Surah Al-Ahzaab (33) — Ayah 37

(Ayah 37) ➊ { وَ اِذْ تَقُوْلُ لِلَّذِيْۤ اَنْعَمَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ … :} The reason for the revelation of these verses was that when Allah intended to send down the command that adopted sons are in no way like real sons, and that if they divorce their wives, then it is permissible for those who adopted them to marry those women, because those women are not like the daughters-in-law of real sons. At that time, the custom of adoption had become so deeply rooted and established in society that it was not possible to reform it without a major action, and it was necessary that, in addition to the statement of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), a decisive blow be struck against it through his action. When Allah intends something, He creates its means. Thus, it happened that Zayd bin Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him), who was called Zayd bin Muhammad (because the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, had adopted him; when the verse {’’اُدْعُوْهُمْ لِاٰبَائِهِمْ ‘‘} was revealed, he began to be called Zayd bin Harithah, may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had married him to Zaynab bint Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with her). Due to differences in temperament, there was no harmony between the husband and wife, so Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) repeatedly complained to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about her behavior and sought permission to divorce her. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had already been informed by Allah that Zayd would divorce her and she would come into his (the Prophet’s) marriage. But out of fear that people would say that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) married his daughter-in-law, and that the hypocrites, Jews, and polytheists would use this as an opportunity to slander his chastity, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would forbid Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) from divorcing her and would say only, “Keep your wife with you and fear Allah.”

➋ { ’’ لِلَّذِيْۤ اَنْعَمَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِ ‘‘} refers to Zayd bin Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him). Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) says: “This verse: «{ وَ تُخْفِيْ فِيْ نَفْسِكَ مَا اللّٰهُ مُبْدِيْهِ }» was revealed about Zaynab bint Jahsh and Zayd bin Harithah (may Allah be pleased with them both).” [ بخاري، التفسیر، باب قولہ : «و تخفي في نفسک…» : ۴۷۸۷ ] Among the many other favors of Allah upon him was that He took him out from his polytheist family and brought him to the service of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), then granted him freedom from slavery. He was blessed to be among the four individuals who were the first to accept Islam. In the entire Qur’an, among all the Companions, only his name is mentioned explicitly, and among the many other favors of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) upon him was that he freed him, made him his son, married him to his cousin, and bestowed upon him his special love. Thus, he and his son Usamah were called the beloveds of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).

➌ {وَ تُخْفِيْ فِيْ نَفْسِكَ مَا اللّٰهُ مُبْدِيْهِ :} What was the matter that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was concealing and Allah was going to reveal? There are several statements regarding this in the commentaries. Some statements are entirely contrary to the status of Prophethood, clearly against reason, and not established with authentic chains; they are the idle talk of later people. Therefore, Hafiz Ibn Hajar says in Fath al-Bari: “It is not appropriate to mention them.” And Hafiz Ibn Kathir said: “Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim and others have transmitted some reports here from some of the Salaf, which we have avoided mentioning because they are not established.” However, since the Orientalists and opponents of Islam have used these statements to slander the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), it is necessary to mention them and clarify their reality. Thus, Qatadah and Ibn Zayd have stated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) went to Zayd’s house in his absence and saw Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her) in her adornment. In one narration, it is said that the wind lifted the curtain of her house and he saw her beauty, so love for her entered his heart and he said: “Glory be to Him who turns the hearts.” When Zayd came, Zaynab told him the words that had come from the mouth of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), so Zayd went to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: “I heard that you came to my house, but why did you not enter? Perhaps you like Zaynab, so should I leave her?” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Keep your wife with you and fear Allah.” Then this verse was revealed. In Tafsir al-Jalalayn, this is mentioned as the reason for the revelation of the verse, and the commentator Jalal, interpreting accordingly, wrote: “So you were concealing in your heart love for her, which Allah was going to reveal, and that if Zayd divorced her, I would marry her.” The same interpretation is given by Zamakhshari, Nasafi, Ibn Jarir, and Tha’labi, etc. However, Ibn Jarir, along with this false interpretation, also wrote the interpretation in which these idle things are not present, and he also transmitted these false narrations, though their harm is less because he mentioned their chains. The reality is that none of these reports have an authentic chain, nor were Qatadah or Ibn Zayd present at the time of this incident—they are Tabi‘in and do not mention the source from whom they heard this narration. Furthermore, this is clearly against reason. Zaynab was not a stranger whom the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) suddenly saw. She was his paternal aunt’s daughter, grew up before him, he himself proposed her for his (adopted) son, married her to him, she migrated with him, and until then there was neither the custom nor the command of hijab, so it is not possible that he had not seen her for so many years. In short, such narrations are false and lies in every respect. Allah has commanded the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) to mention his purity and chastity as a challenge before the disbelievers. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) addressed the disbelievers, saying: «{ فَقَدْ لَبِثْتُ فِيْكُمْ عُمُرًا مِّنْ قَبْلِهٖ اَفَلَا تَعْقِلُوْنَ }» [ یونس : ۱۶ ] “So indeed I have lived among you a lifetime before this; do you not then understand?”

➍ As for what was actually the matter that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was concealing in his heart and Allah was going to reveal, the preferred opinion is the one mentioned in the first benefit of this verse, which has been adopted by most of the verifying commentators, such as Hafiz Ibn Kathir and Hafiz Ibn Hajar, and our teacher Shaykh Muhammad Abduh also considered this to be correct. Thus, he writes: “The real matter is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had already been informed by revelation that Zaynab was going to be his wife, but he was shy to express this, fearing that the opponents would accuse him, saying, ‘Look, he married his daughter-in-law.’ Therefore, when Zayd came and complained, the Prophet said: «{ اَمْسِكْ عَلَيْكَ زَوْجَكَ وَ اتَّقِ اللّٰهَ }» Upon this, Allah said in a tone of reproach that when I had already informed you that Zaynab’s marriage was going to be with you, why are you saying this to Zayd? That is, it was not befitting your status; rather, it would have been better if you had remained silent or told Zayd to do as he wished. Allamah Alusi writes that this reproach is for leaving the better option.” (Ashraf al-Hawashi) It should be noted that it is not explicitly established by any hadith that Allah informed the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) by revelation that his marriage would be with Zaynab; this is only the statement of Suddi, or a narration from Ali bin Husayn (Zayn al-Abidin) with a weak chain. However, the words of the Qur’an: {’’ وَ كَانَ اَمْرُ اللّٰهِ مَفْعُوْلًا ‘‘} and {’’ مَا كَانَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ مِنْ حَرَجٍ فِيْمَا فَرَضَ اللّٰهُ لَهٗ ‘‘} and {’’ وَ كَانَ اَمْرُ اللّٰهِ قَدَرًا مَّقْدُوْرًا ‘‘} support this opinion.

➎ { فَلَمَّا قَضٰى زَيْدٌ مِّنْهَا وَطَرًا زَوَّجْنٰكَهَا : ’’ وَطَرًا ‘‘} means need, that is, when Zayd, after keeping her in his marriage for some time, divorced her and her waiting period was completed, during which he did not take her back, and it was established that whatever desire he had in his heart regarding Zaynab had been fulfilled and now he had no desire or need left, then We, O Prophet, married her to you. Ibn Kathir says: “The guardian who married Zaynab to you was Allah Himself. The meaning is that Allah revealed to you that you should go to her without any guardian, contract, dowry, or witnesses from among the people (as her husband).” (Ibn Kathir) Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) says: “When Zaynab’s waiting period was completed, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him): ‘Mention me to her.’ When Zayd went to her, she was mixing yeast into flour. He says: When I saw her, such awe of her filled my chest that I could not look at her directly, because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had mentioned her. So I turned my back to her and walked away on my heels and said: ‘O Zaynab! The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has sent me; he is remembering you (i.e., the Prophet has sent you a marriage proposal).’ Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her) said: ‘I do not do anything until I consult my Lord (i.e., perform istikhara).’ Then she stood on her prayer mat and the Qur’an was revealed, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to her without permission.” [ مسلم، النکاح، باب زواج زینب بنت جحش رضی اللہ عنھا … : ۱۴۲۸ ] Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) says: [ جَاءَ زَيْدُ بْنُ حَارِثَةَ يَشْكُوْ فَجَعَلَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ سَلَّمَ يَقُوْلُ اتَّقِ اللّٰهَ، وَ أَمْسِكْ عَلَيْكَ زَوْجَكَ، قَالَ أَنَسٌ لَوْ كَانَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّي اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ سَلَّمَ كَاتِمًا شَيْئًا لَكَتَمَ هٰذِهِ، قَالَ فَكَانَتْ زَيْنَبُ تَفْخَرُ عَلٰي أَزْوَاجِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ سَلَّمَ تَقُوْلُ زَوَّجَكُنَّ أَهَالِيْكُنَّ، وَ زَوَّجَنِيَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰی مِنْ فَوْقِ سَبْعِ سَمٰوَاتٍ] [بخاري، التوحید، باب : « و کان عرشہ علی الماء …» : ۷۴۲۰ ] “Zayd bin Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him) came and started complaining, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) kept telling him: ‘Fear Allah and keep your wife with you.’” Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “If the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) were to conceal anything, he would surely have concealed this matter.” Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) says that then Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her) used to boast over the other wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), saying: “Your marriages were arranged by your families, and my marriage was arranged by Allah from above the seven heavens.”

➏ { لِكَيْ لَا يَكُوْنَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ حَرَجٌ … :} That is, We married Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her) to you so that, according to the custom of ignorance, the prohibition of marrying the divorced wife of an adopted son, which was considered forbidden, would be abolished through your practical action, and so that the believers would have no difficulty in marrying the divorced wives of their adopted sons, and they could marry them without any sense of sin or shame.

➐ { وَ كَانَ اَمْرُ اللّٰهِ مَفْعُوْلًا :} That is, this decision of Allah was bound to be fulfilled that an adopted son is not a real son, nor is it forbidden for the one who adopted him to marry his divorced wife, and it was also bound to be fulfilled that Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her) would come into the marriage of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).

37. 1. But since there was a difference in their temperaments, the wife’s temperament was steeped in family lineage and honor, while Zaid bore the stigma of slavery, there remained discord between them, which Zaid used to mention to the Prophet ﷺ and also expressed the intention of divorce. But the Prophet ﷺ would prevent him from divorcing and would advise him to maintain the relationship. Moreover, Allah had also informed you through revelation that divorce from Zaid would certainly take place and after that, Zainab would be married to you, so that a decisive blow could be dealt to the pre-Islamic custom of adoption, making it clear that an adopted son is not like a real son in the rulings of Shariah, and it is permissible to marry his divorced wife. This verse alludes to these matters. Allah’s favor upon Zaid was that He granted him the ability to accept Islam and freed him from slavery. The Prophet ﷺ’s favor upon him was that he provided him with religious training, freed him, declared him his son, and married him to his paternal aunt Umaymah bint Abd al-Muttalib’s daughter. The matter hidden in the heart was the one revealed to you through revelation regarding the marriage with Zainab. You ﷺ feared that people would say that you married your daughter-in-law. However, when Allah intended to abolish this custom through you, then there was no need to fear people. Although this fear of yours was natural, still you ﷺ were admonished. By “making it manifest” is meant that this marriage would take place, so that this matter would become known to everyone.

37. 2. That is, after the marriage, divorce was given and Zainab completed her waiting period.

37. 3. That is, this marriage was established by Allah’s command, contrary to the customary way, without a marriage ceremony, guardianship, dowry, or witnesses.

37. 4. This is the reason for the marriage of Zainab to the Prophet ﷺ, so that in the future no Muslim would feel any difficulty in this matter and, as needed, could marry the divorced wife of an adopted son.

37. 5. That is, it was already decreed in divine destiny and was bound to happen in any case.

37. And [remember] when you were saying to the one [56] upon whom Allah had bestowed favor and you [O Prophet] had bestowed favor: “Keep your wife with you [57] and fear Allah,” while you were concealing within yourself that which Allah was to disclose. And you were fearing the people, whereas Allah has more right that you should fear Him. So when Zaid had fulfilled his need with her, We married her to you [60], so that there would be no difficulty for the believers concerning the wives of their adopted sons when they have fulfilled their need with them. And the command of Allah is always destined to be accomplished [61].

[56]
The Favors of the Prophet ﷺ Upon Sayyiduna Zaid bin Harithah:

The person referred to here is Zaid bin Harithah ؓ. The favor of Allah and His Messenger upon him was that he was the son of a man from the tribe of Kalb, Harithah bin Shurahbil. When he was only eight years old, he was captured in a tribal war. The attackers took him to the fair of ‘Ukaz and sold him there. The buyer was Hakim bin Hizam, the nephew of Sayyidah Khadijah ؓ. He brought this slave to Makkah and presented him as a gift to his aunt, Sayyidah Khadijah ؓ. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ married Sayyidah Khadijah ؓ, Zaid bin Harithah was fifteen years old. The Prophet ﷺ liked his manners and conduct so much that he asked Sayyidah Khadijah ؓ for him, and she gave him to the Prophet ﷺ. Some time later, the relatives of Sayyiduna Zaid found out his whereabouts, so Zaid’s father, uncle, and brother—three people—came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said: “Take whatever ransom you wish and send the boy with us.” The Prophet ﷺ said to them: “I do not take any ransom. However, you may ask Zaid. If he wishes to go with you, I will have no objection.” They asked Sayyiduna Zaid to go with them, but Zaid refused and said: “Here I have found love and affection greater than that of my parents.” Thus, the relatives of Sayyiduna Zaid returned. After this, the Prophet ﷺ took Sayyiduna Zaid to the Ka‘bah and announced before everyone: “I have freed Zaid and adopted him as my son. Therefore, he will be my heir.” After this announcement, people began to call him Zaid bin Muhammad instead of Zaid bin Harithah.

[57]
The Favors of Allah and His Messenger Upon Sayyiduna Zaid:

The second favor of Allah and His Messenger upon Sayyiduna Zaid was that the Prophet ﷺ sought a marriage proposal for Zaid from his own tribe, which was considered a very noble and high-ranking tribe in society. But since Zaid still bore the stigma of former slavery, Sayyidah Zainab herself and her guardians considered it an insult to accept this proposal. So Allah informed them through revelation that this was not the Prophet’s wish but rather His command. In the face of this divine command, they submitted. Otherwise, this marriage seemed impossible. By Allah’s command, Sayyidah Zainab was married to Zaid, but the social disparity could not be erased from minds so quickly, nor could it be. Sayyidah Zainab could not show her husband the respect she should have. For this reason, Sayyiduna Zaid kept complaining to the Prophet ﷺ. Meanwhile, the Prophet ﷺ had already received a hint through revelation that Zainab would be married to him. From this hint, several things became clear: first, that Sayyiduna Zaid would not remain without divorcing her; second, that Sayyidah Zainab and her guardians, for sacrificing their own wishes before Allah’s command, would be rewarded by the Prophet ﷺ himself marrying her; and third, that the wrong customs regarding adopted sons that had become prevalent in society would be eradicated.

[58]
What Was It That You ﷺ Concealed in Your Heart?

The Prophet ﷺ, upon Zaid’s complaint, would always advise him that since this woman sacrificed her own wish and married you, you too should show some patience. The Prophet’s ﷺ purpose in forbidding Zaid from divorcing her and delaying the matter was also that whenever the divorce occurred, Sayyidah Zainab would have to be married to him. At that time, he would become the target of all the enemies of Islam’s taunts and reproaches. This was the matter that the Prophet ﷺ wished to conceal in his heart. As Sayyidah Aishah ؓ says, if the Prophet ﷺ were to conceal any verse of the Quran, he would have concealed this verse. Although Allah does not hold people accountable for thoughts in their hearts, yet, considering the Prophet’s lofty status, even such a thought was considered beneath him. Therefore, even for such a thought, Allah’s reproach was revealed.

[59] This sentence has two meanings. One is that when he had fulfilled his desire with his wife, he divorced her. The second meaning is that Sayyiduna Zaid himself wished to divorce her. Thus, he divorced her and the waiting period (‘iddah) passed.

[60]
Allah’s Command Was Sufficient as a Marriage for Zainab:

This too has two meanings. One is that this marriage was not done according to your own will and desire, but according to Our command. The second meaning is that this marriage did not even take place in this world; rather, Allah’s command itself was equivalent to marriage, and this meaning appears to be the strongest according to the following hadiths:
1. Sayyiduna Anas ؓ says that when Zaid bin Harithah would come to complain about his wife (Zainab bint Jahsh), the Prophet ﷺ would say to him: “Fear Allah and keep your wife with you.” Sayyidah Aishah ؓ says that if the Prophet ﷺ were to conceal anything from the Quran, he would have concealed this verse. And Sayyiduna Anas ؓ says that Lady Zainab used to boast over the other wives of the Prophet ﷺ, saying: “Your guardians married you off, but I was married by Allah from above the seven heavens.” [بخاری۔ کتاب التوحید۔ باب قولہ وکان عرشہ علی الماء]
2. Sayyiduna Anas ؓ says that when Sayyidah Zainab’s waiting period was over, the Prophet ﷺ said to Sayyiduna Zaid: “Mention me to Zainab.” Zaid says: “When I went to her, she was kneading her dough. Because of her greatness, I could not look at her directly, for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had mentioned her. Then I said to her: ‘Zainab, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has sent me. He has mentioned you.’ She said: ‘I will not say anything until I consult my Lord (perform istikhara).’ Then she stood on her prayer mat, and the Quran was revealed, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went to her without permission.” [مسلم۔ کتاب النکاح۔ باب زواج زینب بنت جحش]

[61] That command of Allah was that an adopted son does not have the status of a real son, whose divorced wife would be forbidden, and Allah wanted to abolish this wrong custom in any case.