Zaid, who had
been greatly obliged to Mahomet, was very desirous to gratify him, and
offered to divorce his wife. Mahomet pretended to dissuade him from it,
but Zaid easily perceiving how little he was in earnest, actually
divorced her. Mahomet thereupon took her to wife, and celebrated the
nuptials with extraordinary magnificence, keeping open house upon the
occasion. Notwithstanding, this step gave great offence to many who
could not bring themselves to brook that a prophet should marry his
son's wife; for he had before adopted Zaid for his son. To salve the
affair, therefore, he had recourse to his usual expedient: Gabriel
brought him a revelation from heaven, in which God commands him to take
the wife of his adopted son, on purpose that forever after believers
might have no scruple in marrying the divorced wives or widows of their
adopted sons; which the Arabs had before looked upon as unlawful. The
apostle is even reproved for fearing men in this affair, whereas he
ought to fear God. (_Koran_, chapter xxxiii.)
In the sixth year he subdued several tribes of the Arabs.
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