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Surah: Al-Ahzab (37)
When You Said to the One Allah Had Blessed — The Prophet's Marriage to Zaynab
زَيۡدٌ وَطَرًا مِّنۡهَا زَوَّجۡنَٰكَهَا لِكَيۡ لَا يَكُونَ عَلَى ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ حَرَجٌ
— الأحزاب الآية 37
Verse: "When you said to the one Allah had blessed and you had blessed: Keep your wife and fear Allah." (33:37)
Occasion (Agreed Upon): Zayd ibn Haritha — the freed slave and adopted son — told the Prophet ﷺ he wished to divorce Zaynab. The Prophet counseled him to keep the marriage. When the divorce occurred, Allah commanded him to marry Zaynab — abrogating the custom that an adopted son's wife is like a real son's wife.
The courage of the Quran: Mentioning this story explicitly with real names — "Zayd and Zaynab" — is proof of the revelation's truthfulness, because humans don't document what embarrasses them.
Occasion (Agreed Upon): Zayd ibn Haritha — the freed slave and adopted son — told the Prophet ﷺ he wished to divorce Zaynab. The Prophet counseled him to keep the marriage. When the divorce occurred, Allah commanded him to marry Zaynab — abrogating the custom that an adopted son's wife is like a real son's wife.
The courage of the Quran: Mentioning this story explicitly with real names — "Zayd and Zaynab" — is proof of the revelation's truthfulness, because humans don't document what embarrasses them.
Source: Sahih Al-Bukhari (4787); Al-Wahidi; Ibn Kathir (6/432)
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What is the major legal ruling established by the Prophet's marriage to Zaynab?
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