The Prophet's (pbuh) Marriages
Question:
A friend of mine posted the issue that recently happened in Afghanistan how they stoned a women to death and a person put this really harsh and negative comment which hurt my soul . I want you to please tell me how to answer this person and to stop such negative propaganda against my beloved prophet:
"Here is the Quranic punishment for lashing adulterers. Did our beloved Prophet Muhammad receive a 100 lashes for his lifelong fornication and adultery? The Qur'an uses the phrase "fornicators or adulterers" in Qur'an 24:2 and prescribes 100 lashes as the punishment (Verse 4:15 suggests house arrest for "lewdness"). Our beloved Prophet Muhammad was the biggest fornicator and adulterer. He lusted after 6-year old Aisha, his own daughter-in-law Zaynab bint Jahsh and raped a dozen young girls as sex-slaves (including Mariyah bint Shamoon and Rayhana bint Zayd ibn Amr) in his harem after kidnapping them or after killing their husbands. Why do Allah's commands never apply to Prophet Muhammad ? Why did Muhammad always ignore Allah's commands? If Prophet Muhammad is our role-model and Perfect Man (Insan-e-kamil), then why did he never behave in a "role-model" like manner?
Answer:
First I apologize to any one whose feelings might have been heart by the above disrespectful words, however in Exploring Islam, we do not censor any questions, unless there are profanities. Instead we try to show their baseless grounding with reason.
The above is a rhetoric argument of course. If the argument is really that why the punishment mentioned for adultery and fornication in the Qur'an was not applied to the prophet (pbuh) then simple answer is, because according to the standards specified by the Qur'an the prophet never committed any of these crimes and was in fact far from such evil. The Qur'an does introduce him as the role model for his followers (33:21).
There can be two kinds of false accusations about any personality, those that are simply false, and those that are due to misunderstanding. The above criticism is of the first category and therefore it is very simple to respond to it:
According to some reports Ayesha bint Abibakr was nine (not six) when she started marital relationship with the prophet (pbuh), while according to some other scholars she was in fact around 16. Also the prophet (pbuh) did not have a dozen slaves, he had one, and according to another opinion, two, perhaps that is why only two names are mentioned as the prophet’s (pbuh) slaves, in the question. Also, there are no reports to suggest that the prophet (pbuh) had sexual advances towards Zainab.
This should be all that is needed as a response to false accusations. However since these false accusations are in fact originated from some other accusations that belong to the second kind, mentioned above, I therefore comment on those as well:
It is true that based on some reports the prophet (pbuh) consumed marriage with Ayesha bint Abibakr when she was only nine and it is true that the prophet (pbuh) had one or two slaves. People who criticize these points are holding assumptions that are not true. These false assumptions are as follows:
None of the above assumptions are true. If the person who has made these accusations can provide any reliable historical evidences to back any of the above assumptions or to back any of the statements that I labelled as false, then I will be more than happy to look at those evidences and comment on them.
Till when such evidences are submitted, my suggestion is that your friend himself can try to behave on a more moral basis by not allowing himself to make baseless accusations about a personality that is loved and followed by millions of Muslims.
May God be satisfied with the family of the Prophet (pbuh) and his pious companions.
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Footnotes:
1. A quick look at some writings related to marriage customs in medieval times reveals that marrying at very young age was very normal and no one would consider it as an immoral act. This has even been endorsed by Jewish law as we read that Talmud for instance allowed marriage contract (not consuming the marriage) to take place at the age of three (see here) while according to another Jewish website ,JEWFAQ, the minimum age for marrying girl is twelve.
2. No doubt slavery is not allowed at our time because religion always walks ahead of the moral values of the time.
--------
November 2015
A friend of mine posted the issue that recently happened in Afghanistan how they stoned a women to death and a person put this really harsh and negative comment which hurt my soul . I want you to please tell me how to answer this person and to stop such negative propaganda against my beloved prophet:
"Here is the Quranic punishment for lashing adulterers. Did our beloved Prophet Muhammad receive a 100 lashes for his lifelong fornication and adultery? The Qur'an uses the phrase "fornicators or adulterers" in Qur'an 24:2 and prescribes 100 lashes as the punishment (Verse 4:15 suggests house arrest for "lewdness"). Our beloved Prophet Muhammad was the biggest fornicator and adulterer. He lusted after 6-year old Aisha, his own daughter-in-law Zaynab bint Jahsh and raped a dozen young girls as sex-slaves (including Mariyah bint Shamoon and Rayhana bint Zayd ibn Amr) in his harem after kidnapping them or after killing their husbands. Why do Allah's commands never apply to Prophet Muhammad ? Why did Muhammad always ignore Allah's commands? If Prophet Muhammad is our role-model and Perfect Man (Insan-e-kamil), then why did he never behave in a "role-model" like manner?
Answer:
First I apologize to any one whose feelings might have been heart by the above disrespectful words, however in Exploring Islam, we do not censor any questions, unless there are profanities. Instead we try to show their baseless grounding with reason.
The above is a rhetoric argument of course. If the argument is really that why the punishment mentioned for adultery and fornication in the Qur'an was not applied to the prophet (pbuh) then simple answer is, because according to the standards specified by the Qur'an the prophet never committed any of these crimes and was in fact far from such evil. The Qur'an does introduce him as the role model for his followers (33:21).
There can be two kinds of false accusations about any personality, those that are simply false, and those that are due to misunderstanding. The above criticism is of the first category and therefore it is very simple to respond to it:
According to some reports Ayesha bint Abibakr was nine (not six) when she started marital relationship with the prophet (pbuh), while according to some other scholars she was in fact around 16. Also the prophet (pbuh) did not have a dozen slaves, he had one, and according to another opinion, two, perhaps that is why only two names are mentioned as the prophet’s (pbuh) slaves, in the question. Also, there are no reports to suggest that the prophet (pbuh) had sexual advances towards Zainab.
This should be all that is needed as a response to false accusations. However since these false accusations are in fact originated from some other accusations that belong to the second kind, mentioned above, I therefore comment on those as well:
It is true that based on some reports the prophet (pbuh) consumed marriage with Ayesha bint Abibakr when she was only nine and it is true that the prophet (pbuh) had one or two slaves. People who criticize these points are holding assumptions that are not true. These false assumptions are as follows:
- Appropriate age for marriage in Arabia, 1400 years ago, was the same as it is now in developed countries. (1)
- Having slaves and having sex with slaves, that was an established practice at the time and is also endorsed in Bible, was considered as rape by the slaves at that time. (2)
None of the above assumptions are true. If the person who has made these accusations can provide any reliable historical evidences to back any of the above assumptions or to back any of the statements that I labelled as false, then I will be more than happy to look at those evidences and comment on them.
Till when such evidences are submitted, my suggestion is that your friend himself can try to behave on a more moral basis by not allowing himself to make baseless accusations about a personality that is loved and followed by millions of Muslims.
May God be satisfied with the family of the Prophet (pbuh) and his pious companions.
-------
Footnotes:
1. A quick look at some writings related to marriage customs in medieval times reveals that marrying at very young age was very normal and no one would consider it as an immoral act. This has even been endorsed by Jewish law as we read that Talmud for instance allowed marriage contract (not consuming the marriage) to take place at the age of three (see here) while according to another Jewish website ,JEWFAQ, the minimum age for marrying girl is twelve.
2. No doubt slavery is not allowed at our time because religion always walks ahead of the moral values of the time.
--------
November 2015
