“Like the dissemblers in early times, the misguided of modern times make the marriage of God’s Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) with Zaynab a pretext for criticism, considering it was intended to satisfy the lusts of the soul.”
T h e A n s w e r : God forbid, a hundred thousand times! Such vile doubts cannot be harboured against that lofty one! The Messenger (UWBP) was such that from the age of fifteen to forty when the blood is fiery and exuberant and the passions of the soul enflamed, with complete chastity and purity he sufficed and was content with a single older woman, Khadija the Great (May God be pleased with her) – as is agreed by friend and foe alike. His having numerous wives after the age of forty, that is, when bodily heat subsides and the passions are quietened, is decisive, self-evident proof for those who are even a little fair-minded that such marriages were not to satisfy the carnal appetites, but were for other important reasons and instances of wisdom.
One of those instances of wisdom is this: as with his words, the actions, states, conduct, and deeds of God’s Messenger (UWBP) are the sources of religion and the Shari‘a, and provide authority for its injunctions. The Companions transmitted the outward, public things, and his wives were the transmitters and narrators of the private matters of religion and injunctions of the Shari‘a that became clear from his private conduct in the personal sphere; they performed that function. Perhaps half of the personal matters of religion and the injunctions concerning them come from them. That is to say, numerous wives of differing temperament were required to perform this necessary duty
Now let us consider his marriage with Zaynab. In connection with the verse,
Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but [he is] the Messsenger of God and the Seal of the Prophets,(33:40)
which is one of the examples given in the Third Ray of the First Light in the Twenty- Fifth Word, it is written that given their many aspects, single verses state meanings that address all classes of men, each with its own understanding.
One class’s share of understanding of the above verse is this: according to a sound narration based on his own admission, Zayd, the Noble Messenger’s (UWBP) servant whom he addressed as “my son,” divorced his proud wife because he did not find himself equal to her. That is to say, with his perceptiveness, Zayd realized that Zaynab had been created with an elevated character different to his and that it was in her nature to be a prophet’s wife. As a spouse he found himself unequal to her and this caused incompatibility, so he divorced her. At God’s command, His Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) took her. That is, as indicated by the verse,
We joined her in marriage to you,(33:37)
which shows that it was a heavenly contract, the marriage was out of the ordinary, above external relations, and entered into purely on the orders of divine determining. Thus, the Noble Messenger (UWBP) submitted to the decree of divine determining and was compelled to do so; it was not at the behest of carnal desire.
The verse,
In order that [in future] there may be no difficulty to the believers in [the matter of] marriage with the wives of their adopted sons(33:37)
comprises an important injunction of the Shari‘a, a general instance of wisdom, and a comprehensive, general benefit pertaining to this decree of divine determining; it indicates that adults calling the young “my son” is not forbidden so that it should be the cause of ordinances being changed as though “
zihar,” that is, a man saying to his wife “you are like my mother,” is forbidden. Also, great personages look to their followers in fatherly fashion and address them as such, and divine messengers do the same with their communities. But this is because of their positions as leaders and messengers; it is not in respect of their human personalities making it inappropriate for them to take wives from among them.
Another class’s share of understanding the verse is this: a great ruler looks on his subjects with paternal compassion. If he is a spiritual king holding both outward and inward rule, his compassion will be a hundred times greater than that of a father, and his subjects will look on him as their father as though they were his real sons. The paternal view is not easily transformed into that of a husband, nor a girl’s view into that of a wife. Since according to this the public find it inappropriate that a prophet should take the believers’ daughters in marriage, the Qur’an repels such doubts, saying: By virtue of divine mercy the Prophet (UWBP) is kindly towards you and he deals with you in fatherly fashion, and in the name of messengership you are like his children. But in regard to his human personality he is not your father so that it should be inappropriate for him to take a wife from among you. Even if he calls you “son,” according to the Shari‘a you can’t be his children
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