How the Choice originally was

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ع يَقُولُ‌ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ أَنِفَ- لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص مِنْ مَقَالَةٍ قَالَتْهَا بَعْضُ نِسَائِهِ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ آيَةَ التَّخْيِيرِ فَاعْتَزَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص نِسَاءَهُ تِسْعاً وَ عِشْرِينَ لَيْلَةً فِي مَشْرَبَةِ أُمِّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ثُمَّ دَعَاهُنَّ فَخَيَّرَهُنَّ فَاخْتَرْنَهُ فَلَمْ يَكُ شَيْئاً[1] وَ لَوِ اخْتَرْنَ أَنْفُسَهُنَّ كَانَتْ وَاحِدَةً بَائِنَةً قَالَ وَ سَأَل

1. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn Faddal from ibn Bukayr from Zurarah who has said the following: “I once heard abu Ja‘far (a.s.), saying, ‘Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, disdained and rejected the words of certain ones of his wives against the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant

ذَكَرَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع أَنَّ زَيْنَبَ قَالَتْ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص لَا تَعْدِلُ وَ أَنْتَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَ قَالَتْ حَفْصَةُ إِنْ طَلَّقَنَا وَجَدْنَا أَكْفَاءَنَا فِي قَوْمِنَا فَاحْتَبَسَ الْوَحْيُ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص عِشْرِينَ يَوْماً قَالَ فَأَنِفَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ لِرَسُولِهِ فَأَنْزَلَ‌ يا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُلْ لِأَزْواجِكَ إِنْ كُنْتُنَّ تُرِدْنَ الْحَياةَ الدُّنْيا وَ زِينَتَها فَتَعالَيْنَ

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that Zaynab said, ‘You are not fair and you are the Messenger of Allah.’ Hafsah said, ‘If you divorce us we will find our match in our people.’ Revelation stopped coming to the Messenger of Allah for twenty days. He (the Imam) said that Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, disdained and

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ يَقُولُ‌ إِنَّ بَعْضَ نِسَاءِ النَّبِيِّ ص قَالَتْ أَ يَرَى مُحَمَّدٌ أَنَّهُ إِنْ طَلَّقَنَا لَا نَجِدُ الْأَكْفَاءَ مِنْ قَوْمِنَا قَالَ فَغَضِبَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ مِنْ فَوْقِ سَبْعِ سَمَاوَاتِهِ فَأَمَرَهُ فَخَيَّرَهُنَّ حَتَّى انْتَهَى إِلَى زَيْنَبَ بِنْتِ جَحْشٍ فَقَامَتْ وَ قَبَّلَتْهُ وَ قَالَتْ أَخْتَارُ اللَّهَ وَ رَسُولَهُ.

“I once heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), saying, ‘Certain ones of the wives of the Holy Prophet, had said, ‘Does Muhammad think that if he divorces us, no one from our people will marry us?’ He (the Imam) said that Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, became angry from above the seven heavens and commanded him (the Messeng

إِنَّ زَيْنَبَ بِنْتَ جَحْشٍ قَالَتْ أَ يَرَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص إِنْ خَلَّى سَبِيلَنَا أَنَّا لَا نَجِدُ زَوْجاً غَيْرَهُ وَ قَدْ كَانَ اعْتَزَلَ نِسَاءَهُ تِسْعاً وَ عِشْرِينَ لَيْلَةً فَلَمَّا قَالَتْ زَيْنَبُ الَّذِي قَالَتْ بَعَثَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ جَبْرَئِيلَ إِلَى مُحَمَّدٍ ص فَقَالَ- قُلْ لِأَزْواجِكَ إِنْ كُنْتُنَّ تُرِدْنَ الْحَياةَ الدُّنْيا وَ زِينَتَها فَتَعالَيْنَ أُمَتِّعْكُنَ‌ الْآيَتَيْنِ كِلْتَي

4. Humayd ibn Ziyad has narrated from ibn Sama‘ah from Ja‘far ibn Sama‘ah from Dawud ibn Sarhan who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that Zaynab bint Jahash once said, ‘Does the Messenger of Allah think that if he divorces us we will not find anyone other than him to marry us?’ He had stayed awa

إِنَّ زَيْنَبَ بِنْتَ جَحْشٍ قَالَتْ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص لَا تَعْدِلُ وَ أَنْتَ نَبِيٌّ فَقَالَ تَرِبَتْ يَدَاكِ‌[1] إِذَا لَمْ أَعْدِلْ فَمَنْ يَعْدِلُ فَقَالَتْ دَعَوْتَ اللَّهَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لِيَقْطَعَ يَدَيَّ فَقَالَ لَا وَ لَكِنْ لَتَتْرَبَانِ فَقَالَتْ إِنَّكَ إِنْ طَلَّقْتَنَا وَجَدْنَا فِي قَوْمِنَا أَكْفَاءَنَا فَاحْتَبَسَ الْوَحْيُ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص تِسْعاً وَ عِشْرِينَ لَيْلَةً ثُمَّ قَالَ أَبُو

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said that once Zaynab bint Jahash said to the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, ‘You are not fair and you are the Prophet.’ He (the Messenger of Allah) replied, ‘May your hands become soiled, ‘If I am not fair then

إِنَّمَا الْخِيَرَةُ لَنَا لَيْسَ لِأَحَدٍ وَ إِنَّمَا خَيَّرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص لِمَكَانِ عَائِشَةَ فَاخْتَرْنَ اللَّهَ وَ رَسُولَهُ وَ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُنَّ أَنْ يَخْتَرْنَ غَيْرَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص.

“About the case of a man who gives his wife the choice abu ‘Abd Allah, Alayhi al-Salam, has said, ‘The choice is only for us and not for anyone else. The Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, gave the choice because of the words of ‘A’ishah. T