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com

Prophet
Mohammad's
Adopted Sons Wife

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1 Contents Page
1 Contents Page.............................................................................................................. 2
2 Introduction................................................................................................................. 3
3 The life of Prophet Mohammad .................................................................................. 3
4 Islam-Sikhism website wrote: Background summary: ............................................... 3
4.1 SikhingTruth response: Background Rebuttal .................................................... 3
5 Prophet Mohammad’s Wives – Zainab Bint Jahsh..................................................... 4
5.1 Islam-Sikhism website wrote: Background to Zainab ........................................ 4
5.2 SikhingTruth response (in summary): ................................................................ 4
5.3 SikhingTruth response (in detail): ...................................................................... 4
5.3.1 Historical background................................................................................. 4
5.3.2 Critical Orientalist Version:........................................................................ 6
5.3.3 Apologetics views:...................................................................................... 7
5.3.4 Comments: .................................................................................................. 7
6 SikhingTruth response: Summary regarding the lifestyle of Prophet Muhammad .... 8

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2 Introduction
Sikhism respects all religions and supports the concept of "Sarbat da Bhalla" which
means "Good for All". Sikhs do not have any ill will towards any community, as all
human beings are sons and daughters of one God.

“See the brotherhood of all mankind as the highest order of Yogis; conquer your own
mind, and conquer the world.” (Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Page 6)

Our aim with publishing this document is only to highlight the truth and as Sikhs we
respect all Muslims who choose to follow an Islamic lifestyle without the hatred, judgement
and superiority complex.

3 The life of Prophet Mohammad

This essay focuses on Islam and some of the incorrect statements that Muslims often
make to give Islam a more human image. We go through this section in the standard
statement and answer format.

Sikhism respects all religions and supports the concept of "Sarbat da Bhalla" which
means "Good for All". Sikhs do not have any ill will towards any community, as all
human beings are sons and daughters of one God.

“See the brotherhood of all mankind as the highest order of Yogis; conquer your own
mind, and conquer the world.” (Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Page 6)

Our aim with publishing this document is only to highlight the truth and as Sikhs we
respect all Muslims who choose to follow an Islamic lifestyle without the hatred,
judgement and superiority complex.

4 Islam-Sikhism website wrote: Background summary:

“He (Mohammad) had eleven wives and he left nine of them behind when he died (peace
be upon him). Those nine were: 'Aa'ishah, Hafsah, Zaynab bint Jahsh, Umm Salamah,
Safiyyah, Umm Habeebah, Maymoonah, Sawdah and Juwayriyyah. The first of his wives
to follow him after he died was Zaynab bint Jahsh in 20 (After Hijri) and the last of them
to die was Umm Salamah in 62 (After Hijri) during the caliphate of Yazeed”

4.1 SikhingTruth response: Background Rebuttal

The above is an incorrect account of the Prophet Muhammad’s wives as firstly it does not
mention that Muhammad had a concubine. So insha'Allaah, we will aim to simply present
the truth about the life of Prophet Muhammad and the Islamic scriptures.

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5 Prophet Mohammad’s Wives – Zainab Bint Jahsh

5.1 Islam-Sikhism website wrote: Background to Zainab
7. Zaynab bint Jahsh Zaynab had been married to Zayd bin Thabit. Zayd was
Muhammad's (peace be upon him) slave before the advent of Islaam. Muhammad (peace
be upon him) appeared to set a precedent that slaves should be freed and should carry no
stigma from their past. Zaynab married Zayd; but, by the will of Allaah, the marriage
turned out to be one of incompatibility and did not last long. The Prophet again extended
his hand in marriage to her. The Qur'an offers an additional explanation for the
marriage. Two of the prevalent customs in the society were to banish "wives" into limbo
by declaring them to be their husband's "mothers," (the practice was called Zihar), and
to declare foster children as one's natural children. The Prophet's marriage to Zaynab,
who was divorced from Zayd, abolished the latter practice. Zaynab was known for her
extraordinary piety and righteousness. She was in her late middle age when she married
the Prophet.

5.2 SikhingTruth response (in summary):

The above description as posted by our Muslim colleagues seems to miss the point that
Muhammad married the wife of his inherited son in law. The below presents the correct
and full facts regarding the marriage of Zainab Bint Jahsh to Prophet Muhammad.

5.3 SikhingTruth response (in detail):

5.3.1 Historical background
Islam prohibits adopting children. Adoption in the technical sense is not allowed in
Muslim Shariah law. This is because Allah does not like this gesture of adopting orphan
children. Muhammad Rushed Ridha states, "Allah prohibited adoption in Islam and
annulled all the judgments pertaining to adoption. The most important one of which was
the prohibition of the wife of the adopted son to the fostering father as though he is the
natural father. So Allah commanded his prophet to marry Zainab Bint Jahsh in order to
abolish pagan custom (Fatawa al-Imam)." Al-sabuni states, "As to Zainab Bint Jahsh, the
Messenger of Allah married for no higher wisdom than to abolish the heresy of adoption
(A-sabuni)."

There is no real rational reason why Allah could dislike such noble deeds and this is a
“divine” law that may not even be known by the majority of Muslims. The prohibition of
this noble custom among human being shall be explained later in the essay.

Pre-Islamic Arab Custom: Adoption of orphan/helpless child was a very popular and
moral practice amongst pre-Islamic Arabs. By adopting orphan/helpless child, they used
to consider an adopted child as their own. And they used to pass onto them the adopter's

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genealogy and name, his investment of them with all the rights of the legitimate son
including that of inheritance and the prohibition of marriage on grounds of consanguinity.

Post-Islamic Custom: The all-wise legislator of Islam willed to undo the above mentioned
Arab practice of adopting children. The divine legislator willed to give the adopted son
only the right of a client and co-religionist. For that reason a verse was revealed: "God
did not make your adopted son as your own sons. To declare them so is your empty
claim. God's word is righteous and constitutes true guidance. (Q.33: 4)." It follows from
this revelation that the adopter may marry the ex-wife of his adopted son and vice-versa.
Thus Muhammad married Zainab in order to provide a good example of what the All-
wise legislator was seeking to establish by way of rights and privileges for adoption. In
this regard God further said: "After a term of married life with her husband, We permitted
you to marry her so that it may hence be legitimate and morally blameless for a believer
to marry the wife of his adopted son provided that wife has already been divorced. That
is God's commandment which must be fulfilled (Q.33: 37)."

Who, among the Arabs, could implement this noble legislation and thereby openly
repudiate the ancient traditions? The truth is, however, that Muhammad was the exemplar
of obedience to God; his life was the implementation of that which he was entrusted to
convey to mankind. His life constitutes the highest ideal, the perfect example, and the
concrete instance of his Lord's command (M.H. Haykal, page-296-297).

Muhammad's marriage to Zainab, who was the wife of his adopted son, led to many
accusations against Muhammad. The dissimulators said, "Muhammad prohibits the wives
of the son while he himself marries the wife of his son Zaid." These incidents are not in
harmony with the ethics and conventions that Muhammad introduced to mankind, as
Muslims claim. Abdullah Ibn Umar narrated: "We have always called him [namely Zaid]
Zaid Ibn Muhammad." Abdullah Ibn Umar said, "We only called him Zaid Ibn
Muhammad till the verse "Muhammad is not the father of any of your men' was
revealed."

Historical views: There are many conflicting stories about this scandalous happening and
all these stories are based on Sahih Hadiths and Muslim biographies and books. It is
worthwhile to quote here what Ibn Sa`d and al-Tabari said concerning this story:

Muhammad Ibn Yahya Ibn Hayyan narrated, "The Messenger of God came to Zaid Ibn
Haritha's house seeking him. Perhaps the Messenger of God missed him at that time, that
is why he said, 'Where is Zaid?' He went to his house seeking him and, when he did not
find him, Zainab Bint Jahsh stood up to [meet] him in a housedress, but the Messenger of
God turned away from her. She said, 'He is not here, Messenger of God, so please come
in; my father and mother are your ransom.' The Messenger of God refused to come in.
Zainab had hurried to dress herself when she heard that the Messenger of God was at her
door, so she leapt in a hurry, and the Messenger of God liked her when she did that. The
heart of the Prophet was filled with admiration for her He went away muttering
something that was hardly understandable but for this sentence: 'Praise be to God who
disposes the hearts.' When Zaid came back home, she told him that the Messenger of God
came. Zaid asked, 'You asked him to come in, didn't you?' She replied, 'I bade him to, but

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he refused.' He said, 'Have you heard [him say] anything?' She answered, 'When he had
turned away, I heard him say something that I could hardly understand. I heard him say,
"Praise be to God who disposes the hearts." ' Zaid went out to the Messenger of God and
said, 'O Messenger of God, I learned that you came to my house. Did you come in? O
Messenger of God, my father and mother are your ransom. Perhaps you liked Zainab. I
can leave her.' The Messenger of God said, 'Hold on to your wife.' Zaid said, 'O
Messenger of God, I will leave her.' The Messenger of God said, 'Keep your wife.' So
when Zaid left her, she finished her legal period after she had isolated herself from Zaid.
While the Messenger of God was sitting and talking with `A´isha, he was taken in a
trance, and when it lifted, he smiled and said, 'Who will go to Zainab to tell her that God
wedded her to me from heaven?' The Messenger of God recited; 'Thus you told someone
whom God had favoured and whom you yourself have favoured: "Hold on to your wife." '
`A´isha said, 'I heard much about her beauty and, moreover, about how God wedded her
from heaven, and I said, "For sure she will boast over this with us." ' Salama, the slave of
the Messenger of God, hurried to tell her about that. She gave her some silver jewellery
that she was wearing."

More help from Allah: So, this charge that the dissimulators, among others, leveled
against Muhammad necessitated the revelation of more Qur'anic verses:

(Sura al-Ahzab Q.33: 40): "Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but [he is]
God's Messenger and the Seal of the Prophets. God is Aware of everything!"

(Sura al-Ahzab Q.33: 37): "We married her off to you so that there would be no
objection for believers in respect to their adopted sons' wives once they have
accomplished their purpose with them. God's command must be done!"

In the verse (33:37) there is stated a particular purpose for this revelation and action of
Muhammad. It is not for himself, but it is for the future of the Muslim community. It is so
that in future there may not be a problem if anybody (father-in-law) wants to marry the
divorced wife of an adopted son. “We permitted you to marry her so that it may hence be
legitimate and morally blameless for a believer to marry the wife of his adopted son.”
Without adoption, there cannot be any adopted son either. Therefore, the explicitly stated
reason for the revelation of this verse does not exist. Muhammad himself dissolved the
original adoption of Zaid when the above revelation came. Also, it is a mystery why in
the world, any father-in law will need to marry his adopted son's wife.

5.3.2 Critical Orientalist Version:

Muhammad fell in love with Zainab, daughter of Jahsh, while she was the wife of Zayd
bin Harithah, his own adopted son. Once, when he passed by the house of Zayd in the
latter's absence, he was met by Zainab wearing clothes which exposed her beauty.
Muhammad's heart was inflamed. It is reported that when his eyes fell upon her, he
exclaimed, "Praise be to God who changes the hearts of men" and he repeated this
expression at the time of his departure from her home. Zainab heard him say this and
noticed desire in his eye. Zainab proudly reported this happening to her husband. Zayd
immediately went to see the Prophet and offered to divorce his wife. Muhammad

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answered, "Hold to your wife and fear God." Thereafter, Zainab was no longer a docile
wife and Zayd had to divorce her. Prophet Muhammad married Zainab Bint Jahsh who
was his daughter-in-law. That was definitely taboo in pre-Islamic Arabia, and the Prophet
of Islam lifted this taboo in order to satisfy his own lust and fulfill his own desire. They
also relate that when Muhammad saw her she was half-naked, that her fine black hair was
covering half of her body, and that every curve of her body was full of desire and
passion. Others relate that when Muhammad opened the door of the house of Zayd the
breeze played with the curtains of the room of Zainab, thus permitting Muhammad to
catch a glimpse of her stretched out on her mattress in a nightgown.

5.3.3 Apologetics views:

Muhammad Husain Haikal, for one, in the course of "refuting" the claims of V. Vacca in
the Encyclopaedia of Islam regarding Zainab, speaks about a "glorious deed" of
Muhammad, which the orientalists and missionaries have turned into a romance. He says,
"As to Zainab Bint Jahsh, who has been wrapped up by orientalists and missionaries in an
imaginary picture of romance and infatuation, true history judges that [Muhammad's act
with] her was one of the glorious deeds of Muhammad. Being the perfect example of
faith, he applied to her the Hadith that says, 'Man's faith is not made perfect till he loves
for his brother what he loves for himself'.

Apologists conclude that it is one of the truly great facets of Muhammad's personality. It
proves beyond question that Muhammad was the perfect exemplar of his own legislation,
especially of such laws as were intended to replace the tradition and customs of pre-
Islamic Arabia. He was the exemplar of the new system that God revealed through him as
a mercy and guidance to mankind.

On the other hand, Arab custom and tradition demanded that the adopted son inherit from
his adopted father, like the latter's legitimate children. And since this custom too was the
object of Muhammad's attack, his choice of Zayd as the spear point of the first reform,
would actually make of him -- if he were prepared to give up the inheritance to which
Arabian custom gave him title -- the spearhead of another Islamic legislation prohibiting
inheritance to any but the blood heirs and relatives of the deceased. This indeed furnished
the revelation: "No believer, whether man or woman, has the freedom to choose
otherwise than as God and His Prophet have resolved in any given case. To do so is to
disobey God and His Prophet, to err and fall into manifest misguidance (Q.33: 37)”

5.3.4 Comments:
There is a considerable moral problem with such a self-serving revelation. It is quite clear
that Prophet Muhammad was attracted to Zainab before Zaid divorced her and it might
well have been the true reason for the divorce itself. And Qur'anic verses do make clear
that there was something going on before Zaid divorced Zainab. The entire melodrama:
Zaid's divorce of Zainab, Muhammad's marriage with Zainab and subsequent revelations
of several Qur'anic Ayats from Allah to purify this scandalous happening is something to
ponder very seriously. There is more in this strange story. That this action is immoral and

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this revelation/justification of it self-serving and not fitting for a true word of God is an
important aspect, but not a contradiction within the Quran - even though contradicting the
true character of God, who is moral purity. Prohibiting adoption is no way a moral action.
Prohibitions of alcohol drinking, smoking, gambling, sorceries, killing, etc., could be a
moral action. But why was there prohibition of adoption?

To summarize, the logical difficulty is that Allah causes a scandal and then sends Gabriel
to officially justify the scandalous action of Prophet Muhammad with Qur'anic
revelations is morally incorrect and too much of a coincidence.

Some after thoughts: Prophet Muhammad cannot get away from the culpability of this
salacious behavior of his with Zainab. If he had this forthrightness in his mind, he would
have vigorously fought with his conscience and not allow this marriage to go through.
But the reality was quite the opposite. He had surrendered to his passion and thus had
marred his "unblemished" character.

If all the Muslims in the present-day world follow Muhammad's inglorious example,
seduce their daughter-in-law, and then cause a divorce and then to add insult to the injury
marry her, what would happen then? Just think of the consequences. In a more
enlightened society if a man does what Muhammad did with Zainab he would be looked
at as a lascivious character.

6 SikhingTruth response: Summary regarding the

lifestyle of Prophet Muhammad
• The Prophet married the wife of his adopted son in law Zainab Bint Jahsh by making
adoption haram (illegal). Many Muslims are shocked to discover that Islam considers
adoption haram.

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