Muhammad Married Zaynab

Why did Prophet Muhammad marry his daughter-in-law Zaynab? Was it simply out of sexual attraction or for a noble purpose?

When we say that Prophet Muhammad desired to marry his daughter-in-law, it was simply to fulfill his insane sexual urges – at that time, the believing brothers argue that this incident was arranged by Allah Pak to show that an adopted son is not a real son. In the deceptive Islamic narrative, what is called the Jahiliyyah era, in Arabia adopted sons were treated as real sons, and marrying daughters-in-law was forbidden. Now tell me, which is more humane? The custom of the so-called Jahiliyyah era of considering adopted sons and daughters as one’s own sons and daughters, or the filth introduced by Islam where even an adopted daughter can be married?

Couldn’t Allah have simply sent down one verse to impose His introduced evil custom if He wanted? Why did He have to stage so much drama for fulfilling Muhammad’s sexual desires? Muhammad used to introduce Zayd as his own son. Zaynab was the daughter of Muhammad’s own paternal aunt Umayma bint Abdul Muttalib. He forcibly married his widowed cousin Zaynab to Zayd against her will by downloading Allah’s verse. It is clear that at that time there was no sexual desire for Zaynab in Muhammad; if there was, he would have married her himself. Before this, Muhammad had married Zayd to a woman named Umm Ayman, who was the concubine of Muhammad’s father Abdullah and had raised Muhammad with motherly affection. Muhammad and his companions’ marriages and sexual relationships are very complicated! Not everyone can understand them easily.

The household events with the daughter-in-law begin – when Muhammad one day suddenly went to his son’s house during the daytime without prior notice, the son was not at home. As a father, he could go. But he saw the daughter-in-law partially naked or wearing thin clothes. Upon seeing this, a healthy, decent father-in-law should have pretended not to see and turned the other way, acting as if he had seen nothing. But Muhammad, like a so-called sexually aroused lecher, started saying – Subhanallah, I didn’t know your figure was so beautiful! MashaAllah, how beautifully Allah has made you! Just like how Facebook lechers try to seduce women! These are written by Tabari in his Sirah and Tafsir books, not our words. He didn’t write in exactly these words, but something like this. We used the word ‘lagano’ (hitting on), but in religious books they would use somewhat veiled polite words, right? I’m not writing any historical book where I would call rape ‘submission to the Prophet’! Tabari said Muhammad was enchanted after seeing her body; she was partially uncovered or wearing light/thin clothes – what does this mean? At that time, the ruling for women’s purdah had not yet been introduced. If hands, face, neck, or belly were visible, would anyone call that partially uncovered or light clothes? Suppose Bengali women wearing sarees – would anyone call that uncovered clothes? Why would anyone give a separate description of the clothes? He could have said attractive clothes or house clothes, but Tabari didn’t say that.

Al-Tabari (Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari, died 923 AD) has given a detailed description of this incident in his famous Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk (History of the Prophets and Kings) and Tafsir. Tabari is one of the most reliable and extensively sourced writers among Islamic historians. From the critics’ perspective, Tabari’s descriptions reveal the internal problems of Islam and the “human” (or in critics’ language, greedy/opportunistic) aspects of the Prophet’s personal life.

Tabari narrates that Prophet Muhammad married Zaynab (his cousin) to Zayd (his freed slave and adopted son). Zaynab initially objected due to class difference (Zayd was of slave origin). But after the Quranic verse (Surah Al-Ahzab 36) was revealed, she agreed. The marriage took place in Medina.

In a famous narration in Tabari (Volume 8), it is said: One day the Prophet went to Zayd’s house and saw Zaynab (partially uncovered or in light clothes). He was enchanted and said, “Subhanallah, the One who changes hearts!” Zaynab informed this to Zayd, and Zayd wanted to divorce her. The Prophet first forbade him (“Keep your wife with you”), but later married Zaynab himself. In the context of this incident, Surah Al-Ahzab 37 was revealed, which removed the prohibition on marrying the wife of an adopted son.

The all-powerful ruler of Medina, whose words, actions, and desires were the words, actions, and desires of Allah – who had the power to speak against him if he desired something? Zaynab had understood what was going to happen, and Zayd had also realized it. Muhammad, under the pretext of counseling, presented his self-created problem as their marital issue and, using Allah as an excuse, took their wife for himself. Many describe this incident with a story of a modern-day Islamic preacher.

Uthman Ibn Farooq. He is a popular American Islamic speaker, da’i (preacher of Islam), and researcher of the present time. He is the founder of ‘One Message Foundation’ in California, where he debates and discusses Islam with people of different religions. Once, while counseling a couple for their family dispute, he seduced that woman and married her. Since then, this has become a widely circulated example in the Western world.

Prophet Muhammad was so aroused after seeing parts of Zaynab’s body that he made the biggest arrangements for that wedding and fed everyone. Instant Quranic verses were being downloaded frequently. It doesn’t seem that verses were downloaded this quickly at any other time. After Muhammad’s child wife Aisha and young Safwan spent a night in the desert and returned, when everyone was talking about adultery, no verse came for more than a whole month, because Muhammad was depressed at that time. When verses would be downloaded depended on Muhammad’s mood.

On the wedding day, everyone was invited and fed. After eating, some companions didn’t leave and were chatting. They were probably chewing paan or something and gossiping. Meanwhile, the lustful Prophet Muhammad was restless to sleep with his former daughter-in-law and new wife. At that time, one companion was saying to another while chatting that if the Prophet dies, he would marry Aisha. This also reached the Prophet’s ears. The Prophet became extremely displeased. Immediately Allah sent down a verse – instant – 33:53! So that no one could marry or have relations with his wives after him – Allah made the arrangement. The companions left, and Prophet Muhammad went to bed with his former daughter-in-law.

This is exactly how it is in the Hadith narration. The Prophet wanted to spend private time with his new wife, but even though the companions were sitting for a long time, being extremely shy he could not directly tell them to leave. He came out of the room, went around to his other wives’ rooms (hujra), and came back, but saw they were still talking. Then Allah revealed this verse, which directly says that sitting and chatting unnecessarily for such a long time troubles and annoys the Prophet.

Now tell me, what do you think – an almost 60-year-old old man, who has 9-13 wives and 4+ concubines – was he madly in romantic love and restless for Zaynab? Was there such a stormy, insane physical attraction working for marriage that for it Allah showed a red card to the humane and beautiful matter of adopting a child and the custom of that time!

Critics (such as modern Western historians, Answering-Islam tradition or secular analysts) see this incident as an example of the Prophet’s personal lust and abuse of power. Zayd was called “son”. Making Zaynab Muhammad’s wife was a big scandal in society. The “seeing” story present in sources including Tabari is, to critics, proof that the Prophet could not hide his sexual attraction and used divine verses to make things convenient for himself. “Allah revealed what you were concealing” – many consider this verse opportunistic.

Although the Prophet told Zayd “keep your wife”, in the end he brought Zaynab into his own house. In critics’ language, this is like wife-stealing in the name of mediation. In Tabari’s narration, the Prophet’s “heart changing” and the subsequent revelation of the verse – these are called the expression of hidden lust out of fear of people. Muslims say it was to abolish the adoption custom. Critics say it was an excuse to make his own marriage valid. Zaynab was beautiful and the Prophet’s relative – there was both lineage and sexual benefit in it.

The way this incident is described in primary sources like Tabari is a powerful weapon for critics of Islam. Readers should verify the sources themselves and decide. History is controversial, and religious belief is a personal matter, find out the truth yourself. Verify with your own common sense, conscience, education, and knowledge – if you have them!