The Historical Debate Over The Prophet's Marriage With Zainab Binti Jaĥsyi

Abstract

One of the Prophet's life histories that has become the subject of scholarly study is his marriage to Zainab bint Jaĥsyi. Zainab bint Jaĥsyi is the wife of Zaid bin Ĥāritsah who has been divorced, while Zaid is a slave (maulā) who has been appointed as the adopted son of the Prophet. The marriage of the Prophet and Zainab further reaffirmed the absence of a binding biological relationship (nasab) between father and adopted son and its legal consequences in Islam. This discussion intends to examine more deeply how classical and modern Muslim historians review the history of the marriage of Zaid bin Ĥāritsah and Zainab bint Jaĥsyi. The approach is carried out comparatively by comparing several kinds of literature (library research) such as Al-Sīrah Al-Nabawiyah Li Ibni Hisyām, Tārīkh Al-Thābarī, Siyaru 'A'lam Nubalā, Thabaqāt Al-Kubrā, and also modern history books such as Ĥayātu Muhammad and history Prophet Muhammad written by Muhammad Quraish Shihab. This study's results indicate weaknesses in classical historical writing when taking narrations whose authenticity is doubtful, giving rise to inappropriate assumptions in using the Prophet's reasons for marrying Zainab bint Jaĥsyi. The modern historical view seeks to provide logical arguments against the motivation and purpose of the Prophet's marriage and its impact on the formation of Islamic law regarding the relationship between father and adopted son.