Marriage of the Prophet to Zaynab bint Jahsh

Zaynab bint Jahsh had been married to Zayd ibn Harithah, the Prophet's adopted son, at the Prophet's own arrangement. The marriage was unhappy and Zayd divorced her. Allah then commanded the Prophet to marry Zaynab to abolish the pre-Islamic prohibition against marrying the ex-wife of an adopted son: 'So when Zayd had no longer any need for her, We married her to you' (33:37). This marriage was directly performed by divine decree and abolished the legal fiction that adopted sons were biological sons.