Re: Very disturbing
OK this has gone far enough. I think some historical facts are needed which HSKhan and TA if privy to are not mentioning or are just oblivious to these facts or even the fact that the Quran contains verses related to all of this.
First, Zainab RA was the Prophet SAW first cousin and he had grown up with her and even seen her before hijab was ordered for the muslim women. So if he had any desire for her, it should have materialized much before and not after her marriage to Zaid ibn Harithah. So this puts the filth to rest about him having a liking for her.
Second, the verses of the Quran revealed about adoption were to disallow using someone elses name as your fathers. As we all well know that it was and is still is Arabic custom to call a son by his fathers lineage or kunya, Zaid being the Prophets SAW adopted son was called as Zaid ibn Muhammad. Hence the Quranic verses:
33:4 Allah has not made for any man two hearts in his (one) body: nor has He made your wives whom ye divorce by Zihar your mothers: nor has He made your adopted sons your sons. Such is (only) your (manner of) speech by your mouths. But Allah tells (you) the Truth, and He shows the (right) Way.
33:5 Call them by (the names of) their fathers: that is juster in the sight of Allah. But if ye know not their father's (names, call them) your Brothers in faith, or your maulas. But there is no blame on you if ye make a mistake therein: (what counts is) the intention of your hearts: and Allah is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.
So adoption is not forbidden ascribing one to the wrong lineage is what is forbidden. If lineage is not known then they are brothers in faith like all muslims are anyway.
Now another derogatory custom in Arabia at the time was that even freed slaves were still of a lesser degree compared to those born noblemen and free.
Now a fact conveniently being ignored by either our cunning or ill-informed guppies here is that it was the Prophet SAW who took the proposal for Zaid RA to Zainab RA. Yes, it was him SAW who proposed on behalf of Zaid for Zainab and even had to face a rejection at first until Allah STW revealed this verse:
33:36 It is not fitting for a Believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Messenger to have any option about their decision: if any one disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path.
It was after this that Zainab RA agreed to the proposal. So a person who was interested in someone would not be taking someone elses proposal especially his adopted sons. What the Prophet SAW did here was break another taboo of the society, he elevated the status of slaves and removed that stigma from the society by marrying his freed slave to a noblemen woman such as Zainab RA.
I don't know how many people here have read the history behind this verse of the Quran:
33:37 Behold! Thou didst say to one who had received the grace of Allah and thy favour: "Retain thou (in wedlock) thy wife, and fear Allah." But thou didst hide in thy heart that which Allah was about to make manifest: thou didst fear the people, but it is more fitting that thou shouldst fear Allah. Then when Zaid had dissolved (his marriage) with her, with the necessary (formality), We joined her in marriage to thee: in order that (in future) there may be no difficulty to the Believers in (the matter of) marriage with the wives of their adopted sons, when the latter have dissolved with the necessary (formality) (their marriage) with them. And Allah's command must be fulfilled.
It is very important to understand the implications of this verse. This verse is refering to the deteriorating marital relations between Zaid and Zainab. Zaid had approached the Prophet SAW to get a divorce from Zainab but the Prophet SAW told him not so and to reconcile. The accusers here in this thread claiming that he wanted Zainab for himself should make note of this, the Prophet SAW should have jumped at this opportunity and availed it but he did not. This again puts those claims to rest for the utter filth that they are.
Second thing to see closely in this verse is that Allah SWT has actually sort of scolded the Prophet SAW for hiding something in his heart. This is refering to the final taboo the Prophet SAW was to break, one to demonstrate that adopted sons are not the same as biological sons. You cannot marry your biological sons ex-wife. The Prophet SAW already knew through revelation that he was to marry Zainab RA and this was to provide the severing of the similarity between the adopted son and biological son in terms of rightful ineage. If the Prophet SAW was to be allowed to marry his adopted sons ex-wife then that drives the final stake through the Arabic custom of associating adopted sons with the false lineage. What is the Prophet SAW being scolded here for is that he did not divulge knowledge of this because he feared backlash from the society, so Allah SWT is reminding him of the fact that it is Allah SWT he should fear and not society. So it doesn't matter what society thinks if Allah SWT agree's to it.
Another historical fact ignored in all this discussion thus far is that Zaid did not divorce Zainab RA, for those who say that he learned about the Prophet SAW desire for her. There was no such desire. Their marriage ended by Khula. Mutual agreeement between both.
Now to top it all, it was Zaid RA who took the Prophet SAW proposal to Zainab. If there was any foul play, this could not have been possible.
And the last point I want to make here especially for HSKhan, is that it was Allah SWT who gave Zainab RA in marriage to Muhammad SAW if you can read the verse correctly. So any accusation you hurl here is actually at Allah SWT and you are saying Allah SWT caused all this wrong doing. Be mindful of what you say in this whole matter and do not speak without knowledge. You yourself said you follow the Quran and Allah SWT and you would defend anything said against them. If you have any senses you should realize you are openly defying what you just earlier in this respect.
I hope you see how wrong you are and pray to Allah SWT to make you see things in the correct perspective for your own good.