(his daughter) equal in standing to ‘Ā’ishah. Indeed, he divorced Hafsah and then took her back, whereas he allotted ‘Ā’ishah two nights after Sawdah gave her her own night.

Abū Bakr’s relationship to the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—through marriage had a distinction shared by no one else. As for ‘Alī’s relationship through marriage, ‘Uthmān shared it with him: the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—married one daughter to him after another, and said:

“If we had a third daughter, we would marry her to ‘Uthmān.”

For this reason, he was called Dhū al-Nūrayn (Possessor of the Two Lights), because he married two daughters of a prophet. Abū al-‘Ās ibn al-Rabī‘ also shared this relationship through marriage: the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—married his eldest daughter, Zaynab, to him and praised his conduct as a son-in-law. He wanted ‘Alī to follow his example in his conduct as a son-in-law. When ‘Alī wanted to marry Abū Jahl’s daughter, the Prophet mentioned (1) this son-in-law of his, saying:

“He spoke to me truthfully, and he made me a promise and fulfilled it.” (2)

Zaynab embraced Islam some time before he did and remained apart from him without remarrying until the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—returned her to him. It has been said that he returned her under the original marriage contract; it has also been said that he concluded a new marriage contract for her. The correct view is that he returned her under the original marriage contract. This is what the leading hadith scholars, such as Ahmad and others, have established as authentic.

Scholars have differed over cases of this kind—when a wife (3) embraces Islam before her husband—with various views discussed elsewhere (4).