This is the love story between Zainab bint Muhammad and Abu al-As ibn Rabi. Zainab (radiAllaahu anha) was the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Abu al-As ibn Rabi (radiAllaahu anhu) was loved by the Prophet ﷺ very much. One day he went to the Prophet ﷺ before he had received his mission of Prophethood and said: I want to marry your eldest daughter. So the Prophet ﷺ replied: I must ask her first. He went to Zainab (radiAllaahu anha) and asked her: Your cousin came to me and he wishes to marry you, do you accept him as your husband? Her face turned red with bashfulness and she smiled. So Zainab (radiAllaahu anha) married him, the beginning of a great love story. They had two children; Ali and Omama. Then Muhammad ibn Abdullah became a Prophet ﷺ while Abu al-As ibn Rabi was away from Makkah. When he returned he saw Zainab (radiAllaahu anha( had become a Muslim. When he first came back, his wife said I have great news for you. He stood up and left her. Zainab was surprised and followed him as she said, My father became a Prophet and I have become a Muslim. He replied, Why didnt you tell me first? Hence a big problem began between the two; a problem of religion and belief. She told him, I wasnt going to disbelieve in my father and his message, he is not a liar, and he is The Honest and Trustworthy. Im not the only believer; my mother and my sisters became Muslims, my cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib became a Muslim, your cousin Uthman ibn Affan became a Muslim, and your friend, Abu Bakr, became a Muslim. He replied, Well, as for me, I dont want people to say, he let down his people and his forefathers to please his wife. And I am not accusing your father of anything. Then he said, So will you excuse me and understand? She replied, Who will excuse and understand you if I dont? I will stay beside you and help you until you reach the truth. And she kept her word for 20 years. He remained an unbeliever, and then came the migration. Zainab (radiAllaahu anh) went to her father and asked him for the permission to stay with her husband. The Prophet ﷺ replied, Stay with your husband and children So Zainab (radiAllaahu anha) stayed in Makkah, until the battle of Badr occurred. Her husband was to fight in the army of Quraish against the Muslims. For Zainab (radiAllaahu anha), it meant that her husband will be fighting her father, a time Zainab (radiAllaahu anha) had always feared. She kept crying out: O Allah, I fear one day the sun may rise and my children become orphans or I lose my father. So the battle started, and ended in victory for the Muslims. Abu al-As ibn Rabi was captured by the Muslims, and news of this reached Makkah. Zainab (radiAllaahu anha) asked, What did my father do? They told her, The Muslims won. So she prayed to Allah, thanking Him. Then she asked: What did my husband do? They said: He was captured. She said, Ill send a payment to release him. She didnt own anything of much value, so she took off her mothers necklace, and sent it with her husbands brother to the Prophet ﷺ. While the Prophet ﷺ was sitting, taking payments and releasing captives, he saw Khadijahs (radiAllaahu anha) necklace. He held it up and asked: Whose payment is this? They said: Abu AlAs ibn Rabi. He cried and said This is Khadijahs necklace. As soon as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saw that necklace, he had a feeling of extreme compassion and his heart palpitated for the great memory. The Companions who were present there gazed in amazement having being captivated by the magnificence of the situation. After a long silence, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up and said People, this man is my in-law, should I release him? And do you accept the return of this necklace to my daughter? They answered in unison Yes, Messenger of Allah. The Prophet ﷺ gave the necklace to Abu AlAs and said to him: Tell Zainab not to give away Khadijahs necklace. Then he ﷺ said, Abu AlAs, Can we speak privately? He took him aside and said, Allah has ordered me to separate between a Muslim and a disbeliever, so could you return my daughter to me? Abu AlAs reluctantly agreed. Zainab (radiAllaahu anha) stood on the gates of Makkah waiting for the arrival of Abu AlAs. When he finally came he said, I am going away. She asked, Where to? He replied, It is not me who is going, it is you. You are going to your father. We must separate because you are a Muslim. She implored him, Will you become a Muslim and come with me? But he refused. So Zainab (radiAllaahu anha) took her son and daughter and travelled to Madinah, and for 6 years she refused to remarry, hoping that one day Abu AlAs would come. After 6 years, he was travelling in a caravan from Makkah to Syria. During the journey, he was intercepted by some of the Prophets companions. He escaped and asked for Zainabs home. He knocked on her door shortly before the dawn prayer. She opened the door and asked him Did you become a Muslim? He whispered No, I come as a fugitive. She implored him once more Can you become a Muslim? Again his answer was a negative. Do not worry. She said, Welcome the father of my children. After the Prophet ﷺ prayed the dawn prayer in congregation with the people, they heard a voice from the back of the Masjid, I have freed Abu AlAs ibn Rabi. Zainab (radiAllaahu anha) had granted his freedom. The Prophet ﷺ asked, Have you heard what I heard? They all said, Yes, Messenger of Allah. Zainab said, He is the father of my children and I have freed him. The Prophet ﷺ stood up and said, O people, I declare that this man was a very good son-in-law, he never broke his promise, and neither did he tell lies. So if you accept, I will return his money back and let him go. If you refuse its your decision and I will not blame you for it. The companions agreed, We will give him his money. So the Prophet ﷺ said to Zainab (radiAllaahu anha(, We have freed the one you have freed, O Zainab. Then he went to her and told her, .. dont let him get near you {no intercourse}, he is prohibited for you. She replied, Sure, father, Ill do as you say. She went in and told her husband, O Abu AlAs, didnt you miss us at all? Wont you become a Muslim and stay with us? But he refused. Abu AlAs then took the money and returned to Makkah. Once he returned he stood up and announced, O people, here is your money. Is there anything left? They replied, No, Abu AlAs, there is nothing left, thanks a lot. So Abu AlAs said, I testify that there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger. Then he went back to Madinah and ran to the Prophet ﷺ as he said, Dear Prophet, you freed me yesterday, and today I say that I testify there is no god but Allah and you are His Messenger. He asked the Prophet ﷺ Will you give me the permission to go back to Zainab? The Prophet ﷺ smiled and said, Come with me; he took him to Zainabs house and knocked on her door. The Prophet ﷺ said, O Zainab, your husband came to me and asked if he can return to you. Just like 20 years before, her face turned red with bashfulness and she smiled. The sad thing was, a year after this incident, Zainab (radiAllaahu anha) died. Abu AlAs shed hot tears because of her death and drove those who were around him to tears. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came with eyes full of tears and a heart full of sorrow. Zainabs death reminded him of the death of his wife, Khadijah. He told the women, who gathered around Zainabs corpse, Wash her three times and use camphor in the third wash. He performed funeral prayers on her and followed her final resting place. Abu ElAss returned to his children, Ali and Omama. Kissing them and wetting them with his tears, he remembered the face of his departed darling. May Allah be pleased with Zainab (radiAllaahu anha) the Prophets ﷺ daughter! May He reward her with Paradise for her patience, endurance and struggle! Abu ElAss would cry so profusely that the people saw the Prophet ﷺ himself weeping and calming him down. Abu AlAs would say, By Allah, I cant stand life anymore without Zainab. He died one year after Zainabs death ..
Posted on: Tue, 08 Jul 2014 15:11:42 +0000
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