to have hidden any ayah from the Quran, he would have hidden this ayah (verse [33:37])." Which means what? This ayah is painful for the Prophet PBUH. But of course he PBUH is honest and truthful, he revealed everything Allah said.

5. There is only one hadith in Musnad Imam Ahmad that gives us some details, but there is a controversy over its authenticity: From Imam Ahmad's teacher Muammal ibn Ismail (مؤمل بن إسماعيل) (d. 206 AH) from Hammad ibn Zayd (حماد بن زيد) (d. 179 AH) from Thabit (ثابت) (d. 127 AH) from Anas, it's narrated that, "The Prophet PBUH came to the house of Zayd ibn Harithah. And he saw Zayd's wife Zaynab in the house." Now Muammal says, "I do not know whether Anas said the next statement or whether it was interpolated by my teacher Hammad." And that next statement is: "So something entered his heart [PBUH]." Then Muammal continues, "Zayd came complaining to him about her, but the Prophet PBUH said, 'Hold on to your wife and fear Allah.' And it was that when Allah revealed verse [33:37]."

6. And we also find in the books of seerah and some books of hadith, such as Sunan al-Nasa'i, other details that are not relevant to the story that we are interested in, but they are relevant to the overall surrounding details, and that is when the iddah of Zaynab finished, the Prophet PBUH said to Zayd, "Go to Zaynab and mention my name to her." Pause here now. As we said, eventually Zayd does end up divorcing Zaynab. The Prophet PBUH never told him to, but he eventually does it anyway. And the Prophet PBUH then tells Zayd, "Go to Zaynab and mention my name," i.e., to see if she wants to marry him PBUH. In the version of Ibn Sa'd, the Prophet PBUH said to Zayd, "I don't trust anyone more than you, so go to Zaynab on my behalf." (And again, this is before hijab had been revealed, so even though the divorce had been finalized, Zayd can go and visit Zaynab.) And so Zayd goes to Zaynab and he finds her getting the barley ready (grinding), and he says, "When I saw her, I felt shyness that the Prophet PBUH had mentioned her name, so I turned around so that I don't see her, and I spoke to her with my back to her." Then he says, "O Zaynab, the Prophet PBUH has mentioned you and he has sent me to you," i.e., "Are you interested or not?" Zaynab said, "I will not respond until I seek Allah's assistance (i.e., pray istikhara)," and she stood up to pray in her area of prayer. And at that point in time, Allah revealed the verse of Surah al-Ahzab [33:37]: The Prophet PBUH was sitting with Aisha RA, and [suddenly] he went into the state of receiving wahy. [As we mentioned in episode 56, whenever wahy would come, the Prophet's PBUH head would lower, his eyes would close, sweat would start coming out even on a cold day, and people would see a physical weight on him.] Then he PBUH recited this verse, and he sent a messenger to Zaynab to tell her about this verse. And Aisha RA says, "When I heard this verse, I became struck with jealousy from every angle because of what I knew of her beauty, and worse than this, because the manner in which the marriage took place (i.e., Quran came down for her marriage)." Subhan'Allah. Then the Prophet PBUH entered into the house of Zaynab without any other marriage contract or witnesses, without any wali being present, because Allah SWT Himself said, "We married her to you" [33:37]. And this was the only marriage in the history of the world that was legitimized directly by Allah SWT without the need of any mahr, witnesses, or nikah. The nikah is there in the Quran, [33:37].

III. What the Books of Seerah Say

Let's look at the books of seerah:

1. We turn first and foremost to Ibn Ishaq (d. 150 AH). But unfortunately, one of the biggest criticisms against Ibn Ishaq is that he for the most part ignored the stories of the wives of the Prophet PBUH — he doesn't have a separate section for them. We can only find tidbits here and there. And there isn't anything narrated regarding this incident.

2. Ibn Sa'd (d. 230 AH) is the next authority, and he gives us a very detailed version which we will call Version A. This version is found in a lot of detail in many books, but it is known to be problematic and has caused a lot of criticisms. Ibn Sa'd says in his Tabaqat, "The Prophet PBUH went to visit Zayd but he was not home. And Zaynab came to answer his knock. And she came wearing her regular dress and said, 'He is not here, O Messenger of Allah, but come on in.' But he turned away and muttered something, and the only thing she could hear was, 'Glory be to Allah the Magnificent, glory be to the One who changes the hearts.' Zayd comes back and Zaynab tells him the Prophet PBUH visited. He said, 'Why didn't you invite him in?' She said, 'I did.' He said, 'What did he say?' She said, 'I don't know, but all I could hear was, "Glory be to Allah the Magnificent, glory be to the One who changes the hearts."' So Zayd understood that perhaps the Prophet PBUH was inclined towards her. And he went to the Prophet PBUH and offered to divorce Zaynab, but the Prophet PBUH said, 'Keep your wife and fear Allah.' But after this incident, all that was remaining in Zayd's heart left. And he kept on insisting that he wanted to divorce, saying that she had a sharp tongue, that she kept putting him down, etc. But the Prophet PBUH repeated, 'Keep your wife and fear Allah.' But eventually, he divorced her, and then when the Prophet PBUH was sitting with Aisha RA, the wahy came upon him and he recited the verse in Surah al-Ahzab." This is Ibn Sa'd's version — Version A. And this is the problematic version — the problem here is what is understood to be the emotion that the Prophet PBUH felt for the wife of his adopted son.

IV. What the Books of Tafsir Say

Let us look at the books of tafsir:

Books that mention Version A:

1. One of the earliest tafsir we have is that of Muqatil ibn Sulayman (مقاتل بن سليمان) (d. 150 AH). Ibn Sulayman is not considered to be academically reliable, he is more so a storyteller. We don't turn to his tafsir for reliability, we just look at his tafsir to see what the people in his time were saying. His tafsir mentions Version A in vivid detail. If Muqatil was the only person who mentioned this version, we wouldn't have any problem — we could simply discard it. But he wasn't — we just had Ibn Sa'd mention it, and now we turn to al-Tabari:

2. Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari (محمد بن جرير الطبري) (d. 310 AH) wrote the most orthodox and authentic tafsir of Sunni Islam —and he was frankly the greatest scholar of tafsir of the early generation; he was a polymath: a historian and a mufassir, and all other works of tafsir go back to him— and he mentions Version A as basically the only and standard version. He mentions reports from Qatada ibn Di'ama (قتادة بن دعامة) (d. 118 AH), Jabir ibn Zayd (جابر بن زيد) (d. 93 AH), and other authorities that support this version. He goes back with his isnads to Qatada (the main mufassir of the tabi'un who was the student of the student of Ibn Abbas), and Qatada says, "What the Prophet PBUH hid in his heart was the desire that Zayd divorce Zaynab." And al-Tabari also mentions a similar report from Ibn Zayd who was another scholar from the tabi'un.

3. Going next in order, in Bahr al-Ulum (بحر العلوم), a tafsir written by a Persian Hanafi scholar, Abu al-Layth al-Samarqandi (أبو الليث السمرقندي) (d. 375 AH), he mentions the same Version A.

4. The next tafsir, by Abu Ishaq al-Tha'labi (أبو إسحاق الثعلبي) (d. 427 AH), he writes the same version.

5. The next, non-Sunni, al-Zamakhshari (الزمخشري) (d. 538 AH) in his al-Kashshaaf (الكشاف) mentions the same version.

6. Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (فخر الدين الرازي) (d. 606 AH), in his al-Tafsir al-Kabir (التفسير الكبير) also mentions Version A.

So all of these mufassirun mention Version A as if it's the standard one.

Now, what is Version B? It's not actually a specific incident, rather an interpretation of the verse. The first printed book that we could find mentions this version is al-Bayhaqi's (d. 458 AH) Dala'il al-Nubuwwah (we couldn't come across a printed book that has the following explicitness before al-Bayhaqi). Version B is the following: Ali Zayn al-Abidin (علي زين العابدين) (d. 95 AH), Husayn's son, asks one of his students, "What does Hasan al-Basri (الحسن البصري) (d. 110 AH) say about this verse?" And this narrator says, "I told him what Hasan says about the verse." (And from other reports, we find out that's Version A he is telling Ali Zayn al-Abidin.) But Ali Zayn al-Abidin says, "No. Rather, Allah SWT had informed the Prophet PBUH that Zaynab would become his wife." So according to this version, when Zayd came to the Prophet PBUH and said, "I want to divorce Zaynab," the Prophet PBUH already knew that eventually Zaynab would become his wife. But knowing this, he still told him not to divorce her. Why? Because he was scared that the people would say, "He married the wife of his adopted son," which is a big jahili no-no. So this is Version B.

And this changes the whole dynamics. Every single phrase has a different linkage now. In Version A, what the Prophet PBUH hid was his desire and inclination to marry Zaynab, whereas in Version B, it was the fact that he knew he would eventually marry Zaynab.

And chronologically, it does seem that Version B appeared after Version A.

Now, if we look at some early tafsirs, interestingly, some of them mention both versions together:

1. Most notably Ibn Atiyyah al-Andalusi (ابن عطية الأندلسي) (d. 541 AH), in his al-Muharrar al-Wajiz (المحرر الوجيز), he mentions all of Version A, and then follows them up by mentioning Version B.

2. Al-Baghawi (البغوي) (d. 516 AH), a very famous mufassir, in his Ma'alim al-Tanzil (معالم التنزيل), he mentions the same Version A in great detail. And he actually quotes Ibn Abbas as saying, "What the Prophet PBUH hid was a love for Zaynab." And he also quotes Qatada as saying, "What the Prophet PBUH hid was the hope that Zayd would divorce her." But then al-Baghawi brings in Version B. He quotes all from Ali Zayn al-Abidin, and then says, "And this (Version B) is more befitting and more appropriate for the maqam of the prophets." So he is the first author to say Version A seems to be problematic. All of the other scholars —al-Tabari, Ibn Sa'd, et al.— all quote Version A nonchalantly. But Al-Baghawi says some have said Version B is better because it is more appropriate to the status of a prophet. Notice he chose Version B not because of isnad, not because of quantity of people, rather, simply because in content it makes more sense the Prophet PBUH should do Version B and not Version A. Then he says, "Even if the first story is correct, the interpretation that he hid for her a love and a desire to marry her is not something that tarnishes the reputation of a prophet." So he is saying Version B is better, but even if you insist on Version A, it's not something that affects the reputation of a prophet. Why? Because, he says, "A servant is not criticized for a desire that comes to the heart, as long as he does not intend something evil. Indeed, love and inclination is not something in the control of men."

At the turn of the 6th-century al-Baghawi is saying this. So we find a shift that Version B seems to be getting a little bit of traction. And then as we go on and on, Version B takes more and more role, until Version A is eventually ignored and completely set aside, and then castigated and criticized, and then, as we will see, even more bizarre things are said about it.

3. The next tafsir is Zad al-Masir (زاد المسير) by Ibn al-Jawzi (ابن الجوزي) (d. 597 AH), a very famous scholar of tafsir and hadith and fiqh of the Hanbali madhhab. He says, "There are four opinions about what the Prophet PBUH hid:

i) His love for Zaynab (as narrated by Ibn Abbas);

ii) A promise from Allah that he would eventually marry her (as narrated by Ali Zayn al-Abidin);

iii) A wish that Zayd would divorce her (as narrated by Qatada, Ibn Jurayj [ابن جريج] [d. 150 AH], and Muqatil);

iv) The intention that if Zayd divorced her, then he would marry her (as narrated by Ibn Zayd)."

So out of these four opinions, i, iii, and iv are basically Version A, and only ii is Version B. He then says, "Some scholars have said it is not possible that the Prophet PBUH was inclined towards her and wanted Zayd to divorce her, even though this is what is commonly found in the [earlier] books of tafsir. Rather, these scholars have said that he was criticized [by Allah] in this incident for concealing the fact that [he knew] eventually she would become his wife. And that it is also said that he felt out of a concern for her that if Zayd would divorce her, he would marry her to fulfill the ties of kinship since she was his cousin." In other words, Ibn al-Jawzi completely removes the love and inclination factor by saying the Prophet PBUH wanted to marry Zaynab to take care of her since she was his cousin. But he doesn't actually quote an authority.

4. Same goes with al-Qurtubi (القرطبي) (d. 671 AH), the famous Andalusian scholar. He mentions Version A in detail, follows it up with Version B, and then says, "Our scholars have said that this is the better interpretation of the verse, and it is this interpretation the critical researchers have approved."

So we notice here in the first 3, 4 centuries, it is only Version A that is predominant even though both versions are found in the 4th/5th century, but then some scholars begin to conclude Version B is better.

Then in the 6th, 7th, 8th centuries, Version A is basically never mentioned anymore. The best example for this is Ibn Kathir (d. 774 AH), and after him Ibn Hajar (d. 852 AH). So we see now an evolution taking place. And both Ibn Kathir and Ibn Hajar basically say regarding this verse, "Some of the earlier books have reports that we would rather not mention." So they literally don't even mention Version A. What happened as a result of this was that later scholars began to say that these other versions are fabrications. And modern scholars who are not experts in tafsir or hadith went even more bizarre and said Version A is a fabrication by evil orientalists that have corrupted our books, and have introduced it to bring doubts upon the character of the Prophet PBUH. (But frankly, this type of unfounded theory, we simply have to reject.)

Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 751 AH) also mentioned something in his book al-Da'u wa al-Dawa' (الداء والدواء) regarding this issue. (Side note: Al-Da'u wa al-Dawa' is a really interesting book: Someone wrote Ibn al-Qayyim a letter, and the letter ambiguously says the writer is suffering from a problem — and he doesn't mention what is the problem. So Ibn al-Qayyim wrote this book al-Da'u wa al-Dawa', which means, "The Disease and the Cure." And it is understood that the problem of the writer is actually ishq [عشق - excessive or obsessive love]. So Ibn al-Qayyim writes this beautiful book, and he has entire chapters dedicated to the dangers of, and cure for, ishq.) And right at the end of the book, he mentions the permissibility of certain types of ishq, that some ishq are good, and he mentions stories from the salaf and sahaba of halal ishq, and of what he mentions is this very story about the Prophet PBUH and Zaynab. Very interesting. He mentions a sanitized Version A, that the Prophet PBUH saw Zaynab, and then Zayd divorced her, and then Allah married Zaynab to the Prophet PBUH. So it is interesting Ibn al-Qayyim seems to find no problem with Version A [even though he was living in the 8th century].

Summary of the Pros and Cons of Version A & Version B

Let us summarize the pros and cons of Version A and Version B.



Version A

Pros

1. In terms of the text of the Quran, in terms of concealment, it makes sense that what the Prophet PBUH was hiding was his emotion. But note this emotion was not a sin, rather just something embarrassing. Had it been a sin, Allah SWT would have told him, "You have to seek refuge," or, "You made a mistake." So it is not a sin, but something embarrassing. Hence the reports from Aisha, Anas, et al. said, "If the Prophet PBUH were to conceal an ayah, he would have concealed this." So in this regard, one can say Version A makes sense.

2. In terms of the sheer quantity of early authorities —al-Tabari, Ibn Sa'd, Qatada, Ibn Abbas, et al.— it seems to have been the standard understanding of early Islam. Some say these reports are weak in isnad —this may be true— but we say, firstly, from the sheer quantity of narrations found in various books, it's not that difficult to say the gist of the story could be deemed to be authentic; and secondly, these same isnads that go back to Ibn Abbas, Ibn Zayd, et al., in al-Tabari's tafsir for example, these are the same isnads that al-Tabari uses throughout his whole tafsir for many events; so if you wanted to be that picky, then you have rejected basically 80% of al-Tabari.

3. Also, if Version B is true that what the Prophet PBUH was hiding was the fact that Allah told him he would marry Zaynab —if he knows this— then one can say, why delay it? It doesn't make sense he is just going to say to Zayd, "Keep your wife." If we look at his seerah, he has constantly demonstrated the courage and bravery to do things immediately, e.g., tell the people about al-Isra wal-Mi'raj. He didn't hide it out of fear of his people's rejection. So one can say Version A is more acceptable since what he was hiding is simply his own personal emotion, not Allah's qadr, whereas Version B makes it *seem* he was trying to deny Allah's qadr.

Cons

1. The only con and problem of Version A is that it creates a stigma of our Prophet PBUH and his inclinations. Many of us say —and this is what the majority of later scholars felt— that this is a problem. As al-Baghawi said, "It is not appropriate for the standard of prophethood."



Version B

Pros

Those who support Version B have solid evidences as well:

1. It's not as if the Prophet PBUH has never seen Zaynab before. It's not as if he is seeing her for the first time. She is his cousin. Thus Version A doesn't make sense that suddenly inclination begins.

2. The fact that the Prophet PBUH proposed to her on behalf of Zayd. If the Prophet PBUH was interested in her, he would have proposed to her for himself from day one.

3. Al-Baghawi mentioned an interesting point as well. He said, "Allah says in the Quran, 'You hid in your heart that which Allah would make open.' And what did Allah make open? It was, 'We married her to you.'" So Version B is supported by the text of the Quran, according to al-Baghawi's interpretation. And so he says, "This shows us this narration is more weighty."

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Conclusion

Which version is correct? At the end of the day, Allah knows best. But Sh. YQ agrees with al-Baghawi's final analysis. And even if Version A is accepted, there is no sin at all. A man is not accountable for his feelings as long as it is not acted upon. The story does not have any sin in it at all and that is why even in the Quran there is no command to repent or that he did a mistake. Both versions are there — and the claim that Version A is a fabrication is, honestly, it doesn't behoove us. Version A is clearly mentioned by most, if not all, of the early scholars. Version B is also referenced. And eventually, Version B becomes the standard.

So whoever says Version A, let him follow Ibn al-Qayyim and others. And again, is there any problem with viewing the Prophet PBUH as a normal man with normal inclinations? There are plenty of evidences in the seerah which show this, e.g., in the marriage with Juwayriyya, Aisha RA said, "As soon as I saw her, I hated her." Why? Because, as Aisha RA said, "I knew the Prophet PBUH would see in her what I see (i.e. her beauty)" [see episode 54].

Bottom line: Whoever follows Version A, that is fine, and similarly, whoever follows Version B, that is also fine.

Some scholars have tried to merge the two versions together and bring forth another story, and whoever follows this version, that too is fine.

(Side note: *Some* non-Muslims find Version A problematic. But the fact of the matter is, when you have an evil heart, you can take the most innocent story and make it the worst story. The non-Muslims who want to disparage the Prophet PBUH, they don't need Zaynab's story — they can do it from any incident, and we have seen this enough. And those who believe in the Prophet PBUH —and we are all insha'Allah of them— we don't have any problem with either version of events.)

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The Generosity of Zaynab bint Jahsh RA

Zaynab continued to live a life of piety. She was called the Mother of the Orphans, and the Mother of the Poor. And she was the first wife to die after the Prophet PBUH.

Abu Bakr RA would give everyone an equal stipend/salary when he was the khalifa in Madinah. But when Umar RA succeeded, he changed this, and he made a whole list of people, and the highest category were the wives of the Prophet PBUH, and then the earliest converts, and then the middle converts, and so on, until the last category was the Conquest of Makkah converts. So the wives of the Prophet PBUH got the biggest amount, and that was 12,000 dirhams annually. That is a fortune. And Zaynab was given the 12,000 and it was poured in front of her, and she kept on saying, "La hawla wa la quwwata illa biLlah" "Subhan'Allah al-Azim," "May Allah protect us from fitan," etc. And as the money is in front of her, she gave an amount to her servant to send it to the house of someone, and then she gave another and she kept on doing this until not a single penny was left. She did not go to sleep until she had nothing left. When Umar RA heard of this, he said, "What a lady this is," and he said to her, "I heard what you did with the money, here is another 1,000 for you." And what did she do with that 1,000? She gave it all away and made a du'a to Allah, "O Allah, let me not see this money again next year, for money is a fitna." (And indeed it is a fitna. Imagine if someone gave you a million dollars right now, what would you do? We should thank Allah that we are not tested with immense wealth.)

And subhan'Allah, she passed away before her salary came of the next year, in the 20th year of the Hijrah — the first wife of the Prophet PBUH to pass away after him and of the first wives to be buried in Baqi' al-Gharqad. Umar RA prayed her janazah, and all of the major sahaba walked to Baqi' for her burial.

She was known as being sawwamah qawwamah. Aisha RA herself said, "I never saw a woman more muttaqi (pious) than her." She deserved to be the wife of the Prophet PBUH.

[Transcribed by Br. Safwan Khan & Faizan]
safwan-khan@hotmail.com
[Revised by Br. Syed Haq & MAR, October 2021]