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I have a question regarding marriage and the wives of Muhammad. Why is
it that, if Islam only permits up to four wives, and even then does not
encourage it, Muhammad took nine wives? Also, one of his wives was only
seven years old when he married her, and nine when he consummated the
marriage, according to your Web site. This seems to me akin to child
molestation! Also, one of his children was not from one of his wives,
but from one of his "right-hand possessions" to quote your own Web site.
Why is a woman called a possession? Is this a concubine? Why did he have
intercourse outside of wedlock? Weren't nine women enough for him?
Muhammad's own lifestyle seems to contradict the very teachings Islam
claims regarding marriage and women.
Date
2004/6/20
Name of Consultant
Sahar El-Nadi
<http://www.islamonline.net/askaboutislam/Guestcv.asp?hmuftiid=126>
Content of Reply
Salam Amy,
Thank you for the ongoing dialogue with our page. We enjoy bouncing
ideas back and forth with you, as it seems you're researching Islam
diligently.
Women are often brought into the picture when discussing Islam because
their status-if not studied thoroughly and objectively-is severely
misunderstood. Under those inaccurate assumptions, Muhammad (peace and
blessings be upon him) is often accused of practicing and encouraging
unjust treatment of women, while the truth is actually the opposite-as I
hope you will see after reading this answer.
I'm encouraged by your thoughtful, questioning nature to attempt to
crystallize the true picture of this great man. Let's take an objective
peek into his life, to examine whether or not Muhammad (peace and
blessings be upon him) is that repelling womanizer. But first let's go a
little further back in history to look at the domestic lives of other
prophets preceding Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and what
their Scriptures tell us about their stance towards the polygamy issue:
Other Prophets Practiced Polygamy
The fact that only Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is
accused of polygamy is rather surprising, since this is a privilege
enjoyed by prophets before him. Their wives and concubines came in great
numbers, too! The Torah, the Bible, and the Qur'an tell of some of them;
the rest are not mentioned so we don't know, but among the ones who were
polygamous we can count Prophets Ibrahim (Abraham), Ya`qub (Jacob),
Dawud (David), and Sulayman (Solomon). The Scriptures talk of polygamy
as a "favor" bestowed upon them from the Lord.
First Kings 11:1-3 indicates that King Solomon had 700 hundred wives
and 300 hundred concubines! In sealing treaties in ancient days, it was
customary for a lesser king to give his daughter in marriage to the
greater king. Every time a new treaty was sealed, Solomon ended up with
yet another wife. These wives were considered "tokens of friendship" and
"sealed" the relationship between the two kings. (Reasoning from the
Scriptures on 1 Kings)
Scripture indicates that David also acquired wives and concubines,
David's blessings, including his wives, were given to him as a result of
God's favor (2 Sam. 5:12-13; 12:8; D & C 132:39). Scriptural records say
that the Lord did command some of his ancient saints to practice plural
marriage. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob-among others (D & C 132)-conformed
to this ennobling and exalting principle; the whole history of ancient
Israel was one in which plurality of wives was a divinely accepted and
approved order of matrimony. Those who entered this order at the Lord's
command, and who kept the laws and conditions appertaining to it, have
gained for themselves eternal exaltation in the highest heaven of the
celestial world. (Mormon Doctrine of Plural Marriage p. 578)
Islam Didn't Invent Polygamy but Only Regulated It-in Favor of Women!
From the above accounts, we can clearly see that Prophets-including
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) -were allowed to be
more
polygamous than their followers, not just for carnal reasons, but for
political and religious reasons pertaining to their call. Consequently,
it is groundless to wonder why Muslims can't marry 12 wives like their
prophet, just as it is groundless to wonder why Jews and Christians
can't marry 700 like theirs! Islam didn't invent polygamy; Islam only
made polygamy more humane, instituting equal rights for all wives. And
even so, Muslim women are not forced to accept this and may put a
condition against it in their marriage contract.
The Qur'an Is the Only Holy Book That Actually Says "Marry Only One"
Images of "sheikhs with harems" are not consistent with Islam, as, in
fact, the general rule in Islam is monogamy not polygamy. the Qur'an
says what means:
*{Marry women of your choice, two, or three, or four; but if ye fear
that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one.}*
(An-Nisaa' 3:3)
Polygamy in Islam is not recommended; it is only permitted under
certain guidelines. Permission to practice polygamy is not associated
with mere satisfaction of passion. It is, rather, associated with
compassion toward widows and orphans.
Before the Qur'an was revealed, there was no upper limit for polygamy,
and many men had more than four wives. Islam put an upper limit of four
wives, permitting a man to marry more than once, only on the condition
that he deal justly with all of them. Yet the same verse points out:
*{Ye are never able to be fair and just as between women}* (Al-Nisaa'
3:129)
Therefore polygamy is not a rule but an exception.
Why Is the Exception of Polygamy Allowed in Islam?
The exception is made for many reasons, but let's note only one here,
addressing your concern that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)
"had intercourse outside of wedlock."
In Western society, it is common for a man to have mistresses or
multiple extra-marital affairs. Women in this case are degraded to mere
sex objects with absolutely no rights; they're usually on the losing end
of such liaisons. The same society, however, cannot accept a man having
more than one wife so that women can retain their lawful rights and lead
an honorable, dignified, and respectable life.
If every adult American man married only one woman, there would still
be more than 25 million women in the United States who would not be able
to get husbands, at least considering that-according to latest
statistics-10 percent of the American population is gay! That's close to
30 million people!
Thus the only option for a woman who cannot find a husband is either to
marry a married man or to become "public property." Islam gives women
the honorable position by permitting the first option and disallowing
the second. At least one of the reasons Islam has permitted limited
polygamy is to protect the modesty of women!
Islam's Straightforward Approach in Problem Solving
In Islam, problems are supposed to be faced and solved-not ignored! So,
rather than requiring hypocritical compliance, Islam provides legitimate
and clean solutions to the problems of individuals and societies. There
is no doubt that the second wife legally married and treated kindly is
better off than a mistress without any legal rights. Through practical
example, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as the guide
of Muslims has set the applicable rules for this aspect of human
relations in order not to leave anything for speculation.
Stages of the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) Married Life
First, let's remember that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be
upon him) led a life supported only by the bare minimum of necessities.
His wives were not idly wasting away the hours in a luxurious harem but
led a life of labor and sacrifice, while he was mostly busy away from
home overseeing his numerous duties as a Prophet. So, obviously, lu*st
was not a factor, as he wasn't even at home most of the time. Further,
most of his marriages occurred at an age when lu*st is not a major
factor in any man's life:
1. He remained single until age 25.
2. From age 25 to 50 he was faithful to only one wife, Khadijah, who
bore all his children except one. She was 15 years older than him, with
children from two previous marriages. She was his greatest ally when he
received the Call at age 40 until she died when he was 50 years old. He
remained in love with her until he died and often talked of his life
with her with great nostalgia.
3. Between ages 50 and 52 he remained unmarried and mourning his late
beloved wife. He lived alone with his daughters.
4. Between ages 53 and 60 he married all his other wives for many noble
reasons detailed below. It's unimaginable for a man to suddenly turn
lu*stful at this age, especially as he was constantly traveling, with
bloodthirsty enemies on his heels.
5. At age 60, Allah revealed to him verse preventing him from marrying
any more until he died, which was at age 63. The Qur'an says what means:
*{It is not lawful for you (to marry other) women after this, nor to
change them for other wives.}* (Al-Ahzab 33:52)
Reasons for the Prophet's Marriages
We can categorize all his marriages under two aspects of his
personality:-
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) the man who needed a
loving wife, children, and a stable home, so he married Khadijah and
remained with only her for 20 years until she died.
- Muhammad the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) who married
the other wives for reasons pertaining to his duty to deliver the
Message to the world. Those particular women were carefully selected,
not just haphazardly "acquired" for carnal reasons, as suggested. Here
are some of the reasons for which Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon
him) married:
1. To pass on Islam to the next generations as a practical legacy
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the only Prophet
without any privacy, and with a meticulously preserved tradition in
speech and actions in all minute details of his public and private life.
Preserved in the sharp minds of his wives and his Companions, those
narrations comprise the "daily life manual" for Muslims to follow until
the end of time. The fact that Islam was spread on the shoulders of
women and preserved in their hearts is a great honor to the females of
this Ummah. The books of authentic Hadith attribute more than 3,000
narrations and Prophetic traditions to his wives alone.
2. To cement the relations of the budding nation
In a tribal society, it was customary to seal treaties through marrying
into tribes. Muhammad's (peace and blessings be upon him) closest
Companions later became the four caliphs who led Islam at the critical
stage after his death. Two of them were the fathers of his wives
`A'ishah (daughter of Abu Bakr) and Hafsa (daughter of `Umar); the other
two married his daughters (`Uthman married Ruqayyah and Zaynab in
succession, and `Ali married Fatimah).
3. To teach Muslims compassion with women
He taught them to be compassionate not just to the young and beautiful
maidens, but more so to the weak and destitute widows, divorcees,
orphans, and elderly women. Islam teaches that women are to be
respected, protected, and cared for by their men folk. They're not to be
cast out to face a harsh life alone while able men around them just pity
them and do nothing to help, or worse, use their weakness to take them
as mistresses!
4. To offer a practical role model to Muslims until the end of time
Although many believing women often approached Muhammad (peace and
blessings be upon him) offering him themselves in marriage, he politely
turned down their offers. Most of his wives after the death of Khadijah
were old, devoid of beauty, and previously married, except `A'ishah, who
was the only young virgin. He married from other nations and religions;
some were the daughters of his worst enemies, and his marriage to one
woman won all her people into Islam. Regardless of his neutral feelings
towards many of them, he was a model example
of equal justice and
kindness to them all, and he would never discriminate among them.
Who Were the Prophet's Wives?
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) married 12 wives in
his life. When he died he had 9 wives. They have a very special status
in the hearts of Muslims as the "Mothers of the Believers," as the
Qur'an instructs, and they are the source of a great amount of wisdom
which they learned while living close to such a great man. Perhaps you'd
like to research a bit to find their beautiful stories, so here are
their names: Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, Sawdah bint Zam'ah, `A'ishah bint
Abi Bakr, Hafsah bint `Umar ibn Al-Khattab, Zaynab bint Khuzaymah, Umm
Salama, Zaynab bint Jahsh, Juwayriah bint Al-Harith, Umm Habibah,
Safiyah bint Huyay ibn Akhtab, Maymunah bint Al-Harith, Maria the Copt.
Can We Consider His Marriage to `A'ishah a Case of Child Molestation?
To answer your speculation, let's continue our objective trip into the
past. Obviously, when traveling back in time 1400 years to examine a
lifestyle we never witnessed, it is unfair to apply our present day
standards, so let's listen to the experts. Authentic historical records
prove that the social traditions of the time and place-regardless of
religion-considered Arab females as women as soon as their menstrual
cycles began. The custom was to give daughters in marriage at that age.
This was practiced by all dwellers in Arabia before Islam: pagans,
disbelievers, Jews, and others. It's a fact that female menstruation in
hot climates starts much earlier than in cold climates, so females in
Arabia matured as early as 8 or 9; they also aged earlier than other
women.
It's a neglected fact that before she was married to Muhammad (peace
and blessings be upon him), `A'ishah had been engaged to an infidel,
Jubair ibn Mus'ab ibn Ady. Her fianc broke the engagement on the basis
of religious difference. So her father, Abu Bakr, agreed to give her
hand in marriage to the Prophet.
The Great Wisdom in Selecting `A'ishah in Particular as a Young Wife
`A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) came from a house famous for
learning and memorizing great quantities of knowledge; her father was a
live encyclopedia of Arab tribal pedigrees and poetry. She inherited his
ability, and in her young, intelligent, receptive mind, she preserved a
precious portion of Islam she learned during seven years of marriage,
for 47 years after the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him) and she taught thousands of men worldwide their religion as she had
learned it firsthand from the Prophet. To our present day, she is
considered among the most prominent Islamic scholars, and she holds
extremely high esteem in the hearts of all Muslims as such and as "the
beloved of the Prophet," who often mentioned her as the human he loved
the most on the face of this earth. With her, he built a model Muslim
home for Muslims to strive to imitate forever.
Was Maria the Copt a Slave, a Concubine, or a Wife of the Prophet?
Slavery already existed long before Islam. It was a system whereby a
human captured in wars or kidnapped could be sold as a "possession."
That term applied to both sexes, not to women only. In some cultures
slaves were considered subhuman and treated brutally. In Europe, for
example, Romans threw Christian slaves to the lions while the public
cheered; female slaves were thought to have no souls and were tortured
mercilessly; slaves lived in degrading conditions; both sexes were
forced to offer sexual favors to their masters; and as "possessions"
they had no choice, no will, and no rights.
Islam recognized the human rights of slaves and encouraged Muslims to
set slaves free. Islam prohibited adultery and homosexuality, and
prevented forcing female slaves into sexual acts against their will.
Islam encouraged educating them, setting them free, then legally
marrying them and giving them their moral and financial rights. The
reward for this-as mentioned in Prophetic Hadith-is eternal residence i
n
Paradise.
Maria (may Allah be pleased with her) was not a concubine; she was a
slave owned by Egypt's Christian governor, who offered her and her
sister Serine-among other presents-as a "gift of good will" to the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in reply to his envoys
inviting him to Islam. On her way from Egypt to Madinah, she was curious
to learn about "her new master" and listened to his Companions talk
about him. As a result, she became Muslim before meeting Muhammad
(peace and blessings be upon him). Scholars' opinions vary of her status
afterwards; here is the opinion I support:
One of the prominent Al-Azhar scholars, Sheikh Abdul Majid Subh,
states:
"Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), instead of taking
concubines, entered into lawful marriages based on reason and wisdom.
Maria the Copt was given to him as a present, but rather than taking her
as a concubine, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) married
her, thus elevating her status by marriage."
Women's Rights in Islam Surpass Modern Systems
If women in the Muslim World today don't have their rights, it is not
because Islam didn't give them rights. Alien traditions have
overshadowed the teachings of Islam, either through ignorance or the
impact of colonialism. Most of the so-called modern reforms in the
status of women appeared after the West abandoned religion for
secularism. Those in the West who claim to follow the Judeo-Christian
tradition really follow the values of Western liberalism.
In England and America less than fifty years ago, a woman could not buy
a house or car without the co-signature of a male "guardian"! In
Contrast, Islamic Law guaranteed rights to women over 1400 years ago
that were unheard of in the West until the 1900s.
Numerous verses of the Qur'an state that men and women are equal in the
site of Allah; the only thing that distinguishes people in His site is
their level of God-consciousness.
Islam teaches that a woman is a full person under the law, and is the
spiritual equal of a male. Women have the right to own property, to
operate a business, and to receive equal pay for equal work. Women are
allowed total control of their wealth. They cannot be married against
their will, and they are allowed to keep their own name when married.
They have the right to inherit property and to have their marriage
dissolved in the case of neglect or mistreatment. Islam does not
consider woman an "evil temptress," and thus does not blame woman for
Original Sin (a doctrine that Islam rejects). Women in Islam participate
in all forms of worship that men participate in.
Prophet Muhammad's (peace and blessings be upon him) mission stopped
many of the horrible practices against women that were present in the
society of his time. He actually harnessed the unrestricted polygamy of
the Arabs of the time, and put many laws in place to protect the
well-being of women. In his Farewell Sermon just weeks before his death,
he summarized the teachings of Islam to the believers in a final
farewell. His last words were "Be kind to women!"
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