Assalamu alaikum peace be unto you. Welcome to another episode of Islam in focus. I’m your host machine. Today we have our 48 programming our series dealing with Mohammed, the last messenger of Allah, our seventh program in the series, talking about the marriages of the Prophet. And more specifically in today’s program, we’ll be continuing our discussion of the profits marriage to sign up. I’m pleased to have joining me on the program as usual. Dr. Jamal Badawi of St. Mary’s University, Jamal Assalamu alaikum.
Good day very quickly take a few moments to highlight the main points we touched on last week’s social media discuss the background of the knowledge of the Prophet peace be upon him from Xena, the daughter of Josh, that was his cousin and that he actually pressured her ready to get married to date. And that was meant to give a good example of the Brotherhood of Islam and standing against the aristocracy, which was common among Arabs.
Secondly, we indicated that zeyneb found that it was difficult for her to rid herself of this kind of customs. So there were some problems between her and her husband. And the husband complained to the Prophet
complained to the Prophet and the Prophet, even though he knew through revelation that this marriage will not last. He asked him to hold on to his wife and to be patient
and kept hiding the information that he had, that it won’t work anyway.
But after a divorce, Xena, the prophet was commanded through revelation to get married to
designer.
And, by way of clarification also indicated the difference between fostering and adoption, which was really the basic legal issue, or legislative purpose behind the marriage of the Prophet from Xena.
The last question was
whether the Prophet actually was really commanded to do this or was it his choice? And actually said that even if he were not commanded to do that by divine revelation, even his decision is unblemished? There could be no question about that. But in fact, there is an evidence
receiving a specific instructions to be the first one to break this kind of taboo or social custom that was not acceptable simply from the legislative standpoint. Well, of course, we pick up on that point to begin today’s program. And perhaps I could ask you to comment and give us the specific reference to this evidence in the Koran. The most manifest evidence appeared in Surah, number 33, in passage 37, which clearly says,
just to pick the part that’s really to question, but a Mako does a to mean how often the word NACA, which means when Zaid, that’s the former husband, dissolve is managed with her, we joined her in marriage to you, the speaker is in that case is God Himself, alive speaks and he says we’ve got to join her in marriage to you. It could have saved Wednesday it dissolved his marriage, you’re mad at her. And there’s a big difference. So that means that it was a command to the Prophet, not something out of his own choice, and not something based on his own desires to marry her. No one that actually Xena used to boast on other wives of the Prophet by saying the two people who are married here, but
it was God who commanded the prophet to marry me just by way of speaking about the privilege she had.
So that seems to
confirm what was indicated in the previous program that the marriage of the Prophet from Xena was intended for the establishment in a practical way, have a new legislative rule that the adopted son is not to be exactly the same as the natural son in the matters of marrying their divorcees
The reason that you refer to was this based only on historical evidence, or is it also mentioned in the in the column? And if so, could you tell us where Let me begin. So first by saying that, even if there’s no explicit mention, of that, in the Quran, the historical evidence, the reason of revelation that has just been explained,
is quite sufficient to indicate that the purpose behind that marriage was legislated. It’s quite legitimate.
But the fact of the method is that it is actually mentioned in the Quran explicitly.
The verses in the Quran that deals with the topic of the marriage of the Prophet from Xena, especially the one that you mentioned before among verse actually, so I’m picking the points as we go on. Verse 37, in Surah, number 33.
This is this verses are preceded in the very same surah or chapter, some people call it
that’s in verse four and five in the very big
Getting
expressed for the first time, quite manifestly the disapproval of the system of adoption as practiced by the Arabs at that time. And the idea of giving a false identity to the adopted child, the name of the of the foster father or adopting funding. And the verse is quite clear, it says, One Jehovah,
God, or Allah
did not make your adopted sons, your sons, which means they are not the same as your naturally sons. And this
indicates that the intent of God really was to change that system of adoption, as was known among the herbs and to change it more in line with what you might call today, perhaps, a system of fostering. And of course, by implication, once you get into that, then the diversity of a foster child, as should be really called,
should be regarded legally as just at the mercy of a foster child, not the diversity of a natural child Yes, and that she would be entitled to remarry. Even the person was regarded as a foster father is not the same position like a natural child. In addition to this evidence, we find that an even more explicit and expressed mention about in the Quran to explain
this is the proper understanding of it. And the verse I referred to before, that’s inshallah 33, verse 37.
It says, de la cabeza de minha matanza, virginica, Michaela Hakuna and Amina haraguchi. As much as
that is Wednesday, dissolve his marriage with her says rejoined you or profit with heart as we indicated before in marriage, and then it’s a gift that is, in order that there may be new difficulty or no barrier
to the believers in the matter of marriage with the divorcees that is of their adopted sons. In my humble understanding that nothing could be more conclusive than more explicit than this, to indicate that this was the purpose behind the knowledge. And it shows quite clearly that the various versions presented by some orientalists and missionaries
are totally baseless. Given all kinds of fictitious
proofs that you’ve given so far are more than adequate. However,
there are some orientalists in that missionaries who claim that the
Koran testifies that the Prophet was hiding his love for Zeinab and his desire to marry her.
How would you respond to
that particular?
One? I would, first of all say it is absolutely untrue. factually speaking, there is no single
verse in the entire Quran. That stage what they say that says the Prophet was hiding his love of Xena. Yes. What the Quran simply say is that when Zaid complained to the Prophet about the tension between him and his wife,
it simply said that the Prophet counseled him to hold on to his wife, and it says, and the Prophet hit something
in his in his self image, not the punch system information. But what is that thing that the Prophet was hiding? So, in other words, I’m saying here that what they put is an interpretation not That’s excellent. Yes. And their interpretation is definitely erroneous for the following reason. Yes. When we refer to that verse, actually, it says, Behold,
that’s addressing the Prophet, you did say to one who had received the grace of Allah, and your favor, referring to the husband of Daniel, retain you in wedlock, your wife, and fear Allah. But you means Muhammad, peace be upon him, you did hide in your heart, that which Allah was about to make manifest. So all the verses simply that when the Prophet counseled him, there was something that the Prophet hit in his heart did not declare.
What is that thing? It is true, and maybe that’s the reason why they stick to some of those weaker versions and keep making a whole theory out of that.
Is that the professor of the Quran, the famous one of poverty in volume 22, page 10.
indicates as any historian but perhaps without sufficient verification that they
they have been, he said, some narrations or reports
that the thing that the Prophet hid in his heart was either the love of Xena or the hope that they may divorce her and that is a divorce is Harvey
may get married to her.
It is interesting to notice that in one of these reports narrated by somebody who’s normally more careful than that, it says females, okay? And female can mean something, as it has been said. And if you really examine it, Visa V, the basic rules of verification that has been used in Islamic literature, who had come home and go back to verify the chain of narration to verify the integrity of reporters. So in one of those stories, even there’s no trace.
And another story, he trace it through some of the companions of the Prophet.
But even then, they could be a major question about the authenticity of that particular report. But even if that report is given by way of interpretation or understanding of a person, no person, including even the companions of the Prophet are infallible. And, as we mentioned before, that kind of explanation seem to be more connected with the story that we discussed a couple of programs ago, that this notion of the desire to marry, Xena
was a story that was initiated originally by the adversaries of the Prophet, especially the hypocrites and other people.
And that many careful scholars did not mention it at all. Like it may Samson does not include that story in his famous work. And other scholars like advocacy and ethnography, as zuri and Shelley are very well known scholars who check that report and found it to be
unauthentic.
And there’s no question in my mind that, even if that report were to be authentic, even could have been a mistaken understanding of whoever reported it, if one considered the context of that particular person, the verses around it.
Could you perhaps elaborate as to why, in your view, that explanation is is erroneous? It is erroneous because if we say that the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him had had any desire to get married to Xena pours his cousin and not to him, he married her beforehand, before he pressured her to get married,
as we mentioned before,
and there is no man who would like to see the one who wants to marry, go to harsh pressure, have to get married to some other man live with him, and then wait until he divorces how to get married doesn’t make any any sense at all. No.
But even if we take the other assumption that already, he loved the hard later, and wanted to get married to her after she was already married to date, when number one, what’s what’s happened all of a sudden, falling in love. And he had already known her as a cousin, very close to the family. What happened all of a sudden after she married another man, based on his own urging, doesn’t make sense. But even if we were to take that very unlikely assumption, which is not true, it would contradict the following facts.
Number one,
to say for example, that the Prophet fell in love with with Xena while he is married, desire to marry her while she was already married to another person is totally inconsistent with the amply proven, unblemished purity and chastity of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him known about him, his throughout his entire life, even before the prophet who then before even he got married.
More important is that this assumption also, as I said earlier, is contradictory with the context of those verses. Why?
If one looks carefully into that key verse, verse 37, and surah, number 33.
I left it to him. What action nasarah Maha can attend the Prophet basically, don’t feed people. Why were you afraid of telling this information that you have? Don’t be afraid of people fear God, or fear Allah alone, which means that this matter will be revealed later. So don’t worry.
Now, if that thing that the Prophet was hiding, was the love of somebody, his neighbor’s wife.
As the doctor that was a explains, would that kind of infection to fall in love with the wife of your neighbor? Could that receive divine chance sanction in public in the Quran? And say, You’re right, don’t fear of people. That’s okay. Just simply unthinkable, totally untenable assumption.
Because this is almost like translating. All you love the universe, right? But that’s all right. Don’t hide it from people to God.
There’s no parallel to that. That’s all in the Quran. Secondly, as indicated, that the verse itself even says, We joined heart in marriage
To you, not that you wanted to make her we heard that you we commanded you to get married to her.
Certainly Verizon is given that verse, it says, In order, that in the future that is, there may be no difficulty to the believers in the matter of marriage with the wives of their adopted sons, when the letters have dissolved their marriage with them and Allah, and unless command must be fulfilled, last command must be fulfilled, which means it was a comment actually the profit difference in that particular function or duty entrusted to him.
A third evidence
is that if you move to the next verse, that’s verse 38. In the same surah,
it says, Mecca, Allah NaVi Manhattan, FEMA follow the law, which means there can be no difficulty or blame or barrier to the prophet in what Allah has indicated to him as a duty, as a duty. And that very verse also ended by saying, and the commandment of Allah is a decree determined as a property himself. The one we quoted earlier, in his commentary on the Quran says, For the Love, that God indicated to him as a duty means the command to get married to the diversity of his foster rather than adopted to the foster son died after he divorces her.
And not because he wanted to get married.
As Nolan, Emma would do it in his the meaning of the commentary, the English version in volume 10. In page 113, says, in the court, when Allah enjoins something on his prophet, he has to accomplish it, even if the whole world is deadly against it. At first reason, you continue with the next verse number 39.
Again, it emphasizes, it says under the name of the owner, he said, as he was showing Who will I have shown in law, which means it is the practice of those who convey the messages of Allah, and fear Him, and fears none but Allah. And enough is Allah to call persons to account. Now,
the it is termed for the Prophet then don’t be afraid, that the thing that are the information that you are hiding or keeping in your heart will eventually come out that this marriage with between Zenith and light, will not continue. Don’t be afraid that God’s will, or the new world order you to get married to sign up for a legislative purpose. So don’t be afraid of that. And then it says, because you have to convey the duties entrusted to you, by God, just to me is so obvious and so clear, is treason.
Continue with the following verse and just trying to read the full spectrum. So that didn’t even notice understanding about this issue.
Verse 40, that’s interesting.
It says McKenna Mohammedan, about having marriage adequan onec, Eros will ally,
which means Muhammad is not the father of any of your men. And remember that all male children of the Prophet died in infancy, young age. And then it continues, but he is that Mohammed, the apostle of Allah and the seal of the prophets. And Allah has full knowledge of all things. What is intended here when it says Mohammed is not the father of any of your men, which means Muhammad is not the natural father of the date.
See, he’s not that natural father of sight. But he’s the Messenger of God, which again, emphasize the fact that the purpose is legislative, and to make sure that a natural sun should not be confused with a with a foster son. So what I’m saying basically, that if we consider this context of these verses, and consistently one after the other, all of them, show in no uncertain terms, that the Prophet peace be upon him, Prophet Muhammad was chosen by Allah, to break that artificial taboo and barriers towards marriage of those women
to break that habit that was among the pagan Arabs and it needed really someone of the magnitude in status of the prophet to begin breaking this well established tradition among the Arabs. In fact, I would say that this episode in itself, is a clear evidence that the Quran is entirely revelation from Allah, not of the unmaking or authorship of Prophet Muhammad. Peace.
I’m sure that
some of our viewers may be wondering as to how you relate this episode to the the 30 of the the Quran. Could you explain the connection when the connection basically
Is that the verses here to speak about something very private, something that was in the heart of the Prophet, and no human being knew what is in the heart of the prophet or what the information he had a revelation as to what’s going to happen in the matter of divorce on marriage.
And as such, it is information that nobody else knew. If the prophets were to be regarded as the author of the Quran, why should he speak about this? You know, private thoughts and then the verse itself says, Why are you hiding it? So it’s almost like chastising him, don’t worry about it. So why should he tell people and concoct wording or verses to reveal something that nobody even knew about it before and which include his own rebuke, even for even hesitating or at least having this sort of worry about what is going to happen in the future?
Now, we find the connection here is quite beautiful, expressed in the words of his wife, Ayesha, who said that if Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, we were not was where to hide or conceal anything of the revelation, he would have conceived that verse,
then there is a vested interest not only many, you know, concocting, but even if the Prophet was receiving the revelation of the Quran, but he had the choice to reveal or to hide, if there’s any motive for him to hide any verse from the Quran, he would have hit that verse because nobody else is.
So that means actually, that he was absolutely meticulous, and had the full integrity in conveyed whatever word is revealed, of the word of Allah or unto him exactly as he received it, even those verses that might sound even like being too critical of him, even with good innocent decisions or thoughts that he might have had in mind. That’s why I said it’s connected actually, with the authority and source of the Quran.
Your answer might have triggered a another question in the minds of some of our viewers
that might raise the question as to whether or not the worries of the Prophet were an indication of his hesitancy to carry out the command of Allah. The commandment is to Mary’s on it? If so, would it be a proper would that be appropriate to his role as a prophet, and as a model of obedience to Allah, in your opinion, what to begin with, anyone who views the life of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, is bound to find that he has been a role model in the implementation of the commands of Allah, there is no single incident that indicates that he ever disobeyed any command, or even hesitated to carry out that command. But as as that was explained, he said this word is on the
Prophet about the development that was revealed to him that’s going to take place was not at all a matter of hesitancy in implementing the command of law. Because up to that point, the Prophet did not receive a direct command in the Quran, that he should get married to Xena because she was still living with Woodside, he was simply told that he will be commanded to marry heart in the future. And that’s such His Word is really has nothing to do had nothing to do with the disobedience to Allah, he was definitely ready to implement the command of Allah when it comes.
But of course, he thought also, that to break this long established customer and face the criticism of the people who consider the diversity of a foster son, as he should be called really just like a diversity of a natural son, it would have been regarded to them as a terrible thing to do. So we never thought to be disobedient. But he was worried as a human, of course, that you know what people might say to me. And even when the Quran says, You should hear Allah and don’t, you know, fear other people, it does not mean that he put the fear of people above the fear of Allah. But just like when I say, Don’t lose your trust in me, it doesn’t mean that you have any distrust in me, but I’m just
giving you that assurance at the time when you really need to, to be inspired, and that I want to really inspire more courage and fortitude to face a difficult duty that is going to be assigned to you. One thing that just like to add by way of completion,
that some scholars also said that there is a possibility that what the prophet also was worried about could have been that people might say that the marriage that he arranged failed, he was the one who arranged the marriage between Zenith and Zaid and pressure Dinah to accept that. And then he might have been worried also that he will say, all right, you know, the prophet himself, arranged the knowledge but it didn’t, it didn’t succeed. However, I would say that the earlier explanation that we
disgust is perhaps the most likely one.
Because, of course, it’s much more difficult for the prophet to hear people say, Oh, he got married to the daughter of the elder to the diversity of his adopted son, it’s much more hard than saying kinetic chain, because failure of marriage or its success, was not totally under control of the socket and happens all the time. But in any case, I don’t think there’s any room at all, really, as some oriental to say,
not to entertain the
theory about that particular marriage, which sound to me, after examining objectively those reasons, as more fiction really, then a careful, honest and objective analysis of the situation, right? We only have a couple moments left on today’s program. But there is another area that I do want to touch on, perhaps we’ll go to it, we may have come back within the next week program. But the issues have raised in the in the oils writings that while the Prophet had restricted his followers to a minimum of four lies, himself broke the law may have more than four wives. How would you comment on that? Well, I’m glad that you put it almost as they say, even though of course, the way they put it
is quite objectionable. And it relates actually to the question that you raised earlier. My initial reaction to this that the way they put it, as you described, which is true
to that they say that, that it’s true itself.
carries is a source of a subtle
assumption that Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him is not a genuine fortress for profit. Some people might say, why, I mean, what’s the connection? The connection is that the restriction of the number of wives
the first time that the Quran limited the, the unlimited practice among the Arabs of getting married to too many wives, that when the Quran limited to four, that was not the words of the Prophet, yes, that was actually the divine revelation, it was the word of Allah who revealed it to the Prophet, and that became, you know, a new regulation.
And the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, as you indicated several times, many times indicated that the Quran is not his own words. The restrictions or injunctions in the Quran are not of his own making, but rather, it is the command of Allah simply communicated through him. So for the scholars to keep repeating, that it was the Prophet, or implying, at least insinuating that it was the prophet who sort of that that idea is, oh, yeah, well, if we limited the number of wives to four now, it would be good. It is just tantamount to accusing him of lying and matter that has been clearly contrary to his character and evidence available. And we have seen lots of those evidence as
we went on and in the series on the Quran, the official doctrine are called ultimate miracle. Other words, something like 32 problems that gives all kinds of rational, historical, even scientific reason to conclude that the Quran could have never been written by Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him or authored by him. I tried to stick the answer so far only to the issue of the
the the tone Yes, of the statements that the orientalist make. Yes, but we’ll be glad to come back to the specific issue of the why the Prophet married more than four even though it is in the Quran. Yes, we’ll have to do that in our next program because unfortunately, we’ve exhausted our top
one Thank you all for watching. Assalamu alaikum Peace be on TV.
