Zainab’s life passed smoothly until the most memorable point in the history of Makkah came. Her father was chosen to be a Rasool (Prophet) of Allah Almighty. Being a daily visitor to her father`s house, she was well informed from the onset of his Prophet-hood of all the trials he faced. When she learned of her father being the Prophet of the Ummah ﷺ, she immediately declared her belief in it. How could she not have believed if she already knew her father’s manners and high moral values? Was it possible not to believe when she loved him in a way that she never loved anyone else?

But she worried whether her husband would believe in her father’s message or deny it. She contemplated the matter deeply. She told him about the great honour her father had by having a religion revealed to him. She did so enthusiastically and he listened carefully. After she had finished, she asked him his opinion, but she was startled to find him silent, and when she insisted fearfully to have an answer, he said that he did not consider it suitable for him to believe in the new faith. She declared that she believed in her father. He left the house in silence. Zainab (RadhiyAllahu anha) was shocked and pained by the disbelief of her husband.

Zainab’s (RadhiyAllahu anha) position towards da’wah was always of a steadfast nature. Despite her deep love for her husband, she did not hesitate to hold fast to her faith, even if he insisted on turning his back if the Prophet ﷺ continued to call others to Islam. Some people of the Quraish accepted it, while others rejected it. The more people came to Islam, the more hostile the enemies became.

The resisting front of the Quraish met one day to discuss the problem. They had tried all means of fighting the Prophet ﷺ and his religion, but this time they thought of a new idea. One of them said, “You are first helping Muhammad to be carefree, and so he can concentrate on his da‘wah. Send his daughters back to him and that will make him busy again.” What a devilish idea!

Muhammad’s, ﷺ daughters, Ruqayyah and Umm Kulthoom (RadhiyAllahu anhuma), were married to the Prophet ﷺ’s two cousins, ‘Utbah and ‘Utaibah; sons of Abu Lahab, while Zainab (RadhiyAllahu anha) was married to Abul ‘Aas bin Rabee’. The chieftains of Makkah liked the idea and hurried to Abu Lahab, the Prophet ﷺ’s uncle and father-in­law of his two daughters. He was surprised by the demand that his two sons should divorce Muhammad ﷺ’s daughters.

As Abu Lahab’s wife, Umm Jameel was domineering with her sons, she told them that they were ordered to divorce Muhammad ﷺ’s daughters and choose other women from the Quraish. The command was non-negotiable, resulting in the two husbands hurrying back to their wives and ordering them to return to their father’s house. The Quraish were happy to have succeeded in that plan, and they hurried to Abul ‘Aas to persuade him to divorce Muhammad ﷺ’s third daughter. They said to him, “Divorce your wife and we’ll marry you to any woman you like.” But they were struck by his answer. “No, by Allah, I will never leave my wife and I don’t want to have any other woman.”

The conspirators left in disappointment because of their failure to persuade him to divorce his wife. Although the man did not want to follow Muhammad ﷺ, he loved his wife and saw it a matter of shame and lowliness to divorce her just to please the insolent chieftains of the Quraish.

Many events followed: suffering, patience, and struggling on the part of the Prophet ﷺ and his followers, and cruelty, injustice, and oppression on the part of the Quraish. Zainab (RadhiyAllahu anha) was part of those events. How could she live happily with her loving husband while her father was belied and his followers were tortured?

Her suffering was shared with her family throughout the support for their father, whether verbal or in the heart. Then came the decisive day in Makkah when the Quraish tried to murder the Prophet ﷺ. Allah commanded His Messenger ﷺ to emigrate, and he did.

However, when the Message was revealed, Zainab (RadhiyAllahu anha) and Abul ‘Aas were temporarily separated due to the Abul-‘Aas’s refusal to accept Islam. He justified his refusal by saying: “By Allah I trust in your father but I fear that they might circulate that I left my father’s religion to please my wife.”