Re: Very disturbing
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. ...... ...... 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**.
....
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. .
Usresidnt: thanks for providing above quotes which in fact are the ones causing all this consternation.
If M knew by revealation that he was to marry her why did he take the proposal for her to marry his son?
If adopted son's ex-wife are permitted as consorts why is noone in this thread prepared to swear that they'll be ok with that occurring in their family? (Obviously they don't feel this is right)
Why did the revealation that she is fair game come just when necessary, rather than much much before?
Ref 33.36 - doesn't that sound like a threat that f Zainab doesn't agree to the marriage proposal then it would be against A and M"s orders. Now, why would god force someone to marry someone??
So frankly the stuff you have quoted actually adds to the view that something seriously wrong was committed in this affair.
And on top of that I'll add the medically established fact (which. 6th century arabs did not seem to know) - inbreeding is very bad and marrying between cousins leads to serious health issues for their offspring. How could god have not known that?