Guillaume--Life of Muhammad.pdf - Radical Truth

314 The Life of Muhammad
with prophecy Khadija and her daughters believed in him and testified
that he had brought the truth and followed his religion, though Abu'l-'A"
persisted in his polytheism. Nov,; the apostle had married Ruqayya or
Umm Kulthum to 'Utba b. Abu Lahab, and when he openly preached to
Quraysh the command of God and showed them hostility they reminded
one another that they had relieved Muhammad of his care for his daughters
and decided to return them so that he should have the responsibility of
looking after them himself. They went to Abu'I-'_~" and told him to
divorce his wife and they would give him any woman he liked. He refused,
saying that he did not want any other woman from Quraysh; and I have
heard that the apostle used to speak warmly of his action as a son-in-law.
Then they went to 'Utba b. Abu Lahab with the same request and he
said that if they would give him the daughter of Aban b. Said b. al-'A" or
the daughter of Said b. al-'A" he would divorce his wife, and when they
did so he divorced her, not having consummated the marriage. Thus God
took her from him to her honour and his shame, and 'Uthman aftenvards
married her. .
Kow the apostle had no power of binding and loosing in l\1ecca, his
circumstances being circumscribed. Islam had made a division between
Zaynab and her husband Abu'I-'A", but they lived together, Muslim and
unbeliever, until the apostle migrated. Abu'l-