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==Zaynab bint Jahsh== | ==Zaynab bint Jahsh== | ||
Zaynab bint Jahsh was Muhammad’s seventh wife.<ref>Ibn Hisham note 918.</ref> | Zaynab bint Jahsh was the [[Muhammad| Prophet Muhammad’s]] seventh wife.<ref>Ibn Hisham note 918.</ref> | ||
Her original name had been ''Barrah'' (“virtuous”) but | 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.”<ref>{{Muslim|25|5335}}.</ref> He renamed her ''Zaynab'',<ref>{{Bukhari|1|8|212}}; {{Abudawud|3|4935}}.</ref> which literally means “father’s ornament”, but is also the name of a flower. | ||
===Background=== | ===Background=== | ||
Zaynab’s grandfather was Riyab ibn Yaamur, a Bedouin from the tribe of Asad ibn Khuzayma.<ref>Note. The Asad ibn Khuzayma tribe should not be confused with the Asad clan of the Quraysh. The latter were a single family who lived in Mecca, i.e., the descendants of Asad ibn Abduluzza, of whom Khadijah was one.</ref> 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 bint Khuwaylid|Khadijah’s]] grandfather, Asad ibn Abduluzza, responded | Zaynab’s grandfather was Riyab ibn Yaamur, a Bedouin from the tribe of Asad ibn Khuzayma.<ref>Note. The Asad ibn Khuzayma tribe should not be confused with the Asad clan of the Quraysh. The latter were a single family who lived in Mecca, i.e., the descendants of Asad ibn Abduluzza, of whom Khadijah was one.</ref> 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 bint Khuwaylid|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.<ref>Kister, M. J. (1990). On Strangers and Allies in Mecca. ''Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam, 13'', 113-154.</ref> Hence Riyab’s children and grandchildren were regarded as honorary Umayyads.<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:170-172 lists members of Riyab’s clan who lived in Mecca. Some were his biological family but others may have been more loosely attached.</ref> | ||
Riyab’s son Jahsh married Umama (or Umayma) bint Abdulmuttalib, who was Muhammad’s aunt;<ref>Tabari 39:180.</ref> hence their six children were Muhammad’s first cousins. | Riyab’s son Jahsh married Umama (or Umayma) bint Abdulmuttalib, who was Muhammad’s aunt;<ref>Tabari 39:180.</ref> hence their six children were Muhammad’s first cousins. | ||
# '''Abd''', the first of the sons, was born blind. “He used to go all round Mecca from top to bottom without anyone to lead him. He was a poet.” | # '''Abd''', the first of the sons, was born blind. “He used to go all round Mecca from top to bottom without anyone to lead him. He was a poet.” As an adult he was always known by his ''kunya'' '''Abu Ahmad'''.<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 214.</ref> | ||
# '''Abdullah''' was the second son. | # '''Abdullah''' was the second son. | ||
# '''Zaynab''' was born c. 590. | # The birth-order of the daughters is not really known, but '''Zaynab''', who was born c. 590, may have been the eldest.<ref>While marriage-order is not proof of birth-order, Zaynab appears to have been the first sister to marry. Both her sisters married prominent Muslims, suggesting that these marriages occurred after they had all converted to Islam. Zaynab would have been over twenty years old by then, and her husband appears to have remained a pagan, suggesting that they were already married before Islam.</ref> | ||
# '''Ubaydullah''' (“little Abdullah”) was the third son | # '''Ubaydullah''' (“little Abdullah”) was the third son. | ||
# '''Habibah''' | # '''Habibah''' was also known as '''Umm Habib'''. Both are feminine forms of the masculine ''Habib'' (“beloved”). | ||
# '''Hamnah''' was probably the youngest child. Her | # '''Hamnah''' was probably the youngest child.<ref>Her first husband was born in 594 and her second husband in 595, suggesting that she was not older than this.</ref> | ||
It is possible that Zaynab remembered Muhammad’s wedding to Khadijah, which took place when she was about five years old. | It is possible that Zaynab remembered Muhammad’s wedding to Khadijah, which took place when she was about five years old.<ref></ref> | ||
Ubaydullah came under the influence of Zayd ibn Amr and became a monotheist.<ref></ref> He married Abu Sufyan’s daughter Ramlah. She was born c. 594, so he was presumably this age or a little older. He died in Abyssinia in late 627. | |||
Abu Ahmad married Abu Sufyan’s daughter Al-Faraa, and they had two sons. | |||
# '''Habibah''' (also known as '''Umm Habib''') married the wealthy merchant Abdulrahman ibn Awf al-Zuhri. | |||
Her two husbands were born in 594 and 595, so she was probably not older than this. She married Masood ibn Umayr, a blue-eyed rich boy from the Abduldar clan.<ref></ref> He died at Uhud in March 625.<ref></ref> She was almost immediately remarried to Talha ibn Ubaydullah.<ref></ref> | |||
===First Marriage=== | ===First Marriage=== | ||
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===Second Marriage=== | ===Second Marriage=== | ||
At some stage, it is said, Zaynab proposed herself to Muhammad as a wife and offered not to take any dower.<ref>It is Ibn Hisham (note 918) who qualifies this story with the term “it is said.” In the light of what follows, however, it seems highly likely that the story is true.</ref> Muhammad declined this invitation. Early in 625 he visited Abdullah saying he had a marriage proposal for Zaynab.<ref></ref> 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.<ref></ref> | At some stage, it is said, Zaynab proposed herself to Muhammad as a wife and offered not to take any dower.<ref>It is Ibn Hisham (note 918) who qualifies this story with the term “it is said.” In the light of what follows, however, it seems highly likely that the story is true.</ref> Muhammad declined this invitation. Early in 625 he visited Abdullah saying he had a marriage proposal for Zaynab.<ref>Al-Jalalayn, ''Tafsir'' on Q33:36-38.</ref> 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.<ref>Al-Jalalayn, ''Tafsir'' on Q33:36-38: “… Zaynab, whose hand the Prophet had asked for in marriage … they had thought that the Prophet wanted to marry her himself.”</ref> | ||
They were displeased to discover that Muhammad was not proposing on his own behalf at all. He did not want to marry Zaynab. He was proposing that she marry his adopted son Zayd.<ref></ref> Further, it was about this time that he married both Hafsa bint Umar<ref></ref> and Zaynab bint Khuzayma.<ref></ref> It was also at this time that he ruled that four was the maximum number of wives.<ref></ref> Zaynab could not have been more thoroughly rejected. | They were displeased to discover that Muhammad was not proposing on his own behalf at all. He did not want to marry Zaynab. He was proposing that she marry his adopted son Zayd.<ref>Al-Jalalayn, ''Tafsir'' on Q33:36-38: “… Zaynab, whose hand the Prophet had asked for in marriage, but meaning on behalf of Zayd ibn Haritha. They were loathe to this when they found out.”</ref> Further, it was about this time that he married both Hafsa bint Umar<ref></ref> and Zaynab bint Khuzayma.<ref></ref> It was also at this time that he ruled that four was the maximum number of wives.<ref></ref> Zaynab could not have been more thoroughly rejected. | ||
====Zayd’s Background==== | ====Zayd’s Background==== | ||
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Zayd was born into the Udhra tribe c. 581. <ref>{{Tabari|39|p. 10}} states that he was “ten years younger than Muhammad.” It also states an alternative tradition that he died in September 629 “at the age of fifty-five,” giving him a birthdate of 576. The latter sounds less plausible since Muhammad adopted him as a son.</ref> 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.”<ref>{{Tabari|39|pp. 9-10}}.</ref> | Zayd was born into the Udhra tribe c. 581. <ref>{{Tabari|39|p. 10}} states that he was “ten years younger than Muhammad.” It also states an alternative tradition that he died in September 629 “at the age of fifty-five,” giving him a birthdate of 576. The latter sounds less plausible since Muhammad adopted him as a son.</ref> 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.”<ref>{{Tabari|39|pp. 9-10}}.</ref> | ||
In the twenty years since then, Zayd had been constantly at Muhammad’s side. He is described as | 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”.<ref>{{Tabari|39|p. 10}}.</ref> He was the first adult male to become a Muslim.<ref></ref> | ||
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.<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:157.</ref> They had a son, Usama, in 612.<ref>Usama was “twenty years old when the Prophet died,” ({{Tabari|39|pp. 65, 99}}) setting his earliest possible birth-date at February 612. He was old enough to fight at the Trench (REF), so his latest possible birth-date was August 612.</ref> Baraka must have been fifteen years older than Zayd<ref>In 577 she was old enough to take care of the newly orphaned six-year-old Muhammad (REF). Although she is described as his “nurse” ({{Tabari|39|p. 65}}) she may have been only four or five years older than her charge, as she was still young enough to bear a son in 612 and to live on until about 645 (Bewley/Saad 8:159).</ref> and she is said to have been ugly.<ref></ref> After 613 Muhammad quarrelled with his uncle,<ref></ref> so Abu Lahab instructed his sons to divorce Muhammad’s daughters, and Zayd divorced Durrah.<ref></ref> | 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.<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:157.</ref> They had a son, Usama, in 612.<ref>Usama was “twenty years old when the Prophet died,” ({{Tabari|39|pp. 65, 99}}) setting his earliest possible birth-date at February 612. He was old enough to fight at the Trench (REF), so his latest possible birth-date was August 612.</ref> Baraka must have been fifteen years older than Zayd<ref>In 577 she was old enough to take care of the newly orphaned six-year-old Muhammad (REF). Although she is described as his “nurse” ({{Tabari|39|p. 65}}) she may have been only four or five years older than her charge, as she was still young enough to bear a son in 612 and to live on until about 645 (Bewley/Saad 8:159).</ref> and she is said to have been ugly.<ref></ref> After 613 Muhammad quarrelled with his uncle,<ref></ref> so Abu Lahab instructed his sons to divorce Muhammad’s daughters, and Zayd divorced Durrah.<ref></ref> | ||
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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. | 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.”<ref>{{Tabari|39|p. 180}}; Bewley/Saad 8:72.</ref> 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.<ref>The Quraysh were the “nobility” of Mecca, but other tribes lived there too. The wealthy Hilal might be considered the equivalent of the “bourgeoisie”, while the Khuza’a were merely respectable. Residents from other tribes tended to be poor; they protected themselves by becoming the vassals of the important people. Lowest in the social pyramid was the slave class.</ref> The Meccans could be snobbish about “foreigners”, even if they were third-generation immigrants like Zaynab.<ref></ref> If Zaynab married a newcomer like Zayd, there would be a permanent spotlight on her own foreign origins. | The reason Zaynab gave for refusing the proposal was “because I am a widow of Quraysh.”<ref>{{Tabari|39|p. 180}}; Bewley/Saad 8:72.</ref> 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.<ref>The Quraysh were the “nobility” of Mecca, but other tribes lived there too. The wealthy Hilal might be considered the equivalent of the “bourgeoisie”, while the Khuza’a were merely respectable. Residents from other tribes tended to be poor; they protected themselves by becoming the vassals of the important people. Lowest in the social pyramid was the slave class.</ref> The Meccans could be snobbish about “foreigners”, even if they were third-generation immigrants like Zaynab.<ref></ref> 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,<ref></ref> and she might have felt a simple physical repulsion. Second, although he traced his ancestry to an Arab tribe,<ref></ref> this might well have been by adoption rather than biology, for his “flat nose” and “very dark skin”<ref></ref> suggest that his genes were from Africa. The Arabs could be very racist about this.<ref></ref> Although | Zaynab did not mention Zayd’s physical appearance, but it is possible that she had further objections in that direction. First, he was ugly,<ref></ref> and she might have felt a simple physical repulsion. Second, although he traced his ancestry to an Arab tribe,<ref>{{Tabari|39|p. 6}}.</ref> this might well have been by adoption rather than biology, for his “flat nose” and “very dark skin”<ref>{{Tabari|39|p. 10}}.</ref> 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.”<ref>{{Bukhari|9|89|256}}.</ref> 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 was 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,<ref></ref> and all her siblings were at that date in monogamous marriages.<ref></ref> | While it was 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,<ref></ref> and all her siblings were at that date in monogamous marriages.<ref></ref> | ||
Abdullah supported his sister’s refusal.<ref> | Abdullah supported his sister’s refusal.<ref>{{Quran|33|36}}; Al-Jalalayn, ''Tafsir'' on Q33:36-38; {{Tabari|39|pp. 6-10, 180}}; {{Muslim|2|2347}}; {{Muslim|2|3330}}; {{Muslim|2|3332}}; {{Muslim|2|3494}}; {{Bukhari|1|3|249}}; {{Bukhari|1|3|829}}; {{Bukhari|1|4|6883}}.</ref> | ||
The matter might have ended there, for Muhammad had always claimed that a woman should not be forced into marriage.<ref>{{Bukhari||62|67}}; {{Bukhari||86|98}}.</ref> 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.''”<ref>{{Quran|33|36}}. Al-Jalalayn, ''Tafsir'' on Q33:36: “This was revealed regarding Abdullah ibn Jahsh and his sister Zaynab, whose hand the Prophet had asked for in marriage, but meaning on behalf of Zayd ibn Haritha. They were loathe to this …”</ref> 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,”<ref>Al-Jalalayn, ''Tafsir'' on Q33:36-38.</ref> a situation that might be deemed spiritual blackmail. | |||
====Reasons for the Marriage==== | ====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.”<ref>[http://www.angelfire.com/on/ummiby1/wives3.html/ Ibn Kathir, ''Wives of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW)''.]</ref> | |||
There is little evidence, however, that Muhammad really thought that way. He certainly did not | 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.”<ref></ref> 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.<ref></ref> 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<ref>The other two reasons were physical attraction and good character. He did concede that character was the best motive of the four, although there is no evidence that he selected any of his own wives primarily for that reason.</ref> 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 | 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,<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:77.</ref> fair-skinned and shapely.<ref>Qurtubi’s Commentary on Q33:37</ref> However, the imaginative description of her “fine black hair, covering half her body,”<ref>Haykal, M. H. (1933). ''The Life of Muhammad''. Translated by al-Faruqi, I. R. A. (1993), p. 217. Plainfield, U.S.A.: American Trust Publications. Haykal is not ratifying this description but quoting it as an example of the “glowing vindictiveness” of the “Orientalists and missionaries”. However, he does not name the “Orientalist” or cite his source, so it is not clear who first described Zaynab in this manner. For the record, Haykal also refers to an alleged description of how “every curve of her body was full of desire and passion.”</ref> while not implausible, does not seem to be based on early sources. | ||
====The Wedding==== | ====The Wedding==== | ||
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All was quiet for a couple of years. | All was quiet for a couple of years. | ||
The fortunes of the Jahsh family were changed at the Battle of Uhud on 22 March 625. The Meccans attacked Medina in revenge for the Muslim aggression at Badr twelve months earlier. Muhammad suffered the worst defeat of his career when he was routed and his army was decimated.<ref></ref> Seventy Muslims were killed but 66 of them were new converts from Medina,<ref></ref> so Muhammad was at risk of losing the sympathies of his hosts. Zaynab’s sister Hamna was serving as a battle-auxiliary and was told that, of the four Meccan casualties, one was her uncle Hamza, whose corpse had been nastily mutilated. She calmly replied, “From Allah we come and to him we return.” Then she was told that her brother Abdullah had also been killed<ref>Guillaume/Ibn Ishaq 607. The exact date of Zaynab’s marriage to Zayd is not recorded.</ref> and mutlated. Hamna repeated, “From Allah we come and to him we return.” Then she was told that her husband Musab had been slain. At this point she burst into tears and could not say any more than, “What will become of his children?”<ref></ref> | |||
A few days later, Zaynab received a visit from Hind’s daughter Zaynab, who would have been about nine years old.<ref>{{Abudawud|2|2292}}.</ref><ref>The hadith does not state which one of Zaynab’s brothers had just died. However, it cannot have been Abu Ahmed, who outlived her; and it is unlikely that she was much distressed by the death of Ubaydullah, whom the family had disowned had whom, by the time of his death, she had not seen for twelve years. So it probably refers to the death of Abdullah at Uhud.</ref> It is not surprising that Zaynab was on visiting terms with Hind and her daughter, for Zaynab’s aunt had been Hind’s stepmother;<ref></ref> they would have been acquainted all their lives, even before they both counted among the earliest converts to Islam. The prohibition on displays of grief<ref></ref> must have been hard for bereaved mothers, sisters and daughters. The death of Abdullah was significant for Zaynab because she lost her chief protector. | |||
Hamnah had barely completed her ''idda'' before she was remarried to a kinsman of Abu Bakr, Talhah ibn Ubaydullah, a thirty-year-old bachelor. Although he later became a polygamist, Hamnah was his only wife for several years. Hamza’s widow also found a new husband, but Abdullah’s widow never remarried; she had a bleeding disorder that raised doubts about her ritual cleanness. Although the exact sequence of events is unclear, it was at about this time that Zaynab agreed to marry Zayd. The death of Abdullah<ref>Guillaume/Ibn Ishaq 607. The exact date of Zaynab’s marriage to Zayd is not recorded.</ref> might have been the real reason that Zaynab eventually became persuadable. | |||
===Third Marriage=== | ===Third Marriage=== | ||
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====Circumstances of the Divorce==== | ====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.<ref>Majlisi, | 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.<ref>[http://www.al-islam.org/hayat-al-qulub-vol2-allamah-muhammad-baqir-al-majlisi/ Majlisi, ''Hayat al-Qulub'' 53] states that she was “in the bath.” This detail must be taken with caution, as Majlisi was writing 1100 years after the event and the English translation does not cite his source. However, most of Majlisi’s anecdotes can be traced to authentic early sources; and Zaynab might well have been wearing her shift in the bath.</ref> 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!”<ref>{{Tabari|39|p. 181}}.</ref> 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!”<ref>{{Tabari|8|pp. 1-2}}.</ref> | |||
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.”<ref>{{Tabari|8|p. 3}}.</ref> | 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.”<ref>{{Tabari|8|p. 3}}.</ref> | ||
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====Difficulties with the Marriage==== | ====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.<ref></ref> 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.”"<ref>{{Abudawud|12|2233}}.</ref> "When Ghaylan b Salama al-Thaqafi and his ten wives all accepted Islam, Mohammed told him to keep four and divorce the rest."<ref>Al-Tirmidhi 945.</ref> | 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.<ref></ref> 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.”"<ref>{{Abudawud|12|2233}}.</ref> "When Ghaylan b Salama al-Thaqafi and his ten wives all accepted Islam, Mohammed told him to keep four and divorce the rest."<ref>Al-Tirmidhi 945.</ref> Having pledged not to abandon the faithful Sawda,<ref></ref> Muhammad produced a new revelation from Allah that allowed him to marry as many women as he liked.<ref>Q33:50.</ref> | ||
Having pledged not to abandon the faithful Sawda,<ref></ref> Muhammad produced a new revelation from Allah that allowed him to marry as many women as he liked.<ref>Q33:50.</ref> | |||
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.<ref>{{Quran|33|37}}; {{Tabari|9|p. 134}}.</ref> | 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.<ref>{{Quran|33|37}}; {{Tabari|9|p. 134}}.</ref> | ||
“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.<ref>Ibn Kathir, ''Tafsir''.</ref> | “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.<ref>Ibn Kathir, ''Tafsir''.</ref> | ||
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. | 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. | ||
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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? | 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. | Zaynab had no children. | ||
===Co-Wives=== | ===Co-Wives=== | ||
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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. | 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 | As for intangibles like love, it was no secret that his favourite wives were Aisha, Zaynab, Hind and Hafsah<ref> Bukhari 48:829, 47:755; 48:829; 59:462; 60:274, 281; Muslim 31:5984; 37:6673; Ibn Saad, ''Tabaqat'' 8:166; Zamakhshari’s commentary on Q33:51.</ref> – 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.<ref>Bukhari 48:829, 47:755; 48:829; 59:462; 60:274, 281; Muslim 31:5984; 37:6673; Ibn Saad, ‘‘Tabaqat’’ 8:166; Zamakhshari’s commentary on Q33:51.</ref> | ||
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.<ref>E.g., I Timothy 3:1.</ref> Muhammad unwittingly agreed, for he did not love any of his four favourites as much as he had once loved Khadijah.<ref></ref> | 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.<ref>E.g., I Timothy 3:1.</ref> Muhammad unwittingly agreed, for he did not love any of his four favourites as much as he had once loved Khadijah.<ref></ref> | ||
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===Widowhood=== | ===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 | [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;<ref></ref> this cannot have surprised them as Sawdah was strikingly tall.<ref></ref> It was not much of a prediction, since Sawdah was the eldest of the wives<ref>She is the only one to be described as “an old woman,” i.e., post-menopausal, in Muhammad’s lifetime.</ref> and unhealthily obese.<ref></ref> Muhammad died on 8 June 632<ref></ref> when Zaynab was about 42 years old. | ||
She never left Medina again.<ref></ref> | She never left Medina again. Muhammad’s widows needed Umar’s permission to leave the city, and he never gave this.<ref></ref> | ||
"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." | "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." | ||
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===Death=== | ===Death=== | ||
Zaynab died on a hot summer day in 641, aged about 51.<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:80-81; {{Tabari|39|p. 182}}.</ref> 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.”<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:81</ref> Umar prayed at Zaynab’s funeral, and her brother Abu Ahmad carried her into her grave.<ref></ref> She was buried in the Celestial Cemetery.<ref></ref> | |||
Zaynab was the first of Muhammad’s official<ref>Muhammad’s concubine, Mariya bint Shamoon, had died first of all in 637.</ref> 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.” | Zaynab was the first of Muhammad’s official<ref>Muhammad’s concubine, Mariya bint Shamoon, had died first of all in 637.</ref> 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.”<ref>{{Quran-range|33|36-38}}.</ref> | |||
{{Quote|[http://www.a2youth.com/ebooks/the_wives_of_the_prophet/zainab_bint_jahash/ Thompson, A. (DATE). “Zainab bint Jahash” in ''The Wives of the Prophet''. London: Ta-Ha Publishers.|The marriage, however, was not a success. Although both Zaynab and Zayd were the best of people, who loved Allah and His Messenger, they were very different and in the end they could not overcome their incompatibility. Zayd asked the Prophet’s permission to divorce Zaynab more than once, and although he was counselled to hold onto his wife and to fear Allah, in the end the divorce took place. The Prophet then was ordered by Allah to marry Zaynab bint Jahsh, while he did in 5 AH, when he was 58 years old, and she was 35 years old. In doing so, he demonstrated beyond doubt that in Islam an adopted son is not regarded in the same light as a natural son, and that although a father may never marry a woman whom his natural son has married and then divorced, the father of an adopted son is permitted to marry a woman who was once, but is no longer, married to that adopted son. Furthermore, by marrying Zaynab, the Prophet also confirmed that it is permissible for cousins to marry, and , at the same time, Zaynab was given her heart’s desire to be married to the Best of Creation.}} | |||
===See Also=== | ===See Also=== | ||
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===References=== | ===References=== | ||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||