Analysis of The Ideal Marital Life of The Holy Prophetﷺ

 

Analysis of The Ideal Marital Life of The Holy Prophet ﷺ

Introduction: In the recent it could be seen that people raise questions about the marital life of The Holy Prophet ﷺ especially about his marriage with Hazrat E Aisha, The daughter of his the most closest companion called Hazrat E Abu Bakar Siddique. From one of the controversial magazines of this world, The French Magazine “Charlie Hebdo” to every social media platform, n number of the people could be seen raising questions about the same moreover they use various slanderous terms against The Holy Prophet ﷺ for the same reason. And so very recently a spokesperson of a political party of our country raised similar questions on a national TV.

1. His Marriages:

1.1 Before discussing the objective of this article first see why this slanderous accusation is made for The Holy Prophet ﷺ ?

This disgusting and serious accusation is made cause The Holy Prophet got married with the daughter of his the most closest companion called Hazrat E Abu Bakar Siddique in the age of 6 and then He consummated his marriage to her when she was 9.

Narrated `Aisha[1]:

that The Prophet (ﷺ) married her when she was six years old and he consummated his marriage when she was nine years old, and then she remained with him for nine years (i.e., till his death).

So the slanderous accusation is made cause he got consummated his marriage to her when she was 9.

Keeping the accusation on the Holy Prophet ﷺ in the mind, Lets analyze the marital life of The Prophet ﷺ. Name of the brides or concubines of him with their age are mentioned in the following table:

S.No.	Name of Bride	Bride’s age at marriage	Comments
1.	Khadija Bint Khawliad	40	Twice widowed before
2.	Sauda Bint Zama	50	Widow
3.	Aisha Bint Abu Bakr	9	Started living with The Prophet at the age of 9.
4.	Hafsa Bint Umar bin Khattab	22	Widow
5.	Zainab bint Khuzaima	30	Widow
6.	Umm-e-Salma bint Abu Umaiya	26	Widow
7.	Zainab Bint Jahash	38	Widow
8.	Juwaeria bint Harith	20	Widow
9.	Umm-e-Habiba bint Abu Sufiyan	36	Widow
10.	Marya Qibtiya bint Shamum	17	Virgin, Egyptian
11.	Safia bint Hayi bin Akhtab	17	Widow
12.	Maimuna bint Harith	36	Widow

After seeing the stats of the table[2] it could be easily concluded that, In more than 80% of his marriages, He got married with a widow. The stats clearly depict his purpose of marriage which was nothing but to grant widow women the shelter and protection in terms of marriage (Nikah). The respect these women got after marrying with The Holy Prophet ﷺ was such high that they are remembered as family even in this era. Apart from that one must not forget the status of women, their age of puberty, the custom of remarrying, place of widow in the society at that time in the particular region while discussing the marital life of The Prophet ﷺ of Islam.  

He came to teach people about the equality, respect towards women in general. He granted the rights of widow to remarry. He married younger one Hazrat-e-Aisha (R.A.) in order to explain to the world the correct behavior and personal issues of husband and wife. She was younger so she lived longest time with the Prophet ﷺ. The learning she acquired from him, she continued to give to the women even after the departure of The Prophet ﷺ from this world.

1.2 Still people raise questions about his marriage with Hazrat e Aisha especially considering that how could he consummated her in her young age of 9?

Well in the religion of Islam, It is permissible to get married when one reaches in the age of puberty and maturity of intellect.

The verse[3] of Quran says “And remain testing the orphans, until they are able to marry; then if you find them of right understanding, deliver to them their property and consume it not in extravagance and in such haste that they should not reach their maturity. And whose is not needy, let him abstain and whosoever is needy, let him consume it with equity. But when you deliver them their property, then take witnesses against them. And Allah is sufficient in taking account.”

And puberty[4] is a natural phenomenon that occurs at varying ages in different individuals. Research in global human behavior seems to indicate that girls and boys who are born and live in warmer parts of the world are more likely to reach puberty earlier than their peers living in the colder regions and climates of the world. For example, those who live in middle eastern Arab countries tend to reach puberty at an earlier age compared to those who live in Northern European countries.

Moreover Even in US itself in various different states the minimum age of marriage[5] is different. For in Massachusetts the minimum age of marriage for females is 12 while the same for males is 14. Similarly 2 states (Alaska and Vermont) of it have minimum age of marriage is 14. 3 states (Hawaii, Kansas and Maryland) have a minimum age of marriage is 15. And 23 states have a minimum age of marriage is 16.

Now, it could be clearly concluded that puberty reaches to the individual according to the living region of the one in the world.

 There is another Hadith which may remove ambiguity about the same. The Hadith says:

Narrated `Aisha[6]:

That the Prophet (ﷺ) said to her, "You have been shown to me twice in my dream. I saw you pictured on a piece of silk and some-one said (to me). 'This is your wife.' When I uncovered the picture, I saw that it was yours. I said, 'If this is from Allah, it will be done."

So it could be clearly concluded that he got married with her due the wish of Almighty Allah and she was mature enough and in the age of puberty when He consummated her.

2. False allegation of child abuser:

2.1 For discussing this thing first we have to know that what is the definition of child abuse[7]?

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines child abuse and child maltreatment as "all forms of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child's health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power." The WHO also says, "Violence against children includes all forms of violence against people under 18 years old, whether perpetrated by parents or other caregivers, peers, romantic partners, or strangers."

There are various types of child maltreatment and child sexual abuse or maltreatment is one of them.

2.2 What is this child sexual abuse (CSA)?

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent abuses a child for sexual stimulation. Sexual abuse refers to the participation of a child in a sexual act aimed toward the physical gratification or the financial profit of the person committing the act. Forms of CSA include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities (regardless of the outcome), indecent exposure of the genitals to a child, displaying pornography to a child, actual sexual contact with a child, physical contact with the child's genitals, viewing of the child's genitalia without physical contact, or using a child to produce child pornography. Selling the sexual services of children may be viewed and treated as child abuse rather than simple incarceration.

Effects of child sexual abuse on the victim(s) include guilt and self blame, flashbacks, nightmares,  insomnia, fear of things associated  with the abuse (including objects, smells, places, doctor's visits, etc.), self-esteem difficulties, sexual dysfunction, chronic pain, addiction, self-injury, suicidal ideation, somatic complaints, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, other mental illnesses including borderline personality disorder and dissociative identity disorder, propensity to re-victimization in adulthood, bulimia nervosa, and physical injury to the child, among other problems.

People use the term ‘victim of child sexual abuse’ for Hazrat e Aisha , However no such symptom was seen in her entire life moreover her state of mind was that much good that most of the hadiths regarding to women concerns are narrated from her only. She is also known for narrating more than 2000 hadiths[8] not just related to The Prophet’s private life, but also on topics such inheritance, pilgrimage and eschatology. And so most of the Ulama (Religious scholar) says that The Prophet got married to her in her young age cause he wanted someone who could resolve the concerns regarding to women and spread the correct view of the religion among the women. 

So false allegations against the Prophet is nothing but slanderous attempt to malign the image of The Holy Prophet ﷺ of Islam who actually uplifted the lives of women and granted them most basic rights.

Above this all,  a verse[9] of Quran as my cover photo of this write up which says that, “And We send not you but a mercy for all worlds” so the one who is mercy for all worlds how He could be the reason of difficulty for one of his wives itself?

So, Alhamdulillah it is clearly proven that any such allegation against the Holy Prophet ﷺ is false and baseless.

And Almighty Allah knows the best.

------------------------------------------

-Irshad Ahmed Noori

M.Tech (Environmental Science and Engineering)

Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.

 

---

[1]Sahih al-Bukhari 5133

[2] Syed Abu Zafar Zain/ The Prophet of Islam, the Ideal Husband/ Ist Ed., pg. 10 -12

[3] Quran/ Kanzul Iman / 4:6

[4] Al-islam.org/ The religion of Al-Islam and Marriage / Arifa Hudda

[5] Wikipedia/ Marriage age in United states

[6] Sahih al-Bukhari 3895 

[7] Wikipedia/ Child Abuse

[8] Wikipedia/ Aisha

[9] Quran/ KanzulIman/ 21:107

Proof and significance of Qurbani religiously and scientifically

 Proof  and significance of Qurbani religiously and scientifically

                                                                                                                        

History:
It is believed in the religion of Islam that Almighty Allah عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ once asked Prophet Ibrahim  عليه السلام that HE (Almighty Allah عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) asked the Prophet to sacrifice something dearest to him. Prophet Ibrahim عليه السلام decided to give away his beloved 13 year-old son Ismail  عليه السلام as a gratitude to Almighty Allah عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ on HIS command. However, observing his gesture, Almighty Allah عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ intervened by sending his angel Jibra'il  عليه السلام (Gabriel) to accept  his sacrifice, who then put a sheep (Dumba) in his beloved son's place. From that day onwards, people commemorate this festival by sacrificing an animal, which is then divided into three parts. These three parts are then distributed - one part is given to the relatives, friends and neighbors; second part to the poor and needy; and the third is kept with themselves.

Religious Proof & Significance: Quranic verses and Hadiths about the context.
Quranic verses:
There are number of the verses of Quran which directly acknowledge the Qurbani. English translations of few verses from Kanzul Iman which was composed by the great sufi saint Aala Hazrat Imam Ahmed Raza Barelwi are following:

A[1]. Therefore offer prayer for your Lord (Allahعَزَّوَجَلّ), and do the sacrifice.

B[2]. Say you, 'Undoubtedly, my prayer, and my sacrifices, and my living and my dying are all for Allah Who is the Lord (Almighty Allah  عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) of all the worlds.

C[3]. And for every nation, We appointed a sacrifice that they might mention the name of

Allah عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ over the mute quadrupeds that He has provided to them. But your God (Almighty Allah  عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ)  is one God (Almighty Allah  عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ), then submit to Him only and O beloved! Give glad tidings to the humble. 

D[4]. And We made the sacrificial bulky animals (cattle) among the symbols of

Allah عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ for you. In them, there is Good for you. So mention the name of Allah عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ over them while standing in line with three legs and tied up with one leg, then hen their sides fall down, eat there of yourself and feed the contented and the beggars, thus We have subjected them to you, so that you may be thankful.

Other Quranic references are as follow as: Al-Baqara : 196, Al-Imran : 183, Al-Maidah : 2,
Al-Maidah : 95, Al-Maidah : 97 and Al-Fat-h : 25.
The best part of these all references is that the translation of these verses are almost same according to all the translators who had translated the Quran in urdu.

Hadiths: Similarly there are number of the hadiths who acknowledge Qurbani from the all prominent books of hadith.
Few of them are following:

A[5]. Narrated 'Aishah:

That the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "A human does no action from the actions on the day of Nahr more beloved to Allah then spilling blood. On the Day of judgement, it will appear with its horns, and hair, and hooves, and indeed the blood will be accepted by Allah from where it is received before it even falls upon earth, so let your heart delight in it."

This Hadith for those who believe that the money could be given to the poor or could be used for other good deed rather than sacrificing animals on the day. Prophet ﷺ said this 1400 years ago as he knew that ignorant will try to divert the innocent muslims. 

B[6]. Narrated Al-Bara':
The Prophet (ﷺ) went towards Al-Baqi (the graveyard at Medina) on the day of Id-ul-Adha and offered a two-rak`at prayer (of `Id-ul-Adha) and then faced us and said, "On this day of ours, our first act of worship is the offering of prayer and then we will return and slaughter the sacrifice, and whoever does this concords with our Sunna; and whoever slaughtered his sacrifice before that (i.e. before the prayer) then that was a thing which he prepared earlier for his family and it would not be considered as a Nusuk (sacrifice.)" A man stood up and said, "O, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! I slaughtered (the animal before the prayer) but I have a young she-goat which is better than an older sheep." The Prophet (ﷺ) said to him, "Slaughter it. But a similar sacrifice will not be sufficient for anybody else after you."

C[7]. Jabir reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:
I have sacrificed (the animals) here, and the whole of Mina is a place for sacrifice; so sacrifice your animals at your places. 1 have stayed here (near these rocks), and the whole of Arafat is a place for stay. And I have stayed here (at Muzdalifa near Mash'ar al-Haram and the whole of Muzdalifa) is a place for stay (i.e. one is permitted to spend night in any part of it, as one likes).

D[8]. It was narrated that Nubaishah said:
"A man called out to the Prophet and said: 'We used to sacrifice the 'Atirah - i.e., during the Jahiliyyah - in Rajab; what do you command us to do?' He said: 'Sacrifice, whatever month it is, do good for the sake of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, and feed (the poor).' He said: 'We used to sacrifice the Fara' during the Jahiliyyah; what do you command us to do?' He said: 'For every

flock of grazing animals, feed the firstborn as you feed the rest of your flock until it reaches an age where it could be used to carry loads, then sacrifice it, and give its meat in charity, for that is good."'

E[9]. Narrated Anas bin Malik:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) threw pebbles at the last jamrah (Jamrat al-'Aqabah) on the day of sacrifice. He then returned to his lodging at Mina. He called for a sacrificial animal which he slaughtered. He then called for a barber. He held the right side of his head and shaved it. He then began to distribute among those who were around him one or two hair each. He then held the left side of his head and shaved it. Again he said: Is Abu Talhah here ? He then gave it (the hair shaved off) to Abu Talhah.

F[10]. It has been reported that 'Uqbah bin Amir said: "The Prophet (ﷺ) distributed the sacrificial animals and I was left with a Jadha', so I asked the Prophet (ﷺ) about it and he said: 'Sacrifice it for yourself.'" (Another chain) with this Hadith.

G[11]. Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from Abbad ibn Tamin that one time Uwaymir ibn Ashqar sacrificed his animal before the prayer on the morning of the Day of Sacrifice, and he mentioned that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had ordered him to sacrifice another animal.

H[12]. It was narrated that ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) said:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade offering an animal that has lost a horn or ear as a sacrifice.

Other books of Hadith[13] such as Bulugh Al Maram, Al Adab Al Mufrad, Shamail Muhammadiyah and Riyad us Saliheen etc. have the evidences of sacrificing animals.

Islamic way of slaughtering:

Islamic way of slaughtering is Halal. Halal is Arabic for permissible. Halal food is that which adheres to Islamic law, as defined in the Quran Sharif. The Islamic form of slaughtering animals or poultry dhabiha involves killing through a cut to the jugular vein, carotid artery and windpipe.

Animals must be alive and healthy at the time of slaughter and all blood is drained from the carcass. During the process, a Muslim will recite a dedication, know as tasmiya or shahada.

Apart from these mandatory things, various other activities are practiced before and after the process are following:

A. Sufficient water is given to the cattle. At some places people make them bath as well. And make them wear some fragrance and flower's garland.

B. Cattle are not slaughtered in front of the other cattle.

C. A dig is made before the process and cattle are aligned in such a way that all their blood gets collected in the dig. And then the dig is buried.

D. Wastes of the carcass which are prohibited to eat are also buried in another dig hole. At some places wastes of it are thrown on the roads though, which is absolutely pathetic and condemnable. The religion doesn't acknowledge such practices at all.

E. The skin of the carcass is generally delivered to nearest mosques as charity which generates revenue for mosques further sending it to leather industries.

The purpose of Qurbani: Qurbani educate us to raise our awareness of the act of giving. Sacrificing livestock has substantial meaning in Islam as the sacrifice of Prophet

Ibrahim عليه السلا is what marks the very reason we sacrifice during Qurbani.

There are various significance of it. The Most of them are following:

A. Brotherhood: The act is a symbolization of equality amongst all Muslims. The meat from the sacrificed animal is divided into three equal parts; one part for yourself, one for close members of your family and one for those in need.

It teaches us the valuable act of giving and shows them that as people, we are all equal. Many around us cannot afford good meat; this occasion allows them the opportunity to enjoy the food we often take for granted.

It makes the relationships with the closed family members better or gives us a reason solving disputes, if there is any concern with them.

B. Sacrifice: The word Qurbani itself means ‘sacrifice’ and it serves as a strong reminder to us that anything that is precious can be sacrificed. The animals that are subject to sacrifice are cared for and looked after and seen as valuable and important assets.

C. Prosperity: The festival Qurbani brings prosperity for rural economy. For understanding, 20 Crore muslims are going to celebrate Eid ul Adha on August 1st, 2020. If 10% of the muslims do sacrifice goats costing average ₹8000, it will generate ₹16000 Cr of circulation by simple arithmetic in no time. That is of course belonged to rural economy. If 5 goats are managed by a farmer,  then (2Cr÷5)=40Lac farmers will get additional income cum employment according to simple arithmetic. This is bare a minimum estimate. The actual data could be double of it considering the sacrifices of buffaloes in many parts of India.

D. Respect and Reverence: The sacrifice that is performed signifies a willing obedience towards our Creator Almighty Allahعَزَّ وَ جَلّ. It symbolises that loyalty we have for our Creator Almighty Allah and that we are willing to follow all His commandments. Reverence is an important part of faith and this act is only a small part of our overall obligation.

Scientific Proof & Significance:
There is a very basic concept of science called Ecology which is discussed before secondary standard on basic level and after secondary it is discussed bit elaborately in biology.
So What is Ecology?
Ecology is a branch of biology concerning interactions among organisms and their biophysical environment, which includes both biotic and abiotic components. 
In ecology further the concept of biodiversity is discussed.
Now What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity is the variety of all life on earth including plants animals and fungi. An ecosystem is a large community of all living things in a particular area. Healthy biodiversity is essential for healthy ecosystem.
So in the concept of biodiversity, There are two sub topics which are discussed that are food chain and food web.
Now What is food chain?
All living things, including you, need energy to survive which we get from food. Most plants make their own food from the sun, the process is called photosynthesis animals however cannot produce their own food so have to eat other animals or plants to produce the energy for living. A food chain is a drawing that shows who eats what in the environment.

 Let’s consider an example[14] of food chain: It says food chain refers to the sequence of events in an ecosystem, where one organism eats another and then is eaten by another organism. it starts with the primary source like sun or grass where producers make food, continues with consumers or animals who eat the food, and ends with the top predator.

Now What is food Web?
Most animals are part of more than one food chain. So connecting the food chains together form food web. Lets consider an example[15] of food web:

Both the examples of food chain and food web clearly depicts that human beings eat goats, camels, buffaloes and trouts etc. Now a thing could be clearly said that the food chain concept is one of the most eco friendly concepts which is taught to a kid since his or her childhood. However,  if human beings stop eating these cattle, that would be menace for the entire ecosystem as food chain breaks. So now question raises,

How does a food chain break and what could be the potential consequences of it?
When one of the links (species) in a food chain is no longer present ( for example a species goes extent or a feral animal takes over) the food chain breaks. Sometimes this can cause other animals in the food chain to disappear as well and the whole ecosystem can become imbalanced or even collapse.

For example[16], the number of dingoes in Australia have been dramatically reduced due to hunting. As dingoes are in Apex predator ( they sit right at the top of a food chain) their disappearance from certain areas has contributed to an unsustainable increase

in Kangaroo numbers which in some areas has resulted in grassland being overgrazed.

In general[17], loss species in a region may lead to loss of biodiversity. And loss of biodiversity in a region may lead to
A. Decline in plant production.
B. Lowered resistance to environmental perturbations such as draught and
C. Increased variability in certain ecosystem processes such as plant productivity, water use and pest in disease cycles.

Similarly other example[18] says If one species in the food web ceases to exist, one or more members in the rest of the chain could cease to exist too. A plant or animal doesn't even have to become extinct to affect one of its predators. The harelip sucker fish, for example, used to eat snails in the 19th century. After waste, topsoil and other debris invaded rivers where the fish

lived, the snail population dwindled. The U.S. Geological Survey notes that this decline probably caused the fish to go extinct.

Very recently, on July 18th, 2020 CNN Climate[19] posted a post on its Instagram handle which says that "Methane emissions are at a record high, according to a study from the Global Carbon Project, which showed that cattle ranching is the main reason for increased methane levels. "Emissions from cattle and other ruminants are almost as large as those from the fossil

fuel industry for methane," said Rob Jackson, research team leader and Stanford professor. "People joke about burping cows without realizing how big the source really is,"Jackson said. Climate models suggest that increased methane levels could raise global temperatures by 3 to 4 degrees Celsius by 2100, researchers said." 

And it is known to all that Methane[20] is one of the main gases of greenhouse gases after Carbon dioxide which is responsible for global warming. Carbon dioxide constitutes around 76% of greenhouse gases globally whereas Methane constitutes around 16% of greenhouse gases and rest of the gases are Nitrous Oxide and Fluorinated gases according to IPCC 2014.

                                   

Conclusion: Various potential consequences could be occurred if human beings stop eating cattle are as follow as:
A. The food chain breaks which may cause to imbalance or even collapse the entire ecosystem.
B. As CNN climate report says increased cattle ranching increases methane level. And the researcher said in the report that you can't take cow's burping lightly.
C. Methane is one of the main gases of greenhouse gas effect. Increasing its level would contribute to global warming which is considered as catastrophe worldwide.
D. Overgrazing could be occurred as it occurred in Australia when number of Kangaroos increased over there unsustainably.

With that, I rest my case here. I hope the argument I have given proving Qurbani eco-friendly has provided sufficient pointers to think through it deeply. Until I see you in our next article, give it a thought.

-By Irshad Ahmed Noori

M. Tech ( Environmental Science and Engineering )

Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi

---

[1] Quran 108:2; Kanzul Iman; Imam Ahmed Raza; http://ahadees.com/

[2] Quran 6:162; Kanzul Iman; Imam Ahmed Raza; http://ahadees.com/

[3] Quran 22:34; Kanzul Iman; Imam Ahmed Raza; http://ahadees.com/ 

[4] Quran 22:36; Kanzul Iman; Imam Ahmed Raza; http://ahadees.com/

[5] Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1493 ; In-book : Book 19, Hadith 1

[6] Sahih al-Bukhari 976 ; In-book : Book 13, Hadith 25

[7] Sahih Muslim 1218 c ; In-book : Book 15, Hadith 161

[8] Sunan an-Nasa'I  4231 ; In-book : Book 41, Hadith 10

[9] Sunan Abi Dawud 1981; In-Book : 11, Hadith 11

[10] Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1500 ; In-book : Book 19, Hadith 11

[11] Muwatta Malik; Arabic : Book 23, Hadith 1035; USC-MSA web (English) : Book 23, Hadith 5

[12] Musnad Ahmad 864; Arabic/English book : Book 5, Hadith 864

[13] Get Hadith Collection (All in one) App:https://goo.gl/8j06i9

[14] NCERT Class X Science Solution; Our Environment; https://www.flexiprep.com/ 

[15] Kpduda; Interdependence in Ecosystems; https://edu.glogster.com/

[16] Wildlife corridors for Kids; Factsheet 2 Food Webs and Food Chains; http://www.glideways.org.au/

[17] Old NCERT Book; Class 12^th; Biology ; Biodiversity and Conservation; Page no. 264

[18] Kevin Lee ; What Happens When Something in a Food Chain Goes Extinct? ; https://www.seattlepi.com/

[19] Cnnclimate; Methane emissions are at record high and burping cows are driving the rise; https://www.instagram.com/cnnclimate/

[20] EPA ; Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data ; https://www.epa.gov/