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Why Zayd ibn Haarithah divorced Zaynab bint Jahsh

Question

Why did Zayd divorces Zaynab, may Allaah be pleased with them, as is clearly mentioned in Soorah Al-Ahzab, 37-38?

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

It seems that you are inquiring about the reason why Zayd  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him divorced his wife; the answer is in the hadith that Anas  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him reported: “Zayd ibn Haarithah came to the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) complaining (about his wife's ill-treatment of him), so the Prophet told him, 'Fear Allaah and keep your wife...'” [Al-Bukhari]

Ibn Hajar  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him while quoting Ibn al-‘Arabi, said, “The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) told Zayd to keep his wife to test him about his desire to keep her or not to keep her, but when Zayd informed him that he was resentful of her due to her arrogance and foul mouth, the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) gave him permission to divorce her...

For more details on the wisdom why Zayd divorced her and the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) married her, please refer to fataawa 139996 and 177139.

Allaah knows best.

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