Indexed OCR Text

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Surah al-Aḥzab : 33 : 28 - 34
make you pure through a perfect purification. - 33). In the verses previous
to this, the instructions given to the blessed wives by addressing them
directly were, though, not special to them in person, rather, the entire
Muslim community is obligated with these injunctions, yet the blessed
wives were addressed particularly for the reason that they, in consonance
with their dignity and the sanctity of the home of the Prophet, would be
showing added care and concern for deeds that match their two
singularities. Given in this verse is the wisdom of this particular address,
that is, by the special instruction of the betterment of deeds, Allah
intends to bless the household of the Messenger of Allah with an ideal
state of purity by removing everything counter to it.
The word: "JI (ar-rijs) has been used in the Qur'an for several
meanings. At one place, ar-rijs has appeared in the sense of idols: 140
So refrain from the filth of idols - 22:30) and on other) الرِّجُسَ مِنَ الْأَوْثَّانِ
occasions, it is used in the sense of sin in absolute terms and at times it is
employed to carry the meaning of punishment or impurity or filth. The
outcome is that everything which is legally or naturally (or rationally)
considered detestable is ar-rijs. In the present verse, the word: "" (ar-
rijs) appears in this very general sense. (Al-Bahr ul-Muhit)
What does "أَهْلُ بَيْت :Ahl al-Bayt: People of the House" signify in
this verse?
In verses appearing earlier in the present sequence, the address was
to the blessed wives of the Holy Prophet #3, therefore, the form used was
in the feminine gender. Here, the expression:أَهْلُ الَبيت (ahl al-bayt)
includes, along with the blessed wives, their children and fathers as well,
therefore, the form used was in the masculine gender, that is: (from
you) and: "b", (purifies you). And some Tafsir authorities take 'ahl
al-bayt' to mean the blessed wives only. 'Ikrimah and Muqatil have said
exactly this. And Sayyidna Said Ibn Jubayr 4
te has reported the same
narration from Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas 4ee saying that he has declared 'ahl
al-bayt' in this verse to mean the blessed wives and then cited the next
verse: ◌َّوَاذْكُرُنَ مَايُتُلِى فِىُ بُيُوتِكُن (and remember what is recited in your homes
-34) as proof (because the address here is to the blessed wives only, as is
evident from the feminine gender used in the verse and from the
reference to their homes.) [reported by Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn JarIr). And the words
of the address :ّنِسَآءَ النّبي (O women [wives] of the prophet) in the

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Surah al-Aņzab : 33 : 28 - 34
immediately previous verses are also its contextual evidence. Early
commentator 'Ikrimah ... used to go about proclaiming in the bazaars that
'ahl al-bayt' in the verse means the blessed wives, because this verse has
been revealed to highlight their dignified status and he used to say that
he was ready to enter into a mubahalah* (imprecation) on it.
But, several narrations of Hadith reported by Ibn Katar at this place
bear witness that Sayyidah Fatimah, Sayyidna 'All and Sayyidna Hasan
and Husain رضى الله عنهم أجمعين are also included in 'ahl al-bayt' - as in a
Hadith of Sahih Muslim where Sayyidah A'ishah رضى الله عنها narrates:
Once the Holy Prophet
went out of the house with a black sheet from
Byzantine wrapped around his blessed body. When Hasan Ibn 'Ali
came out, he took him inside the sheet. Then Sayyidna Husain 4ge came.
He took him too inside the sheet in the same manner. After that, came
Sayyidah Fatimah رضى الله عنها and then Sayyidna 'Ali al-Murtada e. He
also made them come inside the sheet. Thereafter, he recited the verse:
Allah only intends to keep (all) يُرِيْدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجُسَ اَهُلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيُرًا
sorts of) filth away from you, O members of the family (of the prophet-33).
And it also appears in some narrations that, after having recited the
verse, he said: اللّهُمَّ هَؤُلاءِ أَهْلُ بَيْتِى (O Allah, these are members of my family)
(reported by Ibn JarĪr)
After having reported several reliable ahadith on this subject, Ibn
Kathir has said: In reality, there is no contradiction in the two sayings
reported from Tafsir authorities. Those who said that this verse was
revealed in relation to the high station of the blessed wives and 'ahl
al-bayt' means them does not go contrary to the possible inclusion of other
people too under the purview of 'ahl al-bayt.' Therefore, the sound
position is that under the words: 'ahl al-bayt', the blessed wives are
included in any case, because they themselves are the cause of the
revelation of this verse. And the inclusion of the direct addressees of the
revelation cannot be subjected to any doubt. And Sayyidah Fatimah and
'Ali and Hasan and Husain رضى الله عنهم أجمعين too - in accordance with the
saying of the noble Prophet - are included in 'ahl al-bayt.' And at both
places in this verse, before and after it, the address is to the wives of the
prophet using the form of feminine gender. In previous verses, beginning
* A form of resolving religious disputes through bi-partite invocation. For details,
please see Ma'ariful-Qur'an, Volume II, pp. 90, 91.

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Surah al-Ahzab : 33 : 28 - 34
from : ◌ِفَلاَ تَخْضَعُنَ بِالْقَوْل (So, do not be soft with your address - 32) up to the
end all forms employed are feminine. Then, later on in: وَاذْكُرْنَ مَا يُتُلى (and
remember what is recited - 34) the form used in the address is in the
feminine gender once again. Now, when the text departs from the context
in this verse (33) in between and elects to employ the form of masculine
gender as in: Sie ('ankum) and: " b" (yutahhirakum), it also becomes a
strong evidence of the fact that included here are not only the wives, but
some men as well.
لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجُسَ اَهُلَ :As for what has been said in the verse under study
Allah only intends to keep (all sorts of) filth away from) الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيُرًا
you, O members of the family (of the prophet-33), it obviously means that,
through these instructions, Allah Ta'ala will keep the 'ahl al-bayt'
protected against satanic instigations, sins and evils and cleanse them
pure. In short, what is meant here is legal As (tashri'i) purification -
not the creational _~ S(takwint) purification which is the hallmark of
prophets. It does not become necessary thereby that they all be j'ai
'ma'şum' (infallible) and the commission of any sin by them should not be
possible as is the case with the noble prophets, may peace be upon them
all - which is the distinctive feature of creational purification. The people
of Shiite persuasion have, by differing from the majority of the Muslim
community, first of all claimed that the expression: 'ahl al-bayt' is
restricted to the progeny and male relatives of the Messenger and that his
blessed wives are excluded from it. Then, they went on to declare the
word: Hab (tathir: purification) in the cited verse (34) as standing for their
isse ("ismah: the state of being protected, infallible) and thus made the
'ahl al-bayt' "jı jai (ma'sum: infallible) like prophets. This humble
writer has given an answer to this approach and has taken up the
subject in full details in his Ahkam ul-Qur'an under Surah Al-Aḥzab.
This work defines ames : 'ismah, and proves that it is restricted to prophets
and angels and that no one is "e" (ma'sum) other than them-all this
on the basis of Islamic legal arguments and proofs. People of knowledge
may see it at their discretion. Others just do not need it.
وَاذْكُرُنَ مَايُتُلِى فِىُ بُيُوتِكُنَّ مِنْ انْتِ اللَّهِ: 34 ayatillah) in verse) آيَاتُ اللَّهِ : The word
aJr, (And be mindful of Allah's verses and the wisdom that is recited in
your homes) means the Qur'an and: - (hikmah) means the teachings
and the sunnah of the noble Messenger of Allah - as the commentators at

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Surah al-Aņzab : 33 : 28 - 34
large have explained & &- : hikmah at this place to mean sunnah. And
the word: 3'S3 (udhkurna) could have two meanings: (1) To personally
remember and be mindful of these verses and the points of wisdom, which
should result in acting according to them. (2) To mention and pass on to
other members of the Muslim community whatever of the Qur'an was
revealed in their homes before them as well as the teachings of the Holy
Prophets of which they were the recipients.
Special Note
In his Ahkam ul-Qur'an, Ibn al-'Arabi has said: From this verse it
stands proved that a person who hears a verse of the Qur'an, or a
statement of Hadith, is duty-bound to convey it to the Muslim ummah, so
much so that even the blessed wives were bound with the duty of
conveying to members of the Muslim community whatever verses of the
Qur'an are revealed in their homes or the teachings that they receive
from the Holy Prophet 5. Both were a matter of trust placed by Allah in
their hands which they had to pass on to others.
The Protection of Qur'an and Hadith
The way the spreading of the message of the verses of the Qur'an and
the making of arrangements to teach it have been made necessary for the
Muslim community, it is in the same way that, by calling it hikmah, the
spreading and teaching of the ahadith of the Holy Prophet have also
been made necessary (in the degree of incumbency). Therefore, the noble
Şahabah, may Allah be pleased with them all, have obeyed and
implemented this injunction under all circumstances. There is this
incident related to the Sayyidna Mu'adh see in the Sahih of al-Bukhari .
He heard a Hadith from the Holy Prophet g ,but he did not narrate it
publicly for the reason that he feared that people may not give it the
status it deserved or may succumb to some misunderstanding. However,
when came the time of his death, he assembled people around him and
narrated the Hadith before them and said, 'Up to this time, I had not
mentioned it before anyone because of religious expediency. But, now the
time of death is near, therefore, I consider it necessary to deliver this
thing held in trust back to the Muslim ummah, its real owner.' The words
of the statement in the Sahih al-Bukhari are: فَاخْبَرَ بِهِ مَعَاذٌ عِنْدَ مَوتِه تَأثمًا that is,
'Sayyidna Mu'adh 4% made people hear this Hadith at the time of his
death lest he becomes a sinner by not having conveyed the Hadith of the

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Surah al-Azab : 33 : 35
Rasul of Allah to the Muslim ummah.'
This incident too is an apt testimony to the fact that all Şahabah
considered the implementation of this injunction of the Qur'an to be
obligatory, and necessary. And since the noble Şahabah had
demonstrated the highest care and concern in conveying Hadith to people
with utmost precaution, the protection of Hadith too came, in a certain
degree, fairly close to that of the Qur'an. Picking doubts in this matter
really amounts to picking doubts in the Qur'an. Allah knows best.
Verse 35
إِنَّ الْمُسْلِمِيْنَ وَالْمُسْلِمْتِ وَالْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ وَالْمُؤْمِنْتِ وَ الْقُنِتِيْنَ
وَالْقَنِثْتِ وَالصُّدِقِيْنَ وَالصُّدِقْتِ وَالصُّبِرِيْنَ وَالصُّبِرْتِ وَالْخُشِعِيْنَ
وَالْحُشِعتِ وَالْمُتَصَدِّقِيْنَ وَالْمُتَصَدِّقْتِ وَالصَّآئِمِيْنَ وَالصَّئِمْتِ
وَالْخِفِظِيْنَ فُرُوُجَهُمُ وَالْخِفِظَاتِ وَالذُّكِرِيْنَ اللهَ كَثِيرًا وَ الذُّكِرْتِ
أَعَدَّ اللهُ لَهُمْ مَّغْفِرَةً وَأَجْرًا عَظِيمًا (٣٥)
Surely, Muslim men and Muslim women, believing men
and believing women, devout men and devout women,
truthful men and truthful women, patient men and
patient women, humble men and humble women, and
the men who give sadaqah (charity) and the women who
give sadaqah, and the men who fast and the women
who fast, and the men who guard their private parts
(against evil acts) and the women who guard (theirs),
and the men who remember Allah much and the women
who remember (Him) ---- for them, Allah has prepared
forgiveness and a great reward. [35]
Commentary
The Qur'anicaddresses in masculine gender normally include
women : The Wisdom behind it
In the usual injunctions of the noble Qur'an, though, both men and
women have been included as addressees, but generally the address is
made to men. Women are included there as a corollary. Everywhere, by
using the words: يَاَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا (O those who have believed) women have
been addressed as being included and contained therein. This releases a

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Surah al-Aḥzab: 33 : 35
hint suggesting that all matters relating to women are shielded, concealed
and curtained. In this, there is honor and esteem for them. Particularly, if
we were to ponder over the entire Qur'an, we shall discover that no
woman except Sayyidah Maryam bint 'Imran has been referred to by her
personal name. Instead, when comes the occasion to mention them, they
have been mentioned under the cover of their attribution to men, such as,
the wife of Nuh) and) إِمُرَأَةُ نُوْح , (the woman or wife of the Pharaoh) إِمُرَأَة فِرُعَوُن
L'jag (the wife of Lut). The exception of Sayyidah Maryam may perhaps
be for the reason that Sayyidna 'Isa Call could have not been attributed
to any father, therefore, the attribution had to be to the mother. So, it was
for this attribution that her name was disclosed. And it is Allah who
knows best.
Though, this style of the Qur'an was rooted in great wisdom and
expediency, yet it was natural that women should have a feeling of some
sort of discomfort about it. Therefore, there are several narrations in
Hadith in which women have been reported to have said to the Holy
Prophet 5,"We see that Allah Ta'ala mentions only men everywhere in
the Qur'an and it is them alone that He addresses. This tells us that
women nave almost no good in them. We are scared about our acts of
'Ibadah. May be, even that is not accepted from us (reported by al-Baghawi
from the blessed wives). Similar submissions of this nature from Sayyidah
Umm 'Umarah al-Ansariyyah appear in Tirmidhi with the authority
rating of hasan (good) and from Sayyidah Asma' bint 'Umays que du ,
in some other narrations. And in all these narrations, this very
submission has been identified as the cause of the revelation of the verse
cited above.
In these verses special mention has been made of the acceptability of
their deeds to mollify the hearts of women. Here, it has been made very
clear that the touchstone of acceptance and appreciation with Allah Ta'ala
is the righteousness of deeds and the spirit of obedience to Him. In this,
there is no discrimination between man and woman.
The Injunction of Making the Dhikr of Allah Abundantly and Its
Wisdom
Islam stands on five acts of 'Ibadah or worship - Salah, Zakah, Siyam
(fasting), Hajj and Jihad. But, there is just no injunction in the entire
Qur'an that commands any act of 'Ibadah from out of these to be done

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abundantly. However, the doing of the Dhikr (remembrance) of Allah (by
heart or tongue) abundantly has been ordered in several verses of the
Holy Qur'an as in Surah Al-Anfal (8:45) and Surah Al-Jumu'ah (62:10)
وَالذَّاكِرِيْنَ اللّهَ كَثِيراً : while in the present verse of Surah Al-Ahzab it was said
cisur; (and the men remembering Allah much and the remembering
women - 35).
What is the wisdom behind it? To begin with, it can be said that the
Dhikr of Allah is the essential spirit of all acts of worship as it appears in a
narration of Sayyidna Mu adh Ibn Anas de. Someone asked the Holy
Prophet 5,"Who from among the Mujahidin deserves the best of
returns?" He said, "One who makes the Dhikr of Allah most abundantly."
It was asked again, "Who from among the fasting is most reward-
worthy?" He said, "One who makes the Dhikr of Allah most abundantly."
Then, similar questions were asked about Salah, Zakah, Hajj and
Sadaqah. Every time he said: 'One who makes the Dhikr of Allah most
abundantly,' that is, he or she is more deserving of the reward (reported by
Ahmad, from Ibn Kathir)
Secondly, it is the easiest of all acts of 'Ibadah. The Shari'ah too has
placed no condition for it. Be it with wudu' or without, be it lying, sitting,
or walking, the Dhikr of Allah can be done at all times. It demands no
hard labor from anyone nor does it require any formal free time. Yet, so
great is the effect and benefit of the Dhikr of Allah that, through it, even
worldly chores transform into worship and religious acts. The prayers that
are made before and after eating, on going out and on coming back,
before travel, in travel and on returning home, and before and after
starting a business have all been taught to us by the Holy Prophet
E.
The outcome of this enormous treasure of prophetic prayers is that no
Muslim should do anything at any time while he or she may be heedless
toward or negligent of Allah. And should one make it a point to recite
these prayers as part of what he or she has to do in life and its work,
then, dunya becomes din,i.e. worldly duties start releasing the fragrance
of faith, a wonderful experience indeed.
Verses 36 - 39
وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَّلَامُؤْ مِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى اللهُ وَرَسُوْلُهَ آَمْرًّا أَنْ يَّكُوُنَ

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Sūrah al-Aḥzab : 33 : 36 - 39
لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِمُ * وَمَنْ يَّعُصِ اللّهَ وَ رَسُوْلَهُ، فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلاً
مُّبِينًا ﴿٢٦)﴾ وَإِذْ تَقُولُ لِلَّذِىُّ أَنْعَمَ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِ أَمُسِكُ
عَلَيْكَ زَوْجَكَ وَاتَّقِ اللّهَ وَتُخْفِىُ فِىُ نَفْسِكَ مَا اللهُ مُبْدِيْهِ وَتَخْشَى
النَّاسََ وَاللَّهُ أَحَقُّ أَنْ تَخْشُهُ﴾ فَلَمَّا قَضِى زَيْدٌ مِّنُهَا وَطَرًّا زَوَّ جُنْكَهَا
لِكَىُ لَا يَكُونَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ حَرَجٌ فِىَّ أَزْوَاجٍ أَدْعِيَائِهِمُ إِذَا قَضَوْا
مِنْهُنَّ وَطَرًّا* وَكَانَ أَمْرُ اللّهِ مَفْعُوْلاً ﴿٣٧﴾ مَا كَانَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ مِنْ
حَرَجٍ فِيُمَا فَرَضَ اللَّهُ لَهُ سُنَّةَ اللهِ فِى الَّذِيْنَ خَلَوْا مِنْ قَبْلُ +ُ وَكَانَ
أَمْرُ اللّهِ قَدَرًا مَّقُدُوُرَا ﴿٢٨﴾ إِلَّذِيْنَ يُبَلِّغُوْنَ رِسُلْتِ اللهِ وَيَخْشَوْنَه"
وَلَا يَخْشَوْنَ أَحَدًّا إِلَّ اللهَ* وَكَفِى بِاللّهِ حَسِيْبًا ﴿٣٩)
And it is not open for a believing man or a believing
woman -- once Allah and His messenger have decided a
thing -- that they should have a choice about their
matter. And whoever disobeys Allah and His messenger,
he indeed gets off the track, falling into an open error.
[36] And (remember) when you were saying to the one
who was favored by Allah and favored by you," Keep
your wife to your self, and fear Allah." 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. So, when Zaid 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. And Allah's decree had to be
enforced. [37] There is no problem for the prophet in
(doing) what Allah has prescribed for him, a customary
practice of Allah in the case of those who have gone
before --- And Allah's command is pre-determined by
destiny ----. [38] those who convey the messages of Allah
and have awe of Him and have no awe of anyone except
Allah. And Allah is sufficient to take account (of
everyone). [39]
Commentary
It has been repeatedly explained earlier that the majority of

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injunctions appearing in Surah Al-Ahzab relate to the reverence, love
صَلى الله
and perfect obedience of the Holy Prophet or to the prohibition of
causing any pain to him. The verses cited above have also been revealed
in connection with some incidents of this nature.
One such incident related to Sayyidna Zayd Ibn Harithah who was
the slave of someone. It was during the days of Jahiliyyah that the Holy
Prophet
had bought him from the famous bazaar of 'Ukaz. He was still
very young at that time. The Holy Prophet g had freed him after
purchasing him, and further honored him by adopting him as his son as
was the common practice under the Arab custom of the time and went on
to bring him up. In Makkah al-Mukarramah, he was called by the name
of Zayd Ibn Muhammad 4ee. The Qur'an declared it to be an erroneous
custom of the Jahiliyyah and prohibited the calling of the so-called or
adopted son of a person as his 'son' and ordered that he should be
attributed to his real father. Revealed in this connection were verses that
have appeared earlier within this Surah: Ly (Call them by (the
name of) their (real) fathers - 5) After the revelation of these injunctions,
the noble Sahabah abandoned the practice of calling him by the name of
Zayd Ibn Muhammad 4ge and started attributing him to his father,
Harithah.
A subtle point
Not even the name of the greatest of the great Sahabi - of course,
except that of the blessed prophets - was ever mentioned throughout the
Qur'an with the sole exception of Sayyidna Zayd Ibn Harithah! Some
respected elders while describing the wisdom behind it have said that the
attribution of his parentage to the Holy Prophet ty when severed under
the injunction of the Qur'an had him deprived of a great personal honor.
However, Allah Ta'ala had it compensated by mentioning him in the
Qur'an by name. Thus, the word: J' (Zayd), being a word of the Qur'an,
has its own distinct status. On every letter of this word, in accordance
with the promise in Hadith, ten good deeds are recorded in the Book of
Deeds. So, when his name is recited in the Qur'an, the reciter gets thirty
good deeds in return just for pronouncing his name!
Even the Holy Prophet
used to give him respect. Sayyidah 'A'ishah
Que AU , says, 'Whenever he has sent him on a military expedition, it is
invariably him that he has made the commander of the forces.' (Ibn Kathir)

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Surah al-Azab: 33: 36 - 39
A lesson to remember
This, in a nutshell, was the reality of slavery at the advent of Islam
when slaves were educated and trained till they became achievers and
whoever from them proved his class and capability was given the rank of
leaders.
When Zayd Ibn Harithah grew to be a young man, the Holy Prophet
chose Sayyidah Zainab bint Jahsh, the daughter of his paternal aunt
for marriage with him. A formal proposal of marriage was sent. Since
Sayyidna Zayd was branded with the conventional label of being a freed
slave, Sayyidah Zainab and her brother, 'Abdullah Ibn Jahsh rejected
this proposal on the basis that they were nobler than him in terms of
family and lineage.
Revealed upon this incident was the verse: ◌ٍمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَّلَا مُؤْمِنَة (And it is
not open for a believing man or a believing woman - 36). The instruction
given there is: When the Holy Prophet ¿ orders someone to do something
as an obligation, it becomes obligatory for that person to do it. The choice
of not doing it does not remain valid under Islamic Law - even if the
required act may not be obligatory or necessary in its origin. But, once he
does order someone to do that, it become incumbent and obligatory on
him. And should someone not do so, his or her action has been termed as
open error at the end of the verse.
When Sayyidah Zainab bint Jahsh and her brother heard this verse,
they retracted from their rejection and agreed to the proposal of marriage.
Thus, the marriage was solemnized. The dower of the bride was paid by
the Holy Prophet on behalf of Sayyidna Zayd which was ten dinars
[equal to approximately 4 tolas of gold), sixty dirhams (equal to
approximately 18 1/2 tolas of silver), one beast of burden, complete pair of
ladies dress, 15 mudd (approximately 25 kilos) of flour and 10 mudd
(approximately 5 kilos) of dates (Ibn Kathir). The well-known event in the
background of the revelation of this verse is, according to the majority of
commentators, no other but this very account of the marriage of Sayyidah
Zainab bint Jahsh (Ibn Kathir, Qurtubi and MazharĪ).
Ibn Kathir and some other commentators have also reported two
additional events of this nature. There too, it has been said that the cited
verse has been revealed in the background of those events. One of these

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events is about Sayyidna Julaibib
whose proposal to marry the
daughter of an Ansari Sahabi was turned down by the father and his
family. When this verse was revealed, they agreed and the marriage was
solemnized. The Holy Prophet 5 made a du a' (prayer)for extended
means of livelihood for them. The noble Companions say that Allah had
placed such barakah in their home that it was known to be the most
generously kept home of Madinah at-Tayyibah. Later, Sayyidna Julaibib
met with his shahadah in a Jihad. The Holy Prophet
bathed and
shrouded his body with his own blessed hands.
A similar event relating to Umm Kulthum bint 'Uqbah Ibn Abi Mu'ait
has been reported in Hadith narrations (Ibn Kathir, Qurtubi) and there is no
contradiction in them. It is possible that several events of this nature may
have been the cause of the revelation of the verse.
The Injunction to consider the principle of , (kuf) in marriage
The reason why Sayyidah Zainab bint Jahsh and her brother
'Abdullah had initially rejected the proposal of marriage with Sayyidna
Zayd Ibn Harithah was that the two of them had no familial and lineal
homogeneity, which is desirable even in the sight of the Shari'ah. The
Holy Prophet g said that girls should be married in their JAS (kuf': equal,
alike, matching) (to be explained later). Therefore, a question arises here as
to why the excuse of Sayyidah Zainab and her brother was not accepted
in this case?
The answer is that the equality, rather equalness (OU :kafa'ah) and
likeness of spouses in their religion is certainly incumbent and necessary
for the validity of the marriage. The marriage of any Muslim girl with
any disbeliever is not halal (lawful) under the consensus of the Muslim
ummah - even if the girl agrees to it. The reason is that this is not simply
the right of a woman which may be dropped at her pleasure. Instead, it is
the right of Allah and a Divinely imposed duty. On the contrary, equality
of the spouses in financial and lineal status is the right of the girl and in
the matter of lineal equality, the guardians too have right alongwith the
girl. If a sane and adult girl, despite being from a wealthy family, were to
drop her right by agreeing to marry some pauper, the choice is hers. And
in lineal equality, if the girl and her guardians, all of them, abandon this
right for the sake of some other major expedient consideration and agree
to the proposal of marriage from a person who is lesser than them in

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terms of lineage and family status, then, they have the right to do so. In
fact, should this be in view of higher religious consideration, the act of
surrendering this right is most desirable and praiseworthy. It is for this
reason that the Holy Prophet % has, on several occasions, recommended
that this right should be ignored and marriage should be solemnized
because of higher and more beneficial religious considerations.
And clear indicators set forth in the noble Qur'an prove that the right
of the Holy Prophet g on the men and women of his ummah is more
than that of anyone else. In fact, it is more than that of their own self - as
the Qur'an says : ◌ْالنَّبِىُّ أَوْلَى بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِم that is, "The Prophet is closer to
the believers than their own selves - 33:6.' Therefore, in the case of
Sayyidah Zainab and her brother, 'Abdullah, when the Holy Prophet
صَلى الله
advised them to ignore their right to lineal equality and ordered them to
agree to the marriage with Sayyidna Zayd Ibn Harithah, it was their
duty to bypass their personal opinion and their own rights in the face of
this prophetic order. Therefore, it was on this refusal from them that this
injunction of the Qur'an was revealed.
As for the lineal consideration in marriage, one may ask when it was
worthy of consideration in the sight of the Holy Prophet #g himself, why
would he himself not go by it? The answer to this doubt is already clear
from the earlier submission, that is, this consideration is worth
surrendering in favour of other higher and more beneficial religeous
considerations. During the blessed period of the Holy Prophet 23, several
marriages were solemnized among non-equals (ghayr-kuf') as based on
these very kinds of beneficial religeous considerations which do not violate
the principle.
The Issue of Equality in marriage (Kafa'ah)
Marriage (nikah) is a matter in which the absence of homogeneity in
the temperaments of the spouses disturbs the purpose of marriage,
disturbs the process of fulfilling each other's rights and breeds mutual
disputes. Therefore, the Shari'ah has ordered that kafa'ah (mutual
likeness) should be taken into consideration. But, it never means that a
man of high family background starts taking a man from a family lesser
than him as low and mean. In Islam, the criterion of low and high is
based on Taqwa and love for one's faith. Whoever does not have it, no
matter how noble his family is, he yet has no status in the sight of Allah.

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Surah al-Aḥzab : 33 : 36 - 39
So, this order to take kafa'ah (mutual equality) into consideration in
marriages has been given only to keep the management of matters
smooth and straight.
In a Hadith, the Holy Prophet & has been reported to have said that
the nikah (marriage) of girls should invariably be through their
guardians (that is, it is not appropriate even for a pubescent girl that she
settles the transaction of her nikah (marriage) all by herself. Modesty
demands that this matter should be handled by her parents and
guardians). And he said that the nikah of girls should invariably be
solemnized within their kuf' (equal, like). Though, the authority of this
Hadith is weak but, with the support from the reports and sayings of the
noble Şahabah, it becomes worth being used as an argument. In Kitab
ul-'Athar, Imam Muhammad has reported Sayyidna 'Umar saying: "I
shall issue an operative order that no girl from some high and recognized
family should be given in marriage to another having a lesser status."
Similarly, Sayyidah 'A'ishah رضى الله عنها and Sayyidna Anas e have also
stressed that kafa'ah (likeness) should be taken into consideration in
nikah (marriage) - as reported from several authorities. Imam Ibn
Humam has also written about it in details in Fath al-Qadir.
Hence, the outcome is that the consideration of kafa'ah (equalness
and likeness) in nikah (marriage) is desirable in religion, so that the
spouses live in accord and harmony. But, should some other important
consideration, more important than this kafa'ah, come up, then, it is
permissible for the woman and her guardians that they surrender this
right of theirs and marry in ghayr kuf', that is, other than equal and like.
Particularly so, when there is some religeous consideration in sight - if so,
it is better and more merit worthy to do so, as proved from several events
pertaining to the noble Sahabah. Incidentally, from this we also know
that these events do not negate the basic premise of the issue of kafa'ah.
Allah knows best.
The Second Event
As ordered by the Holy Prophet
¿, the marriage of Sayyidah Zainab
bint Jahsh Que dl , was solemnized with Sayyidna Zayd Ibn Harithah
e. But, their temperaments did not match and merge with each other.
Sayyidna Zayd used to complain about the sharpness of her tongue, the
airs she assumed because of her inborn lineal nobility and her failure to

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Surah al-Ahzab : 33 : 36 - 39
listen to him. On the other side, the Holy Prophet
was informed
through revelation that Zayd would divorce her whereafter she would be
married to him. On a certain day, Sayyidna Zayd presented these very
complaints before the Holy Prophet
and showed his intention to
divorce her. The Holy Prophet
had, though, come to know through
Divine revelation that things would transpire in a way that Zayd would
divorce her after which she would be married to him, but it was for two
reasons that he stopped Sayyidna Zayd from giving a divorce. Firstly,
because giving a divorce, though permissible in the Shari'ah of Islam, it
is not desirable. In fact, it is the most detested and repugnant of things
permissible - and the happening of something as a creational (Takwini)
imperative does not affect the operative religio-legal order (al-hukm
at-tashri'{). Secondly, also crossing his blessed heart there was the
thought: If Zayd were to give divorce and Zainab were to be married to
him consequently, the Arabs would, very much in line with their custom
of the Jahiliyyah, throw taunts on him that he had married the wife of
his son. Although, the Qur'an has already demolished this custom of
Jahiliyyah in the previous verse of this very Surah Al-Ahzab, following
which there was no danger for a believer, even no scruple about it. But
disbelievers, who reject the authority of the Qur'an itself, would still come
out with their taunts because of their pagan custom of taking an adopted
son as the real son in all aspects of the Law. This very apprehension also
became the cause of his prohibiting Sayyidna Zayd from divorcing his
wife. Revealed thereupon was an endearing reprimand from Allah Ta'ala
in the following verses of the Qur'an:
وَإِذْ تَقُوْلُ لِلَّذِىِّ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَنْعَمُتَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْسِكُ عَلَيْكَ زَوُجَكَ وَاتَّقِ اللّهَ
وَتُخْفِىُ فِىُ نَفْسِكَ مَا اللهُ مُبْدِيْهِ وَتَخْشَى النَّاسَّ وَاللّهُ أَحَقُّ أَنْ تَخْشُهُ
And (remember) when you were saying to the one who was
favored by Allah and favored by you," Keep your wife to your
self, and fear Allah." 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. (33:37)
The 'one favored' referred to here means Sayyidna Zayd and the first
favour bestowed on him by Allah was that he was made a Muslim and
secondly, that he was given the honor of staying in the company of the
Messenger of Allah. As for the favour done to him by the Holy Prophet

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Surah al-Ahzab : 33 : 36 - 39
, the first thing he did was that he gave him his freedom from slavery.
Secondly, he favored him by grooming and training him under his
personal charge, he made him into a person who was respected even by
the greatest of the great among the Sahabah. Onwards from here
appears what he said to Sayyidna Zayd: ◌َأَمْسِكُ عَلَيْكَ زَوْجَكَ وَاتَّقِ الله (Keep
your wife to your self and fear Allah). It means: 'Hold your wife in your
bond of marriage, and do not divorce her and fear Allah.' The order to
fear Allah at this place could also be taken to mean that divorce is a
detested and repugnant act from which he should abstain. And it could
also be taken in the sense that once he decides to hold her in his nikah,
let not his temperamental distaste become a cause of falling short in the
fulfillment of her due rights. What the Holy Prophet
said was correct
and sound in its place. But, after having learnt about the event as it
would transpire through Divine revelation and after the intention of
nikah with Sayyidah Zainab having emerged in his heart, this advice of
not divorcing given to Sayyidna Zayd had remained at the level of a sort
of formal expression of good wishes - something not appropriate to the
station of a messenger of Allah, particularly so because, alongwith it,
included therein was the apprehension of taunts from the people.
Therefore, in the cited verse, the admonition was revealed in the words
which mean, 'you were concealing in your heart what Allah was going to
reveal.' When the information about his marriage with Sayyidah Zainab
was conveyed to him from Allah and the intention of marriage had
already crossed his heart, then, the act of hiding this intention and
indulging in such formal remarks was not appropriate to his station. As
for the apprehension of taunts from people, it was said, 'and you were
fearing people, while Allah is more entitled to be feared by you - (37). In
other words, 'when you knew that this thing is going to take place as a
matter destined by Allah Ta'ala - without there being any apprehension
or danger of His displeasure in that case - then, simply because of the
apprehension of taunts from people, such remarks were not appropriate.'
The details of this event appearing above have all been taken from
Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Qurțubi and Ruh ul-Ma'ani. As for the particular tafsir
of the verse:ِتُخْفِىُ فِى نَفْسِكَ مَا اللَّهُ مُبْدِيُه (you were concealing in your heart
what Allah was going to reveal - 37) that is, 'the thing that he kept to
himself was the intention that should Zayd give the divorce, he would

164
Surah al-Aņzab : 33 : 36 - 39
marry her in accordance with the Divine decree' - this tafsir was reported
by Tirmidhi, Ibn Abi Hatim and other Hadith experts from a narration of
Sayyidna 'Ali Ibn Husain Zain ul-'Abidin. Its words are as follows:
أَوْحَى اللهُ تَعَالِى إِلَيْهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّ زَيْنَبَ سَيُطَلِّقُهَا زَيْدٌ وَ يَتَزَوَّجُهَا بَعُدَه"
عَلَيْهِ الصَّلوَةُ وَالسَّلاَمُ (روح از حكيم ترمدى)
Allah Ta'ala had informed the Holy Prophet through
revelation that Zainab is going to be divorced by Zayd and after
that she was to be married to him - Ruh ul-Ma'ani from
Tirmidhi.
And Ibn Kathir has reported the following words with reference to Ibn
Abi Hātim:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ أَعْلَمَ نَبِيَّهُ أَنَّهَا سَتَكُونُ مِنْ أَزْوَاجِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَّتَزَوَّجَهَا فَلَمَّا آتَاهُ زَيْدٌ لِيَشْكُوُهَا
إِلَيْهِ قَالَ اِتَّقِ اللَّهَ وَأَمْسِكُ عَلَيْكَ زَوُجَكَ فَقَالَ آَخْبَرْتُكَ إِنِّى مُزَوِّجُكُهَا وَتُخْفِىُ
فِىْ نَفُسِكَ مَا اللهُ مُبْدِيْهِ،
Allah Ta'ala had made His prophet know that she (Sayyidah
Zainab) will also become one of his blessed wives. After that,
when Zayd came to him with a complaint against her, he said,
'Fear Allah, keep your wife, do not divorce her.' Thereupon,
Allah Ta'ala said, 'I had made it known to you that I shall have
her married to you, and you were concealing in your heart the
thing that Allah was going to disclose.'
The majority of commentators - Zuhri, Bakr Ibn al-'Ala', al-Qushairi
and Qadi Abu Bakr Ibn al-'Arabi - have adopted this very tafsir, that is,
the mention of the thing he was keeping to himself was but this intention
of marriage under Divine revelation. Counter to this there are narrations
in which the words," and you were concealing in your heart" have been
explained as love for Zainab. About this tafsir, Ibn Kathir has said, 'we
did not like to mention these narrations as none of these is sound.'
Then the words of the Qur'an themselves lend support to this very
tafsir mentioned above on the authority of Sayyidna Zain ul-'Abidin
because, in this verse, Allah Ta'ala has Himself said very clearly that the
thing hidden in the heart was what Allah Ta'ala is going to disclose - and
the thing that Allah Ta'ala disclosed in the next verse (37) is nikah or
marriage with Sayyidah Zainab as said in: 45; (We gave her into your
marriage -37) (Ruh ul-Ma'ani)

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Surah al-Aķzab : 33 : 36 - 39
To protect oneself against taunts thrown by people is
praiseworthy unless it affects some objective of the Shari'ah
A question arises here as to why the Holy Prophet chose to conceal
this matter which became the cause of Divine displeasure only to avoid
the taunts of a hostile people? To answer that, it can be said that there is
an essential general rule in this matter which stands proved from the
Qur'an and Sunnah. According to this rule, when doing an act may cause
misunderstanding among people or may invite their taunts, then, in order
to protect the faith of people and save them from the sin of throwing
taunts, it is permissible to avoid that act, subject to the condition that this
act itself should not be one of the objectives of the Shari'ah, and no
religeous injunction of halal and haram is related with it - even though,
the act in itself be praiseworthy. In this matter, a precedent exists in the
Hadith and Sunnah of the Holy Prophet who said: When the
Baytullah was constructed during the period of Jahiliyyah, several things
have been done contrary to the original structure laid out by Sayyidna
Ibrahim 5. First of all, some part of Baytullah was left outside the
constructed area. Then, there were two doors for people to enter inside the
Baytullah in the original foundational plan of Sayyidna Ibrahim Ag, one
towards the East and another towards the West because of which there
used to be no difficulty with the entry in and exit from Baytullah. The
people of the Jahiliyyah made two unwarranted changes in it. They
blocked the Western door totally and raised the Eastern door which used
to be at ground level so high that no one could enter inside it without the.
help of a ladder. The purpose was to let only those they permitted go in.
The Holy Prophet said: 'Had there been no danger of throwing
neo-Muslims into misunderstanding, I would have raised the Baytullah
once again in accordance with the Abrahimic foundation.' This Hadith is
present in all authentic books. From this we know that it was to save
people from misunderstanding that the Holy Prophet 5 abandoned this
intention of his, an intention which was, otherwise, praiseworthy in the
light of the Shari'ah. And against this there came no admonition from
Allah which also shows that this conduct of his was acceptable with Him.
But, this matter of reconstructing the Baytullah in accordance with the
Abrahimic foundation was not something among the objective of Shari'ah,
nor something relating to the precepts of halal and haram.

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Sūrah al-Aķzab : 33 : 36 - 39
As for the event of the marriage of Sayyidah Zainab Que Ul >), there
was an Islamic legal objective to be achieved therewith, that is, to refute
an evil custom of the Jahiliyyah and to dispel, practically and openly, the
erroneous notion of marriage being unlawful with the divorced wife of an
adopted son. The reason is that eradication of wrong customs, dragging
on and on among peoples for ages, becomes actually possible only when it
is implemented practically and demonstrated openly. The Divine
command had unfolded to fulfill this objective in a perfect manner in the
case of the marriage of Sayyidah Zainab رضى الله عنها .On the basis of this
deposition, the apparent dichotomy between the abandonment of the
reconstruction of Baytullah and the implementation of the marriage of
Sayyidah Zainab as Divinely ordained stands resolved, and answered.
And it seems that the Holy Prophet
took the oral communication of
this injunction which has appeared in the earlier verses of Surah
Al-Ahzab (Verses 4 & 5) as sufficient for declaring the law, while the need
and wisdom of its practical demonstration escaped his attention.
Therefore, he let it remain concealed despite the knowledge and intention.
لِكَىُ لَا يَكُونَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ حَرَجٌ فِى أَزْوَاجِ أَدْعِيَائِهِمْ إِذَا : Allah Tafala put it right and said
so that there may not be a problem for the believers in) قَضَوُا مِنُهُنَّ وَطَرًّا
marrying wives of their adopted sons, when they finish their desire for
them - 37). It means: We gave Zainab in marriage to you so that Muslims
do not have to face any practical difficulty in marrying the divorced wives
of adopted sons.
And the statement: 4; literally means: 'We solemnized her nikah
with you' or 'We gave her into your marriage.' This tells us that Allah
Ta'ala blessed this nikah with such distinction that He Himself
solemnized it - which makes it exempt from the usual conditions of nikah
or marriage. And it could also mean : 'We gave the command for this
nikah, now you marry her in accordance with the Islamic rules and
conditions.' Some of the commentators have preferred the first probability
while some others have gone by the second.
As for the saying of Sayyidah Zainab رضى الله عنها before other women,
"Your nikah was done by your parents. My nikah was done by Allah
Ta'ala Himself on the heavens," which appears in Hadith narrations, it
turns out to be true both ways. Under the first probability, it is very clear
while the other one too is not contrary to it.

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Surah al-Aḥzab : 33 : 36 - 39
Prefacing an answer to doubts and objections
سُنَّةَ اللهِ فِى الَّذِيْنَ خَلَوُا مِنْ قَبْلُ ◌ٌ وَكَانَ أَمْرُ اللهِ قَدَرًا:38 The opening sentence of verse
gida* (a customary practice of Allah in the case of those who have gone
before --- And Allah's command is pre-determined by destiny - 38) is a
preface to doubts to be encountered in the wake of this marriage,
particularly about why so much concern was shown in the case of this
marriage despite there being other wives in the household. It was said:
This is a sunnah of Allah (His customary practice not restricted to
Muhammad al-Mustafa . It has continued to be so in the case of earlier
prophets as well, that is, under the dictate of beneficial religeous
considerations, permission was given for multiple marriages. Well
recognized among them are Sayyidna Dawud Med and Sayyidna
Sulaiman
Hall. Sayyidna Dawud el had one hundred wives in his
nikah and Sayyidna Sulaiman Xl, three hundred. Now, if permission
came for the Holy Prophet
to have several marriages under beneficial
religeous considerations - this nikah being included therein - why should
it be taken as something far-fetched? Neither is it contrary to the dignity
and status of a prophet and messenger of Allah, nor against the norms of
zuhd and taqwa. In the last sentence, it was also said that the matter of
nikah (marriage) too, like that of rizq or sustenance, is Divinely decided
as to who will be married to whom. That which is written in the eternal
destiny has to occur. In this event relating to Sayyidna Zayd de and
Sayyidah Zainab رضى الله عنها, the factors of their mutual temperamental
difference, the displeasure of Sayyidna Zayd and then his resolve to
divorce her were all chains of this very creational and destined
imperative.
Mentioned next are particular attributes of the prophets pull code
about whom we have learnt a while ago that they were permitted to have
several wives in earlier times. It was said : ◌ِالَّذِينَ يُبَلِّغُونَ رِسلتِ الله (those who
convey the messages of Allah and have awe of Him and have no awe of
anyone except Allah - 39), that is, all these esteemed prophets, may peace
be upon them, convey the messages of Allah to their respective
communities without fear of anyone.
A wise consideration
Perhaps, in this, there may be a hint towards the wisdom behind the
multiplicity of marriages allowed to the noble prophets JI le in that

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Surah al-Aņzab: 33 : 40
all their sayings and doings must necessarily reach their communities,
while being men, they spend a substantial part of their time in the section
of the house where women and children live. During this time, if there
comes a revelation or the prophet himself gives some order or does
something, it all becomes a property held by their wives in trust on behalf
of the community which can be transferred to it through wives alone.
Other alternates are not free of difficulties. Therefore, should prophets
have several wives, it would become easier to convey accounts of their
words and deeds and their personal character in family life. Allah knows
best.
The second attribute of the noble prophets has been described as:
and have awe of Him and have no awe of) وَيَخْشَوُنَهُ، وَلَا يَخْشَوْنَ أَحَدًا إِلَّ اللهَ
anyone except Allah - 39). It means that these prophets keep fearing Allah
and fear none but Allah. It is also included there that they, if appointed to
preach something by practicing it as based on beneficial religeous
consideration, never fall short in it - and if some people throw taunts at
them for doing so, they do not fear it.
A doubt and its answer
Here, while mentioning the prophets, it has been said that they do not
fear anyone except Allah. But, in the verse previous to it while referring
to the Holy Prophet it was said:َتَخْشَى النَّاس (you fear people - 37). How
would this be correct? The answer is that, in the cited verse, this matter of
prophets not fearing anyone other than Allah has been mentioned in
connection with the conveying of Divine messages while the Holy Prophet
faced the fear of being taunted in a matter which was obviously of a
worldly nature. It had nothing to do with his mission and prophethood.
But, as soon as it became clear to him from the cited verses that this
marriage too was a part of the practical aspect of his mission and
prophethood, no fear of taunts, thereafter, from anyone stopped him from
doing what he had to. And this marriage took place despite the objections
raised by many disbelievers - which they still keep doing.
Verse 40
مَا كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبَّا أَحَدٍ مِّنُ رِّجَالِكُمُ وَلكِنْ رَّسُوْلَ اللهِ وَخَاتَمَ
النَّبِيِّنَُ وَكَانَ اللهُ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيْمًا ﴿.﴾