only a share with thy many other wives; and, moreover, my guardians are not here now, whose consent is requisite.' To these objections the Prophet replied thus: 'Thou sayest, "I am old," but I am still older, and it is no shame for women to be the wives of husbands older than themselves. Thou sayest, "I have orphans," but the guardianship and education of thy orphans belongs to God and His Apostle. Thou sayest, "I am jealous, and cannot endure partnership," but I will pray for thee, that God may take away those feelings from thee. Thou sayest, "My guardians are not here," but all thy guardians, whoever they may be, and whether present or absent, will not object to my marrying thee, but be quite agreeable.' Thereupon Om Selma said to her son Omar, 'Arise and marry me to the Apostle of God.' He arose and gave her to the Prophet, though at that time he was not yet of age. This happened in the fourth year after the Flight. Her dowry consisted of furniture worth about 10 dirhems.

As at that time Zeinab had just died, and her room was still unoccupied, the Prophet assigned it to Om Selma. On taking possession of the room, she found there a small jar containing a quantity of barley, an earthen pot, and a handmill. She ground a little barley in this mill and boiled it into a porridge, adding some grape-bulama, and pouring melted suet over it. This she took to the Prophet, and it formed their wedding repast. It is recorded that the Apostle of God remained three days with Om Selma and then wished to leave, in order to pay the portion of honour due to his other ladies, but Om Selma seized him by his skirt and wanted to keep him back.

Om Selma died, 84 years old, A.H. 59 or 60, in the reign of Yezid Ibn Moawia. It is said that when she heard of the murder of Hosein, she cursed the people of Irak. The current books contain 378 traditions attributed to her, of which thirteen are generally acknowledged as genuine.

7. Zeinab, Bint Jahsh, whose name Berre (= a wound) his Excellency changed into Zeinab. Before the Prophet married her she was the wife of Zeid Ibn Haritha. When Zeid had divorced her, his Excellency married her, in the year 5 A. H.

It is recorded that when, in the first instance, that prince asked Zeinab in marriage for Zeid, she, supposing he had asked her for himself, at once consented. But on understanding afterwards that he had been asking her for Zeid, she refused, for she was a lady of beauty, the Prophet's first cousin, and of a determined aristocratic

nature. She said to his Excellency, 'O Apostle of God, I do not want Zeid, for he is a liberated slave.' Her brother also, agreeing with her, did not accept him, although that prince had bought, liberated, and adopted him before the appearance of the prophetic mission. When the Prophet said to her, 'Thy refusal is useless thou must accept him,' she replied, 'O Apostle of God, give me some time to think the matter over.' Then a verse was sent down, enjoining compliance with the will of God and His apostle; and Zeinab said, 'O Apostle of God, if it is really thy will that Zeid should be my husband, I will make no more objections, but accept him.' Thereupon his Excellency gave her to his adopted son Zeid, and also added a dowry.

Upwards of a year after their marriage the Most High made known to His Prophet that in His foreknowledge it had been decreed that Zeinab should be one of the Prophet's own wives. Then a coldness arose between Zeid and Zeinab, as it sometimes happens between husband and wife. This went so far that Zeid, in anger, repaired to the Prophet to complain of Zeinab, saying, 'O Apostle of God, I wish to divorce Zeinab, because she is so violent and reproachful towards me.' His Excellency replied, 'Keep thy lady, and fear God.' When afterwards God made known to him that Zeinab was to become his own wife, that Excellency's blessed mind desired Zeid to divorce Zeinab. But he was ashamed to command him to do so, fearing the tongues of the people, lest they should say, 'He has taken his adopted son's wife.' For in the time of ignorance they regarded the marriage with an adopted son's wife as illegal as that with the wife of a natural son. But Zeid came again before his Excellency, and said, 'O Apostle of God, I have divorced Zeinab.' A verse also was sent down rebuking Mohammed for having concealed in his mind that which God wished to have manifested, and for having been afraid of the tongues of men, when he said to Zeid, 'Keep thy lady, and fear God.' It is reported that Aisha the faithful remarked, ' If Mohammed had wished to conceal anything of the Koran, he would surely have concealed this verse.'

As soon as Zeinab's legal time of waiting was over, the Prophet said to Zeid, 'Go thou and ask Zeinab in marriage for me.' The reason why he selected Zeid for this service was, lest the people should think the affair had been brought about by compulsion, without Zeid's free consent; and also that he himself might have a proof of Zeid's agreement and of his not retaining any more love for Zeinab. When Zeid, in the discharge of this commission, reached Zeinab's house, he found her engaged in making the dough