Al-Ahzab: (37) "And when you said to the one..."
(And when you said)—this is an address to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), meaning: "Mention the time when you said (to the one whom Allah had blessed)—by granting him success in accepting Islam, and by granting you success in raising him well, manumitting him, caring for him, and singling him out for adoption and special closeness—(and whom you had favored)—by acting according to the various forms of kindness that Allah, the Exalted, enabled you to perform, among which was his emancipation—(namely, Zayd bin Harithah, may Allah be pleased with him).
The mention of him with this specific title, as the Sheikh al-Islam stated, is to clarify that his state was inconsistent with what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had concealed in his noble heart. For such [concealment] only occurs out of shyness and reserve, and both of these are states not conceivable in the case of Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him). It is also permissible that this is an explanation of the wisdom behind the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) concealing what he concealed; for such a thing, with the likes of him, would lead people to cast aspersions, as the saying goes: "The most unjust of Allah's creation is one who spends his night envious of one who moves about in His blessings."
(Keep your wife to yourself)—that is, Zaynab bint Jahsh. The background is that she was unique and used to boast to Zayd about her nobility, and he would hear things from her that he disliked. One day, Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, Zaynab’s tongue has become harsh, and I intend to divorce her." He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied to him: (Keep your wife to yourself)—(and fear Allah)—regarding her, and do not divorce her out of spite or by using her arrogance and harsh tongue against you as an excuse. The preposition ‘ala (upon/to) is used with the verb amsik (keep) because it incorporates the meaning of "holding" or "confining."
(And you were concealing in your heart what Allah was to disclose)—this is a conjunction linked to "you said." It is also possible that it is a circumstantial clause, implying "while you were concealing," or without such implication, as is apparent from the words of al-Zamakhshari in several places in his Kashshaf. The "what" (the relative pronoun) refers, as reported by al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi and others from Ali bin al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with them both), to what Allah, the Exalted, had revealed to him: that Zayd would divorce Zaynab and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would marry her afterwards. This is the view held by the investigative scholars among the exegetes, such as al-Zuhri, Bakr bin al-‘Ala’, al-Qushayri, Judge Abu Bakr ibn al-‘Arabi, and others.
(And you feared the people)—you feared their objection. It is also said: You were shy because of their saying, "Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has married the wife of his son." By "the people," the genus is intended, specifically the hypocrites. This is a conjunction linked to what preceded, or a circumstantial clause.
His saying: (While Allah is more deserving that you should fear Him)—this is in the position of a circumstantial clause, and nothing else. The meaning is: Allah, the Exalted alone, is more deserving that you should fear Him in every matter, so do what He, the Glorified, has permitted for you and authorized you to do. The reproach, according to those from whom you have heard, concerns his (peace and blessings be upon him) statement [to Zayd] along with [the command to] "keep your wife," despite his knowledge that Zayd would divorce her and that he (peace and blessings be upon him) would marry her afterward. It is a reproach for leaving that which is more appropriate (al-awla).
It would have been more appropriate in such a situation for him (peace and blessings be upon him) to remain silent or to delegate the matter to the opinion of Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him).
A group has narrated from Qatadah that he (peace and blessings be upon him) was concealing the desire for her divorce and fearing the talk of the people should he command him to divorce her, and that he (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: "(Keep your wife to yourself and fear Allah)" while he loved for him to divorce her. The reproach is for showing something that contradicts what is concealed. Judge ‘Iyad included this in al-Shifa’ and said: "Do not doubt the exoneration of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from this outward appearance—that he would order Zayd to keep her while he loved for him to divorce her," as mentioned by a group of exegetes, up to the end of what he said.
Some have stated that his (peace and blessings be upon him) desire to divorce her and his love for it was merely a passing thought in his noble heart after learning that Zayd desired to part with her. There was no envy on his part (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding her—far be it from him!—so there is no impediment. The safest view is what we mentioned from Zayn al-‘Abidin (may Allah be pleased with him) and the majority: the essence of the reproach is, "Why did you say 'Keep your wife to yourself' when I had informed you that she would be one of your wives?" This is consistent with the recitation, because Allah, the Exalted, informed him that He was going to disclose what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had concealed, and He did not disclose anything other than her marriage to him, for the Almighty said: (We gave her to you in marriage). If the concealed matter had been loving her or a desire for her divorce or the like, He, the Majestic, would have disclosed it. The stories related by the narrators of legends regarding this tale are not worthy of being placed within the realm of acceptance.
Among them is what was narrated by Ibn Sa'd and al-Hakim from Muhammad bin Yahya bin Habban: that he (peace and blessings be upon him) came to the house of Zayd and did not find him. Zaynab offered for him to enter the house, but he refused to enter and turned away, speaking words of which nothing was understood except, "Glory be to Allah the Great, Glory be to the Turner of hearts." Zayd came and she told him what happened. He came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "It has reached me, O Messenger of Allah, that you came to my house. Why did you not enter? Perhaps Zaynab has impressed you, so I will divorce her." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Keep your wife to yourself and fear Allah." After that, Zayd could not find a way to her, so he divorced her.
In the Tafsir of Ali bin Ibrahim, it is stated that he (peace and blessings be upon him) came to the house of Zayd and saw Zaynab sitting in the middle of her room, grinding perfume with a stone in her hand. When he looked at her, he said, "Glory be to the Creator of light, Blessed be Allah, the best of Creators." He turned back. Zayd came and she told him. He said to her, "Perhaps you have fallen into the heart of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), so shall I divorce you so that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) may marry you?" She said, "I fear that you might divorce me and he might not marry me." He came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said to him: "I wish to divorce Zaynab." He answered him with what Allah, the Exalted, has narrated—to other such things that the researcher may encounter.
In Sharh al-Mawaqif, it is stated that this story is of the kind that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) must be protected from. If it were true, the inclination of the heart is not within one's control, along with what it involves of trial for both of them. The apparent meaning is that when Allah, the Exalted, wished to abrogate the prohibition of the wife of an adopted son, He revealed to him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he should marry Zaynab if Zayd divorced her. He (peace and blessings be upon him) did not hasten to do so, for fear of the enemies’ slander, and for this he was reproached. This is a sound approach stated by al-Khafaji—may mercy be upon him. Then he said: "The story is similar to the story of David (peace be upon him), especially since it was common among them at the beginning of the Hijra to relinquish one's wife without any embarrassment."
Some have taken an extreme view, claiming that (And you were concealing), etc., is an address—like the one before it—from Allah, the Exalted, or from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to Zayd, for he concealed his inclination towards her and showed disinterest in her because it occurred to his heart that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would like her to be one of his wives.
Furthermore, in His saying, (Keep your wife to yourself), the verb which elevates the attached pronoun [the second person] reaches the prepositional pronoun [the first person], and both refer to one person. It is like the saying: "Have pity on yourself" and "Leave off from yourself spoils that are called out in his rooms." They mentioned that in such a construction, ‘ala and ‘an are nouns, and it is not permissible for them to be particles, due to the impossibility of "thought in you" and "help by you." Rather, this is a construction where the "self" (nafs) is meant, i.e., "Think of your self" and "Help yourself." The truth, in my opinion, is the permissibility of that construction while maintaining the particle nature of ‘ala and ‘an.
(So when Zayd had fulfilled his need of her)—meaning he divorced her, as narrated from Qatadah. This is a euphemism for that, like saying "I have no need of you." The meaning of watar is a need. Al-Raghib restricted it to an important need. Abu ‘Ubaydah said: "It is like al-arab (an urgent need)." He cited the verse for Rabi’ bin Dab'i: "We said farewell before we were bade farewell when he had fulfilled a need of our youth." Al-arab is interpreted as an intense need requiring effort to fulfill. It is used sometimes for a specific need and at other times for the effort itself, even if there is no need. Al-Mubarrad said: "It is desire and love." It is said, "I have not fulfilled a need from meeting you," meaning I have not enjoyed you until my soul is satisfied. He cited: "And how shall my stay in Medina be after Jamil bin Ma’mar has fulfilled a need from her?" From Ibn Abbas is the interpretation of watar here as intercourse; the meaning is that he no longer had a need for intercourse with her and he divorced her.
In al-Bahr, narrating from some, it is said that he (may Allah be pleased with him) was unable to enjoy her. Abu ‘Isma Nuh bin Abi Maryam narrated with a chain going back to her that she said: "I did not refrain from him, but Allah, the Exalted, prevented me from him." It is also narrated that he would swell up when he wanted to approach her, so he would refrain.
It is said: It is clear that based on this, it is highly appropriate to make the fulfillment of watar a euphemism for divorce. So contemplate. There is an implicit meaning in the speech, i.e., "So when Zayd had fulfilled his need of her, and her waiting period had ended." It is also said: The fulfillment of the need implies the end of the waiting period because fulfillment means the completion of a thing. So it is as if it were said: "So when Zayd had finished his need for marriage to her, he divorced her, and her waiting period ended, so there was no inclination toward her in his heart, nor any distress from parting with her."
(We gave her to you in marriage)—meaning, We made her a wife to you without an intermediary of a contract, by primary authority or agency. It has been confirmed in a Hadith from al-Bukhari and al-Tirmidhi that she (may Allah be pleased with her) used to boast to the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), saying: "Your families married you [to him], but Allah, the Exalted, married me [to him] from above the seven heavens." Ibn Jarir narrated from al-Sha'bi, saying: "She used to say to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), 'I boast to you with three things that none of your wives have: my grandfather and your grandfather are one; Allah married me to you from the heaven; and the ambassador was Gabriel (peace be upon him).'" Perhaps she meant his (peace be upon him) ambassadorship between Allah, the Exalted, and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him); otherwise, the ambassador between him (peace and blessings be upon him) and her was Zayd.
Ahmad, Muslim, al-Nasa'i, and others narrated from Anas: "When the waiting period of Zaynab ended, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Zayd: 'Go and mention me to her.' He went and said: 'When I saw her, she became great in my heart, so I said: O Zaynab, rejoice! The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has sent me to mention you.' She said: 'I will not do anything until I pray to my Lord.' She stood up to her place of prayer, then the Qur'an descended, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came and entered upon her without permission."
And from a report narrated by al-Tabarani, al-Bayhaqi in his Sunan, and Ibn ‘Asakir through Ibn Zayd al-Asadi from Madhkur, the freedman of Zaynab: "Zayd divorced me and finalized my divorce. When my waiting period ended, I did not perceive anything until the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had entered upon me while my hair was uncovered. I said: 'This is from heaven! You entered, O Messenger of Allah, without a proposal or witnesses.' He said: 'Allah, the Exalted, is the One who performs the marriage, and Gabriel is the witness.'" It is not hidden that this, in its apparent meaning, contradicts the previous Hadith, and reliance is upon that [previous] one. It is also said: The meaning of "We gave her to you in marriage" is "We commanded you to marry her."
Ali, his two sons—the two flowers of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), al-Hasan and al-Husayn—his son Muhammad bin al-Hanafiyyah, and Ja'far al-Sadiq (may Allah be pleased with them all) read: (zawwajtuka-ha) (I gave her to you in marriage), with the 'ta' of the first-person singular pronoun.
(So that there may be no hardship upon the believers)—meaning, no constriction. It is said: No sin. Some, like al-Tabarsi, interpreted it as both, based on the permissibility of using a homonym in both its meanings absolutely—as held by the Shafi'is—or in the negative, as held by the eminent scholar Ibn al-Humam of the Hanafis—(concerning the wives of their adopted sons)—those whom they adopted—(when they have fulfilled their need of them)—i.e., when the adopted sons have divorced them and their waiting period has ended. For them, there is in the Messenger of Allah a good example. This is used as evidence that what was established for him (peace and blessings be upon him) of rulings is established for his Ummah, except for what is known to be among his (peace and blessings be upon him) exclusive matters, by evidence. The completion of the discussion on this issue is mentioned in the Principles (Usul). The "ruling" here, as you heard earlier, is the absolute marriage to the wives of adopted sons, which is, as has been said, apparent.
(And the command of Allah)—meaning whatever He wishes to bring into existence from matters, or His commanded matter resulting from "Be!"—(is always executed)—coming into existence inevitably. This sentence is an appositive interruption, confirming what preceded it regarding the marriage of Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her).
