Zainab bint Jahsh taught me

I have not seen among the Mothers of the Believers a marriage that occupied the Muslim community at that time as happened with the marriage of our mother Zaynab bint Jahsh, due to its special reasons.   She is the beautiful, honorable young woman of noble lineage from the tribe of Banu Asad Ibn Khuzaymah Al-Mudari. She was born thirty-three years before the Hijra. Her mother is the aunt of the Prophet, Umaimah bint Abdul Muttalib. Her grandfather is Abdul Muttalib. Her brother Abdullah bin Jahsh  was among the first to convert to Islam. Her brother migrated to Abyssinia, then migrated to Medina, and participated in the Battle of Badr. He was martyred in the Battle of Uhud.  Her sisters are Hamna bint Jahsh and Habiba bint Jahsh. It is truly a noble lineage that made her live with pride and dignity. The marriage of Lady Zainab bint Jahsh to Zaid I have not seen among the Mothers of the Believers a marriage that occupied the Muslim community at that time as happened with the marriage of our mother Zaynab bint Jahsh, due to its special reasons. The story begins when Zaid bin Haritha, the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), reached the age of marriage. He was one of the most beloved people to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who freed him and adopted him. He was like a father to him. Adoption was widespread at that time and was a custom among the Arabs at that time. When Zaid reached that age, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) chose his cousin Zainab bint Jahsh as a wife for him. He sent him to propose to her. She thought that he was proposing to her for himself, but when she learned that he was proposing to her for his adopted son, she refused and denied it. So Allah, the Almighty, revealed the Qur’an regarding that:  {And it is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should have any option in their decision.} On the authority of Ibn Abbas: “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, went to propose marriage to his young man, Zayd ibn Haritha. He entered upon Zaynab bint Jahsh al-Asadiyya and proposed marriage to her. She said, ‘I am not going to marry him.’ The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Then marry him.’ She said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I am in a state of confusion within myself.’ While they were talking, Allah revealed this verse to His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: ‘And it is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should have any choice about anything.’ She said, ‘Have you chosen him as my wife, O Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ She said, ‘Then I will not disobey the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. I have married myself to him.’” She accepted and submitted, acting on the principle that an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab except in piety. She said, “I have accepted him as my wife, O Messenger of God.” He said, “Yes.” She said, “Then I will not disobey God and His Messenger. I have married him to myself.” The wisdom behind the Prophet marrying Zaynab bint Jahsh to his freed slave Zayd ibn Haritha may be that Islam wanted to eliminate the class differences that were part of the customs of the Age of Ignorance so that people would be equal. Zayd was one of the people most beloved to the Messenger of God, and these differences were deeply rooted and could only be eliminated by an action or position taken by the Messenger of God, so that society would submit to God in obedience and submission. We stop at Lady Zainab’s response to the command of Allah and His Messenger to learn from it submission to the command of Allah and His Messenger even if it goes against desires. The more a person overcomes the will of Allah over his personal will, the more he is able to discipline himself and make it love what Allah and His Messenger love, which brings him benefit and blessing, as happened with our mother Zainab. At first, she responded to the command of Allah and obeyed His Messenger. It was only a short period, and the reward was that the command for her marriage to the Prophet of the Worlds was issued from above the seven heavens. How many things we see at the beginning as difficult for ourselves, and we may see them as evil due to our short-sightedness in this life, but Allah knows and you do not know. Just respond and submit to Allah’s command and you will succeed in your test, for each of us has a test. Whoever is satisfied will have satisfaction   . If a believer is faced with a matter, he must seek Allah’s guidance to guide him to what is best for him. He must submit to Allah’s command for what is in its interest, even if he does not see it at the time, because the wisdom behind it will become clear to him after a while. But life was not clear for Lady Zainab and Zaid, the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah. Zaid never forgot that she was a noble woman who had never been enslaved. Zaid suffered from her arrogance towards him, which made him complain to the Prophet, “O Prophet of Allah, I have become harsh with her behavior, and I am going to divorce her.” The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did nothing but advise him to be patient, and he used to say to him, “Keep your wife,” as Allah the Almighty says in His Noble Book:  { And when you said to the one upon whom Allah had bestowed favor and upon whom you had bestowed favor, “Keep your wife to yourself and fear Allah.”} This teaches us the necessity of equality in marital relations and the closeness in social and educational level is important to create an atmosphere of intimacy and understanding between the spouses, which strengthens the family bond between them. It is rare for a marriage to succeed in which there is an unacceptable gap in the social and cultural level and differences in age between the spouses, which affects the level of maturity and interests. A young man or woman may find pressure from society that forces them to enter into an unequal marriage just for the sake of marriage. Then he or she alone pays the bill for this marriage, while society sits by as a spectator, blaming this or that for the poor choice. We do not call on the girl or the young man to search for perfection, but they should not abandon the foundations of compatibility that qualify for the continuation of life between the spouses.    It is a great honor for Zaid, the freed slave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), to have his name mentioned in a Quran that will be recited until the Day of Resurrection . He used to say to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), “Remember me to you, my Lord.” These verses brought him comfort after the adoption was abolished and his name was changed from Zaid bin Muhammad to Zaid bin Haritha, and compensated for his pride in his father, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). He began to boast that the Almighty Lord had mentioned him in a Quran that was recited. This is a privilege for him that He did not grant to the companions of the Prophet themselves, as Allah the Almighty says: “ And when Zaid had no longer any need for her, We married her to you so that there would be no discomfort upon the believers concerning the wives of their adopted sons when they had no longer any need of them  . ” It also shows how much Allah mends the brokenness of His servants and has mercy on their weakness. How blessed is he who is remembered by his Lord! As the hadith  on the authority of Abu Hurairah states, “Allah the Most High says: ‘I am as My servant thinks of Me, and I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me to himself, I remember him to Myself, and if he remembers Me in an assembly, I remember him in an assembly better than them . ’” [Agreed upon]  “And whoever remembers his Lord, you do not know what goodness and blessings He will bestow upon him.” Zainab’s marriage to the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace: The marriage was by the command of God   , meaning that He revealed to him that he should enter upon her without a guardian, dowry, marriage contract, or human witnesses. After that, no human being can say that the Prophet had a need for Lady Zainab. On the authority of Anas, may God be pleased with him, who said : “When Zainab’s waiting period had ended, the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said to Zaid ibn Haritha: ‘Go and mention her to me.’ So he went until he came to her while she was fermenting her dough. He said: ‘When I saw her, it was so great in my heart – to the point that I could not look at her – that the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, had mentioned her. So I turned my back on her and turned back on my heels, and said: ‘O Zainab, be of good tidings. The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, has sent me to mention you.’ She said: ‘I will not do anything until I command my Lord, the Almighty and Majestic.’ So she went to her place of worship, and the Qur’an was revealed.” The wisdom behind this marriage was to abolish the custom of adoption and all the consequences that resulted from it, such as prohibiting the husbands of guardians and that the adopted son inherits from his adopted father. This position came to abolish this custom, which was widespread at the time, due to the mixing of lineages and the loss of rights that it entailed. In response to the Orientalists who looked at the verses superficially and claimed that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, loved Zaynab and hid this love , the truth is that all the narrations that were said about that are weak and their authenticity has not been proven from any point of view. As the verses “And you conceal within yourself that which Allah is to reveal, and you fear the people, while Allah has more right that you should fear Him” made clear :WhatAllah revealed was his marriage to Lady Zaynab, not his love and attachment to her, as the Almighty said: “ Sowhen Zaid had no longer any need of her, We married her to you so that there would be no discomfort upon the believers concerning the wives of their adopted sons when they have no longer any need of them.And the command of Allah is to be done . This marriage was a proof of prophethood, as it included God’s rebuke of him. This verse shows that if he had not been a prophet, he would have hidden it to preserve his prestige, for example. However, he conveyed the message as it was revealed to him, and this is proof that he is truly the Messenger of God. In the interpretation of His statement: {And you fear people, but God has more right that you should fear Him.} The meaning here is that the Prophet was ashamed that people would say that he married his son’s wife after he had forbidden marriage to the wives of his sons, so God rebuked him for that and explained that marriage by God’s command is to nullify an old custom of theirs, which is adoption. All of this serves the general interest of the Muslims. The truth is that his marriage was not linked to lust, but rather to legitimate interests that were considered, including a marriage to win over the enemy, a marriage to a widow to honor her martyred husband , or to strengthen his relationship with his companions and the Rightly-Guided Caliphs after him. It is strange that the Prophet sent Zaid himself to propose to Lady Zainab for the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, so that no one would say that the divorce took place against Zaid’s will and that he had not intended to divorce her. What was Lady Zainab’s reaction to that? She turned to God and entered her prayer room to pray until the Qur’an was revealed about her marriage to the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace. How beautiful it is to return to God at every time and with every choice so that He may illuminate the path for us and guide us to His commands. A person may see something and believe evil in it and not know, due to his short-sightedness, that it is the essence of happiness and goodness in life. God ruled in her marriage and did not leave the matter to whims.  I wish our girls would learn to give priority to God’s law over what they want and desire by resorting to God in everything. Another wisdom behind marrying Zaynab, may God be pleased with her, to the Prophet after Zayd’s waiting period had expired is that the Arabs were reluctant to marry a free woman if a slave had sexual intercourse with her. So this marriage came to nullify what the Arabs were doing, as God Almighty says: “ Sothat there will be no discomfort for the believers concerning the wives of their adopted sons when they have satisfied their desire with them. And the command of God is to be done. ”   Since it was a marriage by the command of God, who knows what blessing it would bring to everyone who attended the wedding? The Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him) held a feast for her, and the verse about the veiling of the Prophet’s wives was revealed on this day. Anas narrated on the authority of the Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him): “The Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him) did not hold a feast for any of his wives as he did for Zaynab; he held a feast for a sheep.” And he said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married one of his wives. Umm Sulaim made a hais (porridge) and put it in a bowl. She said: ‘Take this to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and convey my greetings to him, and tell him that this is a small favor from us to him.’ Anas said: ‘People were in difficulty at that time.’ So I brought it and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, Umm Sulaim sent this to you, conveying my greetings to you and saying: ‘Tell him that this is a small favor from us to him.’ He looked at it and said: ‘Put it on.’ So I put it in a corner of the house. Then he said: ‘Go and call for me so-and-so and so-and-so.’ He named many men and said: ‘And whoever you meet from the Muslims.’ So I called whoever he told me, and whoever I met from the Muslims. I came and the house, the porch, and the room were full of people. I said: ‘O Abu Uthman, how many were there?’ He said: ‘They were around three hundred.’ Anas said: ‘The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to me: ‘Bring it on.’” So I brought it to him, and he placed his hand on it, and made supplication, saying: “Whatever Allah wills.” Then he said: “Let them sit in a circle ten by ten, and say Bismillah, and let each person eat from what is nearest to him.” So they began to say Bismillah and eat until they had all eaten. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to me: “Take it up.” He said: “So I came and took the bowl, and I do not know whether it was more when I put it down or when I took it up?” This shows us the desirability of holding a wedding feast for all Muslims, as it is a Sunnah of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace. Among its benefits are announcing the marriage and anniversary, and increasing supplications for blessings in the family and money. The feast can be anything, even a small amount, according to one’s ability  . Among the rulings that we derive from this situation is that a Muslim should accept the invitation of his Muslim brother. In Sahih Muslim, on the authority of Ibn Umar, may God be pleased with them both, he said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “ Ifone of you invites his brother, he should accept, whether it is a wedding or otherwise, and he should not apologize for it . ” The multiplication of food and the blessing in it is one of the signs of prophethood and one of his miracles, may God bless him and grant him peace, as a small amount of food, which is barely enough for one or two people, meets the needs of the large gathering.   Here we have a truism: If the Prophet was a blessing to his people, he would be present wherever he was, and food would be plentiful and homes would be filled with goodness. So what about following his Sunnah and walking in his footsteps in the small and big matters of life? How much goodness and ease will come to you in your life by obeying him and following his example? How often do we complain about the difficulty of life’s matters and the lack of blessing, while we have the solution in our hands, but we often neglect it. Have we ever asked ourselves, are we following his path or has the world   tempted us with its adornments and decorations?!   And the completion of the blessing of this marriage was that the verse of hijab was revealed to the wives of the Prophet on the day of his wedding to Zainab. Anas bin Malik said: “ The Prophet , may God bless him and grant him peace, was given bread and meat by Zaynab bint Jahsh. I sent someone to bring the food. Some people would come, eat, and leave. Then some people would come, eat, and leave. I called until I could find no one to call. Then I said, ‘O Prophet of God, I can’t find anyone to call.’ He said, ‘Take away your food.’ Three people remained talking in the house. The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, went out and went to Aisha’s room and said: “Peace be upon you, O people of the house, and the mercy of God.” She said: “And upon you be peace and the mercy of God. How did you find your family? May God bless you.” So he visited the rooms of all his wives, saying to them what he said to Aisha, and they said to him what Aisha had said. Then the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, returned and found three of his family in the house talking. The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, was… Allah’s Messenger (may peace and blessings be upon him) was very shy. So he went out and headed towards Aisha’s room. I do not know whether I told him or he was told that the people had left, and he returned. When he had placed his foot in the door lintel, and the other outside, he lowered the curtain between me and him, and the verse of the veil was revealed . Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said to the Messenger of Allah, “Why don’t you veil your women so that the pious and immoral may enter upon them?” So the verse of hijab was revealed, and it was one of the agreements that agreed with Umar’s words and his jealousy for the wives of the Messenger of Allah. He said: “Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said, ‘I agreed with my Lord in three things: I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! If only we took the standing place of Abraham as a place of prayer.’ So the verse was revealed: ‘And take, [O Muhammad], the standing place of Abraham as a place of prayer.’ And the verse of hijab. I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! If only you commanded your women to…’” They veil themselves, for both the righteous and the wicked speak to them. So the verse of veiling was revealed… ” Narrated by Al-Bukhari   Since the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married his cousin, jealousy crept into the heart of Lady Aisha , especially, and into the hearts of the rest of the Prophet’s wives as well. She used to say about Zainab: “She was the one who was equal to me in status with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Zainab used to boast to them and say, ‘Your families married you, but Allah married me from above seven heavens.’” The competition between them for the love of the Messenger of Allah intensified until the matter reached an agreement between his wives on the new bride. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said, “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to stay with Zainab bint Jahsh for a long time and drink honey at her place. She and Hafsa agreed that when he entered upon them, she would say, ‘I smell the smell of maghāfir (a type of perfume). I ate maghāfir (a type of perfume).’ So he entered upon them and one of them said that. He said, ‘There is nothing wrong. I drank honey, and I will not do it again.’ So the verses were revealed: “ O Prophet, why do you prohibit what Allah has made lawful for you, seeking the pleasure of Allah?“Your wives. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” He rebuked the wives of the Prophet,   Aisha and Hafsa, for their jealousy of the Prophet, as Allah, the Most High, says: “Perhaps his Lord, if he divorces you, will substitute for him wives better than you, submissive [to Allah], believing [women], obedient [to Allah], repentant [to Allah], worshipping Allah [for guidance], fasting [for the Hereafter], previously married [women] and virgins.” Imagine a situation of jealousy between co-wives in which the Quran was revealed. Islam did not leave us with anything, big or small, except that it addressed the nation in it and explained it to her. What concerns us is how many verses were revealed because of Lady Zainab or for a situation in which she was a party, so that the women of the nation would learn how the relationship between co-wives is when they come together in love for a man. And every time Lady Zainab would leave her right to God, He would bring it from above seven heavens. The incident of the slander comes to see what was the reaction of Lady Zainab to this incident and what she said about her counterpart Lady Aisha when the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, asked her? What do you know about this matter? Then she refrained from speaking and said: “I protect my hearing and my sight. I know nothing but good.” This is how the believer avoids temptations and protects his senses from attaching accusations to others and delving into people’s reputations. To teach us a lesson on how a woman can overcome herself and her innate feeling of jealousy of her counterpart, may Allah protect her through her piety and righteousness from engaging in this slander, while her sister Hamna bint Jahsh rushed to believe the slander and spread it among people. How different are human souls, as if Lady Zainab was proving to us in every situation that she was dealing with Allah in her actions and not with a human being. She could have said that this was the opportunity and that she had come to take revenge on her counterpart, but she knew that life is short and does not tolerate disagreements and problems. We will stand before Allah alone on the Day of Judgment,   and He will hold us accountable for our actions. She was the one who lived with the Prophet, adopted his morals, and complied with his commands. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade us from having bad thoughts about people. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the falsest of speech. Do not look for faults or spy on one another, do not outbid one another, do not envy one another, do not hate one another, and do not turn your backs on one another. O servants of Allah, be brothers. “It is not permissible for a Muslim to speak about what he heard unless he actually saw it with his own eyes. If he hears something, he does not have to spy or probe until he knows the news. The true Muslim is the one who refrains from speaking with his tongue in situations of doubt and suspicion, as this is purer and cleaner for him. The position of Omar bin Abdul Aziz comes to mind when they asked him about the tribulation of the Companions. He said, ‘That is a tribulation from which God protected our swords, so we do not speak about it with our tongues.’”   If this was the relationship between Lady Zainab and her counterpart Lady Aisha, then jealousy did not prevent Lady Aisha from praising her rival Lady Zainab bint Jahsh, saying about her: “I have never seen a woman better in religion than Zainab, more pious to God, more truthful in speech, more devoted to kinship, more generous in charity, and more devoted to working for God and drawing closer to Him.” These words show that Lady Zainab did not leave any door of goodness without having a hand in it, whether in worship or dealings, and people testify to that and they were not jealous of her. It is wonderful for your competitors to testify to your goodness and righteousness. What we also learn is that what governs this relationship is fear of God, piety, and love for God, as each of them fears God in the other. In addition to that, they gathered in the house of the Prophet, the house from which revelation descended and the verses of legislation for all Muslims, witnessing the connection of earth to heaven. Wives who preferred to accompany the Prophet in this world and the hereafter over the fleeting pleasures of this world. Each of them knew the right of God before the right of people in their lives. If they experienced hardship, you would find them overcome by carrying out God’s command and submitting to what he brought over their whims, seeking God’s pleasure and Paradise. Allah, the Almighty, did not praise the believers for being infallible from the motives of their desires, but rather praised them for opposing their desires and struggling against their souls when He said: {But as for him who transgressed and preferred the life of this world, then indeed, Hellfire will be the refuge. But as for him who feared the position of his Lord and prevented the soul from desire, then indeed, Paradise will be the refuge.} [An-Nazi’at: 37-41]. So, fear of Allah was what protected them from Satan , so he did not find a way for him to plot against them and conspire against them. The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, called co-wives sisters. Muslim narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, on the authority of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, who said: “A woman should not ask for the divorce of her sister in order to have her record of rights and marry, for she will have only what God has decreed for her.”   I have the longest hand  Lady Zainab was the first to join the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, after his death. Muslim narrated in his Sahih on the authority of Aisha, the daughter of Abu Bakr, that she said: “The Messenger of God, mayGod bless him and grant him peace, said: ‘The one who will join me first will be the one with the longest hand.’ She said: ‘They would try to see who had the longest hand.’ Zainab had the longest hand among us, because she used to work with her hand and give in charity.’”  And she teaches us a lesson by doing good deeds and giving charity that brings one closer to God and raises one’s status in Paradise. She did not rely on the fact that she was the wife of the Prophet of the Worlds, but she used to give charity without thinking or calculating, unlike what we do when we say this to our children and this is for God. Consider with me this situation. It was narrated that Omar ibn al-Khattab sent her a gift of twelve thousand, and she kept saying, “O God, do not let this money reach me next year, for it is a trial.” Then she divided it among her relatives and those in need, and she gave it all in charity. And when death approached her and she had prepared her shroud, Omar ibn al-Khattab sent her a shroud, so she gave it in charity and said, “If you are able to give my loincloth in charity, then give in charity.” Is she to this extent keen on charity and recommending it even after her death, to teach us a lesson that she seeks only God and what He has, and money was not tempted by her? And what about us, the women of the Muslims? The hadith of the Prophet comes to mind, in which he recommended that the women of the Muslims give charity. If a woman lived with the Prophet and lived with him for years, she was the first to give charity, so what about us living in a time of trials where women do not find themselves in the midst of their responsibilities? And the burdens of life and raising children, who helps her to obey So, whoever gives charity while he is healthy, stingy, fears poverty, and hopes for wealth, is better in the sight of God than the one who gives charity while he is rich. This also depends on the strength of your connection to God, your trust in what He has, and your certainty of compensation. It is also an expiation for sins. On the authority of Abdullah bin Omar, on the authority of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace , that he said: O group of women, give charity and seek forgiveness often , for I have seen that you are the majority of the people of Hellfire . A woman among them said: Why, O Messenger of God, are we the majority of the people of Hellfire? He said: You curse often and are ungrateful to your husbands. Praise be to God that He opened a door for women to atone for their sins. Who among us has never made a mistake? She died, may God be pleased with her, in the year twenty of the Hijra. I am amazed at her life, which was filled with blessings from the first day the Prophet’s wives were required to wear the hijab, and the Muslims were required to abolish adoption, which entails the loss of rights and the mixing of lineages. So peace be upon the one who taught us piety and devotion until the last moment of her life.