نَفۡسِکَ
Appears 3 times in Quran
Occurrences in Quran
Found 3 verses containing "نَفۡسِکَ".
وَاِذۡ قَالَ اللّٰہُ یٰعِیۡسَی ابۡنَ مَرۡیَمَ ءَاَنۡتَ قُلۡتَ لِلنَّاسِ اتَّخِذُوۡنِیۡ وَاُمِّیَ اِلٰہَیۡنِ مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰہِ ۖ قَالَ سُبۡحٰنَکَ مَا یَکُوۡنُ لِیۡۤ اَنۡ اَقُوۡلَ مَا لَیۡسَ لِیۡ بِحَقٍّ ۚ اِنۡ کُنۡتُ قُلۡتُہٗ فَقَدۡ عَلِمۡتَہٗ ۚ تَعۡلَمُ مَا فِیۡ نَفۡسِیۡ وَلَاۤ اَعۡلَمُ مَا فِیۡ نَفۡسِکَ ۚ اِنَّکَ اَنۡتَ عَلّٰمُ الۡغُیُوۡبِ
قَالَ ماضی ہے لیکن اس سے مراد قیامت کا دن ہے۔ یعنی اللہ تعالیٰ اس دن کہے گا۔ اس کی دلیل یہ ہے کہ مسیحیوں نے مسیحؑ اور اس کی ماں کو مسیح کے مرنے کے بہت بعد خدا بنایا ہے۔
5:110; 9:78; 34:49.
The verse refers to the practice of the Christian Church to ascribe Divine powers to Mary. Mary’s help is invoked in Litany, and in Catechism of the Roman Church the doctrine that she is the mother of God is inculcated. Church Fathers in the past have regarded her as Divine and only a few years ago Pope Pius XII incorporated the bodily ascension of Mary in the doctrine of the Church. All this amounts to raising her to the pedestal of Divinity and this is what Protestants denounce as Mariolatry.
The Arabic expression in the text which is translated as "I could never" may also be interpreted as: It did not behove me; or it was impossible for me; or I had no right; to do so, etc.
5:110; 9:78; 34:49.
Important Words:
The words ما یکون لی (I could not) may be interpreted in various ways, such as, it was not fitting or proper for me to do so; or it did not behove me; or it was beyond my power or position; or it was impossible for me; or I had no right to do so, etc. See also 3:80.
نفس (mind) means, among other things, knowledge; purpose or intention (Lane). See also 3:29.
Commentary:
The expression, Holy art Thou, besides hinting that it is only God Who is free from error, embodies a beautiful reply on the part of Jesus to the question put to him by God in the words, didst thou say to men, 'Take me and my mother for two gods', which seemed to imply a sort of reproach and an expression of displeasure. The reply of Jesus appears to be something like this: "I was only a humble Messenger, O God, therefore I could not ask men to take me and my mother as gods beside Thee, for if I had done so, that would have been a reflection on Thee that Thou didst choose as Thy Messenger a person who turned faithless to Thee and asked his followers to take him and his mother as gods beside Thee. But Thy choice, o God, cannot be wrong; hence it was impossible that I, a Messenger of Thine, should have bidden men take me and my mother as gods, and Thine own all-embracing knowledge, o God, is a testimony of my innocence."
The word نفس (mind) when used about God implies "intention." Thus the last sentence of the verse would mean, "I do not know what Thou meanest by this question. Thou, being All-Knowing, well knowest that I did not say so; hence, I fail to understand the object or purpose of Thy ques-tion." This reply of Jesus shows that in his heart he was afraid that some shortcoming in the execution of his duty might have displeased the Almighty.
a
5:110; 9:78; 34:49.
406
经文中的阿拉伯习用语被译成 “我永不能说”, 也可以被译成: 我不应该 (说); 或我不可能 (说); 或无权(说); 这样做, 等等。
3
قَالَ ماضی ہے لیکن اس سے مراد قیامت کا دن ہے۔ یعنی اللہ تعالیٰ اس دن کہے گا۔ اس کی دلیل یہ ہے کہ مسیحیوں نے مسیحؑ اور اس کی ماں کو مسیح کے مرنے کے بہت بعد خدا بنایا ہے۔
a
5:110; 9:78; 34:49.
744
Important Words:
The words ما یکون لی (I could not) may be interpreted in various ways, such as, it was not fitting or proper for me to do so; or it did not behove me; or it was beyond my power or position; or it was impossible for me; or I had no right to do so, etc. See also 3:80.
نفس (mind) means, among other things, knowledge; purpose or intention (Lane). See also 3:29.
Commentary:
The expression, Holy art Thou, besides hinting that it is only God Who is free from error, embodies a beautiful reply on the part of Jesus to the question put to him by God in the words, didst thou say to men, 'Take me and my mother for two gods', which seemed to imply a sort of reproach and an expression of displeasure. The reply of Jesus appears to be something like this: "I was only a humble Messenger, O God, therefore I could not ask men to take me and my mother as gods beside Thee, for if I had done so, that would have been a reflection on Thee that Thou didst choose as Thy Messenger a person who turned faithless to Thee and asked his followers to take him and his mother as gods beside Thee. But Thy choice, o God, cannot be wrong; hence it was impossible that I, a Messenger of Thine, should have bidden men take me and my mother as gods, and Thine own all-embracing knowledge, o God, is a testimony of my innocence."
The word نفس (mind) when used about God implies "intention." Thus the last sentence of the verse would mean, "I do not know what Thou meanest by this question. Thou, being All-Knowing, well knowest that I did not say so; hence, I fail to understand the object or purpose of Thy ques-tion." This reply of Jesus shows that in his heart he was afraid that some shortcoming in the execution of his duty might have displeased the Almighty.
a
5:110; 9:78; 34:49.
811
The verse refers to the practice of the Christian Church to ascribe Divine powers to Mary. Mary’s help is invoked in Litany, and in Catechism of the Roman Church the doctrine that she is the mother of God is inculcated. Church Fathers in the past have regarded her as Divine and only a few years ago Pope Pius XII incorporated the bodily ascension of Mary in the doctrine of the Church. All this amounts to raising her to the pedestal of Divinity and this is what Protestants denounce as Mariolatry.
812
The Arabic expression in the text which is translated as "I could never" may also be interpreted as: It did not behove me; or it was impossible for me; or I had no right; to do so, etc.
وَاذۡکُر رَّبَّکَ فِیۡ نَفۡسِکَ تَضَرُّعًا وَّخِیۡفَۃً وَّدُوۡنَ الۡجَہۡرِ مِنَ الۡقَوۡلِ بِالۡغُدُوِّ وَالۡاٰصَالِ وَلَا تَکُنۡ مِّنَ الۡغٰفِلِیۡنَ
6:64; 7:56.
6:64; 7:56.
Asal (which is the plural of Asil means, the evening time) may refer to the four daily Prayers, viz. Zuhr (Afternoon Prayer), ‘Asr (Late Afternoon Prayer), Maghrib (Sunset Prayer), and ‘Isha’ (Night Prayer), while Ghuduww may refer to the Fajr (Morning Prayer).
6:64; 7:56.
Commentary:
Remembering God does not here mean the performance of the prescribed Prayers but prayers generally. The Holy Prophet has been enjoined to pray to God morning and evening for the guidance of disbelievers. Thus, on the one hand disbelievers have been told to listen to the Quran attentively (the preceding verse) and, on the other, the Holy Prophet has been enjoined to pray for their guidance. The verse may also be taken to be addressed to disbelievers, suggesting to them that in order to know the truth they should listen to the Quran attentively and pray to God in humility.
Though Islam permits prayers, both aloud and in secret, yet in the present verse suppressed prayers are emphasized in order to create in the heart feelings of humility, sincerity and fear.
e
6:64; 7:56.
a
6:64; 7:56.
1090
Commentary:
Remembering God does not here mean the performance of the prescribed Prayers but prayers generally. The Holy Prophet has been enjoined to pray to God morning and evening for the guidance of disbelievers. Thus, on the one hand disbelievers have been told to listen to the Quran attentively (the preceding verse) and, on the other, the Holy Prophet has been enjoined to pray for their guidance. The verse may also be taken to be addressed to disbelievers, suggesting to them that in order to know the truth they should listen to the Quran attentively and pray to God in humility.
Though Islam permits prayers, both aloud and in secret, yet in the present verse suppressed prayers are emphasized in order to create in the heart feelings of humility, sincerity and fear.
b
6:64; 7:56.
1091
Asal (which is the plural of Asil means, the evening time) may refer to the four daily Prayers, viz. Zuhr (Afternoon Prayer), ‘Asr (Late Afternoon Prayer), Maghrib (Sunset Prayer), and ‘Isha’ (Night Prayer), while Ghuduww may refer to the Fajr (Morning Prayer).
وَاِذۡ تَقُوۡلُ لِلَّذِیۡۤ اَنۡعَمَ اللّٰہُ عَلَیۡہِ وَاَنۡعَمۡتَ عَلَیۡہِ اَمۡسِکۡ عَلَیۡکَ زَوۡجَکَ وَاتَّقِ اللّٰہَ وَتُخۡفِیۡ فِیۡ نَفۡسِکَ مَا اللّٰہُ مُبۡدِیۡہِ وَتَخۡشَی النَّاسَ وَاللّٰہُ اَحَقُّ اَنۡ تَخۡشٰٮہُ ۖ فَلَمَّا قَضٰی زَیۡدٌ مِّنۡہَا وَطَرًا زَوَّجۡنٰکَہَا لِکَیۡ لَا یَکُوۡنَ عَلَی الۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ حَرَجٌ فِیۡۤ اَزۡوٰجِ اَدۡعِیَآئِہِمۡ اِذَا قَضَوۡا مِنۡہُنَّ وَطَرًا ۚ وَکَانَ اَمۡرُ اللّٰہِ مَفۡعُوۡلًا
بعض مفسرین کہتے ہیں کہ رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ’’نعوذ باللہ‘‘دل میں حضرت زینبؓ کو نکاح میں لانے کا ارادہ رکھتے تھے مگر اس کو چھپاتے تھے تاکہ لوگ ٹھوکر نہ کھائیں مگر اصل میں اس کے یہ معنے ہیں کہ آنحضرت صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کو معلوم ہو چکا تھا کہ حضرت زیدؓ حضرت زینبؓ کو طلاق دینا چاہتے ہیں اور آپ اس معاملہ کو پوشیدہ رکھ کر حضرت زیدؓ کو نصیحت کرتے تھے تاکہ لوگوں کو یہ ٹھوکر نہ لگے کہ ایک شریف خاندان کی لڑکی ایک آزاد غلام سے بیاہ کر رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے اچھا کام نہیں کیا بلکہ فتنہ کا دروازہ کھول دیا ہے۔ بعض علماء کہتے ہیں کہ ز ینبؓ کا نکاح آنحضرت صلی اللہ
ہم پہلے لکھ چکے ہیں کہ تاریخ سے یہ ثابت ہے کہ رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے حضرت زینبؓ سے نکاح کیا تھا مگر اس آیت میں زَوَّجْنٰکَھَا کے الفاظ ہیں۔ جس کے معنے یہ ہیں کہ ’’ہم نے تجھ سے اس کا بیاہ کر دیا‘‘ سو یاد رکھنا چاہیے کہ عربی زبان میں جو فعل کسی کے دخل دینے سے ہو وہ اسی کی طرف منسوب ہوتا ہے۔ چونکہ الہاماً اللہ تعالیٰ کی طرف سے نکاح کا حکم ہوا تھا اس لئے یہ فعل اللہ تعالیٰ کی طرف منسوب کیا گیا۔
Zaid bin Harith, a young freed man of the Holy Prophet whom he had adopted as his son before adoption was declared unlawful in Islam.
Had divorced her; Watar means, need; want; an object of want (Lane).
Zainab was the daughter of the Holy Prophet’s aunt, hence a full- blooded Arab lady, intensely proud of her ancestry and exalted social status. Islam had envisaged and given to the world a civilization and culture in which there were no class divisions, no hereditary nobility, no vested interests. All men were free and equal in the sight of God. The Holy Prophet wanted to start with his own family to carry into actual effect this noble ideal of Islam. He wished to marry Zainab to Zaid, who in spite of having been freed by the Prophet, unfortunately still carried the stigma of slavery in the minds of some people. It was exactly this stigma of slavery, this invidious distinction between 'free' and 'slave' which the Holy Prophet sought to remove by Zainab’s marriage with Zaid. In deference to the Holy Prophet’s wish Zainab agreed to the proposal. The purpose of the Holy Prophet was achieved. The marriage levelled to the ground class distinctions and divisions. It was a practical demonstration of Islam
Important Words:
وطرا (want) has no verb. It means, a want, a need, an object of want or need; or that which one proposes to accomplish or of which one is desirous. They say قضی منه وطرہ i.e. he accomplished or obtained his want from him (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
As the verse deals with an incident of very great historical importance, it demands and deserves a somewhat detailed explanation. Zaid bin Harith, to whom the words "on whom Allah had bestowed favours and on whom thou also had bestowed favours" refer, belonged to the tribe of Kalb. In his childhood he was kidnapped and sold as a slave in Mecca where he was bought by Khadijah’s brother and given over to her. On her marriage with the Holy Prophet Khadijah presented Zaid to him who at once emancipated him. Zaid was so much attached to the Prophet that when later his father and uncle begged of the Holy Prophet to let him go with them as the grief of his separation from home had almost killed his mother, the Prophet readily gave his permission. But Zaid himself flatly refused to part company with the Holy Prophet, exclaiming that he was dearer to him than his father and mother. The Prophet was so deeply touched by Zaid’s fidelity and love for him that he at once declared him (Zaid) to be his son and henceforward Zaid came to be known as the Prophet’s son. Zaid remained throughout his life a most beloved and faithful disciple of the Holy Prophet and sealed his fidelity to Islam and the Prophet with his blood on the battlefield of Mu’tah.
Zainab was the daughter of the Holy Prophet’s aunt, hence a full-blooded Arab, intensely proud of her ancestry and exalted social status. Islam had envisaged and given to the world a civilization and culture in which there were to be no class divisions, no hereditary nobility, no vested interests. All men were to be free and equal in the sight of God. The Holy Prophet wanted to start with his own family the carrying into actual effect of this noble ideal of Islam. He wished to marry Zainab to Zaid, who in spite of having been liberated by the Prophet and called his son, unfortunately still carried the stigma of slavery in the minds of some people. It was exactly this stigma of slavery, this invidious distinction between 'free' and 'slave' which the Holy Prophet sought to remove by Zainab’s marriage to Zaid. In deference to the Holy Prophet’s wish Zainab agreed to the proposal. The purpose of the Holy Prophet was achieved. The marriage levelled to the ground all class distinctions and divisions. It was a practical demonstration of Islam’s noble ideal. The marriage, however, ended in failure, not so much due to a difference in the social status of Zainab and Zaid as to the incompatibility of their dispositions and temperaments and also due to a feeling of inferiority from which Zaid suffered. The failure of the marriage naturally grieved the Holy Prophet. But it also served a very useful purpose. In pursuance of Divine command, as mentioned in the latter part of the verse under comment, the Prophet himself married Zainab, thus cutting at the very root of another obnoxious and deep-seated Arab custom, viz. that it was a sacrilege to marry the wife of one’s adopted son. The custom of adoption was abolished and with it went also this foolish notion. Thus Zainab’s marriage with Zaid served one very noble object and its failure another highly useful purpose.
The words "fear Allah" signify that Zaid wanted to divorce Zainab, and as divorce according to Islam is very hateful in the sight of God, the Holy Prophet exhorted him not to do so.
The clause, "And then…thou shouldst fear Him," may apply to both Zaid and the Holy Prophet. Applying to Zaid it would mean that Zaid did not like that the cause of his separation from Zainab should come to light, perhaps because as the words "fear Allah," indicate the fault lay more with him than with Zainab. As, however, applying to the Holy Prophet, the words would signify that as the marriage between Zaid and Zainab was arranged at his instance and wish, he naturally did not like its breaking. The clause also shows that the Prophet feared that the break-down of the marriage which was arranged by him and which had been entered into in deference to his special wish, but which resulted in an ostensible failure of the experiment in Islamic brotherhood, would cause some mental confusion and uneasiness among people whose faith was weak. This was the anxiety that lay heavy on the Prophet’s heart. The words, "thou didst fear men," seem to point to this fear of his. But, as mentioned above, God had His own purpose in the failure of this marriage. He wanted to show that there was nothing in this failure to be afraid of. On the contrary, it was a blessing in disguise and was intended to serve a great purpose and therefore the Prophet’s fear was unfounded.
Christian and other hostile Critics of Islam pretend to find in the Holy Prophet’s marriage to Zainab a basis for mean attacks on him. It is stated that the Prophet, having by chance seen Zainab, became enamoured of her beauty and Zaid, having come to know of his desire to marry her, sought divorce from her. The fact that the Holy Prophet’s most inveterate enemies, before whose eyes the whole affair had actually taken place, dared not attribute the base motives ascribed to him by these critics after so many centuries, completely knocks the bottom from under this base and totally unfounded charge. Zainab was the Prophet’s own cousin and being so closely related to him he must have seen her many times, for "Purdah" had not as yet been enjoined. Besides, it was in deference to his own persistently expressed wish that Zainab had reluctantly agreed to marry Zaid. It is on record that she and her brother had desired before her marriage with Zaid that she should be taken in marriage by the Holy Prophet himself. What wasit that prevented the Holy Prophet from marrying her when she was a virgin and when she herself ardently desired to get married to him? The whole story evidently seems to be a figment of the "fertile" imagination of the Holy Prophet’s hostile critics and it is an insult to human intellect to give the least credence to it. But while there are some Christian critics like Muir and Margoliouth who find fault with the Holy Prophet for having married Zainab, there are others better informed and more honest like the good and noble Rev. Bosworth Smith who found nothing in this marriage to cavil at. The Rev, gentleman says:
"It should be remembered, however, that most of Mohammed’s marriages may be explained, at least, as much by his pity for the forlorn condition of the persons concerned, as by other motives. They were almost all of them widows who were not remarkable either for their beauty or their wealth, but quite the reverse. May not this fact, and his undoubted faithfulness to Khadijah till her dying day, and till he himself was fifty years of age, give us additional ground to hope that calumny or misconception has been at work in the story of Zainab" - ("Mohammed and Mohammedanism").
1
بعض مفسرین کہتے ہیں کہ رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ’’نعوذ باللہ‘‘دل میں حضرت زینبؓ کو نکاح میں لانے کا ارادہ رکھتے تھے مگر اس کو چھپاتے تھے تاکہ لوگ ٹھوکر نہ کھائیں مگر اصل میں اس کے یہ معنے ہیں کہ آنحضرت صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کو معلوم ہو چکا تھا کہ حضرت زیدؓ حضرت زینبؓ کو طلاق دینا چاہتے ہیں اور آپ اس معاملہ کو پوشیدہ رکھ کر حضرت زیدؓ کو نصیحت کرتے تھے تاکہ لوگوں کو یہ ٹھوکر نہ لگے کہ ایک شریف خاندان کی لڑکی ایک آزاد غلام سے بیاہ کر رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے اچھا کام نہیں کیا بلکہ فتنہ کا دروازہ کھول دیا ہے۔ بعض علماء کہتے ہیں کہ ز ینبؓ کا نکاح آنحضرت صلی اللہ
2
ہم پہلے لکھ چکے ہیں کہ تاریخ سے یہ ثابت ہے کہ رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم نے حضرت زینبؓ سے نکاح کیا تھا مگر اس آیت میں زَوَّجْنٰکَھَا کے الفاظ ہیں۔ جس کے معنے یہ ہیں کہ ’’ہم نے تجھ سے اس کا بیاہ کر دیا‘‘ سو یاد رکھنا چاہیے کہ عربی زبان میں جو فعل کسی کے دخل دینے سے ہو وہ اسی کی طرف منسوب ہوتا ہے۔ چونکہ الہاماً اللہ تعالیٰ کی طرف سے نکاح کا حکم ہوا تھا اس لئے یہ فعل اللہ تعالیٰ کی طرف منسوب کیا گیا۔
3104
Important Words:
وطرا (want) has no verb. It means, a want, a need, an object of want or need; or that which one proposes to accomplish or of which one is desirous. They say قضی منه وطرہ i.e. he accomplished or obtained his want from him (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
As the verse deals with an incident of very great historical importance, it demands and deserves a somewhat detailed explanation. Zaid bin Harith, to whom the words "on whom Allah had bestowed favours and on whom thou also had bestowed favours" refer, belonged to the tribe of Kalb. In his childhood he was kidnapped and sold as a slave in Mecca where he was bought by Khadijah’s brother and given over to her. On her marriage with the Holy Prophet Khadijah presented Zaid to him who at once emancipated him. Zaid was so much attached to the Prophet that when later his father and uncle begged of the Holy Prophet to let him go with them as the grief of his separation from home had almost killed his mother, the Prophet readily gave his permission. But Zaid himself flatly refused to part company with the Holy Prophet, exclaiming that he was dearer to him than his father and mother. The Prophet was so deeply touched by Zaid’s fidelity and love for him that he at once declared him (Zaid) to be his son and henceforward Zaid came to be known as the Prophet’s son. Zaid remained throughout his life a most beloved and faithful disciple of the Holy Prophet and sealed his fidelity to Islam and the Prophet with his blood on the battlefield of Mu’tah.
Zainab was the daughter of the Holy Prophet’s aunt, hence a full-blooded Arab, intensely proud of her ancestry and exalted social status. Islam had envisaged and given to the world a civilization and culture in which there were to be no class divisions, no hereditary nobility, no vested interests. All men were to be free and equal in the sight of God. The Holy Prophet wanted to start with his own family the carrying into actual effect of this noble ideal of Islam. He wished to marry Zainab to Zaid, who in spite of having been liberated by the Prophet and called his son, unfortunately still carried the stigma of slavery in the minds of some people. It was exactly this stigma of slavery, this invidious distinction between 'free' and 'slave' which the Holy Prophet sought to remove by Zainab’s marriage to Zaid. In deference to the Holy Prophet’s wish Zainab agreed to the proposal. The purpose of the Holy Prophet was achieved. The marriage levelled to the ground all class distinctions and divisions. It was a practical demonstration of Islam’s noble ideal. The marriage, however, ended in failure, not so much due to a difference in the social status of Zainab and Zaid as to the incompatibility of their dispositions and temperaments and also due to a feeling of inferiority from which Zaid suffered. The failure of the marriage naturally grieved the Holy Prophet. But it also served a very useful purpose. In pursuance of Divine command, as mentioned in the latter part of the verse under comment, the Prophet himself married Zainab, thus cutting at the very root of another obnoxious and deep-seated Arab custom, viz. that it was a sacrilege to marry the wife of one’s adopted son. The custom of adoption was abolished and with it went also this foolish notion. Thus Zainab’s marriage with Zaid served one very noble object and its failure another highly useful purpose.
The words "fear Allah" signify that Zaid wanted to divorce Zainab, and as divorce according to Islam is very hateful in the sight of God, the Holy Prophet exhorted him not to do so.
The clause, "And then…thou shouldst fear Him," may apply to both Zaid and the Holy Prophet. Applying to Zaid it would mean that Zaid did not like that the cause of his separation from Zainab should come to light, perhaps because as the words "fear Allah," indicate the fault lay more with him than with Zainab. As, however, applying to the Holy Prophet, the words would signify that as the marriage between Zaid and Zainab was arranged at his instance and wish, he naturally did not like its breaking. The clause also shows that the Prophet feared that the break-down of the marriage which was arranged by him and which had been entered into in deference to his special wish, but which resulted in an ostensible failure of the experiment in Islamic brotherhood, would cause some mental confusion and uneasiness among people whose faith was weak. This was the anxiety that lay heavy on the Prophet’s heart. The words, "thou didst fear men," seem to point to this fear of his. But, as mentioned above, God had His own purpose in the failure of this marriage. He wanted to show that there was nothing in this failure to be afraid of. On the contrary, it was a blessing in disguise and was intended to serve a great purpose and therefore the Prophet’s fear was unfounded.
Christian and other hostile Critics of Islam pretend to find in the Holy Prophet’s marriage to Zainab a basis for mean attacks on him. It is stated that the Prophet, having by chance seen Zainab, became enamoured of her beauty and Zaid, having come to know of his desire to marry her, sought divorce from her. The fact that the Holy Prophet’s most inveterate enemies, before whose eyes the whole affair had actually taken place, dared not attribute the base motives ascribed to him by these critics after so many centuries, completely knocks the bottom from under this base and totally unfounded charge. Zainab was the Prophet’s own cousin and being so closely related to him he must have seen her many times, for "Purdah" had not as yet been enjoined. Besides, it was in deference to his own persistently expressed wish that Zainab had reluctantly agreed to marry Zaid. It is on record that she and her brother had desired before her marriage with Zaid that she should be taken in marriage by the Holy Prophet himself. What wasit that prevented the Holy Prophet from marrying her when she was a virgin and when she herself ardently desired to get married to him? The whole story evidently seems to be a figment of the "fertile" imagination of the Holy Prophet’s hostile critics and it is an insult to human intellect to give the least credence to it. But while there are some Christian critics like Muir and Margoliouth who find fault with the Holy Prophet for having married Zainab, there are others better informed and more honest like the good and noble Rev. Bosworth Smith who found nothing in this marriage to cavil at. The Rev, gentleman says:
"It should be remembered, however, that most of Mohammed’s marriages may be explained, at least, as much by his pity for the forlorn condition of the persons concerned, as by other motives. They were almost all of them widows who were not remarkable either for their beauty or their wealth, but quite the reverse. May not this fact, and his undoubted faithfulness to Khadijah till her dying day, and till he himself was fifty years of age, give us additional ground to hope that calumny or misconception has been at work in the story of Zainab" - ("Mohammed and Mohammedanism").
2357
Zaid bin Harith, a young freed man of the Holy Prophet whom he had adopted as his son before adoption was declared unlawful in Islam.
2357A
Had divorced her; Watar means, need; want; an object of want (Lane).
2357B
Zainab was the daughter of the Holy Prophet’s aunt, hence a full- blooded Arab lady, intensely proud of her ancestry and exalted social status. Islam had envisaged and given to the world a civilization and culture in which there were no class divisions, no hereditary nobility, no vested interests. All men were free and equal in the sight of God. The Holy Prophet wanted to start with his own family to carry into actual effect this noble ideal of Islam. He wished to marry Zainab to Zaid, who in spite of having been freed by the Prophet, unfortunately still carried the stigma of slavery in the minds of some people. It was exactly this stigma of slavery, this invidious distinction between 'free' and 'slave' which the Holy Prophet sought to remove by Zainab’s marriage with Zaid. In deference to the Holy Prophet’s wish Zainab agreed to the proposal. The purpose of the Holy Prophet was achieved. The marriage levelled to the ground class distinctions and divisions. It was a practical demonstration of Islam