Surah Al-Ahzaab (33) — Ayah 37

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.