So, when Zayd divorced Zaynab, the Pro- phet of Islam, at...

So, when Zayd divorced Zaynab, the Pro- phet of Islam, at the express command of God, married Zaynab; and, thus, put an end to the then prevalent belief that adopted sons were like real sons and that wives or widows of adopted sons were like daughters-in-laws. (3) For the sake of freeing prisoners and slaves. For example, 'Juwayriyah' was from a pro- minent tribe of Banul-Mustalaq. In a war against Islam this tribe was defeated; and Juwayriyah, the daughter of their Chief, was held in captivity.

The Prophet married her to set an example of protection and good treatment to prisoners of war. On seeing that the prisoners had become relatives of the Holy Prophet by marriage, the Muslims released all the prisoners of war held by them. According to Ibne Hisham, over one hundred families of Banul-Mustalaq were freed from cap- tivity as a result of this marriage.

(4) For the sake of uniting some prominent Arab tribes who often were at logger heads with each other and to safeguard the internal political status of Islam. The Prophet married `Aishah daughter of Abu Bakr from the tribe of Bani Tim, Hafsah daughter of `Umar ibn AI-Khattab from the tribe of Adi, Umm-Habibah daughter of Abu Sufyan from the tribe of Umayyah, Safiyah daughter of Huaiy bin Akhtab of the Jewish tribe of Bani an-Nadir, and Maymunah from the tribe of Bani Makhzum. Umm-Habibah (i.e.

Ramla) was daughter of Abu Sufyan of Bani Umayyah who was the bitte- rest enemy of the Prophet and had repeatedly fought against him. She, as a Muslim, was in great distress since she was divorced from her original husband (who had become a Christian in Abyssi- nia) and her father was a great enemy of Islam. Seeing her deprived of every help from parent and divorced from husband, the Prophet married her in sympathy.

This marriage also gave a chance to the people of Bani Umayyah to soften their hearts for Islam. Safiyah was widowed daughter of Huaiy bin Akhtab, one of the chiefs of Jewish tribe of Bani an-Nadir. When the prisoners of this tribe were released by the Muslims, the Prophet married her in order to safeguard her status; and, thus, also linking himself with one of the great Jewish tri- bes of that time, and paving the way for , them to come nearer to Islam.

Maymdnah was 51 years of age and from a prominent tribe of Bani Makhzum whom the Prophet married in the year 7 after Hijrah. The above marital history of the Prophet clearly shows the ndble aim and objectives for which he married a number of wives.