Tafsir of Surah Al-Ahzab - Verse 38

مَّا كَانَ عَلَى النَّبِىِّ مِنْ حَرَجٍ فِيمَا فَرَضَ اللَّهُ لَهُ

(There is no blame on the Prophet in that which Allah has made legal for him.) means, in that which has been permitted for him and which he has been commanded to do, i.e. his marrying Zaynab, may Allah be pleased with her,, who had been divorced by his adopted son Zayd bin Harithah,

سُنَّةَ اللَّهِ فِى الَّذِينَ خَلَوْاْ مِن قَبْلُ

(That has been Allah's way with those who have passed away of old.) means this is the ruling of Allah for the Prophets who came before him. Allah would not command them to do anything for which they might be blamed. This is a refutation of those hypocrites who imagined that there was anything wrong with his marrying the ex-wife of Zayd, his freed slave and adopted son.

وَكَانَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ قَدَراً مَّقْدُوراً

(And the command of Allah is a decree determined.) means, His command which He has decreed must inevitably come to pass; nothing can prevent it or avert it, for whatever He wills happens, and whatever He does not decree, does not happen.

Prefacing an answer to doubts and objections

The opening sentence of verse 38: سُنَّةَ اللَّـهِ فِي الَّذِينَ خَلَوْا مِن قَبْلُ ۚ وَكَانَ أَمْرُ‌ اللَّـهِ قَدَرً‌ا مَّقْدُورً‌ا (a customary practice of Allah in the case of those who have gone before--- And Allah's command is pre-determined by destiny - 38) is a preface to doubts to be encountered in the wake of this marriage, particularly about why so much concern was shown in the case of this marriage despite there being other wives in the household. It was said: 'This is a sunnah of Allah (His customary practice not restricted to Muhammad al-Mustafa t. It has continued to be so in the case of earlier prophets as well, that is, under the dictate of beneficial religious considerations, permission was given for multiple marriages. Well recognized among them are Sayyidna Dawud (علیہ السلام) and Sayyidna Sulaiman Sayyidna Dawud (علیہ السلام) had one hundred wives in his nikah and Sayyidna Sulaiman (علیہ السلام) ، three hundred. Now, if permission came for the Holy Prophet ﷺ to have several marriages under beneficial religious considerations - this nikah being included therein - why should it be taken as something far-fetched? Neither is it contrary to the dignity and status of a prophet and messenger of Allah, nor against the norms of zuhd and taqwa. In the last sentence, it was also said that the matter of nikah (marriage) too, like that of rizq or sustenance, is Divinely decided as to who will be married to whom. That which is written in the eternal destiny has to occur. In this event relating to Sayyidna Zayd ؓ and Sayyidah Zainab ؓ the factors of their mutual temperamental difference, the displeasure of Sayyidna Zayd ؓ and then his resolve to divorce her were all chains of this very creational and destined imperative.

After the above-mentioned incident, there was as expected, a great deal of propaganda against the Prophet Muhammad. It was alleged that the Prophet had married his own daughter-in-law and such a marriage was illegal. To counter this, it was clarified that, in Muhammad’s case, the fact was that he had only daughters—no sons. Zayd, son of Harithah, was only his adopted son and not his real son. So how could a woman, married to and divorced by him, be illegal for one who was not his real father? Why is it that the Prophet had to face so many ups and downs, in spite of being the Prophet? The reason is that though the Prophet received divine revelation, he had to lead his life as a common man. In the world of trial, he faced the same circumstances as others had to face. Had it not been so, the Prophet’s life would not have been an example for the common people. That is why prophetic guidance is given within the framework of realistic events, rather than under unrealistic or artificial conditions. The Prophet Muhammad was the seal of the prophets. The word ‘khatam’ is used for ‘seal’, i.e. the final act. To seal an envelop means closing it finally, after which nothing can either be extracted or inserted into it. That is why in Arabic, the ‘khatam’ of a community means the last person of that community. The announcement that the Prophet Muhammad was the ‘khatemun-Nabiyyin’ means that no prophet was going to come after him and, as such, it was necessary that all godly matters be revealed through him.