The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 409
IX - Repeated Treachery of the Jews, Compilation and Sequence of the Holy Qur ’ā n, Marriage of Ḥaḍrat Zainab ra , the Great Calumny and Mischief of the Hypocrites 409 to her marriage, which instructed that the Holy Prophet sa should take her into a bond of matrimony himself. 1 In this divine command, the wisdom was so that Zainab ra could be comforted and so that it could be demonstrated that there was no disgrace in Muslim men marrying a divorced woman. Moreover, another wisdom was that since Zaid ra was the foster-son of the Holy Prophet sa and was generally known as his son, by marrying his divorcee, a practical example could be demonstrated by the Holy Prophet sa before the Muslims that a foster-son is not a real son, nor do such injunctions apply to them, as are enforced upon biological sons. As a result, this ignorant Arabian custom could be completely expunged from among the Muslims. In this regard, the Holy Qur’ān, which is the most authentic of all historical records states: “When Zaid dissolved his relationship with Zainab, We married her to you, so that there may be no hindrance for the believers with regard to the wives of their adopted sons, after their adopted sons dissolve their relationship with their wives. This is how it was decreed that the Will of God would come to pass. ” 2 Therefore, after this divine revelation was sent down, which was absolutely free from the personal desire or thought of the Holy Prophet sa , he decided to marry Zainab ra. The Holy Prophet sa sent his proposal to Zainab ra through Zaid ra himself. 3 Upon the consent of Zainab ra , her brother Abū Ahmad bin Jaḥash ra served as her guardian and married her off to the Holy Prophet sa and the dowry was set at 400 dirhams. 4 In this manner, the ancient tradition which was firmly rooted in the plains of Arabia, was uprooted at the very source and stem, and discarded by Islām through the personal example of the Holy Prophet sa. At this instance, it is also necessary to mention that historians and 1 Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitābun-Nikāh, Bābu Ziwāji Zainab bint Jaḥsh. . . . . , Ḥadīth No. 3502 2 Al-Aḥzāb (33:38) 3 Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitābun-Nikāh, Bābu Ziwāji Zainab bint Jaḥsh. . . . . , Ḥadīth No. 3502 4 As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Mālik bin Hishām, p. 891, Dhikru Azwājihī Ummahātil-Mu’minīn. . . . . , Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001)