Verily men and women who have come to submission, men and women who are believers, men and women who are devout, truthful men and truthful women, men and women with endurance, men and women who are modest, men and women who give alms, men and women who observe fasting, men and women who guard their private parts, and those men and women who remember God a great deal, for them God has forgiveness and a great reward. 35 It is not fitting for a believing man or woman to exercise any choice in his or her own affairs once God and His Messenger have reached a decision upon them. Anyone who disobeys God and His Messenger is in manifest error. 36 When thou saidst to him whom God had blessed and thou hadst favoured, 'Keep thy wife to thyself, and fear God,' and thou wast concealing within thyself what God should reveal, fearing other men; and God has better right for thee to fear Him. So when Zaid had accomplished what he would of her, then We gave her in marriage to thee, so that there should not be any fault in the believers, touching the wives of their adopted sons, when they have accomplished what they would of them; and God's commandment must be performed. 37 [Hence,] no blame whatever attaches to the Prophet for [having done] what God has ordained for him. [Indeed, such was] God's way with those that have passed away aforetime and [remember that] God's will is always destiny absolute; 38 Those who preached the messages of Allah and feared Him, and feared none save Allah; and Allah sufficeth as a Reckoner. 39 Muhammad is not the father of any of your males, but the apostle of Allah and the seal of the prophets; and Allah of everything is ever the Knower. 40