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THE PROPHET’S WIVES
Many
orientalists and preachers still claim that Muhammad (prayers and peace of
Allah be upon him) married more than one woman because he was after physical
pleasure. And they keep propagating their lies. Here we are going to clarify
this misconception.
I.
A LOOK AT THE PROPHET’S BIOGRAPHY..
A study of the prophet’s biography and character shows
clearly that:
§ He had simple clothes on,
a simple bed and utensils.
§ His meals never exceeded
one course (1kind of food).
§ He didn’t keep for
himself any of the money that poured from taxes or gifts
§ Nobody
can deny that the heavy responsibilities of the Message consumed the efforts
of the prophet, occupied his time and possessed his heart and brain.
§ He received the
revelation, memorized it then dictated it.
§ He spent the day teaching
the Muslims and acting as their leader and their judge and leading them in
prayers 5 times aday.
§ His night was devoted to
Allah, his prostrations were so lengthy that they thought he was dead! and he
performed night prayers to the extent that his feet used to swell!
§ He prepared for one war
after the other to defend Islam.
Could he then have spare time to marry several wives as a
lustful man would do? If this was his nature, why didn’t he do that before The
Message when he didn’t carry any of its responsibilities?
All his wives –except al sayeda
Aisha- were either widows or divorced and most of them were elderly women. He
could have chosen beautiful girls or virgins if he wanted. This proves that he
was not after sexual pleasure.
II . A DETAILED STUDY
OF HIS MARRIAGES
1. Al Sayeda
Khadija :
Muhammad (Pbuh) married her at the age of 25 (had he been
after pleasure, he would have married before that age or at least have sinned
before marriage) when he traded for her and she admired his honesty. She was
at least 15 years older than him. notice the big age difference!)
During his happy marriage, he used to leave his home for
several nights spending them in meditation and devotion in the cave of Hira.
For 25 years the Prophet lived with Al Sayed Khadija
without asking for another wife, when polygamy was a common practice, when he
was still young, and she was getting older.
He remained loyal to her all his life and even after her
death, he always remembered her, loved her and praised her.
¨ In some of His marriages, the
Prophet (pbuh), has hoped to provide compensation for the loss of men during
Jihad as well encouraging them. In some other cases he aimed at consolidation
and support. Such marriages were
1. Help for the widow and her children
2. An exapmle to be followed by other Muslims
2. Giving the warriors security as to the
future of ther wives and children, knowing that the Prophet and the Muslims
would take care of them, in case they were killed in the war, to encourage
them in fighting and defending Islam.
The Prophet (pbuh) married the following women for this
reason:
2. Al
Sayeda Sawda Bent Zam’a:
She was among the first women to embrace Islam. Her
husband died when they came back to Mecca after the emigration to Abbyssinia.
She was an old, heavy, slow woman, and could have never found a suitable man
to marry her, esp. that she was of an honourable family. Meanwhile she
couldn’t return to her people after becoming a Muslim against their wish!
The marriage was to protect her against the persecution
of her harsh people, to honour her for her efforts in keeping Islam and a
consolidation to her for the loss of her husband.
3. Al
Sayeda Umm Salamah :
She was one of the first converts to Islam. She and her
husband were among the first immigrants to Abyssinia then Madina.
Her husband was killed in Uhud.
When her husband died, she was advanced in age and had
many children. Abu Bakr and Omar proposed to her, but she refused because of
her age and children. so the prophet decided to marry her.
4. Al
Sayeda Zainab Bent Khozaima:
She was neither pretty nor young when the Prophet (Pbuh)
married her, after her husband died in the battle-field. He married her to
protect her, be kind to her children and compensate for the loss of her
husband.
5. Al Sayeda Omm
Habiba Bent Abu Sofian:
She embraced Islam against the wish of her father, and
when she emigrated to Abyssinia ith her husband, he converted to Christianity
there and deserted her after she refused to follow him.
Her father was one of the strongest enemies of the
Prophet, so how would he reward a woman who becomes a Muslim under such
conditions?
He decided to marry her to reward her and protect her.
Some of his marriages were to
declare (announce) a new law of Islam.. as in these 2 cases: 6. Maria the Copt: She was sent to him personally by Al Muqauqas (the governor of Alexandria and Egypt as a present in response to the Companion the prophet sent to him to invite him to Islam. The Prophet could neither send her back nor offer her to somebody else. Marrying her was an advantage to Islam. And also to be an example of a Muslim marrying a believer in the scriptures (ahl al kitab).
7. Al Sayeda Zainab Bint Jahsh This marriage was an order to Mohammad (pbuh) that came through revelation, to stop what was a custom among the Arabs forbidding the father to marry the ex-wife of his adopted son, considering her to be in the same position as the wife of a son. The prophet married her to confirm the Quranic order and as a kind of compensation to her for submitting to the decree of Allah and his Messenger by accepting to marry Zaid against her wish. Sometimes his marriage was to honour families eager to be related to him and bring them closer to his heart and make them more loyal to Allah and his Messenger. As in the following cases:
8. Al Sayeda Aisha: The marriage of the Prophet to Al Sayeda Aisha was for the sake of friendship and to create a comfortable atmosphere in the Messenger’s house.(since he was married only to Sawda, who was old and she relieved him from any obligations to her). This marriage was for the benefit of Islam and Muslims because Aisha was one of the best narrators of Hadith due to her cleverness and comprehending abilities
9. Al Sayeda Hafsa: He married her to honour Omar Ibn Al Khattab, his second supporter and to keep brotherly relations among the Prophet’s friends, as an act of soothing whatever hard feelings Omar might have had as a result of the refusal of his two friends Abu Bakr and Othman to marry his daughter
Some of his marriages were to establish relationships that would support and strengthen Islam.As his marriage to :
10.Maymouna Bent Al Harith: This woman had connections and relation ships with so many important people and noble men, so her alliance would be support and benefit to Islam Besides that, this woman offered herself to the Prophet (pbuh) through his uncle Al Abbas, and a revelation was sent to him telling him that he could marry her if he wanted. “ and any believing woman who has given herself up to the Prophet, if the Prophet desired to wed her-A privilege for you above the rest of the Faithful” (33:50) Some marriages were to compensate captives and protect them from going back to the non-Muslims. As for:
11.Safiya Bint Hoyay Her father was the chief of Bani Al Nodeir. She was a Jewess married twice to Jews. She was among the captives of Khaibar. And the Prophet asked her to choose between going back to her folk or to be set free and marry him. She preferred to marry him. So, as a conclusion, the marriage of Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) was for the sake of religion and not for worldly pleasures. It was wisdom and not passion that determined his decision to establish the new religion and help spread it. |
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