The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 417
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 417 and said, “O Messenger of Allāh! Perhaps you desire Zainab for yourself. If it is your wish I shall divorce her and you can marry her. ” The Holy Prophet sa responded, “O Zaid! Fear God and do not divorce Zainab. ” However, Zaid ra divorced Zainab ra anyway. This is the narration as it is related by Ibni Sa‘d, Ṭabarī and others on this occasion. Although this narration can be elaborated in a manner which no longer leaves room for any objection, the truth is that this tale is absolutely fictitious and false from start to finish. It is proven to be fabricated both in terms of Riwāyat and Dirāyat. As far as Riwāyat is concerned, it is enough to state that this narration is primarily related by Wāqidī and ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Āmir Aslamā; who are both looked upon by scholars as being absolutely weak and unreliable. 1 In fact, Wāqidī is so notorious for his falsehood and lies that from among all the Muslim narrators, he is perhaps second to none in this respect. 2 In contrast, however, the narration which we have mentioned wherein Zaid ra presented himself before the Holy Prophet sa and complained about the harsh treatment of Zainab ra , to which the Holy Prophet sa responded, “Fear God and do not give a divorce,” is a narration of Bukhārī. 3 Friend and foe alike accept that after the Holy Qur’ān, Bukhārī is the most authentic record of Islāmic history, to which no critic has ever had the courage to raise a finger. Therefore, in light of principles of Riwāyat , the value and worth of both these narrations is evident. Similarly, if one contemplates in terms of rationality, there seems to be no doubt in the narration of Ibni Sa‘d, etc. as being false. It is accepted that Zainab ra was the paternal-cousin of the Holy Prophet sa , to the extent that it was he who acted as her guardian and married her to Zaid bin Ḥārithah ra. Similarly, no one can deny that until this time, the Muslim women did not observe Pardah , rather, the initial injunctions relevant to Pardah were revealed after the marriage of Ḥaḍrat Zainab ra and the Holy Prophet sa. In this case, to 1 * Tahzībut-Tahzīb, By Al-Imām Shihābuddīn Abul-Faḍl Aḥmad bin Ḥajar Al-‘Asqalānī, Volume 5, pp. 234-235, Muḥammad bin ‘Umar bin Wāqid Al-Wāqidiyy, Majlisu Dā’iratil-Ma‘ārifin-Niẓāmiyyatil- Kā’inah, Hyderabad, Dakkan, First Edition (1326 A. H. ) * Tahzībut-Tahzīb, By Al-Imām Shihābuddīn Abul-Faḍl Aḥmad bin Ḥajar Al-‘Asqalānī, Volume 3, p. 180, ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Āmir, Majlisu Dā’iratil-Ma‘ārifil-Niẓāmiyyatil-Kā’inah, Hyderabad, Dakkan, First Edition (1326 A. H. ) 2 * Tahzībut-Tahzīb, By Al-Imām Shihābuddīn Abul-Faḍl Aḥmad bin Ḥajar Al-‘Asqalānī, Volume 5, pp. 234-235, Muḥammad bin ‘Umar bin Wāqid Al-Wāqidiyy, Majlisu Dā’iratil-Ma‘ārifil-Niẓāmiyyatil- Kā’inah, Hyderabad, Dakkan, First Edition (1326 A. H. ) * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 1, pp. 294-295, Dhikru Khātamin-Nubuwwah, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 3 Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābut-Tauḥīd, Bābu Wa Kāna ‘Arshuhū ‘Alal-Mā’i, Ḥadīth No. 7420