What is meant by the saying of Allah the Exalted: “So when Zayd had fully fulfilled his desire for her, We married her to you”?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
May Allah reward you, Your Eminence, father. The questioner says: What is meant by the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Ahzab 33:37]
Answer:
Zaynab bint Jahsh was with Zayd ibn Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him), but they did not get along, so he divorced her. Allah (Mighty and Majestic) prescribed for His Prophet to marry her, and she was the wife of Zayd ibn Harithah, his freed slave. In the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, they used to say that a freed slave becomes an adopted son. They said, “The Messenger married his daughter’s husband,” or “The Messenger married his adopted son’s wife,” because they practiced adoption in the pre-Islamic age of ignorance. So Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said at the beginning of the surah:[Al-Ahzab 33:4].
[Al-Ahzab 33:4] [Al-Ahzab 33:5] So he is Zayd ibn Harithah, not Zayd ibn Muhammad. [Al-Ahzab 33:5] Thus, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not marry the wife of his adopted son.
Because adoption was abolished by Islam; it was abolished by Islam. Yes. May Allah pray upon you. When Zayd ibn Harithah divorced her, she became lawful for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
May Allah reward you, Your Eminence, father. The questioner says: What is meant by the saying of Allah the Exalted:
So when Zayd had no longer any need for her, We married her to you
فَلَمَّا قَضَىٰ زَيْدٌ مِّنْهَا وَطَرًا زَوَّجْنَاكَهَاAnswer:
Zaynab bint Jahsh was with Zayd ibn Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him), but they did not get along, so he divorced her. Allah (Mighty and Majestic) prescribed for His Prophet to marry her, and she was the wife of Zayd ibn Harithah, his freed slave. In the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, they used to say that a freed slave becomes an adopted son. They said, “The Messenger married his daughter’s husband,” or “The Messenger married his adopted son’s wife,” because they practiced adoption in the pre-Islamic age of ignorance. So Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said at the beginning of the surah:
Allah has not made for a man two hearts in his interior. And He has not made your wives whom you declare unlawful your mothers. And he has not made your adopted sons your [true] sons.
مَّا جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِرَجُلٍ مِّن قَلْبَيْنِ فِي جَوْفِهِ وَمَا جَعَلَ أَزْوَاجَكُمُ اللَّائِي تُظَاهِرُونَ مِنْهُنَّ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ وَمَا جَعَلَ أَدْعِيَاءَكُمْ أَبْنَاءَكُمْThat is [merely] your saying by your mouths, but Allah says the truth, and He guides to the [right] way.
ذَٰلِكُمْ قَوْلُكُم بِأَفْوَاهِكُمْ وَاللَّهُ يَقُولُ الْحَقَّ وَهُوَ يَهْدِي السَّبِيلَCall them by [the names of] their fathers; it is more just in the sight of Allah
ادْعُوهُمْ لِآبَائِهِمْ هُوَ أَقْسَطُ عِندَ اللَّهِCall them by [the names of] their fathers; it is more just in the sight of Allah. But if you do not know their fathers - then they are [still] your brothers in religion and those entrusted to you
ادْعُوهُمْ لِآبَائِهِمْ هُوَ أَقْسَطُ عِندَ اللَّهِ فَإِن لَّمْ تَعْلَمُوا آبَاءَهُمْ فَإِخْوَانُكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَمَوَالِيكُمْBecause adoption was abolished by Islam; it was abolished by Islam. Yes. May Allah pray upon you. When Zayd ibn Harithah divorced her, she became lawful for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، [1638- 4717] ما المراد بقوله تعالى:﴿فلما قضى زيد منها وطرا زوجناكها﴾؟ - الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.