Verses 36–40
Verses 37-40 are about what happened when the Messenger of God married the [former] wife of Zayd, the Prophet’s former slave whom he freed and adopted as a son. Likely, the verse, , also relates to this account and prefaces the succeeding verses.
Commentary
وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَلَا مُؤْمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَمْرًا أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِمْ ۗ وَمَنْ يَعْصِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا مُبِينًا ٣٦
(33:36) And it is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter, [for them] to have a choice about it. Whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has clearly strayed.
The context indicates that “decree” here means divine legislation of religious law, not the metaphysical divine decree. [That is, here, “decree” is being used in the sense of decreeing religious injunctions for people to follow, not God’s decree of fate or to will something into being. There are two decrees mentioned here: God’s and the Prophet’s.] God’s decree is when He establishes a ruling in religious law which His servants [that is, all human beings] must enact in the appropriate arena of their lives. God communicates this decree through the intermediary of one of His prophets. The Prophet’s decree is when he decrees something in the context of managing the community or governance through the authority which God granted him in verses such as the Prophet is more entitled to the faithful than their own souls ().
Ultimately, the Prophet’s decree is through divine authority and hence from God, since God is the one who granted him authority to execute His command. The wording of this verse—when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter—indicates that “decree” here refers to matters of government or management of the people, since it discuss God and the Prophet together, whereas only God has the right to issue divine legislation (shariah).
It is not for a believing man or a believing woman: Meaning that none of the male or female believers have a right to maintain that they have a choice about what they have been commanded to do or that they can do whatever they want. When Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter is an adverbial phrase describing “not having a choice”.
The plural pronoun them (-hum) in [for them] to have a choice about it (lahum al-khīrah min amrihim) encompasses all the believers, male and female, since they are all included in the prohibition [on having a choice]. A plural pronoun is used in amrihim rather than a singular pronoun to show that the reason why they imagine they have a choice about these things is because they see them as personal matters pertaining to themselves [that is, “their matters” in the plural] rather than as a single matter ordained by God.
It means: When God and His Messenger have decreed a matter pertaining to them, it is not correct for any of them to treat it as a matter of personal choice or to say that it is their decision rather than a matter of God’s or the Prophet’s decree. Rather, they should simply obey the will of God and His Messenger.
This verse puts forward a general principle [not specific to any particular circumstances]. However, with the succeeding verses in mind, it is possible that it lays the ground for verse (Muḥammad is not the father of any of your men), in that it hints that some people objected to the Prophet’s marriage to Zayd’s [former] wife and reproached him for that since she had been the wife of his adopted son. This will be discussed further in the section on narrations.
وَإِذْ تَقُولُ لِلَّذِي أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْسِكْ عَلَيْكَ زَوْجَكَ وَاتَّقِ اللَّهَ وَتُخْفِي فِي نَفْسِكَ مَا اللَّهُ مُبْدِيهِ وَتَخْشَى النَّاسَ وَاللَّهُ أَحَقُّ أَنْ تَخْشَاهُ ۖ فَلَمَّا قَضَىٰ زَيْدٌ مِنْهَا وَطَرًا زَوَّجْنَاكَهَا لِكَيْ لَا يَكُونَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ حَرَجٌ فِي أَزْوَاجِ أَدْعِيَائِهِمْ إِذَا قَضَوْا مِنْهُنَّ وَطَرًا ۚ وَكَانَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ مَفْعُولًا ٣٧
(33:37) And [remember] when you said to the one whom Allah had shown favour to and whom you had shown favour to, Hold fast to your wife, and be mindful of Allah. You concealed inside yourself what Allah would bring to light, and you feared people—although Allah has more right to be feared. And when Zayd had no further want of her, We wedded her to you, so that there would be no difficulty among the believers in marrying the [former] wives of their adopted sons, if they have no further want of them. And Allah’s command is always carried out.
The one whom God and the Prophet showed favor to is Zayd ibn Ḥārithah. Zayd had been a bondsman of the Prophet, but the Prophet freed him and adopted him. Zayd had been married to Zaynab bint Jaḥsh, the daughter of the Prophet’s paternal aunt. Zayd came to the Prophet and indicated that he wanted to divorce Zaynab. The Prophet told him not to do this, but Zayd divorced her anyway. The Prophet then married her, and this verse was revealed.
Whom Allah had shown favour to: Meaning, God guided him towards faith and endeared him to the Prophet.
And whom you had shown favour to: Meaning, treating him kindly, freeing him, and treating him as if he were your own son.
Hold fast to your wife, and be mindful of Allah: This is a figure of speech meaning “do not divorce her”, although it hints that Zayd was insistent on divorcing her.
You concealed inside yourself what Allah would bring to light: Meaning, that which God would make known.
The penultimate verse in this section—those who convey the messages of Allah and fear Him and fear none but Allah—Allah suffices as a Reckoner ()—shows that the Prophet did not fear the people for his own sake; rather, he feared them in the way of God [that is, he feared for his prophetic mission]. Therefore, he kept private what he kept private, because he sensed that, if he spoke of them, the people would rebuke him, and that some sick-hearted people would cast aspersions on him. This, in turn, might have a negative effect on the faith of the masses. This sort of fear—as you see—is not a blameworthy sort of fear. Rather, as such, it is fear for the sake of God—and, indeed, is fear of God, exalted be He.
And you feared people—although Allah has more right to be feared: This comes across as a gentle reproof nudging the Prophet away from this sort of fear in the way of God—that is, fearing what the people might think. It also presents a different angle on how he should fear God—that is, it behoves him to fear God alone, not the people, and hence not to conceal inside himself what God would make clear.
This is the best evidence that God was the one who ordained that he marry the [former] wife of Zayd, his adopted son, so that it would allow other believers to marry the [former] spouses of their adopted children [if they so wished, whereas marrying the former spouse of one’s biological child is religiously prohibited]. The Prophet kept this matter to himself because he feared negative consequences among the people, until God promised to secure him against any criticism. This is similar to the situation in this verse:
O Prophet! Convey what has been revealed to you from your Lord… and Allah will protect you from the people. ()
The gentle reproof that is hinted at in and you feared people—although Allah has more right to be feared is in the context of God supporting and aiding the Prophet in the face of those sick-hearted people who would defame him, similar to:
Allah pardon you! Why did you give them leave until those who spoke the truth had become manifest to you and you had known the liars? ()
That God is supporting him in the face of potential criticism is further evinced by and when Zayd had no further want of her, We wedded her to you. This tells us that it was not the Prophet’s choice to marry Zaynab; rather, it was done outside of his own will or choice. Then [this is reinforced by] And Allah’s command is always carried out.
And when Zayd had no further want of her, We wedded her to you: This clause explains what happened next. “Had no further want of her” (qaḍā… waṭaran) is a polite way of saying that Zayd’s marriage with her had been consummated and that Zayd had partaken in conjugal delights.
So that there would be no difficulty among the believers in marrying the [former] wives of their adopted sons, if they have no further want of them: This explains why God had the Prophet marry Zaynab, and the wisdom behind it.
And Allah’s command is always carried out: This indicates that this is what actually happened and reinforces the divine wisdom behind it.
From this, it becomes clear that what the Prophet hid inside himself was God’s decree that he marry Zaynab, rather than his own personal desire to marry her or a passionate love for her although she was already married, as exegetes claim. They have made excuses for him on the grounds that falling in love is a normal human thing which no one is immune from. However, there are some problems with this view. First, would not his divine training overpower his natural instinct? Second, if this were the case, there would be no reason [for God] to criticize him for keeping this secret, since Islam disallows eyeing someone else’s wife.
مَا كَانَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ مِنْ حَرَجٍ فِيمَا فَرَضَ اللَّهُ لَهُ ۖ سُنَّةَ اللَّهِ فِي الَّذِينَ خَلَوْا مِنْ قَبْلُ ۚ وَكَانَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ قَدَرًا مَقْدُورًا ٣٨
(33:38) There is no difficulty (ḥaraj) for the Prophet in what Allah has ordained (faraḍa) for him. It is the practice (sunnah) of Allah which was carried out with respect to those who came before, and the command of Allah is a decree determined.
It is said that ordained (faraḍa) means “stipulated” or “assigned”. Some also understand it to mean “allowed”. Ḥaraj means “discomfort” or “difficulty”. Here, by saying there is no difficulty, it means that there should be no reason for there to be any obstacle to something which God has decreed or allowed.
It means: There is nothing stopping the Prophet from doing what God has told him to do, or permitted him to do. There is neither any obstacle nor any hardship in doing that.
It is the practice (sunnah) of Allah which was carried out with respect to those who came before: The noun sunnah here is used in place for a verbal noun. It is part of an implied construction consisting of an implied verb with the same root, along the lines of sanna Allāh dhālik sunnah (lit. “God put into practice that practice (sunnah)”). Those who came before refers to the previous prophets and messengers; this is further evinced by the next clause: those who convey the messages of Allah ().
And the command of Allah is a decree determined: Meaning, God decrees for every individual what is suitable for them. Furthermore, the prophets are allowed to do what other people are allowed to do, apart from some allowances and prohibitions specific to the Prophet.
الَّذِينَ يُبَلِّغُونَ رِسَالَاتِ اللَّهِ وَيَخْشَوْنَهُ وَلَا يَخْشَوْنَ أَحَدًا إِلَّا اللَّهَ ۗ وَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ حَسِيبًا ٣٩
(33:39) Those who convey the messages of Allah and fear Him and fear none but Allah—Allah suffices as a Reckoner.
The relative pronoun those elaborates upon the people referred to by those in those who came before.
Fear (khashiyah) is a trait in the heart. It speaks either of fearing something undesired, or else fearing something which would cause something undesired. It can be used in the sense of “I feared that so-and-so would do something to me,” or “I feared so-and-so, lest he do something to me.” The prophets fear only God, for they know that only God controls the universe.
Khashiyah [the type of fear discussed in this verse] differs from khawf. Khawf is the type of fear or unease that impels a person to guard against a threat, whether or not fear actually strikes their heart. It is an external matter, pertaining to one’s deeds. The prophets can be described as having khawf of human beings. For instance, Moses says: So I fled from you when I feared you (khiftukum) ().
It is also used for the Prophet:
If you fear (takhāfanna) treachery from a people… ().
These are the original, root meanings of khawf and khashiyah, although they are sometimes used as synonyms.
Therefore, it is clear that the prophets do not experience the type of fear known as khashiyah [unless it is khashiyah of God], even if the context surrounding those who convey the messages of Allah and fear Him () implies a hesitancy in delivering the message . However, all that the prophets do and say is part of their delivery of the message; therefore, fearing that something may interfere with their delivery of the message is part and parcel of their other deeds.
And Allah suffices as a reckoner (ḥasīban): Meaning, God accounts for all deeds, small and large; therefore, only He must be feared.
مَا كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبَا أَحَدٍ مِنْ رِجَالِكُمْ وَلَٰكِنْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَخَاتَمَ النَّبِيِّينَۗ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمًا ٤٠
(33:40) Muḥammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the seal of the prophets, and Allah knows all things.
Without doubt, this verse is in the context of dispelling their objections to the Prophet marrying the [former] wife of his [adopted] son. It makes it clear that the Prophet was neither Zayd’s biological father nor the biological father of any men at that time; therefore it would have been impossible for the Prophet to have married the ex-wife of any of his sons, since he did not have any. The clause, of any of your men speaks of the people who were alive at the time when the verse was revealed, and men refers specifically to grown men (as opposed to women or children). Here, God is not giving the Prophet a command [such as “do not sire male children”]; rather, it is expressing that God fated the Prophet not to be the father of any surviving male children.
It means: Muḥammad is not the father of any of these men you see around you, such that you could accuse him of marrying his son’s former wife. Zayd is a man whom you see around you, and the Prophet married Zayd’s former wife after Zayd divorced her. However, this is not the same thing as marrying the former wife of your biological son. Just because the Prophet adopted Zayd does not mean that Zayd is subject to the same strictures as a biological son; calling someone your son does not make them the same as biological child [in the sense of shariah regulations].
As for al-Qāsim, al-Ṭayyib, al-Ṭāhir, and Ibrāhim, they were biological sons of the Prophet, but they died before they could reach manhood. Therefore, they were not men at the time the verse was revealed, and their birth does not contradict this verse. Similarly, al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn were [grand]sons of the Messenger of God; however, he passed away before they grew to manhood.
Therefore, the birth of al-Qāsim, al-Ṭayyib, al-Ṭāhir, and Ibrāhim—and, for that matter, al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn—does not contradict this verse, since none of them could have been called “men” at the time it was revealed.
But he is the Messenger of Allah and the seal (khātam) of the prophets: A khātam (“seal”, “stamp”) is something that seals a thing; it is also used in for a thing which imprints a seal (such as a signet ring). By saying that the Prophet is the seal of the prophets, this verse is saying that prophethood comes to a conclusion with him, and there is no prophet after him.
Previously, the meanings of “messengership” (risālah) and “prophethood” (nubuwwah) were discussed; we said that a messenger (rasūl) is one who delivers a message from God to the people, and a prophet (nabī) is a person who delivers news of the unseen —namely, regarding religion (dīn) and its truths. Therefore, a messenger must be a prophet, since delivering a message from God is a form of providing news of the unseen. As a result, once prophethood has come to an end, so too must messengership come to an end.
Therefore, since the Prophet Muḥammad is the seal of the prophets, he must also be the seal of the messengers [that is, there will be neither another prophet nor another messenger after the Prophet Muḥammad].
Mentioning this here draws one’s mind to the fact that the relationship of the Prophet to his people is one of a messenger and prophet to his people [rather than the relationship of one ordinary person to another]; therefore, anything that the Prophet does is at the command of God, exalted be He.
And Allah knows all things: Meaning, what He has made clear to you was already in the scope of His knowledge.
Examining Narrations
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, Ibn Jarīr relates that Ibn ʿAbbās said:
The Prophet proposed to Zaynab bint Jaḥsh on behalf of Zayd ibn Ḥārithah, but she snubbed the idea of marrying Zayd and said, “I am of nobler birth than him,” and she was a vehement woman. So God sent down the following verse: And it is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter, to have a choice about it. Whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has clearly strayed. ().
Author’s comments: Other narrations also convey this meaning.
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, it is related from Abū Ḥātim from Ibn Zayd:
This verse was revealed about Um Kulthūm, the daughter of ʿUqbah ibn Abī Muʿayṭ. She was the first woman to migrate to Medina and gifted herself to the Prophet. He, in turn, married her to Zayd ibn Ḥārithah. She and her brother were irritated at that. She said, “We sought the Messenger of God, but he married us to his slave.” Then this verse was revealed.
Author’s comments: These two narrations come across more as applications of the verse [rather than the actual reason for revelation].
- In ʿUyūn Akhbār al-Riḍā, in the account of the audience that al-Maʾmūn held with Imām Riḍa and leaders of other faiths and sects, in the section on Imām Riḍā’s response to ʿAlī ibn al-Jahm regarding the sinlessness of the prophets, Imām Riḍā said:
As for Muḥammad and the verse You concealed inside yourself what Allah would bring to light, and you feared people—although Allah has more right to be feared (): God, the Mighty and Glorious, told the Prophet the names of his wives in this world and his wives in the hereafter, and told him that they are the Mothers of the Believers. One of those who was named was Zaynab bint Jaḥsh, but, at that time, she was married to Zayd ibn Ḥārithah. So he kept her name hidden inside himself. He did not tell anyone lest one of the hypocrites accuse him of calling another man’s wife his wife and saying she was one of the Mothers of the Believers. Since he feared what the hypocrites might say, God, the Mighty and Glorious, said: you feared people—although Allah has more right to be feared (), meaning inside yourself.
Author’s comments: Similar narrations have been related in the same book from him in response to al-Maʾmūn’s question to him about the sinlessness of the prophets.
- Majmaʿ al-Bayān says regarding You concealed inside yourself what Allah would bring to light ():
It is said that what he concealed inside himself was that God—exalted be He—had told him that she [Zaynab bint Jaḥsh] would be one of his wives, and that Zayd would divorce her. So when Zayd came and told him, “I want to divorce Zaynab,” he said, “Hold fast to your wife,” and God—exalted be He—said, “Why did you say, ‘Hold fast to your wife,’ while you know that she will be one of your wives?” And this is [also] narrated from ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn.
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, it is related that Anas said:
Zayd ibn Ḥārithah came complaining about Zaynab to the Messenger of God, so the Messenger of God told him, “Be mindful of God, and hold fast to your wife.” Then this verse descended: You concealed inside yourself what Allah would bring to light ().
Had the Messenger of God hidden anything, he would have hidden this verse. So the Messenger of God married her.
Author’s comments: There are many narrations that say this, although there are doubts surrounding most of them. One account says that none of the wives of the Messenger of God had a wedding feast like that of Zaynab bint Jaḥsh; he slaughtered a sheep and fed the people with meat and bread. Another says that she used to pride herself above the other wives of the Prophet on account of three things: that she and the Prophet had the same grandfather; that she was the daughter of Umaymah bint ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, the paternal aunt of the Prophet; and that the one who had married her to him was none other than God—exalted be He—while the matchmaker was Jibrīl.
- Regarding but he is the Messenger of Allah and the seal of the prophets (), Majmaʿ al-Bayān relates in an authentic (ṣaḥīḥ) hadith that Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh said that the Prophet said:
The similitude of me among the other prophets is like that of a man who is building a house. He finished it and decorated it—all but one brick. Anyone who entered that house and beheld it would say, “How beautiful it is—except for that hole where the brick should be.” I was the hole for that brick [in the house of prophethood; then I was declared a prophet and filled that hole]; through me, prophethood is sealed.
Bukhārī and Muslim also relate this in their Ṣaḥīḥs.
Author’s comments: This idea recurs in other narrations such as from Tirmidhī, al-Nasāʾī, Aḥmad, and Ibn Mardawayh, and is related from people other than Jābir such as Abū Saʿīd and Abū Hurayrah.
- In al-Durr al-Manthūr, it is related from al-Anbārī in his al-Maṣāhif that Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥman al-Sulamī said:
I used to recite Qur’an to al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn [so that they might memorize it], and ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib came to me while I was reciting the Qur’an to them. He said to me: “Recite to both of them, and the word khātam has an a after the t [that is, it is khātam not khātim or khatm].”
Conversely, matter (amran) was used in the singular at the beginning of the verse to refer to God’s singular decree, in contrast to their multiple views about their personal circumstances (amrihim). This nuance is not reflected in translation because it is difficult to render in English. (Trans.) ↩︎
That is, it demonstrates that it is religiously permissible to marry the former spouse of one’s adopted child (assuming there are no other restrictions on the marriage), even if the marriage had already been consummated. In contrast, according to sharīʿah, it is not permissible to marry the former spouse of one’s biological child. (Trans.) ↩︎
Adoption is a sometimes misunderstood subject in Islam. Muslims are encouraged to take in and raise children who are orphaned or in need. However, taking in a child to raise as one’s own does not result in the child actually becoming equivalent to a biological child in terms of the regulations of shariah; for instance, one should not willingly adjust a birth certificate to reflect the adopted parents’ names rather than the biological parents’ names. It is not acceptable in Islam to claim that an adopted child is one’s own biological child; rather, the child’s biological lineage should be preserved and acknowledged as much as possible. (Trans.) ↩︎
In that discussion, in English vol. 3, the author says that the words of God do not show any difference between rasūl and nabī except what appears from their literal meaning. Also, a messenger has the distinction of being an intercessor (or intermediary) between God and His creatures, and the prophet has the distinction of having the knowledge of God and from God. (Pub.) ↩︎
It is related from Aḥmad, ʿAbd ibn Ḥamīd, al-Bukhārī, al-Tirmidhī, Ibn al-Mundhir, al-Ḥākim, Ibn Mardawayh, and al-Bayhaqī in his Sunan. ↩︎