Does the Quran in Surah Al-Ahzab 33:37 permit a man to marry his daughter-in-law?

Does the Quran in Surah Al-Ahzab 33:37 permit a man to marry his daughter-in-law?

Ah, the daughter in law thing again. How original.

Anyway, the simple answer is NO. But that obviously was not the answer that the question was intended for. It had other ulterior motives, Let’s embarrass Muslims by bringing up how their Prophet married his daughter-in-law…(Gasp..the horror).

So are Muslims embarrassed? Nope, Muslims are not.

Why? Is there no decency left in this world? (OMG)

Let me explain why:

Zaid ibn Harithah was taken as a captive when he was very young. When Khadija married the Prophet, she gifted Zaid as a slave to the Prophet. The Prophet and Zaid grew very close to each and loved each other a lot. There was so much love between them that when Zaid’s father and uncles finally found Zaid, he refused to go back home with them and preferred to stay with the Prophet. The Prophet then freed him formally and then adopted him as a son. From then on, Zaid was known as Zaid ibn Mohammed (Zaid, son of Mohammed).

Zaynab bint Jahsh was a cousin of the Prophet on his father’s side. She had been married to someone but nothing is known about that. All this happened before the advent of Islam.

Between the time that the Prophet started preaching Islam and until the emigration to Medina, Zaynab’s husband passed away. And she emigrated to Medina with her brother.

After her emigration to Medina, the Prophet proposed that she marry Zaid. But she refused. Simply because she felt that her social status was higher than Zaid, an ex slave. It was precisely because of this, that the Prophet wanted them married because he wanted to stress that standing with God mattered more than societal differences.

Finally, it was when Allah revealed the Ayah of the Quran:

It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter] have any choice about their affair. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly strayed into clear error Quran 33:36

that Zaynab agreed to marry Zaid.

However, their marriage was not a happy one. Maybe Zaynab could not get over the fact that she had married “below her”. We may never know for sure. Zayd approached the Prophet many times about this and every time, the Prophet would ask him to make peace with his wife.

By this time, the Prophet had already been informed by God that he was to marry Zaynab. The Prophet was reluctant to do it because according the customs of that time, an adopted son was considered the same as a son by blood. And this act of marriage would cause a major controversy among the Muslims. However, God broke away from that custom when he revealed:

Call them by [the names of] their fathers; it is more just in the sight of Allah . But if you do not know their fathers - then they are [still] your brothers in religion and those entrusted to you. And there is no blame upon you for that in which you have erred but [only for] what your hearts intended. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful. Quran 33:5

After that Zaid became Zaid ibn Harithah (Zaid, Son of Harithah) again. God’s command changed the way how Arabs until then had seen adoption. Under Islam, adoption became a form of guardianship rather than parenthood. The adoptive parents had no rights over their adopted children’s property and vice versa.

Zayd then divorced Zaynab and the Prophet, under God’s direction married her.

Then God revealed the ayah:

And [remember, O Muhammad], when you said to the one on whom Allah bestowed favor and you bestowed favor, "Keep your wife and fear Allah," while you concealed within yourself that which Allah is to disclose. And you feared the people, while Allah has more right that you fear Him. So when Zayd had no longer any need for her, We married her to you in order that there not be upon the believers any discomfort concerning the wives of their adopted sons when they no longer have need of them. And ever is the command of Allah accomplished. Quran 33:37

After that there was nothing more to disagree or comment upon.

Now the orientalists have a narrative which talks about how the Prophet one day was visiting Zaid and saw Zaynab, being immediately smitten by her beauty, etc etc. But there are serious problems with that fantasy:

First, Zaynab was the Prophet’s first cousin. Surely he would have seen her and met her a million times over before she married Zayd. Why would he suddenly be smitten by her beauty?

Second, if he was smitten by her beauty from before then why cajole her into marrying Zayd? Why not marry her himself?

Third, if the Prophet was smitten by her beauty then why the reluctance to marry her? Why did he regularly tell Zayd to go back to his wife and make peace with her.

All these are mere stories and fantasies constructed to create confusion and doubts.