Allah (SWT) menurunkan firman-Nya:

Allah (swt) revealed his saying:

“Kahwinilah wanita pilihan kamu, dua atau tiga, atau empat, tetapi jika kamu bimbang tidak akan dapat berlaku adil (terhadap mereka), maka (kahwinilah) seorang sahaja, atau hamba sahaya yang kamu miliki. Itu lebih dekat untuk kamu tidak berlaku zalim” [An-Nisa: 3]. Pada akhir tahun kelapan Hijrah, setelah baginda menyempurnakan semua perkahwinannya dengan isteri-isterinya, Rasulullah ﷺ ketika turunnya ayat tersebut masih memiliki lebih daripada empat isteri, namun baginda tidak melepaskan seorang pun daripada mereka dan terus mengekalkan perkahwinan dengan semua isterinya. Ini kerana perkahwinan dengan lebih daripada empat isteri adalah khusus bagi baginda ﷺ. Jelas bahawa beristeri lebih daripada empat adalah keistimewaan Rasulullah ﷺ, maka baginda mengekalkan mereka setelah turunnya ayat yang membatasi perkahwinan kepada empat isteri. Ini kerana perbuatan Nabi ﷺ tidak bercanggah dengan sabdanya. Jika berlaku percanggahan, maka perbuatan itu khusus bagi baginda ﷺ manakala sabdanya bersifat umum kepada umat, kerana telah ditetapkan dalam asas-asas usul fiqh bahawa perbuatan Nabi ﷺ tidak bercanggah dengan ucapan baginda yang berkaitan dengan umat, tetapi ia boleh khusus bagi baginda ﷺ. Ini kerana perintah baginda kepada umat itu berkaitan dengan mereka, yang lebih khusus daripada dalil-dalil yang menyeru kita untuk meneladani baginda, dengan mengikuti sabda dan perbuatan baginda. Maka, perintah yang umum itu dibina di atas perintah yang khusus, dan oleh itu tidak dibenarkan meneladani Nabi ﷺ dalam sesuatu perbuatan yang terdapat perintah berbeza bagi umat. Walau bagaimanapun, perkahwinan Nabi ﷺ dengan lebih daripada empat isteri, dan membenarkan wanita menawarkan diri mereka kepada baginda untuk dikahwini, dan sebagainya, telah dinyatakan melalui ayat-ayat al-Quran:

“Marry women of your choice, two or three, or four but if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one or your concubines. That is more fitting so that you do not deviate from the right course” [An- Nisa: 3] At the end of the eighth year of the Hijra, after He had consummated all of his marriages with his wives, the Messenger (pbuh) was, at the time of the revelation of the verse, married to more than four wives, however He did not leave a single one of them but continued to be married to all his wives. This is because marriage to more than four wives, is specific to Him (pbuh) It is clear that being married to more than four wives is unique to the Messenger and so He kept them after the revelation of the verse which limited marriage to four wives. This is because the Prophet's (pbuh) action does not contradict a statement that He makes. If there is a contradiction then the action is specific to Him while the saying is general to the Ummah, for it has been established in the foundations of jurisprudence that the action of the Prophet (pbuh) does not contradict his speech relevant to the Ummah but it can be specific to the Prophet (pbuh). This is because his order to the Ummah is relevant to them, which is more specific than the evidences calling for us to emulate Him, by following his sayings and actions. Thus, the general order is built on the specific order, and therefore it is not allowed to emulate the Prophet (pbuh) in an action in which there is a different order to the Ummah. However the Prophet's marriage to more than four wives, and allowing them to offer themselves to Him in marriage etc. have been demonstrated by the verses of the Qur'an:

"Wahai Nabi! Sesungguhnya Kami telah menghalalkan bagimu isteri-isteri yang engkau telah berikan mas kahwin kepada mereka, dan hamba-hamba perempuan yang engkau miliki daripada apa yang Allah kurniakan kepadamu, dan anak-anak perempuan bapa saudaramu dan anak-anak perempuan emak saudaramu dari sebelah bapa dan anak-anak perempuan bapa saudaramu dan anak-anak perempuan emak saudaramu dari sebelah ibu yang berhijrah bersamamu, dan seorang perempuan beriman jika dia menyerahkan dirinya kepada Nabi dan Nabi ingin mengahwininya; ini adalah keistimewaan bagimu sahaja, bukan bagi orang-orang mukmin yang lain. Sesungguhnya Kami mengetahui apa yang Kami wajibkan ke atas mereka tentang isteri-isteri dan hamba-hamba perempuan mereka, supaya tidak ada kesukaran bagimu." [Al-Ahzab: 50] Ayat ini mengatakan: 'ini adalah keistimewaan bagimu sahaja, bukan bagi orang-orang mukmin yang lain.' Perkataan 'Khalisa' (keistimewaan) dalam ayat itu ialah kata nama terbitan yang menguatkan apa yang mendahuluinya, iaitu satu keistimewaan telah diberikan kepadamu dengan membenarkan apa yang Kami halalkan bagimu secara khusus. Dalil bahawa ia merangkumi semua yang mendahuluinya dan bahawa ia khusus bagi Rasulullah ﷺ ialah ia datang selepas empat perkara yang harus, iaitu tidak harus mengahwini isteri, tawanan perang secara langsung daripada fai', anak-anak perempuan saudara-maranya yang disebut antara mereka yang berhijrah bersama baginda, dan seorang perempuan yang menyerahkan dirinya secara langsung untuk dikahwini, di samping perkara ini dinyatakan dengan cara yang menekankan. Ini disokong oleh kenyataan bahawa pada akhir sabda baginda ﷺ: 'bukan bagi orang-orang mukmin yang lain', datang sabda baginda ﷺ: 'Sesungguhnya Kami mengetahui apa yang Kami wajibkan ke atas mereka tentang isteri-isteri dan hamba-hamba perempuan mereka'. Maknanya ini bukanlah apa yang Kami wajibkan ke atas mereka, sebab itu selepas semua ini Dia ﷺ berfirman: 'supaya tidak ada kesukaran bagimu'. Iaitu supaya tiada kesusahan bagimu.

“Oh Prophet! Verily, We have made lawful to you your wives, to whom you have paid your Mahr, (their dower) and your concubines - whom Allah has given you, and the daughters of your paternal uncles and the daughters of your paternal aunts and the daughters of your maternal uncles and the daughters of your maternal aunts who migrated (from Makkah) with you, and a believing woman if she offers herself to the Prophet, and the Prophet wishes to marry her; - a dispensation for you only, not for the rest of the believers. Indeed We know what We have enjoined upon them about their wives and their concubines - in order that there should be no difficulty on you” [Al- Ahzab: 50] This verse says: 'a dispensation for you only, not for the rest of the believers.' The word 'Khalisa' (dispensation) in the verse is a verbal noun which confirms whatever preceded it i.e. a dispensation has been made for you by permitting what We have made lawful for you specifically. The evidence to say that it includes all that precedes it and that it is specific to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is that it came after the four permissible matters which are the non permissibility of marrying wives, captives directly from the Fey', daughters of his relations who have been mentioned amongst those that migrated with Him, and a woman that directly offers herself for marriage, beside the fact that this was stated in an emphatic manner. This is supported by the fact that at the completion of his (pbuh) saying: 'not for the rest of the believers', his (pbuh) saying came: 'Indeed We know what We have enjoined upon them about their wives and their concubines'. So it means this is not what We have enjoined on them, that is why after all of this He (pbuh) said: 'in order that there should be no difficulty on you'. i.e. so that there is no hardship for you.

Oleh itu, perkahwinan Nabi (ﷺ) tidak boleh dijadikan contoh untuk diikuti, mahupun dijadikan bahan perbincangan perundangan, kerana ia adalah khusus bagi Baginda (ﷺ). Apatah lagi realiti perkahwinan Baginda menunjukkan bahawa ia adalah perkahwinan seorang Nabi (ﷺ), bukan perkahwinan seorang lelaki yang berkahwin untuk tujuan syahwat dan memenuhi naluri ingin beranak, dari segi aspek lelaki dan perempuan. Apabila kembali kepada realiti sejarah, kita dapati Baginda (ﷺ) mengahwini Khadijah (ra) ketika Baginda berusia dua puluh tiga tahun, dan Khadijah (ra) sendiri kekal sebagai isteri selama dua puluh lapan tahun. Beliau meninggal dunia pada tahun kesebelas kenabian, iaitu dua tahun sebelum Hijrah, beberapa bulan selepas pembatalan dokumen boikot dan tidak lama sebelum lawatan Baginda ke Taif pada tahun 620 Masihi, pada usia lima puluh tahun. Baginda (ﷺ) tidak pernah terfikir, sejak masa Baginda mengahwini Khadijah (ra) hingga kewafatannya, untuk mengahwini lebih daripada seorang isteri, dan ini berlaku pada masa poligami merupakan amalan yang meluas di kalangan bangsa Arab. Sebelum Baginda diutus dengan risalah, Baginda menghabiskan tujuh belas tahun bersama Khadijah dalam kehidupan yang tenang dan damai. Baginda hidup bersamanya kira-kira sebelas tahun selepas kenabian (Bi'thah), dalam kehidupan dakwah dan perjuangan menentang pemikiran kufur; walaupun begitu, Baginda tidak terfikir untuk berkahwin lagi. Tidak pernah diketahui tentang Baginda, semasa hidup bersama Khadijah (ra) atau sebelum perkahwinan dengannya, bahawa Baginda termasuk dalam kalangan mereka yang tergoda oleh pesona menawan wanita, pada zaman ketika tabarruj Jahiliyyah sering menggoda manusia. Tidak wajar bagi kita berpandangan bahawa selepas melepasi usia lima puluh tahun, berlaku perubahan mendadak pada diri Baginda sehingga Baginda tidak lagi berpuas hati dengan seorang isteri, sebaliknya terus berkahwin hingga mempunyai sepuluh orang isteri. Dalam tempoh lima tahun pada dekad keenam kehidupan Nabi (ﷺ), Baginda mengumpulkan lebih daripada tujuh orang isteri, dan dalam baki tujuh tahun dekad keenam serta permulaan dekad ketujuh, Nabi (ﷺ) mengumpulkan sembilan orang isteri. Pada usia sebegitu, adakah perkahwinan-perkahwinan ini boleh dikaitkan dengan keinginan terhadap wanita, atau dengan motif yang berkaitan dengan memuaskan naluri untuk memiliki zuriat melalui persetubuhan? Atau adakah terdapat motif lain, yang dituntut oleh realiti jenis kehidupan yang dilalui oleh Nabi ﷺ, iaitu kehidupan Risalah, yang telah diperintahkan kepada baginda untuk disampaikan kepada manusia? Untuk memahami isu ini, mari kita teliti peristiwa-peristiwa di sebalik perkahwinan-perkahwinan Nabi ﷺ.

Therefore, the marriages of the Prophet (pbuh) should not be taken as an example to emulate, nor as a subject of legislative discussion, because it is unique to Him (pbuh). Not to mention that the reality of his marriages indicates that they were marriages of a Prophet (pbuh) and not the marriages of a man marrying for sex and satisfaction of the procreation instinct, in terms of the male-female aspect. By returning to the historical reality we find that He married Khadija (ra) while He was twenty-three years of age, and Khadija (ra) herself remained as a spouse for twenty-eight years. She died in the eleventh year of the Prophethood i.e. two years before the Hijra, a few months after the rescission of the boycott document and shortly before his visit to Taif in the year 620 A.D, at the age of fifty. He did not contemplate, since the time He married Khadija (ra) until her death, the prospect of marrying more than one wife, and this was at a time when polygyny was a widespread practise amongst the Arabs. Before He was sent with the Message, He spent seventeen years with Khadija sharing a quiet and tranquil life. And He lived with her approximately eleven years after the Prophethood (Bi'tha), in a life of da'wa and struggle against the kufr thoughts; in spite of this He did not consider marrying again. It was not known of Him during his life with Khadija (ra) or before his marriage to her that He was one of those tempted by the alluring charms of women in an age where the Tabarruj of the Jahiliyya used to tempt the people. It is not natural for us to take the view that after passing the age of fifty a sudden change took place in Him which did not allow Him to be content with one wife but rather to continue to marry until He had taken ten wives. Within five years in the sixth decade of the Prophet's life He gathered more than seven wives, and in the remaining seven years of the sixth decade and beginning of the seventh the Prophet gathered nine wives. At such an age can these marriages be attributable to a desire for women or to motives linked to satisfying the procreation instinct in terms of sexual intercourse? Or were there other motives, which were required by the reality of the type of life which the Prophet (pbuh) was engaged in, i.e. the life of the Message, which He had been ordered to convey to the people? In order to understand this issue, let us examine the incidents surrounding the Prophet's (pbuh) marriages.

Pada tahun kesebelas kenabian, iaitu tahun Khadijah (semoga Allah meridhainya) meninggal dunia, Nabi ﷺ mempertimbangkan untuk berkahwin. Baginda ketika itu berusia lima puluh tahun, lalu Baginda meminang 'A'isyah, puteri Abu Bakar, sahabat Baginda dan lelaki pertama yang beriman dengan kenabian Baginda. Ketika dia masih kanak-kanak berusia enam tahun, Baginda mengikat tali perkahwinan dengannya tetapi tidak menyempurnakannya selama tiga tahun sehingga dia berusia sembilan tahun, iaitu selepas Hijrah. Namun, pada masa Baginda mengikat perkahwinan dengan 'A'isyah, Baginda telah berkahwin dengan Sawdah binti Zam'ah. Sawdah ialah balu al-Sukran bin 'Amr bin 'Abd Shams, salah seorang kaum Muslimin yang telah berhijrah ke Habsyah tetapi meninggal dunia dalam perjalanan pulang ke Makkah. Sawdah telah memeluk Islam bersama suaminya dan telah berhijrah bersamanya. Dia telah menanggung kesukaran dan kepayahan yang sama seperti yang Baginda tanggung, dan menghadapi gangguan yang sama seperti yang Baginda hadapi. Selepas kematian suaminya, Baginda mengahwininya. Tidak diriwayatkan bahawa Sawdah itu cantik, atau bahawa dia memiliki harta atau kedudukan, yang boleh menjadikan mana-mana aspek duniawi mempengaruhi perkahwinan Nabi ﷺ dengannya. Oleh kerana Nabi ﷺ telah mengahwininya selepas kematian suaminya, satu-satunya perkara yang dapat kita simpulkan ialah Baginda mengahwininya untuk menyokong dan mengangkatnya ke kedudukan ibu kepada orang-orang beriman. Apabila Baginda berhijrah, Baginda menjadikan rumah Sawdah berdekatan dengan Masjid. Inilah rumah pertama yang Nabi ﷺ bina untuk mana-mana isteri Baginda.

In the eleventh year of the Prophethood, i.e. the year Khadija (may Allah be pleased with her) died, the Prophet (pbuh) considered getting married. He was fifty, so He proposed to 'A'isha, the daughter of Abu Bakr, his friend and the first one who believed in his Prophethood from the men. When she was just a child of six He contracted a marriage with her but did not consummate it for a period of three years until she was nine, which was after the Hijra. However, at the time in which He contracted the marriage with 'A'isha He married Sawda bint Zam'a. Sawda was a widow of al-Sukran b. 'Amr b. 'Abd Shams, who was one of the Muslims who had migrated to Abbysinia but died on his return to Makkah. Sawda had embraced Islam with her husband and she had migrated with Him. She had suffered the same difficulties and hardships He suffered and faced the same harm He had faced. After the death of her husband He married her. It has not been reported that Sawda was beautiful, or that she possessed wealth or standing, that would make any of the worldly aspects influence the Prophet's marriage to her. Since the Prophet (pbuh) had married her after the death of her husband, the only thing we can deduce from this is that He married her to support her and raise her to the position of the mother of the believers. When He migrated He made the house of Sawda close to the Mosque. This was the first house the Prophet (pbuh) built for any of his wives.

Kemudian, pada tahun pertama Hijrah, setelah persaudaraan antara kaum Ansar dan Muhajirin ditetapkan, Rasulullah ﷺ menyempurnakan pernikahan baginda dengan 'A'isyah, dan baginda menempatkannya di sebelah rumah Sawdah, berdekatan dengan Masjid. Baginda mengizinkan wazir (pembantu) pertama dan sahabat baginda, Abu Bakar As-Siddiq (ra), datang menemui baginda di rumahnya, di rumah puterinya.

Then, in the first year of the Hijra, after the brotherhood between the Ansar and Muhajirin had been instituted, the Messenger (pbuh) consummated his marriage with 'A'isha and He housed her next to the house of Sawda, close to the Mosque. He allowed his first Wazir (assistant) and friend Abu Bakr assiddiq (ra) to come to see Him in his house at his daughter's home.

Pada tahun kedua Hijrah, selepas peperangan Badar dan sebelum Uhud, Baginda berkahwin dengan Hafsah binti 'Umar bin al-Khattab (ra). Hafsah, sebelum berkahwin dengan Nabi ﷺ, adalah isteri kepada Khunais yang termasuk antara orang-orang yang awal memeluk Islam. Beliau meninggal dunia dan meninggalkan Hafsah selama tujuh bulan sebelum Rasulullah ﷺ mengahwininya. Dengan mengahwini Hafsah, Baginda ﷺ membolehkan Wazir kedua Baginda, sahabatnya 'Umar bin al-Khattab (ra), datang menemui Baginda di rumahnya di rumah Hafsah. Maka perkahwinan dengan 'Aisyah (ra) dan Hafsah adalah perkahwinan dengan puteri-puteri dua Wazir Baginda (pembantu), iaitu puteri dua sahabat yang bertahan bersama Baginda dalam dakwah, pemerintahan, peperangan dan sebagainya. Oleh itu, perkahwinan sedemikian bukan semata-mata untuk tujuan perkahwinan. Walaupun 'Aisyah (ra) cantik dan Nabi ﷺ mendapatinya menarik, ini tidak berlaku pada Hafsah (ra), yang menunjukkan bahawa perkahwinan Baginda dengan kedua-duanya mempunyai tujuan lain selain pemuasan nafsu.

In the second year of the Hijra, after the battle of Badr and before Uhud, He married Hafsa the daughter of 'Umar b. al-Khattab.(ra) Hafsa, before being married to the Prophet, was the wife of Hanish who was one of the early converts to Islam. He died leaving her for seven months before the Messenger married her. By marrying Hafsa He (pbuh) enabled his second Wazir, his companion 'Umar b. al-Khattab (ra) to come to see Him in his house at Hafsa's home. So the marriages to A'isha (ra) and Hafsa were marriages to the daughters of his two Wazirs (assistants), the daughters of two companions who persevered with Him in Da'wah, ruling and fighting etc. So such marriages were not only for the purpose of marriage. Although 'A'isha (ra)was beautiful and the Prophet found her attractive this was not the case with Hafsa (ra), which indicates that his marriage to both of them was for a purpose other than sexual gratification.

Semasa Peperangan Bani Mustaliq, pada tahun kelima Hijrah, Baginda berkahwin dengan Juwayriyyah binti al-Harith bin Abi Dirar. Sebab di sebalik perkahwinan Baginda dengannya adalah untuk mendekatkan ayahnya kepada Nabi ﷺ dan meninggikan kedudukannya. Juwayriyyah termasuk dalam kalangan tawanan Bani Mustaliq, dan jatuh ke tangan salah seorang kaum Ansar. Dia ialah puteri ketua Bani Mustaliq, lalu dia ingin membebaskan dirinya daripada tuannya yang telah menjadikannya hamba. Tuannya menaikkan jumlah wang tebusan kerana mengetahui bahawa dia ialah puteri ketua Bani Mustaliq. Maka ayahnya datang menemui Nabi ﷺ dengan wang tebusan yang diperlukan untuk membebaskannya, lalu Baginda pun berbuat demikian. Kemudian, setelah beriman dengan risalah Nabi ﷺ, dia memeluk Islam, dan dia membawa puterinya Juwayriyyah menemui Nabi ﷺ, lalu dia juga memeluk Islam. Maka Nabi ﷺ meminang puterinya daripada ayahnya. Ayahnya sendiri mengahwinkannya dengan Nabi ﷺ, maka perkahwinan Baginda dengannya sebenarnya ialah perkahwinan dengan puteri ketua sebuah kabilah yang telah Baginda tundukkan. Objektif Baginda ﷺ ialah untuk memenangi persahabatan ketua kabilah itu melalui perkahwinan dengan puterinya.

During the battle of Banu Mustaliq, in the fifth year of the Hijra, He married Juwayriyya bint al-Harith ibn Abi Dirar. The reason behind his marriage to her was for the purpose of drawing her father closer to the Prophet and raising her position. Juwayriyya was from the captives of Banu Mustaliq, and had fallen in the hands of one of the Ansar. She was the daughter of the leader of Banu Mustaliq, so she wanted to free herself from her master to whom she had become a slave-girl. Her master increased the ransom money knowing that she was the daughter of the leader of Banu Mustaliq. So her father approached the Prophet (pbuh) with the ransom required to free her, which He did. Then after believing in the Message of the Prophet He became a Muslim, and He took his daughter Juwayriyya to the Prophet (pbuh) and she too embraced Islam, so the Prophet (pbuh) asked her father for her hand. He married her to the Prophet (pbuh) Himself so the Prophet's marriage to her was in fact a marriage to the daughter of a leader of a tribe which He had subjugated. His (pbuh) objective was to win the friendship of its leader through marrying his daughter.

Pada tahun ketujuh Hijrah, selepas kemenangan Khaybar, Baginda ﷺ mengahwini Safiyya binti Huyai bin al-Akhtab, yang merupakan salah seorang pemimpin kaum Yahudi. Kisah perkahwinannya dengan beliau bermula ketika Safiyya ditawan bersama tawanan lain yang dirampas oleh orang Islam dari benteng Khaybar. Sebahagian orang Islam menasihati Nabi ﷺ: “Safiyya ialah wanita mulia daripada Bani Qurayzah dan Bani Nadhir. Dia tidak sesuai untuk sesiapa selain daripada tuan.” Maka Nabi ﷺ membebaskan dan mengahwini beliau. Tindakan ini dilakukan untuk melindunginya, membebaskannya daripada belenggu perhambaan, serta untuk mengangkat kedudukannya. Diriwayatkan bahawa Abu Ayyub Khalid al-Ansari bimbang bahawa Safiyya menyimpan kebencian terhadap Rasulullah ﷺ kerana baginda telah membunuh ayahnya, suaminya dan kaumnya. Oleh itu, dalam perjalanan pulang dari Khaybar, beliau bermalam dengan memakai pedang di sekeliling khemah tempat Rasulullah ﷺ menyempurnakan perkahwinan dengan Safiyya. Apabila Rasulullah ﷺ bangun pada waktu pagi, baginda ternampak beliau di luar khemah lalu bertanya: “Apakah yang berlaku?” Beliau menjawab: “Saya bimbang terhadap tuan kerana wanita ini. Tuan telah membunuh ayahnya, suaminya dan kaumnya, dan dia baru sahaja keluar daripada kekufuran.” Maka Rasulullah ﷺ menenangkan hati Abu Ayyub, dan Safiyya kekal setia kepada Rasulullah ﷺ sehingga Allah (SWT) mencabut nyawa baginda.

In the seventh year of the Hijra after the victory of Khaybar He (pbuh) married Safiyya daughter of Huyai ibn al-Akhtab who was one of the leaders of the Jews. The story of his marriage to her began when she was taken along with other captives which the Muslims seized from the fortress of Khaybar. Some of the Muslims advised the Prophet (pbuh): “Safiyya is a noble lady of Banu Qurayza and Banu Nadhir. She is not suitable for anyone other than you”, hence the Prophet (pbuh) freed and married her. This was therefore done for her protection and to free her from the bondage of slavery, and as well to raise her status. It has been narrated that Abu Ayyub Khalid al-Ansari feared that Safiyya harboured hatred against the Messenger (pbuh) who had killed her father, husband and people. For this reason He spent the night, girded with his sword, around the tent in which the Messenger (pbuh) consummated the marriage with Safiyya on the way back from Khaybar. When the Messenger (pbuh) woke up in the morning He noticed Him outside the tent and asked Him: “What is the matter?” He replied: “I feared for you from this woman. You have killed her father, husband and her people and she has just recently come out of kufr.” So the Messenger (pbuh) set Abu Ayyub's mind at rest, and Safiyya remained loyal to the Messenger (pbuh) until Allah (swt) took his soul.

Kemudian, pada tahun kelapan Hijrah, Baginda ﷺ mengahwini Maymunah, adik kepada Umm al-Fadhl, isteri al-'Abbas bin 'Abd al-Muttalib. Baginda ﷺ mengahwininya pada penghujung umrah qada. Kisah perkahwinan Baginda ﷺ dengannya bermula ketika Maymunah berusia dua puluh enam tahun. Dia telah menyerahkan kepada kakaknya, Umm al-Fadhl, tugas mencari calon suami baginya. Namun, apabila dia melihat keadaan kaum Muslimin dalam perjalanan umrah itu, dia sendiri berasa rindu untuk memeluk Islam. Oleh itu, al-'Abbas mengemukakan lamaran kepada anak saudaranya, junjungan kita Muhammad ﷺ, bagi pihak Maymunah. Dia melamar Nabi ﷺ atas permintaan Maymunah sendiri, dan Rasulullah ﷺ bersetuju untuk mengahwininya. Tempoh tiga hari yang disyaratkan dalam perjanjian Hudaybiyah telah tamat, tetapi Rasulullah ﷺ mahu menjadikan perkahwinan dengan Maymunah sebagai sarana untuk memperkukuh persefahaman antara Baginda ﷺ dengan kaum Quraisy. Ketika Suhayl bin 'Amr dan Huwaytib bin 'Abd al-'Uzza datang kepada Baginda ﷺ mewakili kaum Quraisy, mereka berkata kepada Muhammad ﷺ: "Masa anda di Makkah telah tamat, maka tinggalkanlah kami." Baginda ﷺ bersabda kepada mereka: "Apa yang tidak kena dengan kamu? Mengapa kamu tidak membiarkan aku pergi? Aku akan mengadakan jamuan perkahwinan di kalangan kamu. Kami akan menyediakan makanan untuk kamu, jadi apa salahnya kamu hadir?" Jawapan mereka kepada Baginda ﷺ ialah: "Kami tidak memerlukan makanan kamu, maka berangkatlah dari kami." Rasulullah ﷺ tidak berlengah; Baginda ﷺ berangkat bersama kaum Muslimin yang mengiringi Baginda ﷺ.

Later, in the eighth year of Hijra He (pbuh) married Maymuna the sister of Umm al-Fadhl, the wife of al-'Abbas b. 'Abd ul-Muttalib. He married her at the end of the pilgrimage [Umra al-qada]. The account of his marriage to her began when Maymuna was twenty six years of age and that she had delegated her sister Umm al-Fadhl to find a suitor for her, but when she saw the predicament of the Muslims at the pilgrimage she herself yearned for Islam. Therefore al-'Abbas proposed to his nephew, our Master Muhammad on her behalf. He proposed to the Prophet at her behest and the Messenger agreed to marry her. The three days which the treaty of Hudaybiyah had stipulated had expired, but the Messenger (pbuh) wished to use his marriage to Maymuna as a means to increase the understanding between Himself and the Quraish. When Suhayl b. 'Amr and Huwayteb b. 'Abd ul-'Uzza came to Him representing Quraish they said to Muhammad (pbuh): “Your time in Makkah has expired, so leave us.” He (pbuh) said to them: “What is the matter with you? Why do you not leave me? I will hold a wedding feast amongst you.We will prepare food for you so why not attend it?” Their response to Him was “we have no need of your food so depart from us”; the Messenger (pbuh) did not hesitate; He left along with the Muslims behind Him.

Mengenai perkahwinan Baginda (ﷺ) dengan Zaynab binti Khuzayma dan Umm Salama, kedua-duanya merupakan perkahwinan dengan isteri-isteri sahabat Baginda yang telah syahid di medan perang. Zaynab ialah isteri 'Ubayda b. al-Harith b. al-Muttalib yang syahid pada hari Badar. Beliau bukanlah seorang yang menonjol kecantikannya, tetapi beliau terkenal dengan budi pekerti yang baik dan kebaikan hatinya sehingga digelar 'ibu orang-orang miskin'. Beliau telah melepasi usia muda, namun Rasulullah (ﷺ) menikahinya pada tahun kedua Hijrah, selepas peperangan Badar dan selepas syahidnya suaminya. Beliau hanya bersama Baginda selama dua tahun sehingga Allah (SWT) mencabut nyawanya. Ini bermakna, selepas Khadijah, beliau adalah satu-satunya isteri yang meninggal dunia sebelum Nabi (ﷺ). Adapun Umm Salama, beliau ialah isteri Abu Salama, yang mempunyai beberapa orang anak bersamanya. Abu Salama tercedera semasa peperangan Uhud, kemudian sembuh daripadanya, lalu Nabi (ﷺ) membenarkannya berperang menentang Banu Asad. Beliau berjaya mengalahkan mereka dan pulang ke Madinah sebagai pemenang dengan harta rampasan yang telah diperoleh. Namun luka yang dideritainya semasa Uhud semakin parah, dan beliau terus sakit sehingga meninggal dunia tidak lama selepas itu. Nabi (ﷺ) hadir ketika beliau sedang nazak, dan Baginda terus berada di sisinya, mendoakan kesejahteraannya sehingga beliau meninggal dunia. Kemudian Nabi (ﷺ) menutup kedua-dua mata Abu Salama. Empat bulan selepas kematiannya, Rasulullah (ﷺ) sendiri meminang Umm Salama, tetapi beliau memberi alasan bahawa beliau mempunyai keluarga yang besar dan bahawa beliau telah melepasi usia muda. Namun Nabi (ﷺ) tetap meneruskan hasratnya sehingga Baginda menikahinya, dan Baginda sendiri menguruskan pendidikan anak-anaknya. Jelaslah bahawa Rasulullah (ﷺ) menikahi kedua-dua isteri ini untuk menjaga keluarga dua orang sahabatnya selepas kematian mereka.

As for his (pbuh) marriage to Zaynab bint Khuzayma and Umm Salama, they were marriages to the two wives of his companions who had been martyred on the battlefield. Zaynab was the wife of 'Ubayda b. al-Harith b. al-Muttalib who was martyred on the day of Badr, she was not of marked beauty, but she was known for her good nature and kindness to the extent that she became nicknamed as the 'mother of the needy.' She had passed her youth, but the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) married her in the second year of the Hijra, after the battle of Badr and after the martyrdom of her husband. She stayed with Him for only two years until Allah (swt) took her soul. Which meant after Khadija, she was the only one who died before the Prophet. As for Umm Salama, she was the wife of Abu Salama, who had a number of sons with her. Abu Salama was injured in Uhud then recovered from it, so the Prophet agreed to let Him fight Banu Asad. He defeated them and returned to Madinah victorious with the booty that had been captured but the injury He sustained at Uhud worsened and He remained ill until his death shortly thereafter. The Prophet (pbuh) was present while He was on his deathbed, and He remained by his side, praying for his well being until He died. The Prophet (pbuh) then closed Abu Salama's eyes. Four months after his death, the Messenger (pbuh) proposed to Umm Salama herself, but she made excuses that she had a big family and that she had passed her youth. The Prophet however persisted until He married her and He Himself saw to her children's upbringing. So it is clear that the Messenger married those two wives to care for the family of two of his companions after their death.

Mengenai perkahwinannya dengan Umm Habibah binti Abu Sufyan (ra), ia merupakan perkahwinan dengan seorang wanita beriman yang telah berhijrah ke Habsyah dengan membawa agamanya yang utuh. Dia tetap sabar di jalan Islam selepas suaminya murtad. Ini kerana Umm Habibah ini ialah Ramlah anak perempuan Abu Sufyan, pemimpin Makkah dan ketua kaum musyrikin. Dia ialah isteri kepada sepupunya (anak kepada ibu saudara sebelah bapanya) Rasulullah ﷺ, iaitu 'Ubaidillah bin Jahsy al-Asadi. 'Ubaidillah memeluk Islam bersama isterinya Ramlah ketika bapanya masih dalam kekafiran. Dia takut akan menyakiti hati bapanya, lalu dia berhijrah bersama suaminya dalam keadaan hamil ke Habsyah. Di tempat perlindungan itu, Ramlah melahirkan anak perempuannya Habibah binti 'Ubaidillah, dan dengan nama itulah dia dikenali. Maka dia digelar Umm Habibah, walaupun suaminya 'Ubaidillah bin Jahsy tidak lama selepas itu keluar daripada Islam dan mengisytiharkan kepercayaannya kepada Kristian, agama penduduk Habsyah, lalu cuba memisahkan isterinya Ramlah daripada Islam, tetapi dia tetap bersabar dan teguh dengan agamanya. Kemudian Rasulullah ﷺ mengutuskan utusan kepada Najasyi dan mewakilkan kepadanya untuk menikahkan Umm Habibah dengan Rasulullah ﷺ. Najasyi memaklumkan perkara itu kepada Umm Habibah, lalu dia mewakilkan Khalid bin Sa'id bin al-'As untuk menikahkannya, dan akad nikahnya dengan Rasulullah ﷺ pun berlangsung. Khalid melakukan akad nikah bagi pihaknya, dan Najasyi bagi pihak Rasulullah ﷺ. Apabila kaum Muhajirin Habsyah kembali ke Madinah selepas peperangan Khaibar, Umm Habibah turut pulang bersama mereka dan memasuki rumah Rasulullah ﷺ. Madinah meraikan perkahwinan Rasulullah ﷺ dengan Umm Habibah, dan dia terus tinggal di dalam rumah baginda.

As for his marriage to Umm Habiba bint Abu Sufyan (ra), this was a marriage to a believing woman who had migrated to Abbysinia fleeing with her deen intact. She had remained patient in the path of Islam after her husband had apostatised. That is because this Umm Habiba was Ramla the daughter of Abu Sufyan, the leader of Makkah and head of the Mushrikin. She was the wife of a cousin (son of a paternal aunt) of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), 'Ubayd Allah b. Jahsh al-Asadi. 'Ubayd Allah embraced Islam with his wife Ramla whilst her father was still upon kufr. She was afraid of hurting her father so she migrated, encumbered by her pregnancy, with her husband to Abbysinia. There in the place of refuge, Ramla gave birth to her daughter Habiba bint 'Ubayd Allah by whom she was named. So she came to be called Umm Habiba although her husband 'Ubayd Allah b. Jahsh did not take long before He left the fold of Islam and professed his belief in Christianity, the religion of the Abbysinians and tried to take his wife Ramla away from Islam, but she patiently persevered in her deen. Then the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) sent for the Negus delegating Him to perform the marriage of Umm Habiba to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). The Negus informed Umm Habiba of this, so she delegated Khalid b. Sa'id b. al-'As to give her in marriage, and her marriage contract with the Messenger (pbuh) took place. Khalid undertook the marriage contract on her behalf and the Negus for the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). When the Muhajirin of Abbysinia returned to Madinah after the battle of Khaybar, Umm Habiba returned with them and entered the house of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). Madinah celebrated the wedding of the Messenger to Umm Habiba and she remained in his house.

Mengenai perkahwinan Baginda ﷺ dengan Zaynab binti Jahsh, perkahwinan itu menunjukkan hukum bagi beberapa perkara. Ia merupakan hukum untuk menghapuskan apa yang dipanggil kesetaraan (kafa'ah) antara lelaki dan perempuan, kerana Zaynab adalah sepupu Baginda ﷺ (anak saudara perempuan bapa Baginda ﷺ), dan beliau berasal daripada pemimpin-pemimpin Quraisy, namun dikahwinkan dengan bekas hamba yang telah dimerdekakan. Ia juga menunjukkan hukum untuk memusnahkan adat yang telah mapan di kalangan mereka pada zaman Jahiliyyah, iaitu anggapan bahawa anak angkat seperti anak kandung sendiri, sehingga seseorang tidak boleh mengahwini isterinya. Muhammad ﷺ mengahwini isteri bekas hamba Baginda ﷺ, Zayd, yang telah Baginda ﷺ merdekakan, selepas Zayd menceraikannya, demi memusnahkan adat-adat tersebut. Kisah perkahwinan Rasulullah ﷺ dengan Zaynab binti Jahsh ialah Zaynab binti Jahsh adalah anak kepada Umaymah binti 'Abd al-Muttalib, emak saudara Rasulullah ﷺ. Beliau dibesarkan di bawah jagaan dan perhatian Baginda ﷺ, dan kerana itu, Baginda ﷺ menganggapnya seperti anak perempuan atau adik perempuan. Baginda ﷺ mengenali beliau dan mengetahui sama ada beliau menarik atau tidak sebelum beliau berkahwin dengan Zayd, kerana Baginda ﷺ telah melihatnya sejak beliau masih bayi merangkak, sehingga zaman kanak-kanak dan remajanya. Zaynab bukanlah orang asing bagi Rasulullah ﷺ, bahkan kedudukannya hampir sama dengan anak perempuan Baginda ﷺ. Baginda ﷺ, semoga selawat dan keberkatan dilimpahkan ke atas Baginda, telah meminang beliau bagi pihak hamba yang telah dimerdekakan, Zayd. Namun saudara lelakinya, 'Abd Allah bin Jahsh, menolak untuk adiknya, kerana beliau berasal daripada Quraisy dan Bani Hashim serta anak perempuan emak saudara Rasulullah ﷺ, untuk menjadi isteri seorang hamba yang dibeli oleh Khadijah dan kemudiannya dimerdekakan oleh Muhammad ﷺ. Beliau berpendapat bahawa ini adalah satu aib besar bagi Zaynab kerana pada zaman itu ia merupakan kehinaan besar bagi orang Arab, kerana anak-anak perempuan golongan bangsawan tidak berkahwin dengan hamba walaupun mereka telah diberi kemerdekaan. Tetapi Muhammad ﷺ.... Beliau mahu agar pertimbangan-pertimbangan yang wujud dalam kalangan manusia semata-mata atas dasar kesukuan itu dihapuskan, dan agar mereka memahami bahawa tiada kelebihan bagi orang Arab ke atas orang bukan Arab kecuali dengan taqwa, serta memahami firman Allah (SWT):

As for his (pbuh) marriage to Zaynab bint Jahsh this showed legislation for a number of issues. It was legislation to demolish what was called equivalence (matching) between the man and the woman, in marrying a cousin (daughter of his paternal aunt), and who was from the leaders of the Quraish that was married to a former slave that had been freed. It showed the legislation for the destruction of what had become established amongst them in Jahiliyah, in that adopting a son is like one's own son, so one cannot marry his wife. Muhammad (pbuh) married the wife of his freedman (Zayd) whom He had freed, after her divorce from Him (Zayd) in order to destroy those customs. The account of the Messenger's marriage to Zaynab bint Jahsh was that Zaynab bint Jahsh was a daughter of Umayma bint 'Abd al-Muttalib the paternal aunt of the Messenger (pbuh). She was raised under his care and attention and because of this, she was to Him like a daughter or a younger sister. He used to know her and knew whether she was attractive or not before she had married Zayd, and He had seen her from the time she was an infant crawling, until her childhood and through to her adolescent years. She was not a stranger to the Messenger (pbuh), but rather she was similar in position to his daughter. He (peace and blessings be upon Him) proposed to her on behalf of his freed slave Zayd but her brother 'Abd Allah b. Jahsh refused for his sister, being that she was from Quraish and a Hashimite in addition to being a daughter of the aunt of the Messenger of Allah, to be the bride of a slave bought by Khadija and later freed by Muhammad. He felt that this was a great shame for Zaynab as it used to be a great dishonour for the Arabs, as daughters of the nobility did not marry slaves even if they were given their freedom. But Muhammad (pbuh). wanted these considerations which existed within people solely on the basis of tribalism to be erased and for them to comprehend that there is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab except in Taqwa and to understand Allah (swt)'s saying:

"Sesungguhnya orang yang paling mulia di antara kamu di sisi Allah ialah orang yang paling bertaqwa." [Al-Hujurat: 13] Baginda ﷺ tidak berpandangan bahawa adalah wajar seorang wanita dari luar keluarganya dipaksa untuk melakukan perkara ini. Maka, Zaynab binti Jahsh, anak saudara perempuan baginda, menjadi orang yang memutuskan tradisi bangsa Arab dan memusnahkan adat-adat mereka, tanpa mengendahkan apa yang mungkin dikatakan orang tentangnya, yang amat ditakutinya untuk didengar. Baginda ﷺ membenarkan Zayd, hamba baginda yang telah baginda ambil sebagai anak angkat dan yang, menurut adat dan tradisi bangsa Arab, berhak mewarisi harta baginda seperti anak-anak baginda yang lain, untuk menjadi orang yang akan mengahwini Zaynab. Ini supaya baginda bersedia untuk pengorbanan yang telah disediakan oleh Pembuat Syariat Yang Maha Bijaksana bagi mereka yang diangkat dan dijadikan sebagai anak. Rasulullah ﷺ mendesak agar Zaynab dan saudara lelakinya 'Abdullah menerima Zayd, hamba yang telah dibebaskan baginda, sebagai suaminya. Namun Zaynab tetap berkeras dengan penolakannya, begitu juga saudara lelakinya 'Abdullah. Akibatnya, Allah (SWT) menurunkan firman-Nya:

“Verily, the most honourable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has more taqwa”. [Al- Hujurat: 13] He did not consider it right that a woman from other than his family should be pushed to do this. So, Zaynab bint Jahsh, daughter of his aunt, became the one to depart from the traditions of the Arabs and to destroy their customs, paying no attention to what the people may say about her, which she was afraid to hear. He let Zayd, his slave whom He had adopted and who gained the right, due to the customs and traditions of the Arabs, to inherit from Him like the rest of his sons, to be the one who would marry Zaynab. This was so that He would be ready for the sacrifice that the All-Wise Legislator had prepared for those who were adopted and taken as sons. The Messenger (pbuh) insisted that Zaynab and her brother 'Abdullah accept Zayd, his freed slave, as her husband. However Zaynab persisted in her refusal as did her brother 'Abdullah. As a result Allah (swt) revealed his (swt) saying:

“Tidaklah patut bagi lelaki yang beriman dan perempuan yang beriman, apabila Allah dan Rasul-Nya telah menetapkan sesuatu urusan, ada pilihan bagi mereka tentang urusan mereka. Dan barang siapa mengderhaka kepada Allah dan Rasul-Nya, maka sesungguhnya dia telah sesat dengan kesesatan yang nyata” [Al-Ahzab: 36]. Oleh itu, tiada apa yang tinggal bagi 'Abdullah dan Zaynab selain tunduk kepada kehendak Allah, lalu mereka berkata: 'Kami redha, wahai Rasulullah ﷺ.' Zayd menyempurnakan perkahwinannya dengan Zaynab selepas Nabi ﷺ menghantar mas kahwinnya kepada perempuan itu. Namun, kehidupan berumah tangga antara Zayd dan Zaynab tidaklah baik; sebaliknya, sejak awal lagi ia tidak tenteram dan penuh kepahitan, dan terus begitu. Zaynab sendiri tidak gembira dengan perkahwinan ini selepas ia berlaku, walaupun ia adalah perintah daripada Allah dan Rasul-Nya. Dia tidak mentaati suaminya, dan dia tidak melembutkan sikapnya terhadap Zayd. Malah, dia sering membanggakan diri di hadapan Zayd bahawa belenggu perhambaan tidak pernah menimpanya, dan dia menyusahkan kehidupan Zayd. Zayd mengadu kepada Nabi ﷺ pada banyak kesempatan dan menjelaskan kepada baginda tentang buruknya layanan Zaynab terhadapnya. Beberapa kali dia memohon kebenaran daripada Nabi ﷺ untuk menceraikannya. Nabi ﷺ menjawab: “Pertahankanlah isterimu.” Allah (swt) mewahyukan kepada Rasulullah ﷺ bahawa Zaynab akan menjadi salah seorang daripada isteri baginda. Perkara ini menggusarkan Nabi ﷺ yang bimbang orang akan berkata bahawa Muhammad ﷺ telah mengahwini isteri anaknya, dan mereka akan mencela baginda kerana itu, memandangkan baginda ﷺ telah mengangkat Zayd sebagai anak. Oleh itu, baginda ﷺ tidak mahu Zayd menceraikannya, tetapi Zayd mendesak Nabi ﷺ untuk membenarkannya menceraikan isterinya. Walaupun Nabi ﷺ mengetahui bahawa Zaynab akan menjadi salah seorang isterinya sebagaimana Allah (swt) telah memberitahu baginda melalui wahyu, baginda tetap berkata kepada Zayd: “Simpanlah isterimu untuk dirimu sendiri, dan bertakwalah kepada Allah.” Akibatnya, Allah menegur baginda dengan lembut, kerana Dia memberitahu baginda bahawa Dia akan mengahwinkan baginda dengan Zaynab, dan baginda menyembunyikan dalam dirinya apa yang Allah akan nyatakan. Ini adalah makna firman-Nya (SWT):

“It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allah and his Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allah and his Messenger, He has indeed strayed in a plain error” [Al- Ahzab: 36] Hence, nothing remained for 'Abdullah and Zaynab other than to submit to Allah's will, so they said: 'We consent O Messenger of Allah (pbuh).' Zayd consummated his marriage with Zaynab after the Prophet had sent her the dowry. However, married life between Zayd and Zaynab was not good; on the contrary, from the start it was unsettled and embittered and continued to be unsettled and embittered. Zaynab, herself was not happy with this marriage after it had taken place even though it was a command from Allah and his Messenger. She did not obey her husband, and she did not soften in her approach towards Him. Rather, she used to boast to Zayd that the bondage of slavery had not befallen her and she made life difficult for Him. Zayd complained to the Prophet (pbuh) on numerous occasions and explained to Him about her bad treatment of Him. He sought permission from the Prophet (pbuh) a number of times to divorce her. The Prophet used to reply: “Hold on to your wife”. Allah (swt) revealed to the Messenger that Zaynab will be one of his wives. This was distressing for the Prophet (pbuh) who feared that people will say that Muhammad has married his son's wife and will censure Him for that since He (pbuh) had adopted Zayd as a son. Therefore, He did not want Zayd to divorce her, but Zayd urged the Prophet (pbuh) to allow Him to divorce her. Despite the fact that the Prophet knew that she would be one of his wives as Allah (swt) had informed Him by way of revelation, He still said to Zayd: “Keep your wife to yourself, and fear Allah”. As a result of this Allah mildly reproached Him since He told Him that He had informed Him that He would marry Him to her and that He was concealing within Himself that which Allah will make known. This is the meaning of his (swt) saying:

“Tetapi engkau menyembunyikan dalam dirimu apa yang Allah akan nyatakan.” [Al-Ahzab: 37] Perkara yang Dia sembunyikan ialah pengetahuan bahawa Zaynab akan menjadi isterinya, walaupun dia ialah isteri seseorang yang telah Dia ambil sebagai anak angkat. Inilah yang kemudiannya akan Allah nyatakan, iaitu perkahwinan baginda dengan bekas isteri seseorang yang telah Dia ambil sebagai anak angkatnya. Sebab Rasulullah ﷺ menyembunyikan perkahwinan ini, yang kemudiannya Allah nyatakan, ialah kerana menjadi adat orang Arab untuk memelihara anak angkat lelaki/perempuan mereka di dalam rumah dan memastikan hubungan dengan kaum kerabat mereka. Mereka biasa memberikan kepada "da'iyy", iaitu orang yang diambil sebagai anak angkat, semua hak seorang anak. Segala hukum seorang anak dikenakan ke atas mereka, malah dalam pewarisan dan kehormatan keturunan. Maka apabila Allah memaklumkan kepada Rasulullah ﷺ bahawa Zaynab, isteri hamba yang dimerdekakannya, yang Dia ambil sebagai anak angkat, akan menjadi isterinya, baginda menyembunyikan pengetahuan ini dan dengan tegas mendesak Zayd supaya mempertahankan isterinya dan tidak menceraikannya, walaupun Zayd bertegas, mengadu tentang isterinya, dan tiada keharmonian serta keserasian dalam kehidupan perkahwinan mereka sejak dia mengahwininya. Namun, Zayd tetap berkeras untuk menceraikannya, maka Rasulullah ﷺ memberinya kebenaran, dan akhirnya dia menceraikan Zaynab tanpa mengetahui bahawa Rasulullah ﷺ akan mengahwininya, dan tanpa Zaynab sendiri mengetahui bahawa Rasulullah ﷺ akan mengambilnya sebagai isteri. Ini digambarkan oleh apa yang dilaporkan oleh Ahmad, Muslim dan an-Nasa'i melalui Sulayman b. al-Mughira daripada Thabit, bahawa Anas berkata: "Apabila tempoh 'iddah Zaynab tamat, Rasulullah ﷺ berkata kepada Zayd untuk menyebut namanya kepadanya. Maka aku (Zayd) pergi kepadanya dan berkata: 'Wahai Zaynab, bergembiralah! Rasulullah ﷺ telah mengutusku untuk meminangmu bagi pihak baginda.' Dia berkata: 'Aku tidak melakukan apa-apa sehingga aku melihat Tuhanku menyuruhku.' Lalu dia berdiri di tempat solatnya, dan Rasulullah ﷺ datang kepadanya tanpa izin ketika ayat-ayat al-Qur'an (berkaitan perkahwinannya) diturunkan:"

“But you did hide in yourself that which Allah will make manifest “. [Al- Ahzab: 37] The matter that He concealed was the knowledge that Zaynab will be his wife even though she was the wife of someone He had adopted. This is what Allah would make manifest afterwards, which was his marriage to a divorcee of someone He had adopted as his son. The reason for the Messenger's concealment of this marriage, which Allah later made manifest, is that it was the custom of the Arabs to keep their adopted sons/daughters in their houses and ensure links with their relations. They used to give the 'da'iyy' i.e. the person who is adopted, all the rights of a son. All the rules of a son were applied to them even in inheritance and the esteem of lineage. So when Allah informed the Messenger that Zaynab, the wife of his freed slave whom He had adopted will be his wife He hid this knowledge and strictly insisted that Zayd hold on to his wife and not to divorce her, despite Zayd's insistence, his complaints about her, and the lack of harmony between them and concord in their marital life ever since He married her. However, Zayd insisted on divorcing her so the Messenger gave Him permission, and He eventually divorced her without any knowledge that the Messenger would marry her and without Zaynab herself knowing that the Messenger would take her as his wife this is illustrated by what Ahmad, Muslim and an-Nisa'i have reported via Sulayman b. al-Mughira on the authority of Thabit that Anas said: “When the 'Iddah (divorce period) of Zaynab was over, Allah's Messenger said to Zayd to mention Him to her. So I (Zayd) went to her and said: “O Zaynab rejoice! Allah's Messenger sent me to propose to you on his behalf.” She said: “I do not do anything until I see my Lord order me.” So she stood at her place of worship and Allah's Messenger came to her without permission when the verses of the Qur'an (pertaining to her marriage) were revealed:

“Maka apabila Zayd telah menyelesaikan hajatnya daripada wanita itu (iaitu menceraikannya), Kami kahwinkan dia kepadamu, supaya tidak ada dosa bagi orang-orang mukmin untuk (mengahwini) isteri-isteri anak-anak angkat mereka apabila anak-anak angkat itu telah menyelesaikan hajatnya daripada isteri-isteri mereka.” {Al-Ahzab: 37} Sekiranya sama ada dia atau Zayd mengetahui ketika itu, nescaya Allah tidak akan berfirman kepadanya “bergembiralah”, dan dia tidak akan berkata “sehingga aku melihat Tuhanku memerintahkanku”, iaitu dia menyerahkan urusan itu kepada Allah untuk membimbingnya dalam perkahwinan ini. ‘Illah bagi perkahwinan ini ialah supaya tidak ada dosa ke atas orang mukmin yang mengahwini isteri orang yang telah mereka ambil sebagai anak angkat.

“So when Zayd had accomplished his desire from her (i.e. divorced her), We gave her to you in marriage, so that (in future) there may be no sin to the believers in respect of (the marriage of) the wives of their adopted sons.''[Al- Ahzab: 37] If either she or Zayd had known then He would not have said to her 'rejoice,' nor she said 'until I see my Lord order me' i.e. she left the matter to Allah to guide her in this marriage. The 'Illa of this marriage is so that there is no sin on the believer in marrying the wife of someone they had adopted.

Berikut ialah akaun tentang perkahwinan Rasulullah ﷺ dengan isteri-isteri Baginda. Jelas daripada akaun perkahwinan tersebut bahawa setiap satu daripadanya mempunyai tujuan lain selain sekadar hasrat untuk berkahwin. Maka menjadi nyata tujuan Nabi ﷺ berkahwin dengan lebih daripada empat orang isteri dan mengapa bilangan ini khas bagi Baginda berbanding umat Baginda yang lain. Ternyata bahawa tujuannya bukanlah untuk membangkitkan naluri syahwat seorang lelaki yang telah melepasi usia lima puluh tahun, kerana Baginda ﷺ ialah seorang yang sibuk dengan dakwah, bertungkus-lumus menyampaikan risalah Tuhannya kepada dunia supaya Baginda dapat menghidupkan semula suatu kaum dan membentuknya menjadi satu umat yang tujuan hidupnya hanyalah membawa risalah Allah kepada dunia. Matlamat Baginda ﷺ ialah membina semula masyarakat setelah Baginda meruntuhkan binaan yang lama, serta mendirikan sebuah negara yang memacu dunia di hadapannya, demi membawa seruan Islam kepada manusia. Sesiapa yang fikirannya disibukkan dengan menghidupkan semula sebuah umat, mendirikan sebuah negara, membina sebuah masyarakat, dan menyampaikan risalah kepada dunia, tidak mungkin dia sempat memikirkan wanita, apatah lagi mencurahkan dirinya kepada mereka dan berkahwin dengan seorang setiap tahun. Sebaliknya, Baginda ﷺ meneruskan dakwahnya dan Baginda ﷺ menikmati kehidupan berumah tangga yang normal seperti manusia lain.

This is the account of the Messenger's marriages to his wives. It is clear from the account of the marriages that each one was for an objective other than the mere aim of marrying. The intent of the Prophet's marriage to more than four wives and why this number is unique to Him from the rest of his Ummah becomes clear. The fact that the objective was not the agitation of the procreation instinct of a man who had passed the age of fifty is quite evident, since He was a man who was busy with the Da'wa, engaged in conveying the Message of his Lord to the world so that He may revive a people and mould them into an Ummah whose only aim in life was to carry the Message of Allah to the world. his aim was to build the society anew after He had demolished the previous edifice, and establish a state pushing ahead the world before it, in order to carry the Call of Islam to the people. Anyone who's mind is occupied with the revival of an Ummah, the establishment of a state, the building of a society, and the carrying of the Message to the world cannot be preoccupied by women devoting Himself to them and marrying one every year. Rather, He carried his Da'wah and He enjoyed a normal married life like any other human.