Marriage to Ayisah(ra) & Zainab(ra)

We should remember that Allah Zaujal has sent Muhammed (saw) as a living embodiment of Quran. His sunnah needed to reach to us. That is why he (saw) was excluded from the ruling of having four or less wives. This was done by Allah Zaujal as a protection of His religion.  The two most controversial marriages of Muhammed (saw) are his marriages to Aisha and Zainab bint Jahsh. These are the most targeted by people. The reasons are that Aisha (ra) was 6 when she married Rusool Allah (saw) and she was 9 when the marriage was consummated. While the marriage to Zainab is controversial because Zainab was the wife of Rusool Allah’s (saw) adopted son. So let’s look at these cases.

     SubhanAllah, it so happens that these two particular marriages that are targeted are the only two marriages of Rusool Allah (saw) that were divinely instructed. None of the other marriages of Rusool Allah (saw) were instructed by Allah. Allah Zaujal commanded the marriage to Zainab in SURAH AHZAB in (33:37)

وَإِذْ تَقُولُ لِلَّذِي أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْسِكْ عَلَيْكَ زَوْجَكَ وَاتَّقِ اللَّهَ وَتُخْفِي فِي نَفْسِكَ مَا اللَّهُ مُبْدِيهِ وَتَخْشَى النَّاسَ وَاللَّهُ أَحَقُّ أَن تَخْشَاهُ ۖ فَلَمَّا قَضَىٰ زَيْدٌ مِّنْهَا وَطَرًا زَوَّجْنَاكَهَا لِكَيْ لَا يَكُونَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ حَرَجٌ فِي أَزْوَاجِ أَدْعِيَائِهِمْ إِذَا قَضَوْا مِنْهُنَّ وَطَرًا ۚ وَكَانَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ مَفْعُولًا [٣٣:٣٧]

And [remember, O Muhammad], when you said to the one on whom Allah bestowed favor and you bestowed favor, "Keep your wife and fear Allah ," while you concealed within yourself that which Allah is to disclose. And you feared the people, while Allah has more right that you fear Him. So when Zayd had no longer any need for her, We married her to you in order that there not be upon the believers any discomfort concerning the wives of their adopted sons when they no longer have need of them. And ever is the command of Allah accomplished.

[bn.bengali] আল্লাহ যাকে অনুগ্রহ করেছেন; আপনিও যাকে অনুগ্রহ করেছেন; তাকে যখন আপনি বলেছিলেন, তোমার স্ত্রীকে তোমার কাছেই থাকতে দাও এবং আল্লাহকে ভয় কর। আপনি অন্তরে এমন বিষয় গোপন করছিলেন, যা আল্লাহ পাক প্রকাশ করে দেবেন আপনি লোকনিন্দার ভয় করেছিলেন অথচ আল্লাহকেই অধিক ভয় করা উচিত। অতঃপর যায়েদ যখন যয়নবের সাথে সম্পর্ক ছিন্ন করল, তখন আমি তাকে আপনার সাথে বিবাহবন্ধনে আবদ্ধ করলাম যাতে মুমিনদের পোষ্যপুত্ররা তাদের স্ত্রীর সাথে সম্পর্ক ছিন্ন করলে সেসব স্ত্রীকে বিবাহ করার ব্যাপারে মুমিনদের কোন অসুবিধা না থাকে। আল্লাহর নির্দেশ কার্যে পরিণত হয়েই থাকে।

      And the marriage to Aisha (ra) was divinely inspired through a dream Rusool Allah (saw) had. This dream is mentioned in Bukhari. Rusool Allah (saw) says, “Jibrael came to me and I saw you (Aisha) covered in a silk curtain, and when I would uncovered you, I saw you and Jibrael told me, ‘this is your wife, in duniya and Akhirah.’” Rusool Allah (saw) saw this dream twice. We know that the dreams of the anbiya are revelations.

     Aisha (ra) had a mind of a scholar; she was very bright and intelligent. She was very inquisitive in nature. Aisha (ra) describes herself and says, “The companions of Rusool Allah (saw) used to hear the hadith of Rusool Allah and they would immediately follow it, while I would ask Rusool Allah (saw) questions about it.” Aisha (ra) being the wife and the most beloved of Rusool Allah (saw), had this informal relationship with the Messenger of Allah, so she would question him. While the others were very respectful, they would dare question Rusool Allah (saw).

     Someone who had an intimate relationship with Rusool Allah (saw) had been needed so that she question Rusool Allah (saw) about certain statements of Rusool Allah (Saw). We’ve talked about Amr bin Aas, he said when he was dying, “If you would ask me to describe to you Rusool Allah (saw), I wouldn’t be able to do so because I had so much love, admiration and respect for him, I lived with him for years, and I would even look him straight in the eye.”  But Aisha (ra) was very young and had an intimate relationship with Rusool Allah (saw), she would question, and sometimes even argue with Rusool Allah (saw), no one else could afford to do that. So we learned so much because of that, Aisha (ra) is one of the top scholars of islam. She is the fourth from the top seven narrators of the hadith of Rasool Allah (saw).

1.      Abu Huraira

2.      Abdullah bin Umer

3.      Anas ibn Malik

4.      Aisha (ra)

     If you open any book of fiqh, it is impossible to go through a book without the reading of Aisha’s (ra) name. Her narration and opinions are there in every fiqh. So the marriage to Aisha (ra) was the best thing that happened.

     This marriage was also a surprise to Abu Bakr (ra). When Rusool Allah (saw) went and proposed to Abu Bakr about Aisha (ra), Abu Bakr Siddiq was surprised. He (ra) said, “I am your brother.” Meaning we are very close in age. Rusool Allah (saw) said, “You are my brother, and your daughter is appropriate for me.” This was a command from Allah Zaujal, we do not know what is good for us and what isn’t… Allah knows what we do not know.

     Rusool Allah (saw) did not marry any virgin women except Aisha (ra), and Rusool Allah (saw) never married anyone who is young except Aisha (ra). It was an exceptional case. If you want to look at Rusool Allah’s (saw) marriages initiated by him then look at the marriages except those to Aisha (ra) and Zainab.