In its opening section, this surah presents an episode of life in the Prophets home, showing some of the reactions and responses between some of his wives, and between them and himself. It also shows how these reactions and responses were reflected in the life of the Muslim community as a whole. This is followed by directives given to the community on the basis of what took place in the Prophets homes, between his wives.
The time when these events took place is not precise, but reference to the various reports detailing them confirm that they definitely occurred after the Prophets marriage to Zaynab bint Jahsh.
It may also be useful to give here a summary of the Prophet s marriages and his home life at that time. This will enable us to visualize the events referred to in the surah. This brief outline is based on Jawami' al-Slrah by Ibn Hazm and the Prophet’s biography by Ibn Hisham. We will also add some brief comments as appropriate.
The Prophets first wife was Khadijah bint Khuwaylid. He was 25, or perhaps 23,’ when he married her. She was 40 or even older.12 She died three years before the Prophets migration to Madinah. He did not marry another wife during her lifetime, and by then he was over 50 years of age.
After Khadijah’s death, the Prophet married Sawdah bint Zima'h.
There are no reports to suggest that she was either pretty or young.
She was a widow of al-Sakran ibn (Amr ibn (Abd Shams. Her husband was one of the early Muslims, and he was among the first migrants to Abyssinia. When he died, the Prophet married her.
He then married ‘A’ishah bint Abu Bakr. She apparently was young, and he did not hold his wedding with her until he had settled in Madinah. She was the only virgin he married, and she was the one he loved most. It is said that she was only nine years of age at the time of her marriage.3 By the time he passed away, she had been with him nine years and five months.
The Prophet then married Hafsah bint ‘Umar, just over two years after settling in MadTnah. She had been married before. Her father had offered her in marriage to Abu Bakr and to ‘Uthman, but they both declined. The Prophet had promised her father something better for her so he married her himself.
He then married Zaynab bint Khuzaymah. Her first husband, ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Harith ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib, was killed at the Battle of Badr. Zaynab died during the Prophet s lifetime. It is also reported that her first husband was ‘Abdullah ibn Jahsh who fell a martyr at the Battle of Uhud. Perhaps this report is more accurate.
The Prophet also married Umm Salamah. Her first husband, Abu Salamah, was wounded at the Battle of Uhud, and his wound did not heal until he died. The Prophet then married her, looking after her children by her first husband.
Zaynab bint Jahsh was his next wife. He himself had given her in marriage to Zayd ibn Harithah, his former servant whom he had adopted as a son, but marital life between her and Zayd was fraught with difficulties. So, he divorced her. We related their story when discussing verses 36—40 of Surah 33, The Confederates, in Volume XIV.4 She was pretty. Indeed, she was the one ‘A’ishah felt most able to compete with because she was the Prophets cousin, born to his paternal aunt, and because of her beauty.
Juwayriyyah bint al-Harith was the next wife to be taken by the Prophet. This was in the middle of the sixth year of the Islamic calendar.
Ibn Ishaq attributes the following report to ‘A’ishah: “When the Prophet distributed the women taken slaves after the Expedition of al-Mustalaq, Juwayriyyah fell to Thabit ibn Qays ibn Shammas or his cousin. She made an agreement with him to buy her own freedom. She was very pretty. Anyone who saw her felt very attracted. She went to the Prophet seeking his help in paying what she owed for her freedom. When I saw her at my doorstep, I hated her, realizing that the Prophet would see of her beauty what I saw. She entered his room and said to him: ‘Messenger of God. I am Juwayriyyah bint al-Harith. My father is the chief of his tribe. You are not unaware of the trouble that has befallen me. I am here to seek your help in paying for my freedom after I had made an agreement to so buy myself.’ He said to her: ‘What about something better?’ She asked him: ‘What is that, Messenger of God?’ He said: ‘I will pay for your freedom and marry you.’ She said: ‘I accept.’ He said:
‘It is a deal.’” The Prophet married Umm Habibah bint Abu Sufyan after the al-Hudaybiyah Peace Treaty. She had migrated to Abyssinia, but her husband, ‘Ubaydullah ibn Jahsh, converted to Christianity there and left her. The Prophet proposed marriage to her. It was King Negus who officiated at the marriage and paid her dowry on behalf of the Prophet.5
She then returned to Madinah.
Following the Battle of Khaybar, the Prophet married Safiyyah bint Huyayy ibn Akhtab. Her father was the chief of the Jewish tribe, al-Nadir. She had been married to Kinanah ibn Abi al-Huqayq, a Jewish leader. Ibn Ishaq reports that “she was brought to him with another woman who had fallen prisoner. Bilal walked them through the battlefield passing a number of Jews who had been slain. The other woman cried out loud as they passed by, throwing dust over her own head. The Prophet said: ‘Take this devil woman away from me.’ He ordered that Safiyyah be kept behind him, throwing his robe over her.
His Companions thereby realized that he would take her himself. The Prophet is reported to have said to Bilal: ‘Are you devoid of compassion?
How can you walk two women through the grounds where their men folk have been killed?”’ Maymunah bint al-Harith ibn Hazn was the last of the Prophet’s wives. She was the maternal aunt of Khalid ibn al-Walid and ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas. Before marrying the Prophet she was married to Abu Ruhm ibn ‘Abd al-‘Uzza, or perhaps Huwaytib ibn ‘Abd al-‘Uzza.
Thus, we see the special reasons that made it necessary for the Prophet to marry each of his wives. Apart from Zaynab bint Jahsh and Juwayriyyah bint al-Harith, none were young or particularly attractive to men.6 ‘A’ishah was the one he loved most. Even in the case of those wives who were young and beautiful, there were psychological and humanitarian factors involved in their marriages. These increased their attraction. I do not deny or disregard the physical attraction, or beauty ‘A’ishah felt the moment she saw Juwayriyyah, while Zaynab’s beauty was also known to all. There is no need to deny that such human elements were a part of the Prophet’s life. These cannot, however, form the basis for accusations levelled by the Prophet’s enemies and which were denied by his followers. He was chosen as a human being, but with superior qualities and characteristics. Different as they were, his motives for whatever he did in his life, including his marriages, matched his superior qualities. In his home, he lived with his wives as a human being entrusted with the delivery of God’s message. Indeed, God commanded him to declare the fact: “Say, 'Limitless in His glory is my Lord. Surely I am only a man and a Messenger(17: 93)
He enjoyed life with his wives, as so did they. ‘A’ishah states: “When the Prophet was alone with his wives, he was the most lenient and generous of people, always smiling and laughing.” [Related by al-Suyuti and Ibn ‘Asakir.] Yet this applied to what he himself could offer out of his character, compassion, manners and behaviour. As for their material life, it was mostly a life of poverty, even after the Muslim community achieved several victories and made plentiful gains. In commenting on Surah 33, The Confederates, we discussed the crisis that took place in the Prophet s home when his wives asked for more housekeeping money.7
The problem ended with a choice put to them in the following terms:
“ Prophet! Say to your wives: 'If you desire the life of this world and its charms, I shall provide for you and release you in a becoming manner; but if you desire God and His Messenger and the life of the hereafter, know that God has readied great rewards for those of you who do good'” (33: 28-29) They all chose God, His Messenger and the life of the hereafter.
Nevertheless, life in the Prophet s home was not such as to stifle normal human feelings and jealousies in his wives’ minds. Sometimes they had their disagreements, just like those that may occur among women in similar circumstances. We have seen how the moment ‘A’ishah saw Juwayriyyah, she hoped that the Prophet would not see her because she was certain he would appreciate her beauty. She was right. ‘A’ishah herself mentions a situation involving her and Safiyyah: “I said to the Prophet: ‘It is enough that Safiyyah is so and so,’ [meaning, she was short]. He said to me: ‘You have said a word which could colour an entire sea.’” [Related by Abu Dawud.] She also reports that when the verses giving the Prophet’s wives the choice referred to above, she was the first to be asked, and she chose to stay with the Prophet. She also requested that he not tell his other wives of her choice should any of them so ask. He said to her: “God has not sent me to make things hard for people. He sent me as a teacher who makes things easier. I will tell anyone of them about your choice should any care to ask.” [Related by Muslim.] These reports given by ‘A’ishah about herself, reflecting her truthfulness and her shining Islamic education, are only examples of many others reflecting the normal way ordinary people behave in such a situation.
They also show how the Prophet delivered his message through good example, cultivating the better characteristics of his household members, just as he delivered it by good example within his community.