Juz 22: Al-Aḥzāb 31 to Yā Sīn 27
Section 5 of 18 · Tafsir of the Qur’an · Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
5. The Marriage of Zaynab bint Jahsh
Among the significant events recounted in Surah Al-Ahzab is the marriage of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to Zaynab bint Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with her). This marriage was divinely ordained and served a profound legislative purpose in Islamic society. Allah Almighty describes this incident beginning with verse 36:
وَإِذْ تَقُولُ لِلَّذِي أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْسِكْ عَلَيْكَ زَوْجَكَ وَاتَّقِ اللَّهَ
“And when you were saying to the one who was favored by Allah and favored by you, 'Keep your wife to yourself, and fear Allah.'" (Al-Ahzab 33:37)”
The context of this verse relates to Zayd ibn Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him), whom the Prophet (peace be upon him) had freed from slavery and thereafter treated as a son before the prohibition of adoption in Islam. The Prophet (peace be upon him) had arranged Zayd's marriage to his own cousin Zaynab bint Jahsh, but their marriage did not succeed, and they were ultimately unable to maintain their relationship despite the Prophet's advice to Zayd to remain patient and keep his wife.
When their marriage ended in divorce, Allah commanded the Prophet (peace be upon him) to marry Zaynab. This divine directive served to abolish a pre-Islamic custom wherein adopted sons were considered exactly like biological sons, with all attendant prohibitions regarding marriage. In the days of ignorance (jahiliyyah), people would treat their adopted sons as their biological offspring in every respect, including inheritance and marriage prohibitions.
Allah Almighty explains this wisdom in the verse:
فَلَمَّا قَضَىٰ زَيْدٌ مِّنْهَا وَطَرًا زَوَّجْنَاكَهَا لِكَيْ لَا يَكُونَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ حَرَجٌ فِي أَزْوَاجِ أَدْعِيَائِهِمْ إِذَا قَضَوْا مِنْهُنَّ وَطَرًا
“So, when Zayd finished his desire for her, We gave her into your marriage, so that there may not be a problem for the believers in marrying wives of their adopted sons, when they finish their desire for them." (Al-Ahzab 33:37)”
This marriage thus established a critical legal precedent for the Muslim community, clarifying that adopted children do not carry the same legal status as biological children when it comes to marriage prohibitions. The Prophet (peace be upon him) himself implemented this divine ruling despite knowing the difficulty it would cause in terms of public perception, as the hypocrites would use this to criticize him.
This episode was particularly challenging for the Prophet (peace be upon him) because of his natural shyness in personal matters. The Qur'an acknowledges this difficulty:
وَتُخْفِي فِي نَفْسِكَ مَا اللَّهُ مُبْدِيهِ وَتَخْشَى النَّاسَ وَاللَّهُ أَحَقُّ أَن تَخْشَاهُ
“And you were concealing in your heart what Allah was going to reveal, and you were fearing people, while Allah is more entitled to be feared by you." (Al-Ahzab 33:37)”
The marriage to Zaynab was part of Allah's decree, and as the verse concludes, the command of Allah must be fulfilled:
وَكَانَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ مَفْعُولًا
“And the command of Allah had to be enforced." (Al-Ahzab 33:37)”
Through this marriage, Allah definitively established that adoption in Islam does not create the same prohibitions that biological relationships do. This reformed the pre-Islamic practice where adopted sons were treated identically to biological sons in all respects. Allah further clarified the Islamic position on adoption in verse 40:
مَّا كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبَا أَحَدٍ مِّن رِّجَالِكُمْ وَلَٰكِن رَّسُولَ اللَّهِ وَخَاتَمَ النَّبِيِّينَ
“Muhammad is not a father of any of your men, but he is a messenger of Allah and the last of the prophets." (Al-Ahzab 33:40)”
This episode demonstrates how Allah establishes His laws through practical examples rather than mere theoretical rulings. By having His Prophet implement this difficult command, Allah made it clear that no custom or social convention should stand in the way of divine legislation. The marriage of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to Zaynab thus represents a significant milestone in Islamic legal history, establishing clear boundaries between biological and adoptive relationships.