OCCASION OF REVELATION

    Almost all the commentators are of opinion that the above verses revealed on the event of the marriage of Zaid and Zainab. He was the slave and the adopted son of Mohammad (SA) and a prominent Moslem; and SHE was the prophet's cousin and a high-born GHORAISH damsel, and also a truthful believer.

      HAZRAT KHADIJEH the first and the most beloved wife to our prophet, gave her slave, named ZAID, as a present to her husband, HAZRAT MOHAMMAD (SA).

      ZAID, the son of HARITHA, was one of the first to convert. The prophet freed him from slavery, but he did not join his father and family who had come by then, to fetch him. When he preferred to stay with Mohammad as a servant, over joining his parent and family after a long departure; they excommunicated and abandoned him for good. When so, the prophet adopted him for his son. Then it happened so that, the Messenger of God, sued his cousin Zainab, the noble lady of Ghoraish, to marry Zaid!!

      At first, Zainab, thought Mohammad himself wanted to marry her; she therefore welcomed the woo. But when she was sure that her cousin wanted her for his slave, she got a shoke on her nerves and was depressed, but rejected the woo politely. ABDULLAH, her brother too came to be severly against the marriage. Here was when the first verse of the above passage (NO.36) revealed:-

      ``A believing man, or a believing woman should not have any preference when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter of their affair. He who disobeys Allah and His Messenger has strayed a manifest stray.''

      Zainab was a truthful believer and could not suffer the consequences of a sin, or to see the displeasure of her Lord, of her. What else could she do but repentance and agreement with the marriage.

      Of course the marriage turned to be unhappy. As we mentioned above Zainab was a high-born damsel of the class of aristocrats of Mecca, while Zaid was (Ignoring his Islamic position) a slave whose master had him freed, and adopted for a son. He was not even a comely man to look him on the face.

      On the other hand Islam is against class-distinction, and no Ethiopian negro is lower in value than a Ghoraish noble man, except for their virtue and piety. Therefore the marriage of the said couple was not only lawful in Islam, that it would be much recommended for breaking the neck of two bad customs, established from the Pagan Eraِthe class-distinction, and considering an adopted son, legally as a real son.

      When Zaid and Zainab became husband and wife, there was no compatibility among them, which is fatal to married life. Zainab expected to have a husband like Mohammad, but in the sight of the prophet no one could excel Hazrat Khadijeh our mother.

      The spouses were both unhappy in their married life, and they only had the consolation of thinking that they had obeyed Allah and His Messenger.

      Then Zaid decided to dissolve their marriage, and divorce his wife. But the prophet advised him to keep his wife who was indeed a woman of high standard.

      It was so bitter a matter for the reputation of Zainab among Arabs to be divorced by a negro slave, eventhough he was Mohammad's adopted son, and a man of God and a truthful believer. Yet she was given a divorce!

VIOLATION OF A LONG-ESTABLISHED CUSTOM

      We all know that the soul of Islam is submission to the will of Allah, and this matter has been emphasized through many verses among which is the above verse, S 33:36:-

      ``A believing man or a believing woman should not have any preference, when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter of their affair....''

      When we put Allah's commandment to question of why, and why not so; it means that we have put our wisdom in competition with God's wisdom. In cases that we need to assure our heart in knowing, whether something is really from God or not; the question is judged differently. In any way, we must comply our intention and will with that of God.

      Here the Arabic, ``GHAZÄ'' translated to decree, means an order given after a matter has been judged, and it is usually without seeking the people's consent. It is an authorative order and decision that is to be done:-

      ``....And he who disobeys Allah and His Messenger has strayed a manifest stray.''

      In the next verse (NO.37) the reference is to the famous story of Zaid and Zainab some details of which we gave above under the, ``OCCASION OF REVELATION''.

      The verse implies that there must have been some wrangling and hot dispute between, the two spouses, which had reached the verge of a divorce.

      What was the matter which the prophet was concealing it, for fear of people, and not for the fear of God? Was it his intention to marry her if she was released by her husband? If so, how the long-established custom of pagans could be violated, that it was an unlawful deed for some one to marry his son's wife!? To them, their adopted son was as their own real son!

      On the other hand such a divorce could indeed ruin poor Zainab's reputation whose only fault was her belief and obedience to God, and the Messenger of God. This could be a fear in the mind of the prophet who was saying to Zaid:- ``Keep your wife for yourself and beware of God.'' Of course marriages are not made in the heavens, and God's will is not to see the bond of wedlock, a chain of torture and a source of trouble for His servants, male or female. He rather wants it to be a cause of rest and comfort for the spouses.

      The mutual wish of the couple was delayed for the time being by the prophet's advice, but the variance of the couple, was soon a general topic of conversation, and finally their bond of marriage was disolved, and she got a divorce.

      When she was released and her term expired, the prophet, as per order of God, acted frankly and boldly, and took Zainab, his cousin, for a wife; and thus destroyed the pagan superstition and taboo about adopted sons.

      On the other hand Zainab's reputation too, was saved, and she obtained her dearest wish of her heart, which was to be the prophet's wife. She was so raised to the high position of the mother of the BELIEVERS; peace be on her and on her dear husband HAZRAT MOHAMMAD (SA).