The Seventh Letter
2 And indeed, nothing exists but praises Him,1 by His name, the Most High.
Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings forevermore.3
Dear brothers,
You have said two things to me through the memory from Damascus:
First: "The marriage of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to Zaynab is also criticized by the people of misguidance of this new age, just as the hypocrites of old times did; they consider it as carnal and lustful," you say.
In response: A hundred thousand times, far be it! These base suspicions cannot even touch that exalted woman. Indeed, from the age of fifteen to forty, when the current of natural passion was at its height and the inflammation of carnal desires was present, with the unity of friends and enemies, a perfect chaste and complete virtuous person, who chose to be content with only one woman, like Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her), and after the age of forty, when the heat of carnal passion had subsided and the time of the calm of carnal desires had come, the increase in the number of marriages and the taking of new spouses, necessarily and obviously, is a proof that it is not carnal and is based on other important wisdoms, for anyone with the slightest sense.
Mektubat
·Yedinci Mektup
·machine translation (qwen3-32b-sre)
· · ·
Fifth: Katādah ibn Salam had passed his hand over his face and made a dua. Then, Katādah's face began to shine like a light.1
Sixth: When Zaynab, the daughter of Umm al-Mu'minin Umm Salama and the stepdaughter of the Noble Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was a child, the Noble Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, poured water of ablution on her face and blessed her. After the contact of that water, Zaynab's beauty and grace took an extraordinary form, and she became extremely beautiful.2
Indeed, there are many more examples like these minor incidents. Most of them have been narrated by the eminent scholars of hadith. Even if we assume each of these minor incidents to be a single and weak report, their collective effect still carries the weight of a spiritual tradition and demonstrates an absolute miracle of the Noble Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. Because when an event is reported in various ways and forms, the occurrence of the actual event becomes certain. Even if each of these forms is weak, they still prove the actual event.
For example, a noise is heard. Some say, "Such-and-such a house has collapsed." Others say, "Another house has collapsed." Another group mentions yet another house, and so on. Each narration may be a single report, weak, or even contradictory to the actual event. However, the actual event—that a house has collapsed—is certain; all agree on that. Similarly, the six minor incidents we mentioned are not only authentic but some have even reached the level of fame. Even if we assume each of them to be weak, just as in the case of a house being destroyed, the collective effect of these minor incidents absolutely demonstrates the occurrence of a miracle of the Noble Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.
Thus, the clear miracles of the Noble Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, are absolutely present in every category. These minor incidents are also forms or examples of that overall and absolute miracle. Just as the hand, fingers, saliva, breath, words, that is, the dua, of the Noble Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, are the sources of many miracles, similarly, the other subtle aspects, feelings, and attributes of the Noble Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, are the causes of many wonders. The books of biography and history have mentioned these wonders and shown that there are many signs of prophethood in his actions, appearance, and feelings.
Mektubat
·On Dokuzuncu Mektup
·machine translation (qwen3-32b-sre)
· · ·
The Seventh Letter
2 And indeed, nothing exists but praises Him, 1 by His name, exalted is He.
Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings forevermore, 3
Beloved brothers,
You have said two things to me through the memory from Damascus:
First: "The marriage of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to Zaynab is also criticized by the people of misguidance of this new age, just as the hypocrites of old times did; they consider it as carnal and lustful."
In response: A hundred thousand times, far be it! These base suspicions cannot even touch that exalted woman. Indeed, from the age of fifteen to forty, when the current of natural passion is at its height and the fervor of carnal desires is at its peak, and with the concurrence of friends and enemies, a perfect chaste and virtuous being, who, like Hafsa bint Umar (may Allah be pleased with her), was content and satisfied with only one woman of her own choice, after the age of forty, when the heat of carnal passion subsides and the fervor of carnal desires calms down, to take additional spouses and to marry, is by necessity and by reason, a proof that it is not carnal and is based on important and wise reasons, for anyone with the slightest sense.
Mektubat
·Yedinci Mektup
·machine translation (qwen3-32b-sre)
· · ·
One of these wisdoms is that, just as the sayings and actions, the states and movements of the Prophet, are the sources of religion and the Sharīʿah and the basis of rulings, so too are the narrators and transmitters of the esoteric states and hidden conditions of the Prophet, and the secrets and rulings of the Sharīʿah, in their own specific circles, pure and chaste individuals, and they have indeed fulfilled that duty.
Half of the secrets and rulings of religion, perhaps more, come from them. Therefore, for this great duty, many and various pure and chaste individuals are necessary.
Coming to the example of the marriage of Sayyida Zaynab: from the third light of the first pillar of the twenty-fifth saying:
"And Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets."
It is written that this single verse, with its multiple aspects, conveys a meaning appropriate to the understanding of each stratum of people. One stratum's share of understanding from this verse is as follows:
Zayd (r.a.), who was a servant of the Noble Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and was addressed as "My son," according to a verified narration, divorced his honorable wife because he could not find her equal in status.
That is, Sayyida Zaynab, who was created with a high moral character and had the nature to be the wife of a prophet, was sensed by Zayd with his insight. Because he could not find her equal in status, and because this caused him spiritual deprivation, he divorced her.
The Noble Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) accepted this by the command of Allah.
That is, with the indication of "We have married her to you," and because this marriage is a celestial contract, it is a miraculous and extraordinary matter, beyond the norms and outward customs, solely by the decree of destiny. The Noble Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) obeyed that decree and was compelled to do so—not out of desire for his own soul.
Mektubat
·Yedinci Mektup
·machine translation (qwen3-32b-sre)