Another Case of Muhammad’s Inconsistency –
How Muhammad’s desires resulted in the legislation of immodesty
As regular visitors to our site know, Muhammad was a man who repeatedly failed to practice what he preached. Muhammad allowed himself certain privileges and advantages which he vehemently denied to others. For example, even though his followers could only have up to four wives provided they could treat them all fairly, Muhammad, on the other hand, allowed himself to have as many wives as he so desired and didn’t need to deal justly with any of them (1, 2).
In fact, not only did he neglect certain wives like Sauda bint Zamaah, whom he planned on divorcing because she had become old according to the ahadith and Muslim expositors, there was at least one wife whom Muhammad didn’t even love and he only kept her around as a favor to her father!
'Umar b. al-Khattab reported: When Allah's Apostle kept himself away from his wives, I entered the mosque, and found people striking the ground with pebbles and saying: Allah's Messenger has divorced his wives, and that was before they were commanded to observe seclusion. 'Umar said to himself: I must find this (actual position) today. So I went to 'A'isha and said (to her): Daughter of Abu Bakr, have you gone to the extent of giving trouble to Allah's Messenger? Thereupon she said: Son of Khattab, you have nothing to do with me, and I have nothing to do with you. You should look to your own receptacle. He ('Umar) said: I visited Hafsa daughter of 'Umar, and said to her: Hafsa, the (news) has reached me that you cause Allah's Messenger trouble. You know that Allah's Messenger DOES NOT LOVE YOU, and had I not been (your father) he would have divorced you. (On hearing this) SHE WEPT BITTERLY. I said to her: Where is Allah's Messenger? She said: He is in the attic room. I went in and found Rabah, the servant of Allah's Messenger sitting on the thresholds of the window dangling his feet on the hollow wood of the date-palm with the help of which Allah's Messenger climbed (to the apartment) and came down. I cried: O Rabah, seek permission for me from Allah's Messenger. Rabah cast a glance at the apartment and then looked toward me but said nothing. I again said: Rabah, seek permission for me from Allah's Messenger. Rabah looked towards the apartment and then cast a glance at me, but said nothing. I then raised my voice and said: O Rabah, seek permission for me from Allah's Messenger. I think that Allah's Messenger is under the impression that I have come for the sake of Hafsa. By Allah, if Allah's Messenger would command me to strike her neck, I would certainly strike her neck... (Sahih Muslim, Book 009, Number 3507)
Chapter 36/38. Regarding Taking Divorced Women Back.
2283. It was reported from Ibn ‘Abbas, from Umar, that the Prophet divorced Hafsah, and then took her back. (Sahih) (English Translation of Sunan Abu Dawud – Compiled by Imam Hafiz Abu Dawud Sulaiman bin Ash‘ath, ahadith edited and referenced by Hafiz Abu Tahir Zubair ‘Ali Za’i, translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab (Canada), final review by Abu Khaliyl (USA) [Darussalam Publishers & Distributors, First Edition: July, 2008], Volume 3, From Hadith no. 2175 to 3241, 13. The Book Of Divorce, p. 84)
See also this version.
And:
3590. It was reported from ‘Umar that the Prophet – ‘Amr (one of the narrators) said: “The Messenger of Allah – had divorced Hafsah, then he took her back.” And Allah knows best. (Sahih) (English Translation of Sunan An-Nasa'i - Compiled by Imam Hafiz Abu Abdur Rahman Ahmad bin Shu'ab bin 'Ali An-Nasa'i, Ahadith edited & referenced by Hafiz Abu Tahir Zubair 'Ali Za'i, translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab (Canada), final review by Abu Khaliyl (USA) [Darussalam Publishers and Distributors, First Edition: January 2008], Volume 4, From Hadith no. 3087 to 3970, 27. The Book Of Divorce, Chapter 76. Taking The Wife Back, p. 321)
Muhammad also required that all his followers make out a will whereas he himself never bothered to draw one up for himself and his dependents.
Another example of his blatant inconsistency is that Muhammad prohibited his followers from marrying or contracting marriage while in a state of ihram, and yet he himself married a woman as a muhrim!
Narrated Ibn 'Abbas:
The Prophet got married while he was in the state of Ihram. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 62, Number 49)
For the complete details and to see a more comprehensive list of Muhammad’s inconsistencies we recommend reading all the articles located here.
In this particular article, we are going to provide further documentation of Muhammad’s outright failure to implement the same rules he imposed on others. We are actually going to see how Muhammad’s inconsistency led to the justification of women acting immodestly, conducting themselves without propriety.
Muhammad emphatically taught that there is no marriage without a guardian, meaning without a legal male relative giving the woman away and consenting to the marriage. He further stated that any woman who gives herself in marriage to another man is an adulteress.
Chapter 15. No Marriage Except With A Guardian
1879. It was narrated from ‘Aishah that the Messenger of Allah said: ‘Any woman whose marriage is not arranged by a guardian, her marriage is invalid, her marriage is invalid, her marriage is invalid. If (the man) has had intercourse with her, then the Mahr belongs to her in return for his intimacy with her. And if there is any dispute then the ruler is the guardian of the one who does not have a guardian.’ (Sahih)…
1880. It was narrated that ‘Aishah and Ibn ‘Abbas said: “The Messenger of Allah said: ‘There is no marriage except with a guardian.’”
According to the Hadith of ‘Aishah: “And the ruler is the guardian of the one who does not have a guardian.” (Sahih)
1881. It was narrated from Abu Musa that the Messenger of Allah said: ‘There is no marriage except with a guardian.’ (Sahih)
1882. It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah said: ‘No woman should arrange the marriage of another woman, AND NO WOMAN SHOULD ARRANGE HER OWN MARRIAGE. THE ADULTERESS IS THE ONE WHO ARRANGES HER OWN MARRIAGE.’ (SAHIH) (English Translation of Sunan Ibn Majah – Compiled by Imam Muhammad Bin Yazeed Ibn Majah Al-Qazwini, Ahadith edited and referenced by Hafiz Abu Tahir Zubair 'Ali Za'i, translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab (Canada), final review by Abu Khaliyl (USA) [Darussalam Publications and Distributors, First Edition: June 2007], Volume 3, From Hadith No. 1783 to 2718, The Chapters Of Marriage, pp. 78-79; capital and underline emphasis ours)
And:
835. Narrated Abu Burda bin Abu Musa on the authority of his father; Allah’s Messenger said, “There is no marriage without a guardian.” [Ahmad and Al-Arba‘a reported it; Ibn Al-Madini, At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Hibban graded it Sahih, but it was regarded defective for being Mursal]…
839. Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Messenger said, “A woman may not give a woman in marriage, nor may she give herself in marriage.”[3] [Reported by Ibn Majah and Ad-Daraqutni. Its narrators are reliable].
[3] It means that regarding marriage, a woman cannot be a guardian. She cannot marry herself of her own and she cannot permit the marriage of another woman. She is not allowed to become attorney concerning marriage. (Bulugh Al-Maram – Attainment of the Objective according to Evidence of the Ordinances, Compiled by Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani, With Brief Notes from the Book Subul-us-Islam, written by Muhammad bin Ismail As-Sanani [Dar-us-Salam Publications, Riyadh-Saudi Arabia, First Edition: 1996], 8. The Book of Marriage, pp. 347, 348; underline emphasis ours)
However, when it came to Muhammad, Allah actually permitted women to give themselves away to him in marriage or for sex without the consent or need for a guardian!
O Prophet (Muhammad)! Verily, We have made lawful to you your wives, to whom you have paid their Mahr (bridal money given by the husband to his wife at the time of marriage), and those (captives or slaves) whom your right hand possesses - whom Allah has given to you, and the daughters of your 'Amm (paternal uncles) and the daughters of your 'Ammah (paternal aunts) and the daughters of your Khal (maternal uncles) and the daughters of your Khalah (maternal aunts) who migrated (from Makkah) with you, and a believing woman if she offers herself to the Prophet, and the Prophet wishes to marry her; a privilege for you only, not for the (rest of) the believers. Indeed We know what We have enjoined upon them about their wives and those (captives or slaves) whom their right hands possess, - in order that there should be no difficulty on you. And Allah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. You (O Muhammad) can postpone (the turn of) whom you will of them (your wives), and you may receive whom you will. And whomsoever you desire of those whom you have set aside (her turn temporarily), it is no sin on you (to receive her again), that is better; that they may be comforted and not grieved, and may all be pleased with what you give them. Allah knows what is in your hearts. And Allah is Ever All-Knowing, Most Forbearing. S. 33:50-51 Hilali-Khan
Here is how the expositors explained this special privilege:
O Prophet! Indeed We have made lawful for you your wives whom you have given their dowries and what your right hand owns, of those whom God has given you as spoils of war, from the disbelievers, [whom you have] taken captive, such as Safiyya and Juwayriyya, and the daughters of your paternal uncles and the daughters of your paternal aunts, and the daughters of your maternal uncles and the daughters of your maternal aunts who emigrated with you, as opposed to those who did not emigrate, and any believing woman if she gift herself [in marriage] to the Prophet and if the Prophet desire to take her in marriage, and ask for her hand in marriage without paying [her] a dowry — a privilege for you exclusively, not for the [rest of the] believers (nikāh, ‘marriage’, when expressed by the term hiba, ‘gift’, denotes [marriage] without dowry). Indeed We know what We have imposed upon them, namely, the believers, with respect to their wives, in the way of rulings, to the effect that they should not take more than four wives and should only marry with [the consent of] a legal guardian, [the presence of] witnesses and [the payment of] a dowry, and, with respect to, what their right hands own, of slavegirls, in the way of purchase or otherwise, so that the handmaiden be one lawful for her master, such as a slavegirl belonging to the People of the Scripture (kitābiyya), and not a Magian or an idolater, and that she should be ascertained [as not carrying child] with the necessary waiting period (istibrā’) before copulation; so that (li-kaylā is semantically connected to what came before [this last statement]) there may be no [unnecessary] restriction for you, [no] constraint in marriage [for you]. And God is Forgiving, of what is difficult to guard against, Merciful, in giving dispensations [allowing for latitude] in this respect. (Tafsir al-Jalalayn; bold emphasis ours)
And:
(and a believing woman if she offers herself to the Prophet, and the Prophet wishes to marry her -- a privilege for you only,) means, `also lawful for you, O Prophet, is a believing woman if she offers herself to you, to marry her without a dowery, if you wish to do so.' This Ayah includes two conditions. Imam Ahmad recorded from Sahl bin Sa`d As-Sa`idi that a woman came to the Messenger of Allah and said, “O Messenger of Allah, verily, I offer myself to you (for marriage).” She stood there for a long time, then a man stood up and said, “O Messenger of Allah, marry her to me if you do not want to marry her.” …
(a privilege for you only, not for the (rest of) the believers.) `Ikrimah said: “This means, it is not permissible for anyone else to marry a woman who offers herself to him; if a woman offers herself to a man, it is not permissible for him (to marry her) unless he gives her something.” This was also the view of Mujahid, Ash-Sha`bi and others. In other words, if a woman offers herself to a man, when he consummates the marriage, he has to give her a dowery like that given to any other woman of her status, as the Messenger of Allah ruled in the case of Barwa` bint Washiq when she offered herself in marriage; the Messenger of Allah ruled that she should be given a dowery that was appropriate for a woman like her after her husband died. Death and consummation are the same with regard to the confirmation of the dowery, and the giving of a dowery appropriate to the woman's status in the case of those who offer themselves to men other than the Prophet is an established ruling. With regard to the Prophet himself, he is not obliged to give a dowery to a woman who offers herself to him, even if he consummated the marriage, because he has the right to marry without a dowery, WALI (REPRESENTATIVE) or witnesses, as we have seen in the story of Zaynab bint Jahsh, may Allah be pleased with her. Qatadah said, concerning the Ayah…
(a privilege for you only, not for the (rest of) the believers.) no woman has the right to offer herself to any man WITHOUT A WALI or a dowery, except to the Prophet…
(Indeed We know what We have enjoined upon them about their wives) means, ‘concerning the limiting of their number to four free women, and whatever they wish of slave-girls, and the conditions of a representative, dowery and witnesses to the marriage. This is with regard to the Ummah (the people), but We have granted an exemption in your case and have not imposed any of these obligations upon you.’ (Tafsir Ibn Kathir; bold and capital emphasis ours)
This so-called privilege caused some of the female companions of Muhammad to look down upon and criticize the women who offered themselves to Allah’s “messenger”:
Chapter 25. A Woman Offering Herself In Marriage To One Whom She Likes
3251. Thabit Al-Bunani said: “I was with Anas bin Malik and a daughter of his was with him. He said: ‘A woman came to the Messenger of Allah and offered herself in marriage to him. She said: O Messenger of Allah, do you want to marry me?’” (Sahih)…
It was narrated from Anas that a woman offered herself in marriage to the Prophet. The daughter of Anas laughed and said: “HOW LITTLE WAS HER MODESTY.” Anas said: “She was better than you; offered herself in marriage to the Prophet.” (SAHIH) (English Translation of Sunan An-Nasa’i – Compiled by Imam Hafiz Abu Abdur Rahman Ahmad bin Shu‘aib bin ‘Ali An-Nasa’i, Ahadith edited and referenced by Hafiz Abu Tahir Zubair 'Ali Za'i, translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab (Canada), final review by Abu Khaliyl (USA) [Darussalam Publications and Distributors, First Edition: June 2007], Volume 4, From Hadith No. 3087 to 3970, 26. The Book Of Marriage, pp. 113-114; capital and underline emphasis ours)
Even Muhammad’s own childbride could see that there was something seriously wrong with Allah allowing these women to simply come up to Muhammad and offer to give themselves away to him sexually:
Narrated Aisha:
I used to look down upon those ladies who had given themselves to Allah's Apostle and I used to say, "Can a lady give herself (to a man)?" But when Allah revealed: "You (O Muhammad) can postpone (the turn of) whom you will of them (your wives), and you may receive any of them whom you will; and there is no blame on you if you invite one whose turn you have set aside (temporarily)." (33.51) I said (to the Prophet), "I feel that your Lord hastens in fulfilling your wishes and desires." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60, Number 311)
Narrated Hisham's father:
Khaula bint Hakim was one of those ladies who presented themselves to the Prophet for marriage. 'Aisha said, "Doesn't a lady feel ashamed for presenting herself to a man?" But when the Verse: "(O Muhammad) You may postpone (the turn of) any of them (your wives) that you please,” (33.51) was revealed, 'Aisha said, “O Allah's Apostle! I do not see, but, that your Lord hurries in pleasing you.” (Sahih Bukhari Volume 7, Book 62, Number 48)
What makes this worse is that according to Muhammad’s own words these women who gave themselves away to him were nothing more than adulteresses. And instead of reprimanding them for acting like adulteresses Muhammad and his deity actually approved of such shameful and immodest behavior!
It seems that Allah was more concerned with satisfying Muhammad’s fleshly desires, just as Aisha correctly noted, than he was with safeguarding the reputation and integrity of women. Allah would rather have women behaving immodestly and conducting themselves like adulteresses than give his messenger the strength to overcome and check his carnal passions.
Here is a summary of what we discovered thus far from what Muhammad imposed upon his own followers in contrast to what he himself did.
- Muhammad said that there is no marriage without a guardian.
- This means that a woman cannot get married without a legal male guardian.
- In cases where a woman has no male relatives then the Muslim ruler will act as her guardian.
- Any woman who gives another woman or herself away in marriage is an adulteress.
- There were women who gave themselves to Muhammad freely without a guardian.
- Both Aisha and Anas’ daughter saw something wrong with this since they knew that it was improper and shameful for a woman to simply offer herself to a man.
- Instead of reprimanding these women for committing such an immodest act, Muhammad receives a “revelation” from Allah permitting him to take or marry any woman who offered herself freely to Allah’s “messenger.”
- The Quran says this was a privilege given only to him.
- This means that, instead of empowering his so-called prophet to control his urges, Allah chose to give women the license to act like adulteresses in order to gratify the sexual cravings of his messenger!
- Muhammad was even exempt from having to give a dowry to these women or have witnesses present to testify to the marriage, even though everyone else had to!
- It therefore comes as no surprise that Muhammad’s own childbride concluded that Allah rushes to fulfill and satisfy her husband’s fleshly desires.