As we know the Christian Missionaries are always on the attack against Islam and our Prophet trying to even misguide the Muslims or put doubts in their heads.
I recently came across an email from a Christian referring to a hadith. Could you please let me know if the hadith is Sahee and what can we learn from such a Hadith? What was the hadith trying to show?
Volume 5, Book 59, Number 459: Narrated Ibn Muhairiz: I entered the Mosque and saw Abu Said Al-Khudri and sat beside him and asked him about Al-Azl (i.e., coitus interruptus). Abu Said said, “We went out with Allah’s Apostle for the Ghazwa of Banu Al-Mustaliq and we received captives from among the Arab captives and we desired women and celibacy became hard on us and we loved to do coitus interruptus. So when we intended to do coitus interrupt us, we said, ‘How can we do coitus interruptus before asking Allah’s Apostle who is present among us?” We asked (him) about it and he said, ‘It is better for you not to do so, for if any soul (till the Day of Resurrection) is predestined to exist, it will exist.”
The note on 2167 says: “This means that the Companions wanted to have intercourse with the slave girls, but they were afraid of conception. In case they were pregnant and gave birth to a child they could not be sold as it was prohibited that a slave mother should be sold. So they practised coitus interruptus. By this they meant to sell the slave girls and obtain the ransom.”
The Christian is trying to show that rape took place and the Prophet allowed it.
What’s the best way to respond to people or Christians when this incident is brought up?
Please answer my question as I have sent questions before without being replied.
Jazakhallah.
In the name of Allāh, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Assalāmu ῾alaykum wa Rahmatullāhi Wabarakātuh
The hadith refered to in the query is an authentic hadith and is in the Sahih Bukhari in a few different chapters including the chapter on azl (coitus interruptus).
In regards to your question “What was the hadith trying to show?” Well, the hadith shows many things including the piety and taqwa of the sahaba. It shows that the sahaba would not do anything until they were sure of its permissibility according to the Shariah. There are many injunctions that the fuqaha have derived from the hadith; however, since that is not what is being asked here, it will not be mentioned. (For details see: Fathul Baari vol. 11 pg 387 and vol. 6 pg. 212 Al-Ilmiyyah)
In regards to your query about the claim of the Christians, well their claim is illogical. Why would the sahabah (radiyallahu anhum) worry about seeking permission for doing coitus interruptus if they intended to do a haraam act (al-iyaazu billah) and a major sin by committing rape? That would be just as silly as it would be for robbers to worry about getting formal permission to enter the house of the victim they intend robbing.
The captives referred to in the hadith were distributed to the Sahabah (Radiyallaahu Anhum) by Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam). Therefore, they were their slave women. Hence, the attempt of some Christians to use the incident to try to prove firstly that rape took place and secondly that the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) allowed rape to happen is preposterous because the claim would mean that having intimate relationship with ones slave woman is tantamount to rape. The Christians know that their own bible demonstrates that having intimate relationship with ones slave woman is permissible. For example, the bible says about Ibrahim (alahis salaam) that he had a slave woman from whom he had a son. In the words of the bible: “For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman.” (Galatians 4:22).
The truth of the matter is that having intimate relationship with ones slave woman is permissible (with conditions) — just as it is permissible with ones wife — according to both the Islamic teachings and the teachings of the Bible. For more information on this from the Islamic perspective click on this link: http://askimam.org/fatwa/fatwa.php?askid=1834802f7035099c811692455dcdb228
Since it was some Christians that made the deceptive and misleading claim, let us have a little more look at their Bible to see what it teaches concerning slave women and rape.
Contrary to the teachings of Islam – which greatly encourages freeing slaves – it seems that not only does the Bible encourage slavery in general, it even permits fathers to sell their own daughters as slaves. And on top of that, it seems, such daughters can never be set free! The verse in reference:
“When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are.” (Exodus 21:7)
The bible not only gives permission to make women slaves, it orders it. The verse below suggests that when an army attacks and defeats their enemy, only their virgin girls are worth keeping alive (for what other purpose but to make them their slaves); whereas their non-virgin women and boys do not deserve anything but death.
“Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.” (Numbers 31:17)
And the result….
“The plunder remaining from the spoils that the soldiers took was 675,000 sheep, 72,000 cattle, 61,000 donkeys and 32,000 women who had never slept with a man.” (Numbers 31:32)
It would seem that according to the bible, the easy way to marry a virgin girl of ones dreams would be to … rape her! Because it will only cost him 50 shekels of silver (which only comes to around $300) which he must pay her father; and in return he will get to keep her for as long as he lives. She has no say in this! The verse in reference:
“If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay the girl’s father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the girl, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.” (Deuteronomy 22:28-29)
The gist of the verse above is that the rapist gets to keep the girl; the girl’s father gets 50 shekels of silver; and the girl is forced to be married to her rapist for life. If this is not encouraging rape and oppression to women then what is!
We ask Allah Ta’ala to give us the understanding of our deen, the ability to stay firm upon it, and to protect us from forces of baatil.
And Allāh Ta῾āla Knows Best
Wassalāmu ῾alaykum
Ml. Faizal Riza
Correspondence Iftā Student, Australia
Checked and Approved by:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Dārul Iftā, Madrasah In῾āmiyyah