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Zaynab bint Jahsh

Zaynab bint Jahsh was the Prophet Muhammad’s seventh wife.^[1]

Her original name had been Barrah (“virtuous”) but Muhammad disliked this name because “It makes her sound as if she is claiming to be virtuous.”^[2] He renamed her Zaynab,^[3] which literally means “father’s ornament”, but is also the name of a flower.

Background

Zaynab’s grandfather was Riyab ibn Yaamur, a Bedouin from the tribe of Asad ibn Khuzayma.^[4] He immigrated to Mecca and requested an alliance with the Quraysh, apparently because he desired their assistance in a quarrel with the Khuza’a tribe. Khadijah’s grandfather, Asad ibn Abduluzza, responded “and he gladly joined them as hali [ally on equal terms].” But the Meccans later told him that Asad’s family were “a wretched branch of the Quraysh”. Riyab then broke this alliance and formed one with the Umayya, who were the most powerful clan in Mecca.^[5] Hence Riyab’s children and grandchildren were regarded as honorary Umayyads.^[6]

Riyab’s son Jahsh married Umama (or Umayma) bint Abdulmuttalib, who was Muhammad’s aunt;^[7] hence their six children were Muhammad’s first cousins.

1. Abd was the eldest son. As an adult he was always known by his kunya Abu Ahmad.^[8]
2. Abdullah was the second son.
3. Zaynab was born c. 590.^[9] The birth-order of the daughters is not really known, but Zaynab appears to have been the only one who married before Islam.^[10]
4. Ubaydullah (“little Abdullah”) was the third son.
5. Habibah was also known as Umm Habib. Both are feminine forms of the masculine Habib (“beloved”).
6. Hamnah was probably the youngest child.^[11]

It is possible that Zaynab remembered Muhammad’s wedding to Khadijah, which took place when she was about five years old.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content

Her eldest brother Abd was born blind. “He used to go all round Mecca from top to bottom without anyone to lead him. He was a poet.”^[12]

The Jahsh family lived under the patronage of Abu Sufyan and were on visiting terms with the best society in Mecca.

When they were teenagers, Ubaydullah came under the influence of the monotheist Zayd ibn Amr.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content Zayd was nastily murdered sometime before 610.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content

First Marriage

Zaynab’s eldest brother married Abu Sufyan’s daughter Al-Faraa, and Ubaydullah married his daughter Ramlah.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content As far as we know, Abu Sufyan did not arrange a marriage for the middle brother Abdullah.

Zaynab was also married in Mecca, but almost nothing is known about her husband.^[13] He was a Quraysh, but probably not from the leading clans of Umayya, Makhzum or even Hashim, since Zaynab’s declaration that he was a Quraysh^[14] was asserted in order to emphasise his high social status; if he had belonged to these prestigious families, she would certainly have mentioned it. But every Quraysh was deemed of higher social status than every other person in Mecca. It is safe to say, however, that Zaynab’s bridegroom was approved, or even chosen, by Abu Sufyan, and that he was deemed a person suitable to marry into the family favoured by the Umayyads.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content

Her husband’s anonymity is decidedly strange. All the previous husbands of Muhammad’s other wives are carefully listed in their biographies. The lists include some men who were Muslim heroes, others who were considered enemies of Islam, and others again who were of no great importance.^[15] The historians were very obviously not excluding information that was somehow “embarrassing,” so this cannot be the reason why Zaynab’s first husband is missing from the list. It is more likely because, by the time the ahadith were committed to writing, the information had been lost. If nobody remembered the man’s name, this suggests that Zaynab did not talk about him very much. Perhaps she had loved him so much or hated him so much that she could not bear to speak about him; or perhaps the marriage had been so short-lived, or he had spent so much of it travelling away from home, that he had made very little impression on her. But Zaynab is not the only silent person here. Other people must have known her first husband: her siblings, their numerous Hashimite cousins, their honorary Umayyad kin, their friends who emigrated with them. Yet none of them speaks a word, either good or bad.

We can take two educated guesses about Zaynab’s married life. Firstly, she became a skilled craftswoman. She knew how to tan leather,Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content dye cloth,Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content pierce pearlsCite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content and make clothes and other household items from textiles and leather.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content There is no indication that any other member of the Jahsh family had these skills, and she certainly did not grow up with the economic need to learn a trade. So it is reasonable to infer that Zaynab's first husband was from one of Mecca’s many leather-working families^[16] and that she learned her skills from them. Since she continued with this work all her life, whether there was an economic need for it or not,Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content she must have enjoyed it. So the everyday-labour aspect of her first marriage must have been happy.

Secondly, it appears that she had a child. She was occasionally known as Umm al-Hakam,^[17] which literally means “Mother of the Judge”. There is nothing in her biography that indicates she had any kind of legal expertise or even that she was consulted for her general wisdom. It is therefore most likely that Umm al-Hakam was not a by-name but a literal kunya and that Zaynab gave birth to an actual child named Al-Hakam. This child is never otherwise mentioned, so he probably died in infancy. It is unlikely that Zaynab had any further children; she certainly had none who survived and none at all by her subsequent husbands.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content Although the reason for her secondary infertility cannot be known, a modern doctor would suspect the Rhesus negative condition.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content There is further evidence for a hereditary condition of this type in that her sister Habibah was also childless.^[18]

Islam

Zaynab was about twenty years old when her cousin Muhammad declared himself a prophet.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content Another cousin, Abu Salama ibn Abdulasad, was among the earliest converts to Islam.^[19] Her brothers Abu Ahmad and Abdullah came under the influence of Abu Bakr and were converted slightly later, perhaps in 612.^[20] The other four siblings and their father Riyab are not included in Ibn Ishaq’s list of “those who accepted Islam at Abu Bakr’s invitation,” but they were nevertheless all Muslims by 615.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content This suggests that Zaynab was converted^[21] under the influence of her brothers.

Zaynab’s single siblings soon married into the small Muslim community: Abdullah to the Hilal widow Zaynab bint Khuzayma, “Mother of the Poor”;Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content Habibah to the newly divorcedCite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content Abdulrahman ibn Awf,Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content a wealthy merchantCite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content who was related to Muhammad’s mother;Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content and Hamnah to Masood ibn Umayr,Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content a blue-eyedCite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content rich boyCite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content from the Abduldar clan.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content Abu Sufyan’s daughters, the wives of Abu AhmadCite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content and Ubaydullah,Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content also became Muslims; but the lists of early converts do not include anyone who could have plausibly been Zaynab’s husband. While the lists specifically mention those men whose widows later married Muhammad,Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content there is no such notice about Zaynab, so her husband probably remained a pagan. Her mother Umama did not become a Muslim either.^[22]

After 613 the Quraysh began a campaign of persecuting vulnerable Muslims.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content Zaynab’s family was under the protection of Abu Sufyan and therefore the worst that could be done to them was that their businesses were boycotted, though apparently not very systematically.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content In 615 Abdullah, Ubaydullah and their two brothers-in-law joined the emigration to Abyssinia.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content Zaynab’s father Jahsh also left Mecca, although apparently not as part of the general exile to Abyssinia. As it happened, Jahsh never returned to Mecca. He travelled eastwards to preach Islam to whoever would listen.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content It is even claimed that he reached China and that the Muslim residents of western China are descended from his converts.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content

Ubaydullah took his wife to Abyssinia with him,^[23] but Zaynab’s two sisters were left behind. This was apparently because the journey to Abyssinia was deemed a terrible sacrifice and hardship,Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content and women were not subjected to it if they would be safe in Mecca.^[24] It is not entirely clear who was protecting Zaynab and her sisters; but no harm befell them, so perhaps the Quraysh assumed that men were the real problem and did not target women. After most of the persecuted slaves recanted their faith,Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content the Quraysh declared a trade boycott on Muhammad’s clan;Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content they showed no interest in the handful of women who had married absent or respectable pagan men.

Ubaydullah remained in Abyssinia until his death in 627.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content but Abdullah returned to Mecca in 619.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content He must have married Fatima bint Abi Hubaysh soon after his return.^[25] His choice reflects a certain carelessness towards the Umayyads: Fatima was a member of the Asad clan (her father had been Khadijah’s first cousin)Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content so Abdullah was reverting to the original alliance that his grandfather had rejected forty years earlier. To emphasise the point, the couple named their son Muhammad.^[26]

From mid-620 Muhammad urged the Muslims to emigrate to Medina.^[27] Zaynab’s brother Abdullah was one of the first to heed this call, probably in early 621. Abu Ahmad’s wife begged to go “anywhere but Medina,” but he told her that Islam was more important than family ties and composed poetry about their argument.^[28] By this time Zaynab was a widow,^[29] although there is no information about when or how her husband had died. She was among those who accompanied Abdullah to Medina.^[30]

Although it was a large party of at least twenty-eight people, they appear to have left in something of a hurry, for Abdullah was one of only three emigrants who did not liquidise his assets before departing from Mecca.^[31] He locked up the house, leaving citizens who passed it to sigh over “its doors blowing to and fro, empty of inhabitants” and pontificate that, “Every house however long its prosperity lasts will one day be overtaken by misfortune and trouble. The house of the Jahsh clan has become tenantless.” Abu Jahl said, “Nobody will weep over that. This is the work of this man’s nephew [Muhammad]. He has divided our community, disrupted our affairs, and driven a wedge between us.”^[32] When the Meccans were certain that the Jahsh clan would not return, Abu Sufyan took possession of their house and sold it to pay off his own debts.^[33] Abdullah was angry about this, saying that his family had chosen to ally with Abu Sufyan when they had received plenty of good offers from other Quraysh families.^[34] He asked Muhammad for justice; but Muhammad, busy in Medina and powerless to act in Mecca, told him to be content that Allah would give him a better house in Paradise.^[35]. Abu Sufyan’s side of the story does not survive, but there is some evidence that he had in fact been acting within his rights. Eight years later, when Muhammad conquered Mecca and could have easily commandeered any building that he wanted, Abu Ahmed again asked him to retrieve their house, but Muhammad ignored him. Other people told him, “You lost your house in Allah’s service, so don’t ask the Apostle about it again.” This lack of sympathy for the Jahsh family’s case suggests that Abu Sufyan had only lent, leased or given them the property on the understanding that they were his allies. By abandoning the house in order to ally so openly with Muhammad, who had declared war on Mecca,^[36] Abdullah had snubbed Abu Sufyan’s forty years of friendship and forfeited his protection. It seemed that nobody, including even the Muslims, disputed Abu Sufyan’s right to repossess a house that had probably belonged to him originally. All Abu Ahmad could do about it was to write another poem, along the lines of: “I swear Abu Sufyan will regret this; may his theft stick to him like the ring of a dove…”.^[37]

The family settled in Medina. Zaynab probably lived with one of her brothers. Hamnah bore a daughter^[38] but Habibah remained childless.^[39] Muhammad did not arrive until September 622, more than a year later.^[40] He built the mosque;^[41] he debated with the Jews;^[42] and he raided the merchant-caravans of the Meccans, the raid under Abdullah’s leadership being the first in which a Muslim killed a Meccan and succeeded in stealing the merchandise.^[43]

Second Marriage

At some stage, it is said, Zaynab proposed herself to Muhammad as a wife and offered not to take any dower.^[44] Muhammad declined this invitation. Early in 625 he visited Abdullah saying he had a marriage proposal for Zaynab.^[45] Because of the uncertain chronology, it is not clear whether this was the occasion when Zaynab offered herself to Muhammad dower-free or whether this visit occurred later and Zaynab assumed he had changed his mind. Either way, she and her brother thought at first that Muhammad now wanted to marry her.^[46]

They were displeased to discover that Muhammad was not proposing on his own behalf at all. While he was in fact planning to marry, his choice had fallen on Hafsah bint Umar,^[47] who was less beautiful than Zaynab^[48] but better educated^[49] and some fifteen years younger.^[50] Shortly afterwards, he also married Zaynab bint Khuzaymah,^[51] and he then ruled that four wives were the maximum allowed.^[52] Muhammad could not have rejected Zaynab more thoroughly. His proposal was that she should marry his adopted son Zayd.^[53]

Zayd’s Background

Zayd was born into the Udhra tribe c. 581. ^[54] He was kidnapped by slave-traders as a small child and eventually came into the possession of Khadijah. She gave him to Muhammad as a wedding present in 595. Zayd wrote a poem about his circumstances and sent it to his original family. His father and uncle came looking for him in Mecca and offered to pay any price to redeem him. But Zayd preferred to remain with Muhammad. Muhammad then took Zayd out to the Hijr and said, “O all those who are present, witness that Zayd becomes my son, with mutual rights of inheritance.” When Zayd’s father and uncle saw this, they were satisfied and went away.”^[55]

In the twenty years since then, Zayd had been constantly at Muhammad’s side. He is described as “one of the famous archers among the Prophet’s Companions”.^[56] He was the first adult male to become a Muslim.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content

Muhammad had a habit of arranging marriages for Zayd. Before Islam Muhammad wanted to ally with his uncle, Abu Lahab ibn Abdulmuttalib. He married two of his daughters to Abu Lahab’s sons, while Abu Lahab’s daughter Durrah married Zayd. In late 610 or 611 Zayd took as a second wife Muhammad’s freedwoman Baraka.^[57] They had a son, Usama, in 612.^[58] Baraka must have been fifteen years older than Zayd^[59] and she is said to have been ugly.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content After 613 Muhammad quarrelled with his uncle,Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content so Abu Lahab instructed his sons to divorce Muhammad’s daughters, and Zayd divorced Durrah.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content

In 614 Baraka delivered a message to Muhammad under difficult circumstances,Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content and he commended her with the words, “The man who wants to marry a woman of Paradise should marry Baraka!”^[60] Since Zayd and Baraka were already married at this point, the accolade was not recommending Baraka as a future wife but rather had the force of reminding Zayd of his good fortune. In pointed contrast to Durrah bint Abi Lahab, the older, plainer and lower-born Baraka had shown herself a true Muslim.

Although Muhammad was fond of Baraka, whom he addressed as “Mother,”^[61] he seems to have believed that Zayd could do better. In 621 he claimed to have miraculously visited Paradise.^[62] Among the marvels that he reported seeing there was “a damsel with dark red lips. I asked her to whom she belonged, for she pleased me much when I saw her, and she told me ‘Zayd ibn Haritha.’” So he gave Zayd the “good news” about her.^[63] After the Hijra Zayd married a Medinan widow named Humayma bint Sayfi.^[64] Her first husband had been a “chief and senior” in the Khazraj tribe,^[65] and she owned a date-orchard.^[66]

So Zayd already had two wives, not counting his divorced wife and his future heavenly bride, when Muhammad decided that he should also marry Zaynab.

Circumstances of the Marriage

Muhammad never stated exactly why he wanted Zaynab to marry Zayd, but it is reasonable to assume that it was with Zayd’s full cooperation. It is not mentioned whether anyone had asked Baraka or Umm Mubashshir if they wanted Zaynab as a co-wife. The person who did not co-operate was Zaynab.

The reason Zaynab gave for refusing the proposal was “because I am a widow of Quraysh.”^[67] This probably meant that she considered herself too highborn to marry a former slave. Perhaps this reflects the insecurity of Zaynab’s nouveau riche origins – she was an Umayyad and yet not an Umayyad. But even if she was not fully Umayyad, her mother and first husband had still been fully Quraysh, while Zayd was not even Meccan.^[68] The Meccans could be snobbish about “foreigners”, even if they were third-generation immigrants like Zaynab.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content If Zaynab married a newcomer like Zayd, as if she did not deserve anyone “better,” there would be a permanent spotlight on her own foreign origins.

Zaynab did not mention Zayd’s physical appearance, but it is possible that she had further objections in that direction. First, he was ugly,Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content and she might have felt a simple physical repulsion. Second, although he traced his ancestry to an Arab tribe,^[69] this might well have been by adoption rather than biology, for his “flat nose” and “very dark skin”^[70] suggest that his genes were from Africa. The Arabs could be very racist about this. For example, Muhammad once said, “You should listen to and obey your ruler even if he was an Ethiopian slave whose head looks like a raisin.”^[71] Although it was officially a lesson in being “not racist,” the remark assumes that black people and slaves are inferior, and it was made because Muhammad expected his Arab audience to make a similar assumption.

While it does not reflect well on Zaynab that she would reject a suitor for such shallow reasons, this does not alter the principle that she had the right to say no. If she did not wish to marry Zayd, she should not have needed to justify her reason. Finally, it must be stressed that Zaynab was being asked to accept the position of third wife. Added to the other social humiliations of the proposed union, this made the offer close to insulting. There were still plenty of bachelors in the emigrant community,Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content and all her siblings were at that date in monogamous marriages.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content

Abdullah supported his sister’s refusal.^[72]

The matter might have ended there, for Muhammad had always claimed that a woman should not be forced into marriage.^[73] But for some reason he was determined that this marriage should take place. He announced a revelation from Allah: “It is not for any believer, man or woman, when God and His Messenger have decreed a matter, to have the choice in the affair. Whosoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has gone astray into manifest error.”^[74] In other words, in the eternally existing uncreated Qur’an in heaven, Zaynab’s duty to marry Zayd was mentioned. The traditional view is that Abdullah and Zaynab eventually “consented because of the verse,”^[75] a situation that might be deemed spiritual blackmail.

Reasons for the Marriage

The Syrian scholar Ibn Kathir proposed that Muhammad arranged the marriage of Zayd and Zaynab to show that class distinctions were abolished in Islam. “The Prophet Muhammad had watched both Zayd and Zaynab grow up, and thought they would make a good couple, and that their marriage would demonstrate that it was not who their ancestors were, but rather their standing in the sight of Allah, that mattered.”^[76]

There is little evidence, however, that Muhammad really thought that way. He certainly did not explain at the time why Zayd and Zaynab would have “made a good couple”. The only reason he gave Zaynab was, “I want you to marry him.”Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content If Muhammad really had wanted to promote marriage across the social divide, it would have made more sense to support a naturally occurring example, i.e., to praise two people from different backgrounds who wanted to marry each other despite the disapproval of the wealthier family or favoured race. But he did not; rather, he taught that a woman needed her guardian’s consent for a marriage to be valid.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content Since families in seventh-century Arabia (as in most other cultures throughout history) usually arranged marriages to maximise economic advantage to both families, the practical result was that most people married someone of a similar social background. Muhammad openly admitted that money and social connections were two of the main reasons why anyone would marry^[77] and did not in any way criticise this attitude. By pressuring Zaynab into marrying a man whom she did not want, Muhammad was setting up an unhappy marriage. If he was demonstrating anything at all about social differences, it was therefore the opposite point – that marriage across the social divide is not a good idea.

There were no obvious political or economic reasons why Zayd and Zaynab needed to marry. Zayd was presumably living off his second wife’s date-orchard, while Zaynab supported herself through her leather-crafts. They were already on the same side of every political situation – both strong supporters of Muhammad – and a closer alliance between them would not in any way promote a stronger loyalty to Muhammad. While we do not really know why Muhammad was so insistent about this marriage, we can only guess that he did it to please Zayd. Again, while we do not know why Zayd wanted to marry Zaynab, she was “a perfect-looking woman,” small,^[78] fair-skinned and shapely.^[79] However, the imaginative description of her “fine black hair, covering half her body,”^[80] while not implausible, does not seem to be based on early sources.

The Wedding

Zaynab married Zayd.^[81] The date is not given, but it was after 20 January 625^[82] and before 22 March 625.^[83] Muhammad paid the dower.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content

The fortunes of the Jahsh family suffered a major setback at the Battle of Uhud on 22 March 625. Muhammad suffered the worst defeat of his career when his army was routed and decimated.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content Zaynab lost three family members. Her sister Hamnah, who had served as a battle auxiliary, met the returning army to ask about casualties, and Muhammad told her, “Hamnah, expect that your brother Abdullah will be rewarded.” Hamnah dutifully responded, “We belong to Allah and to him we return.” Then Muhammad told her, “Hamnah, expect that your uncle Hamza will be rewarded.” Hamnah repeated, “We belong to Allah and to him we return.” Then Muhammad told her, “Hamnah, expect that your husband Musaab will be rewarded.” Hamnah then exclaimed, “Oh, loss! His children are orphans!”^[84] The Meccans had cut off the ears and noses of Abdullah and his uncle Hamza, and Abu Sufyan’s wife had even chewed Hamza’s liver.^[85]

Muhammad decreed that the women could only mourn their relatives (other than a husband) for three days. After the three days were over, Zaynab received a condolence visit from the daughter of her cousin Abu Salama.^[86] In front of her guest, Zaynab made a show of asking for perfume and anointing herself, then explaining that she did not really want the perfume but that she was officially out of mourning.^[87] The prohibition on displays of grief must have been hard for the bereaved mothers, sisters and daughters. The specific loss for Zaynab, however, was that her brother Abdullah had been willing to support her against Muhammad’s wishes; now she had lost her protector just as she found herself married to a man whom she disliked.

It is sometimes claimed that the defeat at Uhud created a great social problem because there were so many widows to support. It is even claimed that the excess of widows was the reason why polygamy became necessary.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content However, of the seventy Muslims who were killed, sixty-six were from Medina and only four were Meccan immigrants.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content The community was accustomed to losing men to the tribal warsCite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content and there was already a system in place to ensure the rights of widows, largely based on the assumption that most families owned some farmland.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content Muhammad did have to adjudicate a few civil cases in which widows or orphans were being cheated by their relatives;Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content and perhaps a few of the poorest families had to join the beggars on the mosque Bench.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content But there is no evidence at all that Medina was suddenly swamped by seventy desperate widows; it is even claimed that only thirty of the dead men had been married, suggesting that the city would also have had several surviving bachelors. The real problem for Muhammad was that his hosts in Medina had taken a great hit on his behalf and he was at risk of losing their sympathy. This would have bothered him far more than the issue of the widows.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content

Hamnah had barely completed her idda before she was remarried to Talhah ibn Ubaydullah, a wealthyCite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content thirty-year-oldCite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content bachelor who was kin to Abu Bakr.^[88] Although he later became a polygamist, Hamnah was his only wife for several years.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content Hamza’s widow also found a new husband,Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content but Abdullah’s widow never remarried; she had a bleeding disorder that raised doubts about her ritual cleanness.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content

Third Marriage

Circumstances of the Divorce

Around November 626 Muhammad came to visit Zayd. A gust of wind blew aside the hairskin curtain that served as his front door, giving Muhammad a full view of Zaynab dressed only in her shift.^[89] She hastily pulled on an over-gown, advising Muhammad that Zayd was not at home but he was welcome to visit. Muhammad stood still, staring at Zaynab’s movements, and repeating to himself, “Praise be to Allah, who turns around hearts!”^[90] By the time Zaynab was properly dressed, Muhammad had departed – completely and permanently obsessed with her.

“In this year the Messenger married Zaynab bint Jahsh. Allah’s Messenger came to the house of Zayd ibn Muhammad. Perhaps the Messenger missed him at that moment. Zaynab, Zayd’s wife, rose to meet him. Because she was dressed only in a shift, the Holy Prophet turned away from her. She said: “He is not here. Come in, you are as dear to me as my father and mother!” Muhammad refused to enter. Zaynab had dressed in haste when she heard that the Prophet was at her door. She jumped up eagerly and excited the admiration of Allah’s Messenger, so that he turned away murmuring something that could scarcely be understood. However, he did say overtly, “Glory be to Allah Almighty, who causes hearts to turn!”^[91]

When Zayd came home, his wife told him that the Messenger of God had come to his house. Zayd said, “Why didn’t you ask him to come in?” She replied, “I asked him, but he refused.” “Did you hear him say anything?” he asked. She replied, “As he turned away, I heard him say: ‘Glory be to God the Almighty! Glory be to God, who causes hearts to turn!’” So Zayd went to Muhammad. “Prophet, I have heard that you came to my house. Why didn’t you go in? Perhaps Zaynab has excited your admiration, so I will leave her.”^[92]

Zayd offered to divorce Zaynab so that Muhammad could marry her. Muhammad discouraged this.^[93] “Anas narrated. Zayd ibn Haritha came to the Prophet complaining about his wife. The Prophet kept on saying (to him), ‘Fear Allah and keep your wife.’” ^[94]

His secret desire for his daughter-in-law is mentioned in the Qur’an: “"Behold! Thou didst say to one who had received the grace of Allah and thy favour: ‘Retain thou thy wife, and fear Allah.’ But thou didst hide in thy heart what Allah was about to reveal. He was to reveal thy love for her and that, should Zayd part with her, thou wouldst marry her, and thou fearedst that people would say, ‘He has married his son’s wife!’ But it is more fitting that thou shouldst fear Allah. Then when Zayd had finished with her, after the necessities, We joined her in marriage to thee: in order that there might be no difficulty to the Believers in marriage with the wives of their adopted sons, when the latter have dissolved with the necessities with them. And Allah’s command must be fulfilled.”^[95] Thabit confirmed that this verse “was revealed in connection with Zaynab and Zayd ibn Haritha.”^[96] Aisha said, “If Allah’s Apostle were to conceal anything [of the Quran] he would have concealed this Verse.” ^[97]

“When the exalted Allah said, “Thou didst say to one who had received the grace of Allah and thy favour: ‘Retain thou (in wedlock) thy wife, and fear Allah.’ But thou didst hide in thy heart that which Allah was about to make manifest: thou didst fear the people, but it is more fitting that thou shouldst fear Allah” this was said by Allah as chastisement to His prophet. For when He said, “one who had received the grace of Allah and thy favour” this was in reference to Zayd son of Haritha who had been set free by the apostle of Allah – prayers and peace be upon him.” When the Exalted Allah said, “Retain thou (in wedlock) thy wife, and fear Allah” this was concerning Zaynab the daughter of Jahsh whom the Prophet had seen in her robes and was enamoured by her. Thus when Allah saw what was stirring in His prophet’s soul, he placed hatred in the heart of Zayd towards Zaynab, that he might depart from her. When Zayd mentioned his intention to separate from Zaynab to the prophet, the prophet told him, “Retain thou thy wife” even though the Prophet desired that they separate so that he could marry her..."^[98]

Zaynab became aloof and haughty to Zayd, making remarks about his lowly birth and ugly face and shutting him out of the bedroom.^[99] This spiteful behaviour has to be seen in its context. Zayd had selfishly insisted on marrying Zaynab even after he knew full well that she did not want him. In this set-up, Zaynab’s only realistic chance of reclaiming her rights was the passive-aggressive route. Her strategy worked. Zayd gave in and divorced her.^[100]

Zayd divorced Zaynab.^[101] “Zayd left her, and she became free.”^[102]

Difficulties with the Marriage

There were still two further obstacles before Zaynab could marry Muhammad. One was that he already had four wives and he had insisted that four was the maximum.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content When men with more than four wives became Muslims, Muhammad made them divorce the extras, although they were allowed to choose which four they would keep. "Al-Harith b Qays al-Asadi recalled: “I embraced Islam while I had eight wives. So I mentioned it to Mohammed, who said: “Select four of them.”"^[103] "When Ghaylan b Salama al-Thaqafi and his ten wives all accepted Islam, Mohammed told him to keep four and divorce the rest."^[104] Having pledged not to abandon the faithful Sawda,Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content Muhammad produced a new revelation from Allah that allowed him to marry as many women as he liked.^[105]

The second problem was that Zaynab was Muhammad’s daughter-in-law, and the Arabs considered a daughter-in-law almost as taboo as a biological daughter. So Allah had to send down another revelation that abolished adoption, therefore ruling that Zayd had never been his son and Zaynab had never been his daughter-in-law.^[106] “Nor has He made your adopted sons your real sons in fact” was revealed concerning Zayd bin Haritha, the freed servant of the Prophet. The Prophet had adopted him before prophethood, and he was known as Zayd bin Muhammad. Allah wanted to put an end to this naming and attribution ... This is a command which abrogates the state of affairs that existed at the beginning of Islam, when it was permitted to call adopted sons after the man who adopted them. Then Allah commanded that they should be given back the names of their real fathers, and states that this was more fair and just.^[107]

Muslims have not adopted children since that day. Muslim couples can still foster children as an act of charity, but these children still have limited inheritance rights under Islam compared with biological relatives.

Later apologists have said that this marriage was necessary to demonstrate that adoption was now abolished. Apparently they assume most Muslims would not believe this if they did not witness a live demonstration. But this was never mentioned at the time as a reason for the marriage.

On the same day Zaynab’s waiting-period ended, “While the Messenger of Allah was talking with Aisha, a fainting overcame him. When he was released from it, he smiled and said, “Who will go to Zaynab to tell her the good news? Allah has married her to me.” Then the Holy Prophet recited [Qur’an 33] to the end of the passage. Ayesha said, “I became very uneasy because of what we heard about her beauty and another thing, the loftiest of matters – what Allah had done for her by personally giving her to him in marriage. I said that she would boast of it over us.””^[108]

Aisha was “distressed by both immediate and potential troubles, having heard of Zaynab’s beauty,”^[109] the divorced and disinherited Zayd was dispatched as messenger. He found Zaynab kneading bread, and her face was so radiant that he could not look at her while he delivered Allah’s message.^[110]

Anas reported. When the iddah of Zaynab was over, Allah’s Messenger said to Zayd to make a mention to her about him. Zayd went on until he came to her and she was fermenting her flour. He (Zayd) said: As I saw her I felt in my heart an idea of her greatness so much so that I could not see towards her (simply for the fact) that Allah’s Messenger had made a mention of her. So I turned my back towards her, and I turned upon my heels, and said: Zaynab, Allah’s Messenger has sent (me) with a message to you. She said: I do not do anything until I solicit the will of my Lord. So she stood at her place of worship and the (verse of) the Qur’an (pertaining to her marriage) was revealed, and Allah’s Messenger came to her without permission…^[111]

"Kulayni has narrated through correct chains of narrators from Imam Jaafar Sadiq that people asked him about the exegesis of the following verses: “O Prophet! surely We have made lawful to you your wives whom you have given their dowries, and those whom your right hand possesses out of those whom Allah has given to you as prisoners of war, and the daughters of your paternal uncles and the daughters of your paternal aunts, and the daughters of your maternal uncles and the daughters of your maternal aunts who fled with you; and a believing woman if she gave herself to the Prophet, if the Prophet desired to marry her – specially for you, not for the (rest of) believers; We know what We have ordained for them concerning their wives and those whom their right hands possess in order that no blame may attach to you; and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.”"^[112]

Reasons for the Marriage

Divine Mandate. The traditional view is that Allah commanded Muhammad to marry Zaynab. There was no need to seek a reason. It was Allah’s will.

Need to Abolish Adoption. "The strangeness of the matter lies in the fact that the scholar Haikal presents Muhammad’s giving Zaynab in marriage to Zayd as a cogent argument to refute the claims of his opponents who hold that the matter was merely romance and infatuation! It is unbelievable that Haikal has no knowledge of the fact that “the heart of the Prophet was deeply moved by her after her marriage with Zayd”(22) which is found in trustworthy Islamic reference books. Al-Sabuni, however, excludes any love affair or romance from this marriage, as he says, “How can a man give a virgin woman to [another] person, and then desire her after she is deflowered?”(23) Al-Sabuni attacks the fraudulent “orientalists” and “missionaries” who claimed that God reproved Muhammad for his hidden desire for Zaynab. Yet, these “slanders” of the orientalist and missionaries have already been listed in Tabaqat Ibn Sa`d and al-Tabari’s works, as they have been quoted in the books that were written after them. Ibn Sa`d and al-Tabari were neither the enemies of Islam nor “fraudulent orientalists”. They did not know that Muhammad only married her to cancel and abolish the act of adoption.(24) This argument was not known at all at the time of al-Tabari!"

"We used not to call Zayd bin Haritha the freed slave of Allah’s Apostle except Zayd bin Muhammad till the Qur’anic Verse was revealed: “Call them by their fathers. That is more than just in the Sight of Allah.” (Q33:5)"^[113]

Need to Save Zaynab's Reputation.

Need to Recompense Zaynab.

Passion. “This may be regarded as one of the Prophet's love-stories.”Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content

Traditional Muslims have no problem with this story. Since Muhammad was the “perfect man,” anything he did must have been by definition an “excellent example”. But it has made Westernised Muslims uncomfortable. They have tried to deny that it happened.

"There only remains Ibn Kathir (A.D. 1373) among the old expositors who rejects the oldest traditions about the incident that took place between Muhammad and Zaynab. He does that without resorting to any modification or justification to his claim. He says, “Ibn Jarir and Ibn Hatim related many stories in this regard which we discard on the grounds of being incorrect.” Ibn Kathir, however, who contests the accuracy of those stories claiming that they are incorrect, finds no fault in citing a late tradition that says: “‘You kept to yourself what God had disclosed’ means that God told you, Muhammad, that Zaynab will be one of your wives and therefore you said to him ‘Hold on to your wife.’""CITATION MISSING.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content

Muslim Apologist Gives Reasons why it was Right for Mohammed to Marry Zaynab^[114]

Muhammad Husain Haikal says, “As to Zaynab bint Jahsh, who has been wrapped up by orientalists and missionaries in an imaginary picture of romance and infatuation, true history judges that [Muhammad’s act with] her was one of the glorious deeds of Muhammad. Being the perfect example of faith, he applied to her the Hadith that says, ‘Man’s faith is not made perfect till he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.’ It is enough to destroy the story that it was he who betrothed her to his adopted son, Zayd.” The scholar Haikal does not fail to add that “we could have spared him all these sayings by saying, ‘Let it be true!’ Why would this detract from the greatness, message, and prophethood of Muhammad? The laws that bind [ordinary] people have no power over the luminaries, so how much more the messengers and prophets! Hasn’t Moses seen a dispute between two men; one was from his sect and the other from the enemy’s sect, so he thrust the enemy and killed, committing an unlawful murder? So Moses broke the law, and was not subject to it. Yet this did not detract from his prophethood or message, and did not diminish his greatness. The way Jesus broke the law [of nature] was even greater than Moses, and thus with Muhammad and the rest of the prophets. For his condition is not bordered by a certain limit of power or desire, he rather went beyond the laws of nature by his birth and life!”

Subsequent Career of Zayd

Muhammad continued to find wives for Zayd. In 628, at Muhammad’s order, he married Umm Kulthum bint Uqba al-Umayyiya, a woman even more aristocratic than Zaynab and probably much younger.^[115] She bore him his son Zayd and his daughter Ruqayya.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content Given the short duration of the marriage, they were probably twins. This marriage ended in divorce, though the circumstances are not known.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content The child Zayd died in infancy, but Ruqayya lived to come under the protection of Caliph Uthman.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content

Umm Kulthum then married Al-Zubayr ibn Al-Awwam,Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content and Zayd married Al-Zubayr’s sister (and Khadijah’s niece) Hind.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content Umm Kulthum was unhappy with Al-Zubayr, who was violent, and she engineered a divorce from him.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content It is not known whether Zayd was happy with Hind.

Zayd commanded the Muslim army at the Battle of Muta in 629 and was among the first to be killed there.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content

The Wedding

"He married Zaynab ibn Jahsh ibn Riyab al-Asadiya. Her brother Abu Ahmad married her to him, and the apostle gave her 400 dirhams. She had been previously married to Zayd ibn Haritha, the freed slave of the apostle, and it was about her that God sent down: 'So when Zayd had done as he wished in divorcing her, We married her to you.'"^[116]

Muhammad married Zaynab in late March 627 when he was 55 and she was about 37.^[117] The Qur’an refers to her story: “So when Zayd had done as he wished in divorcing her, We married her to you.”^[118]

There was social criticism.^[119] "The prophet gave to [Zayd] in marriage Zaynab bint Jahsh ibn Riyab al-Asadiyyah, whose mother was Umaymah bint Abdulmuttalib ibn Hashim. Zayd later divorced her, and the Prophet married her. The Munafiqun made this a topic of their conversation and reviled the Prophet, saying, “Muhammad prohibits [marriage] with wives of one’s own son, but he married the wife of his son Zayd.” As a result of this God revealed the following verse: “Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, nay, he is the messenger of God and the seal of the prophets ...”, etc. God also revealed this verse, “Call them by their fathers’ names,” so from that day onward [Zayd] was called Zayd ibn Harithah, and [other] adopted sons were named after their [real] fathers."^[120]

Perhaps feeling the need to face down the social criticism,^[121] Muhammad hosted for Zaynab the most lavish wedding banquet that he ever gave: he slaughtered a sheep and served a huge dish of date pudding. Seventy guests ate until they were stuffed and there was food left over.^[122]

For the wedding feast, Mohammed sacrificed a sheep and then commanded his servant, Anas, to invite the people to partake of it. After they had eaten, two men remained there after the meal chatting. The Messenger of Allah went out and said goodnight to his other wives and then came back and the two men were still there chatting, keeping Mohammed away from Zaynab’s bedchamber. The next day Allah sent a revelation that Muslims were not allowed to interrupt Mohammed at dinner time. Q33:53. O you who believe! Do not go into the Prophet’s rooms except after being given permission to come and eat, not waiting for the food to be prepared, However, when you are called, then go in and when you have eaten, then disperse, and do not remain wanting to chat together. If you do that, it causes injury to the Prophet though he is too reticent to tell you. But Allah is not reticent with the truth.

Two of the wedding guests sat around talking long after Muhammad gestured that the party was over. Allah sent down a revelation: “O Believers! Do not come to dinner in the Prophet’s houses without an invitation; do not arrive before the meal is ready, and do not sit around talking after you have eaten. This annoys the Prophet; he is too shy to ask you to leave, but Allah is not shy of telling the truth...”^[123]

The Order of the Veil

The marriage to Zaynab marked a complete transformation in the lifestyle of Muhammad’s wives. When the guests at Zaynab’s wedding banquet finally left, Muhammad entered her house, but before his faithful page Anas had time to set foot across the threshold, Muhammad abruptly drew the curtain and proclaimed a revelation.^[124] There must always be a curtain between Muhammad’s wives and all other men. If the women left the house, they must wear veils.^[125] No unrelated male could talk to Mohammed’s wives unless there was a curtain between them; Muslim women could not leave the house without their husbands’ permission, and they must wear a veil whenever they did go outdoors.

When you ask his wives for something, ask them from behind a screen. That is purer for your hearts and their hearts. It is not for you to cause injury to the Messenger of Allah nor ever to marry his wives after him. To do that would be something dreadful in the sight of Allah. Whether you make something known or conceal it, Allah has knowledge of all things. There is no blame on them regarding their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their brothers’ sons or their sisters’ sons or their women or those their right hands own. Have fear of Allah. Allah is witness over everything. Allah and His angels pray blessings of the Prophet. O you who believe! Pray blessings on him and ask for peace for him. (Q33:54-56)

Slaves were not sufficiently human to be separated from unrelated persons, but that changed if they were manumitted.

Nasa'i 100. Abu Abdullah Silim Sabalin reported. Aisha liked my honesty and hired me, and she showed me how the Messenger of Allah used to perform wudu. She rinsed her mouth, sniffed water into her nose and blew it out three times, and washed her face three times. Then she washed her right hand three times and her left hand three times. Then she put her hand on the front of her head and wiped her head once, front to back. Then she rubbed her ears with her hands, then she passed her hands over her cheeks. I came to her as a slave with a contract of manumission, and she did not hide herself from me. She would sit before me and talk to me, until I came to her one day and said: “Pray for blessing for me, O Mother of the Believers.” She said: “Why is that?” I said: “Allah has set me free.” She said: “May Allah bless you.” Then she lowered the veil in front of me, and I never saw her again after that day.

Umar was still not satisfied. He wanted women to be shut up indoors and he resented that Muhammad let his wives go outdoors for any reason. Umar went to spy on the outdoor toilets (there were no indoor toilets because Arabs despised such soft living). Although Muhammad’s wives now wore full face-veils, he easily recognised Sawda because she was so tall. He shouted: “Caught you, Sawda! Anyone can recognise you – think of a new way to hide yourself when you go out.” Sawda complained to Muhammad, who produced a new revelation that gave his wives permission to go to the toilet.^[126]

Only women, close relatives and slaves might penetrate the curtain.^[127]

Muhammad warned the whole congregation that Allah did not accept the prayers of an unveiled woman.^[128]

Muslim men were warned not to harass the respectable veiled women whom they might meet around town: the implication was that unveiled women were fair game.^[129]

Muhammad was more reasonable than Umar, but from that day forward, his wives lived behind a curtain. If they did venture outdoors they must be dressed so that their faces and other distinguishing features were hidden. (We are not told how Sawda disguised her height.) Discussions with men must be strictly business only, and a man who visited a wife of Muhammad must only speak to her if a curtain hung between them. Only women, close relatives and slaves might penetrate the curtain.^[130] While there was no specific command that other women should hide themselves in the same way, they were most probably encouraged to follow the example of the Prophet’s wives. Muhammad warned the whole congregation that Allah did not accept the prayers of an unveiled woman.^[131]

Back in the 590s, Khadijah had made her wealth by bartering in the open market, her name and face on open display. After 627 such a lifestyle became impossible for a respectable Muslim woman. Women were not precluded from money-making activities as such – indeed, Zaynab’s cottage business in leather goods was prospering nicely – but those who wished to work must manage their business in ways that did not involve interacting with men. Muslim men were warned not to harass the respectable veiled women whom they might meet around town: the implication was that unveiled women were fair game.^[132]

The final part of this revelation was that none of Mohammed’s widows would ever be allowed to remarry.

Talha said: “Muhammad has made his women unlawful to us, and he marries our women. If Muhammad dies, I will also do what he does with our women.” At that moment this verse was revealed by the Almighty Allah: “And it does not behove you that you should give trouble to the Apostle of Allah, nor that you should marry his wives after him ever; surely this is grievous in the sight of Allah.”

Relationship with Muhammad

Muhammad remained strongly attracted to Zaynab for the rest of his life; she was second only to Aisha in his love.^[133] Zaynab was second to Ayesha in Muhammad's affection.^[134] Aisha said: “I think that after myself, the most beloved of his wives were Zaynab and Umm Salama.”

She was a woman of grand passions: fervent in prayer, loyal to her family and generous in charity. She was quick-tempered and devastatingly honest, but she was also quick to recover her good mood.^[135] Umm Salama said: “The Prophet appreciated Zaynab bint Jahsh and spoke of her often; she was truly a righteous woman. She would fast much and wake up for night prayers. She was skillful and she would disburse the earnings from her work entirely to the needy.”

She had creative flair and had always earned her living as a tanner, leather-worker, bead-piercer and dressmaker.^[136] She continued this work for the rest of her life, selling her products and giving away all the profits to charity.^[137] “Zaynab was a handcrafts artist; she would process leather, sew and spend in charity in the way of Allah.” She sold her products and giving away all the profits to charity.^[138]

Mohammed had a private unit constructed following each wedding. This was a terrace of single-storey units that led to the courtyard of the mosque. Zaynab’s house was different from the first four, built only of palm-branches and not of unbaked bricks. The subsequent houses were also of palm-branches, but Zaynab’s was unique because it was the only one of the nine that was built with an attic (mashruba) that was accessible through a date-branch ladder. This was the room in which Zaynab processed leather. Omar speaks of three leather pieces and material used for adorning leather hanging on the walls of this room. It is mentioned in multiple narrations that Zaynab continued in this line of work after marrying Mohammed. Umm Salama also processed leather; however, it is not known whether she continued working after her marriage to Mohammed. There are numerous narrations about Zaynab’s work. She would spend her entire earnings on the needy, divorced and orphaned.

Once when Zaynab was busy tanning a hide, Muhammad burst into her workroom and demanded sex immediately. Afterwards he explained that he had just been tempted by the sight of an attractive woman, but by slaking his lust on his wife, he had repelled the temptation.^[139] Muhammad did not always approve of Zaynab’s craft-work. One day he glanced through her door and frowned with disapproval when he saw that she was dyeing her clothes with red ochre. Zaynab understood the message, so she rinsed the garments until all the redness had run out.^[140]

Jabir reported that Allah’s Messenger saw a woman, and so he came to his wife, Zaynab, as she was tanning a leather, and had sexual intercourse with her. He then went to his Companions and told them: “The woman advances and retires in the shape of a devil, so when one of you sees a woman, he should come to his wife, for that will repel what he feels in his heart.”^[141]

Muhammad looked through Zaynab's workroom door and frowned with disapproval when he saw that she was dyeing her clothes with red ochre. Zaynab understood the message, so she rinsed the garments until all the redness had run out.^[142]

Ibn Saad makes a curious reference to “Zaynab b Jahsh, whom people instigated and deprived from having relations with the Prophet.” The “instigation” is not expanded; it possibly refers to her quarrel with Mohammed over Safiya. We wonder who “instigated” her?

Zaynab had no children.

Co-Wives

Zaynab used to boast in front of her co-wives: “Your marriages were contracted by your families, but mine was contracted by Allah in the seven Heavens. I am closer kin to the Prophet than any of you, and my clan is the noblest of all the Quraysh.”^[143]

"Zaynab bint Jahsh was married to Mohammed’s adopted son, until Mohammed spoke the Sura that she was to divorce his son and marry Mohammed. Zaynab “used to boast before the other wives of the Prophet and used to say, ‘Allah married me (to the Prophet) in the Heavens.’”"^[144]

Such an attitude was calculated to offend the other wives. The only one who refused to be alienated was Hind. They probably had a longstanding relationship, as Hind’s stepmother was Zaynab’s aunt,^[145] and they remained friends for the rest of their lives.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content Aisha, Hafsah and Sawdah were a team, and so were Hind and Zaynab.^[146] Hind’s stepmother was Zaynab’s aunt.^[147] Aisha frankly admitted that from this point, the household was divided into two parties. Aisha was the leader of one group, always supported by Hafsa and Sawda, while Hind was allied to Zaynab^[148] and to Muhammad’s daughter Fatima.^[149]

When the Muslims wanted to give a gift of luxury food to their Prophet, they would wait until Aisha’s rostered day and bring the present to her room. In a condition of scarcity, this favouritism was resented, and the wives sent Hind to plead that such gifts be shared out equally among all of them. Muhammad told Hind not to bother him about it, and she had to apologise for offending him. The wives then sent in Fatima, to whom Muhammad frankly admitted that Aisha was his favourite, so she ought to love Aisha too. Next the wives sent Zaynab, who spoke bluntly and directly before launching a barrage of verbal abuse at Aisha. Aisha retaliated with such deadly malice that in the end Zaynab was utterly silenced. Muhammad was proud of Aisha and declared: “She is truly the daughter of Abu Bakr!”^[150]

Muhammad did not believe that "equity" meant equal distributions of material goods. He made no attempt to distribute the food equally.

Abu Dawud 3:4880. Zaynab [verbally] abused Ayesha, so Mohammed told Ayesha to abuse her. “...The Apostle of Allah came upon me [Ayesha] while Zaynab bint Jahsh was with us. He began to do something with his hand. I signalled to him until I made him understand about her. So he stopped. Zaynab came on and began to abuse Ayesha. She prevented her, but she did not stop. So he (the Prophet) said to Ayesha: ‘Abuse her.’ Then she abused her and dominated her. Zaynab then went to Ali and said: ‘Ayesha abused you and did...’ (such and such). Then Fatima came (to the Prophet) and he said to her: ‘She is favourite of your father, by the Lord of the Kaaba!’ She then returned and said to them: ‘I said to him such and such, and he said to me such and such.’ Then Ali came to the Prophet and spoke to him about that.”^[151]

This is what we learn from the Perfect Example for Humanity.

1. It was all right to love one wife more than the others.

2. It was all right to give one wife more food than the others.

3. It was all right for the wives to divide into two factions and compete against one another. (Umm Salamah and Zaynab were step-cousins and would have been friends from childhood. Aisha chose her allies for their low-threat factor: she knew that Muhammad did not love Sawdah and that Safiyah did not love Muhammad.)

4. It was not all right for Umm Salamah to ask Muhammad to use his scales and treat them fairly. She had to apologise for suggesting it.

5. It was all right for Fatima to be part of the domestic politics in terms of female/female relationships.

6. It was not all right for Fatima to disagree with her father. Once he was involved, she had to agree with him.

7. It was all right for the wives to abuse one another verbally. Muhammad cheered when Aisha won.1234567 (talk) 03:23, 14 June 2012 (PDT)

Of course, the whole quarrel could have been averted if Muhammad had been satisfied with only one woman; or even if he had taken care to share out the food fairly among his multiple wives. As it was, Zaynab had to accept that not even she could compete with Aisha in Muhammad’s love. It was also established that it was not outspoken Zaynab, but tactful Hind, who was the real leader of their faction.

Nevertheless, when Zaynab had a real chance to destroy Aisha, she did not take it. When Aisha was accused of adultery, and Ali had already advised Muhammad to divorce her,Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content Muhammad asked Zaynab if she knew anything incriminating against Aisha. Zaynab’s own sister had been the chief rumour-monger;Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content there must have been a huge temptation for Zaynab to go along with the flow, oust her rival and reign supreme in Muhammad’s heart. However, either Zaynab was streetwise enough to recognise that attacking Aisha might well backfire; or else her fundamental honesty took over. She told Muhammad: “I will not lie. I have not heard or seen anything bad about Aisha. By Allah, I know only good about her.”Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content Zaynab's sister was flogged.^[152]

This unbiased testimony may well have been the factor that convinced Muhammad that casting Aisha as an adulteress was simply not plausible and that he had nothing to gain from disgracing her. In saving Aisha, Zaynab had handed her own sister over to be flogged.^[153] Aisha and Zaynab never became friends, but Aisha was truly grateful for her rival’s honesty, and their relationship settled down to one of mutual respect.^[154]

Zaynab played her cards cleverly: if Ayesha was found innocent, she would be grateful to Zaynab; and if Ayesha was condemned, nobody would accuse Zaynab of having engineered her demise.

"Aisha reported. The Prophet used to practice itikaf [retreat] in the last ten days of Ramadan and I used to pitch a tent for him, and after offering the morning prayer, he used to enter the tent. Hafsa asked my permission to pitch a tent for herself and I allowed her and she pitched her tent. When Zaynab bint Jahsh saw it, she pitched another tent. In the morning the Prophet noticed the tents. He said, ‘What is this?” He was told of the whole situation. Then the Prophet said, “Do you think that they intended to do righteousness by doing this?” He therefore abandoned the retreat in that month and practiced retreat for ten days in the month of Shawwal." CITATION MISSING.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content [Possibly 5ff February 628 but more likely 24ff January 629 or 3ff January 631 or 23ff December 631; not January 630 (because busy conquering Mecca).]

Tetragyny Ends

Muhammad’s marriage to Zaynab marked the end of all restraint or common sense in his married life. While other men were still required to restrict themselves to four wives only, Muhammad acquired a dozen extra women, and he unsuccessfully courted several more. He never tried to justify why he “needed” to marry all these extra women. He simply said that Allah permitted it because he was the Prophet, and therefore ordinary restrictions did not apply to him.

As for intangibles like love, it was no secret that his favourite wives were Aisha, Zaynab, Hind and Hafsah^[155] – in that order – and that his least-favourite was Sawdah. Although he was prone to sudden infatuations, he developed no deep or long-term feelings for any of the dozen women whom he acquired after Zaynab.^[156]

There is something ironic about Muhammad’s lifelong assertion that four wives were ideal. Although he broke his own rule, by the end of his life he found that there were exactly four women whom he still “loved”. As a double irony, more discerning moralists have asserted that one wife is ideal.^[157] Muhammad unwittingly agreed, for he did not love any of his four favourites as much as he had once loved Khadijah.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content

Islam

Zaynab was fervent in prayer. “It is related by Anas ibn Malik that once the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) entered the mosque and found a rope hanging down between two of the pillars, and so he said, “What is this?” He was told, “It is for Zaynab. She prays, and when she loses concentration or feels tired, she holds onto it.” At this time the Prophet said, “Untie it. Pray as long as you feel fresh, but when you lose concentration or become tired, you should stop.” IBN KATHIR. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content

She was loyal to her family.

She was generous in charity. "Zaynab bint Jahsh was very generous to the poor, and indeed the Prophet said, when speaking of her to his other wives, “She is the most generous among you.”"

Widowhood

[When Muhammad was dying] Aisha narrated that the Prophet said to his wives, “The one who has the longest hands among you will meet me again the soonest.” The wives measured their hands and confirmed that Sawdah’s was the longest;Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content this cannot have surprised them as Sawdah was strikingly tall.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content It was not much of a prediction, since Sawdah was the eldest of the wives^[158] and unhealthily obese.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content Muhammad died on 8 June 632Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content when Zaynab was about 42 years old.

She never left Medina again. Muhammad’s widows needed Umar’s permission to leave the city, and he never gave this.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content

"When Omar was caliph (634-644), great wealth came to the Muslims as a result of their victories in fighting the Persians. The immense treasures of Chosroes, the Persian Emperor, fell into their hands, and when Omar sent Zaynab a pile of gold as her share of the treasure, she called her servant and told her to take a handful of it to so-and-so, naming one of the poor people of Medina. One after another, she named all the poor people whom she knew, until they had all received a share of the treasure. Then she told her maidservant to see what was left. All that remained of the large pile of gold was eighty dinars ($4000), and this she accepted as her share, thanking Allah for it; but, because she believed so much money was a temptation, she asked Allah that she would never witness such a large distribution of wealth again. By the time a year had passed, when Omar again came to distribute money amongst those wives of the Prophet who were still alive, her prayer had been granted, for she had already passed away. She was the first to demise among his widows."

Death

Zaynab died on a hot summer day in 641, aged about 51.^[159] Aisha wept when she heard the news. When she was asked why, a question indicating that everyone knew that she and Zaynab had not been friends, she replied, “She was a good woman.”^[160] Umar prayed at Zaynab’s funeral, and her brother Abu Ahmad carried her into her grave.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content She was buried in the Celestial Cemetery.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content

Zaynab was the first of Muhammad’s official^[161] widows to die, so his guess about the future had been wrong. The surviving wives then rationalised that “it was the hand of Zaynab that was the longest, because she used to work by hand and give away (what she earned) in charity.” The Messenger of Allah said to Omar, “Zaynab bint Jahsh is one who is full of prayer.” A man said, “Messenger of Allah, what is that?” He said, “The one who is humble and earnest in prayer.” Ayesha also said that Zaynab, “I have never seen a woman so pure as Zaynab, so God-fearing, so truthful, so attentive to family ties, so generous, so self-sacrificing in everyday life, so charitable, and thus so close to Allah, the Exalted.”

When you said to him whom Allah had blessed and you had favoured, ‘Keep your wife to yourself, and fear Allah,’ and you were concealing within yourself what Allah should reveal, fearing other men; and Allah has better right for you to fear him. So when Zayd had accomplished what he would of her, then We gave her in marriage to you, so that there should not be any fault in the believers, touching the wives of their adopted sons, when they have accomplished what they would of them; and Allah’s commandment must be performed. There is no fault in the prophet, touching what Allah had ordained for him.”^[162]

See Also

References