|
|
(14 intermediate revisions by one other user not shown) |
Line 1: |
Line 1: |
| '''<u><big>The incident of Ifk + Ruling of 4 witnesses + Pure men could have only pure women</big></u>'''
| |
|
| |
|
| In the [https://sunnah.com/bukhari:4141 incident of Ifk], an accusation of adultery was levied against ‘Aisha. During an expedition, the Muslim caravan accidentally departed without ‘Aisha. She remained at the camp, when Safwan (a companion of Muhammad) found her later. They stayed there at night, and the next day, he brought 'Aisha back to Muhammad. Rumours that Aisha and Safwan had committed adultery were spread.
| | '''<u><big>Remarriage to Ex-Spouse after the Divorce</big></u>''' |
|
| |
|
| Later, Quranic verses (Surah Nur) were revealed about the innocence of 'Aisha against those slanders.
| | According to Islam, if a man divorces his wife thrice, then he could not directly remarry her. But if the divorced woman marries another man, and he divorces her or dies, after that she is allowed to remarry her first husband. This ruling has been directly mentioned in Quran. {{Quote|{{Quran|2|230}}|If a man divorces her again (a third time), she becomes unlawful for him (and he cannot remarry her) until she has married another man. Then if he divorces her there is no harm if the two unite again (by remarrying)}}This affects the whole family, but especially women and the children are affected from it. |
|
| |
|
| Nevertheless, Islam critics point out that there are 'human errors' present in the revelation:
| | This was a practice of the Arab society of the pre-Islamic time of Ignorance, and Islam adopted it from there (along with the other related practices like only husband had the right to divorce, and the system of 3 divorces etc). |
|
| |
|
| #Firstly Quranic verses [https://quranx.com/24.12?context=4 24:12-16 of Surah Nur] questioned the people why they doubted 'Aisha's innocence and why didn't they immediately denied those slanders at their own. But Islam critics point out that there is contradiction in Quranic revelation and Muhammad's own behaviour. It was Muhammad himself who doubted 'Aisha, and he even wanted to divorce her, and thus those verses should have condemned Muhammad first instead of those companions.
| | The logic behind this ruling was to "punish" the husband for divorcing his wife thrice. Nevertheless, this custom didn't take into consideration the miseries that it brought upon the woman and she was also punished even if she was innocent and didn't make a mistake. |
| #Then Quran came up with this argument that 'Aisha should had been considered free of doubts as pure men could have only the pure women, and she was wed with Muhammad, who was a pure man. But Islam critics point out that this Quranic argument shows a human error, as there is no guarantee that pure men will always get pur women (or vice-versa).
| | ==This was the practice of the pre-Islamic era Arabs== |
| #Then the revelation came up with entirely new ruling that number of witnesses should be 4 in case of slandering. And another new ruling was this if number of witnesses is 3 (or less), then all of them will be lashed 80 times, '''even if they are telling the truth'''. But Islam critics consider this ruling too to be a 'human error' and illogical to punish the witnesses even if they are telling the truth.
| | This was a practice of the Arab society of the pre-Islamic time. |
| #Then Islam critics point out that this whole drama of Ifk, which continued for one month, happened only due to the '''unnatural restrictions''' of Islam in the name of 'Islamic Modesty', where it forbids any interaction between the men and the women.
| |
|
| |
|
| ==Contradiction between the Quranic revelation and Muhammad's behaviour==
| | Actually, the whole "system" of pre-Islamic era consisted of<ref>[https://religion.asianindexing.com/index.php?title=Al-Idah/%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A8_%D8%B9%DB%81%D8%AF_%D8%AC%D8%A7%DB%81%D9%84%DB%8C%D8%AA_%D9%85%DB%8C%DA%BA_%E2%80%99%E2%80%99%D8%B7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%82%E2%80%98%E2%80%98_%DA%A9%D8%A7_%D8%AA%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%B1:_%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%82%DB%8C%D9%82%DB%8C_%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%B2%DB%81&mobileaction=toggle_view_desktop Divorce during the pre-Islamic era of Arab.]</ref>: |
| 'Aisha narrated the incident of Ifk as following:
| |
|
| |
|
| {{Quote|{{Bukhari|||4141|darussalam}}|Narrated `Aisha:
| | #Only husband had the right to give divorce, while the women didn't have this right. |
| | #The 3 Talaqs (divorces) system<ref>[https://wikiislam.net/wiki/Women_in_Islamic_Law#Triple-talaq Triple-Talaq]</ref> i.e. Husband was allowed to take his wife back till 2 divorces. But after the 3rd divorce, he was not allowed to take her back. |
| | #But if he desired her even after the 3rd Talaq, then she had to first marry another man, and after the divorce from the 2nd husband, she could return to her former husband. |
|
| |
|
| '''(Because of the event) some people brought destruction upon themselves and the one who spread the Ifk (i.e. slander) more, was `Abdullah bin Ubai Ibn Salul."''' (Urwa said, "The people propagated the slander and talked about it in his (i.e. `Abdullah's) presence and he confirmed it and listened to it and asked about it to let it prevail." `Urwa also added, "None was mentioned as members of the slanderous group besides (`Abdullah) except '''Hassan bin Thabit and Mistah bin Uthatha and Hamna bint Jahsh along with others about whom I have no knowledge''',... | | The logic behind this ruling was to "punish" the husband for divorcing his wife thrice. Nevertheless, this custom didn't take into consideration the miseries that it brought upon the woman and she was also punished even if she was innocent and didn't make a mistake. {{Quote|[https://web.archive.org/web/20211219162614/https://al-maktaba.org/book/7299/3369 Dr. Jawad Ali, in his book "Detailed in the history of the Arabs before Islam" كتاب المفصل فى تاريخ العرب قبل الإسلام [جواد علي] ]|ويظهر أن الجاهليين كانوا قد أوجدوا حلًّا لهذا الطلاق الشاذ، فأباحوا للزوج أن يرجع زوجه إليه بعد الطلاق الثالث، ولكن بشرط أن تتزوج بعد وقوع الطلاق الثالث من رجل غريب، على أن يطلقها بعد اقترانها به، وعندئذ يجوز للزوج الأول أن يعود إليها بزوج جديد.</br>It is apparent that the people from the era of Ignorance found a way to make their wives permissible (Halal) for them even after 3 divorces. Therefore, if the husband wanted to take her back, then that woman had to marry a stranger man on the condition that he would divorce her later. After this process had been completed (i.e. the divorce from the stranger), then the first husband was allowed to remarry her.}} |
| | Later, Islam also adopted whole of this system of the pre-Islamic era (i.e. only husband having the right to divorce + 3 Divorces + the ruling of wife having to marry another man before returning to the 1st husband). |
|
| |
|
| `Aisha added, "After we returned to Medina, I became ill for a month. The people were propagating the forged statements of the slanderers '''while I was unaware of anything of all that,''' '''but I felt that in my present ailment, I was not receiving the same kindness from Allah's Messenger as I used to receive when I got sick. (But now) Allah's Messenger would only come, greet me and say,' How is that (lady)?' and leave'''. ...
| | Islam added another extra condition to this pre-Islamic era practice i.e. no contract of divorce could be made at the time of marriage with the 2nd man<ref>[https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:9I3RzrTPfxEJ:https://www.aliftaa.jo/QuestionEn.aspx%3FQuestionId%3D2813+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=de No contract of divorce could be made at the time of marriage in Islam.] </ref>. This means, if the 2nd husband likes her, then he could keep her for himself. It was intended to make the punishment even more "severe". |
|
| |
|
| ('Aisha further said) When the Divine Inspiration was delayed, '''Allah's Messenger called `Ali bin Abi Talib and Usama bin Zaid to ask and consult them about divorcing me ...'''
| | The logic was to compel the husband to think more carefully before giving the 3rd divorce, and it was also a warning for a woman to solve the dispute, and to make her husband happy before he divorces her the 3rd time. |
|
| |
|
| (Muhammad also asked Barira, the maid-servant) and Barira said to him, 'By Him Who has sent you with the Truth. I have never seen anything in her (i.e. Aisha) which I would conceal, except that she is a young girl who sleeps leaving the dough of her family exposed so that the domestic goats come and eat it.' So, on that day, Allah's Messenger got up on the pulpit and complained about `Abdullah bin Ubai (bin Salul) before his companions, saying, ''''O you Muslims! Who will relieve me from that man who has hurt me with his evil statement about my family?''' By Allah, I know nothing except good about my family and they have blamed a man (i.e. Safwan) about whom I know nothing except good and he used never to enter my home except with me.
| | Nevertheless, this extra condition brought even more miseries upon the Muslim women as compared to the women of the pre-Islamic era of ignorance. Also, the children were also more affected. |
|
| |
|
| ' Sa`d bin Mu`adh the brother of Banu `Abd Al-Ashhal got up and said, 'O Allah's Messenger ! I will relieve you from him; if he is from the tribe of Al-Aus, then I will chop his head off, and if he is from our brothers, i.e. Al-Khazraj, then order us, and we will fulfill your order.' On that, a man from Al-Khazraj got up. Um Hassan, his cousin, was from his branch tribe, and he was Sa`d bin Ubada, chief of Al-Khazraj. Before this incident, he was a pious man, but his love for his tribe goaded him into saying to Sa`d (bin Mu`adh). 'By Allah, you have told a lie; you shall not and cannot kill him. If he belonged to your people, you would not wish him to be killed.' On that, Usaid bin Hudair who was the cousin of Sa`d (bin Mu`adh) got up and said to Sa`d bin 'Ubada, 'By Allah! You are a liar! We will surely kill him, and you are a hypocrite arguing on the behalf of hypocrites.' On this, the two tribes of Al-Aus and Al Khazraj got so much excited that they were about to fight while Allah's Messenger was standing on the pulpit. Allah's Messenger kept on quietening them till they became silent and so did he.
| | ==The time period for solving the disputes in the Islamic 3 Talaqs System== |
| | There are 2 ways of giving 3 Talaqs in Islam. |
|
| |
|
| ... ('Aisha further told that she went to her parents house and stayed there. And after one month) Allah's Messenger came, greeted us and sat down. '''He had never sat with me since that day of the slander.''' '''A month had elapsed and no Divine Inspiration came to him about my case.''' Allah's Apostle then recited Tashah-hud and then said, 'Amma Badu, O `Aisha! I have been informed so-and so about you; '''if you are innocent, then soon Allah will reveal your innocence, and if you have committed a sin, then repent to Allah and ask Him for forgiveness for when a slave confesses his sins and asks Allah for forgiveness, Allah accepts his repentance.'''' ... | | #A husband gives 3 Talaqs (i.e. divorces) to his wife in one sitting i.e. if he says "Talaq, Talaq, Talaq" (i.e. 3 times Talaq) to his wife at the same time<ref>[https://islamqa.org/hanafi/askmufti/44814/three-divorces-in-one-sitting/ Three Talaqs in one sitting.] </ref>, then the final irrevocable divorce takes place within seconds. |
| | #A husband gives the 1st Talaq (divorce) after the wife becomes free of her monthly bleeding. Then he gives the 2nd after the 2nd menstrual bleeding. These first 2 Talaqs (divorces) are reversible and he could took her back. But if he also divorces her the 3rd time after the third menstrual bleeding, then it becomes the irrevocable divorce<ref>[https://islamqa.info/en/answers/222367/what-is-tahleel-marriage Quranic way of giving divorce.]</ref>. This procedure of Talaq takes about 3 months time. |
|
| |
|
| ('Aisha further said) Then I said to my mother, 'Reply to Allah's Messenger on my behalf concerning what he has said.' She said, 'By Allah, I do not know what to say to Allah's Messenger .' In spite of the fact that I was a young girl and had a little knowledge of Qur'an, I said, '''<nowiki/>'By Allah, no doubt I know that you heard this (slanderous) speech so that it has been planted in your hearts (i.e. minds) and you have taken it as a truth. Now if I tell you that I am innocent, you will not believe me, and if confess to you about it, and Allah knows that I am innocent, you will surely believe me.''' By Allah, I find no similitude for me and you except that of Joseph's father when he said, '(For me) patience in the most fitting against that which you assert; it is Allah (Alone) Whose Help can be sought.' '''Then I turned to the other side and lay on my bed;''' ...
| | In the first case, if a husband pronounces 3 divorces at once in anger, then there is absolutely no time left to solve the disputes. The whole family is destroyed within seconds. |
|
| |
|
| ('Aisha further said after that immediately revelation started coming to Muhammad and he said to her) 'O `Aisha! Allah has declared your innocence!' Then my Mother said to me, 'Get up and go to him (i.e. Allah's Messenger ). I replied, '''<nowiki/>'By Allah, I will not go to him,''' and I praise none but Allah.}}
| | In the 2nd case, the procedure of Talaq takes about 3 months time. '''Nevertheless, still there is no guarantee that the dispute between the husband and the wife is going to be over within 3 months.''' Some people, sometimes need some more time to learn their lessons than the 3 months. |
|
| |
|
| Thus, Muhammad was extremely angry upon `Abdullah bin Ubai and the group of people who were hurting Muhammad's reputation, while slandering 'Aisha was affecting the claim of Muhammad's prophethood too indirectly. Muhammad wanted to shut all those voices and thus he ordered to kill `Abdullah bin Ubai for that, but he failed as Muslims of `Abdullah's tribe defended him.
| | ==Why a divorced Muslim couple still wants to reunite?== |
| | ===First Reason: The couple still love each other, despite the temporary anger and dispute=== |
| | A divorce may occur due to many reasons (like temporary anger, inexperience of the young couple to solve their disputes, or family pressure, or financial situation etc.). |
|
| |
|
| After one month, Muhammad claimed that divine revelation came to him, which condemned that group of people for not '''immediately''' believing in the innocence of 'Aisha.
| | But all these factors could change with time, and they may be able to solve their dispute later. |
| {{Quote|1=[https://quranx.com/24.12?context=4 Quran 24:12-16]|2=Why did the faithful men and women '''not think well of their people (i.e. 'Aisha and Safwan)''' when they heard this, and said: '''"This is a clear lie?"''' ... Why did you not say when you heard it: '''"It is not for us to speak of it? God preserve us, it is a great lie!"'''}}
| |
| At this stage, Islam critics point out that there is a contradiction between this Quranic revelation and the behaviour of Muhammad.
| |
|
| |
|
| They claim that Muhammad was extremely mad upon that group of people. Thus in order to teach them a lesson, he himself did this drama of revelation after one month. And in these verses, he himself put those conditions i.e.:
| | Nevertheless, problem occurs for the divorced Muslim couples that they don't have any chance to correct their mistake later, and to reunite due to this Islamic ruling. |
|
| |
|
| *immediately thinking good about 'Aisha and Safwan,
| | ===Second Reason: Preserving the family life for their children=== |
| *and immediately denying it as an obvious falsehood
| | In case of irrevocable divorce, both the partners have to live separately, and thus the children are also separated either from the father or from the mother. |
| *and immediately considering it to be a great lie.
| |
|
| |
|
| But the problem occurred when later 'Aisha also told the story, which was happening '''inside the house''' during this period, where:
| | In both cases, the family life of the children is destroyed. |
|
| |
|
| *It was also Muhammad himself who neither immediately thought good about 'Aisha,
| | Therefore, for the sake of their children, the divorced couples often wish to reunite later. |
| *nor Muhammad immediately denied it as an obvious falsehood,
| |
| *nor Muhammad completely rejected it immediately by saying it to be a big lie.
| |
|
| |
|
| But contrary to this, according to 'Aisha: | | But again, due to this Islamic Ruling, the divorced couple get's no chance to correct their mistake and to reunite for the sake of their children. |
|
| |
|
| *Muhammad himself started doubting 'Aisha.
| | ==Women especially feel themselves compelled to reunite with their ex-husbands== |
| *And Muhammad stopped showing KINDNESS towards 'Aisha, despite her being ill. Even if he came to 'Aisha, then he only greeted her, and then left.
| | Another Islamic Ruling stipulates that<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210606140409/https://www.islamweb.net/en/fatwa/182019/why-a-wife-loses-custody-of-her-children-in-case-she-remarries Woman looses the custody of children if she remarries. www.Islamweb.net Fatwa Site.] </ref>: |
| *Then Muhammad also started investigating about the character of 'Aisha from Ali and Zayd (the adopted son), and Barira (i.e. the maid-servant) inside the house.
| |
| *Then Muhammad also consulted them regarding giving "Divorce" to 'Aisha.
| |
| *Even after one month, Muhammad was still doubting 'Aisha and he asked 'Aisha if she had committed a sin, then she should confess it and repent.
| |
| *'Aisha said, she was so much disappointed with this behaviour of Muhammad, that she refused to even talk to him directly.
| |
| *'Aisha even refused to testify her innocence to Muhammad, while she was of opinion that the slander had already been planted in the heart of Muhammad, and he would not accept her testimony.
| |
| *'Aisha further said, but if she falsely confess that she indeed committed a sin, then Muhammad was immediately going to believe it.
| |
| *Then 'Aisha turned her face from Muhammad, and laid on the other side of bed.
| |
| *Then Muhammad claimed divine revelation came to him which proved her innocence, but 'Aisha was still so much upset with Muhammad's behaviour when her mother asked her to accompany Muhammad, then 'Aisha refused to even go with him.
| |
|
| |
|
| Islam critics point out that:
| | *A woman will lose all of her children and they are separated from her if she marries any other man (except for her ex-husband). |
| | *Islamic Logic is that all the time of the wife (except of the prayers) belongs to the new husband. He could call her for sexual enjoyment at any time. But if children from the first husband are still there, then it hampers the right of 2nd husband to enjoy her. Thus, the children should be separated from her if she decides to remarry another person. |
|
| |
|
| *Outside the house, Muhammad was trying hard to keep the mouths shut of people from raising doubts in this incident, by even giving orders to kill 'Abdullah bin 'Ubai, but inside the house, he was himself doubting 'Aisha. '''But as a human being, he made a mistake and didn't anticipate that later his own behaviour would be disclosed by 'Aisha too,''' '''which would put his own behaviour in direct contradiction to this revelation'''.
| | In an Islamic society, it is very difficult for a woman to survive alone. She has to face a lot of restrictions (like taking Hijab and not to make interaction with men). Thus, her life becomes really difficult to go outside of house, and then to find a good job, and then to work whole day there, and at the same time to look after her small children at home too. Thus, the easiest way for a divorced woman to survive in an Islamic society, is to remarry and get the financial support from the 2nd husband. |
| *Thus it is enough to understand that this was not a revelation by any divine being, but it was only the human drama of Muhammad. If this revelation was really from any divine being, then this revelation would have been threatening Muhammad first before threatening that group of outside people for doubting 'Aisha and not immediately rejecting it completely as a big lie.
| |
|
| |
|
| ==Quranic claim that Pure Men have only the pure Women==
| | Thus, all the divorced Muslim mothers are badly affected and they are in a hard rock and hard place. They are practically "compelled" to choose one of the following options below: |
| In this same revelation of Surah Nur, Quran also claimed that pure men have only the pure women. This Quranic claim should serve as an argument that 'Aisha was innocent, while she was wed to a pure man i.e. Muhammad.
| |
| {{Quote|1=[https://quranx.com/24.3?context=24 Surah Nur 4:3 and 4:26]|2=The fornicator does not marry except a [female] fornicator or polytheist, and none marries her except a fornicator or a polytheist, and that has been made unlawful to the believers ۔۔۔
| |
|
| |
|
| Women impure are for men impure, and men impure for women impure and women of purity are for men of purity, and men of purity are for women of purity: these are not affected by what people say: for them there is forgiveness, and a provision honourable.}}
| | #Their first option is to choose to stay with their children. But then they could not marry another man, and they have to give away their natural need of being loved by a man, and the financial support of a man, which is very much needed in an Islamic society. |
| Ibn Kathir wrote in his Tafsir under this verse 26 of Surah Nur:
| | #Their second option is to marry another man of their choice, in order to get the financial support and love from him. But the evil for them in this option is that all their children will be separated from them. And it is one of the most horrible thing for any mother to loose any or all of her children. |
| | #Their third option is to remarry their ex-husband. In this case, they will get the financial support and love of a man, and children will also not be separated from her. Even if the she does not love the first husband, still getting the "financial support" from him along with the option of separation from her children is enough reason for her to wish to reunite with the former husband. |
|
| |
|
| {{Quote|[http://m.qtafsir.com/Surah-An-Noor/The-Goodness-of-%60Aishah-becau--- Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Surah Nur 24:26]|"Evil women are for evil men and evil men are for evil women, and good women are for good men and good men are for good women.'' This also necessarily refers back to what they said, i.e., '''Allah would not have made `A'ishah the wife of His Messenger unless she had been good, because he is the best of the best of mankind. If she had been evil, she would not have been a suitable partner either according to His Laws or His decree'''.}}
| | This is one of the main reason why Muslim women are very harshly and unilaterally hit by divorce, and they may feel themselves strongly compelled to return to their first husband (even if these women were totally innocent, and it was the fault of their husbands to divorce them). This is the "Only Chance" available for a Muslim woman in Islam to have a complete family life (which includes husband and her children). |
|
| |
|
| But Islam critics claim that this Quranic argument is against the human rationale and the history:
| | ==Combination of This Ruling + Wife Beating + Wife not having the right to get her freedom through divorce== |
| | This Islamic Ruling does not affect the woman's life alone, but it works in combination of two other Islamic ruling (i..e Wife beating + A wife does not have the right to take divorce). |
|
| |
|
| *Quran itself gave the example of wife of Lut, who was not pure, while Lut himself was a pure man.
| | The combination of all three of them in action is found in the following Hadith:{{Quote|{{Bukhari|||5825|darussalam}}|Rifa`a divorced his wife whereupon `AbdurRahman bin Az-Zubair Al-Qurazi married her. `Aisha said that the lady (came), wearing a green veil (and complained to her (Aisha) of her husband '''and showed her a green spot on her skin caused by severe beating)'''. It was the habit of ladies to support each other, so when Allah's Apostle came, `Aisha said, ''' "I have not seen any woman suffering as much as the believing women (i.e. men were not beating their wives so brutally during the era of ignorance as they beat after Islam). Look! Her skin is greener than her clothes!" '''When `AbdurRahman heard that his wife had gone to the Prophet, he came with his two sons from another wife. She said, "By Allah! I have done no wrong to him but '''he is impotent''' and is as useless to me as this," holding and showing the fringe of her garment, `Abdur-Rahman said, "By Allah, O Allah's Apostle! She has told a lie! I am very strong and can satisfy her but she is disobedient '''and wants to go back to Rifa`a (i.e. the first husband)'''." Allah's Apostle said, to her,''' "If that is your intention, then know that it is unlawful for you to remarry Rifa`a unless `Abdur-Rahman has had sexual intercourse with you'''." Then the Prophet (ﷺ) saw two boys with `Abdur- Rahman and asked (him), "Are these your sons?" On that `AbdurRahman said, "Yes." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "You claim what you claim (i.e.. that he is impotent)? But by Allah, these boys resemble him as a crow resembles a crow,"}} |
| *And Quran also gave the example of wife of Pharaoh. She was a pure woman, while Pharaoh was not.
| |
| *Same is about the wife of Noah, who was not pure.
| |
| *And thousands of Muslim men commit fornication with the western girls and become impure (according to Islam). Later these Muslim men get the citizenship and they divorce their western partners, and go to their Islamic lands and marry the so-called pure Muslim girls, who haven't indulged in fornication before.
| |
|
| |
|
| Therefore, according to the Islam critics:
| | ===Why this Sahabaia lady (i.e. female companion) made false slander of impotency against her 2nd husband?=== |
| | From the Hadith of wife of Rifa`a, it is clear that either this Sahabia lady (i.e. female companion) was telling a lie about the impotency of her husband (and that too in front of Prophet Muhammad himself), or her 2nd husband was telling a lie when he claimed to not to be impotent. |
|
| |
|
| *Human rationale and history, both are denying this Quranic argument that pure men have only pure women.
| | Muhammad later declared that female companion to be a lair, while her 2nd husband already had 2 sons from another wife. |
| *This proves only this that this revelation was not from any divine being, but it was only a human drama and Muhammad was himself making this revelation at his own, and that is why we see this human error in this revelation.
| |
|
| |
|
| ==Quranic order of 4 eye-witnesses in the case of slandering==
| | So, what compelled that female companion to come up with this lie of impotency of her husband? |
| Muhammad also claimed the revelation of verse 24 of Surah Nur at the same time of incident of Ifk:
| |
|
| |
|
| *This verse stipulated an '''entirely new condition''' of number of witnesses to be 4 in case of slandering.
| | Answer is, in case of impotency, she had a chance to get her freedom through an Islamic court. Here you could read about these rare cases, where an Islamic court could give freedom to the women through [https://wikiislam.net/wiki/Khul%27#Faskh_.D9.81.D8.B3.D8.AE_.28i.e._dissolution_of_marriage.29.2C_and_the_unilateral_women.27s_sufferings: Faskh (i.e. dissolution of marriage)]. |
| *And it also stipulated '''another entirely new condition''' if there numbers are 3 (or less), then all those witnesses should be lashed 80 times, '''even if they are telling the truth'''.
| |
| {{Quote|[https://quranx.com/24.4 Surah Nur 24:2]|And those who accuse chaste women and then do not produce four witnesses - lash them with eighty lashes and do not accept from them testimony ever after.}}
| |
| Firstly Muhammad tried to kill 'Abdullah Ibn Ubai. But he was an influential person and Muhammad failed to incite the Muslims from his tribe to kill him.
| |
|
| |
|
| Then there were 3 other Sahaba (companions) who were also talking against 'Aisha. They were:
| | ===Risks involved for the Muslim woman in the 2nd marriage:=== |
| | This hadith of the wife of Rifa`a also makes clear about the huge risks and the severe consequences that a woman could face in case of marriage with the 2nd husband. |
|
| |
|
| #Hassan bin Thabit (the famous poet)
| | Even if a woman marries with the intention of divorce to the 2nd man, still there is a huge risk for her that the 2nd husband would not grant her freedom by giving her divorce as it is solely his right according to Islam. A Muslim woman could not get her freedom even through [[Khul']] in Islam, as Khul' is also the right of the husband in Islam and no Islamic court could compel him to set her free. |
| #Mistah
| |
| #Hamna bint Jahsh (She was a sister of Zaynab, who was another wife of Muhammad)
| |
|
| |
|
| These 3 companions were not influential like 'Abdullah bin Ubai. Thus after the revelation of verse 24:4, those 3 got the punishment of 80 lashes each, while their numbers were less than 4.
| | Even more risk is involved for her that Islam also allows the 2nd husband to beat her severely in order to make her submissive, so that she provides him with the sex-services properly. |
|
| |
|
| Islam critics point out that human logic would always guide you that:
| | This beating could be so severe that she could even get the bruises all over her body. Even 'Aisha was complaining and testifying that the women in the pre-Islamic era were not beaten so brutally, as the Muslim women were being beaten by their Muslim husbands. |
|
| |
|
| *This Islamic ruling is totally against human rationale to lash the witnesses '''even if they are telling the truth.'''
| | ===Love and desire to reunite with the first husband is "natural" despite the irrevocable divorce=== |
| *This illogical ruling proves that no revelation was coming from any divine being, but it was Muhammad himself, who was extremely angry upon those people who were putting his position of prophethood in danger by slandering 'Aisha. '''And Muhammad wanted to teach them the lesson'''. And for this reason he himself did this human drama of revelation, and stipulated the numbers of witnesses to be 4, and to punish all if their numbers are less that 4, even if they are telling the truth.
| | This hadith of wife of Rifa`a also proves that love is natural, and desire to return to him is also natural and no irrevocable divorce could end this love and desire. |
| *The number of those witnesses was 3. But if their number was 4, then Muhammad would have still punished them by simply raising the number of witnesses to 5. And if the number of witnesses was 5, then still Muhammad would have still punished them by putting the condition of 6 witnesses.
| |
|
| |
|
| ==How did Muhammad know that Allah will ''''soon'''<nowiki/>' reveal the verses of innocence of 'Aisha after one month?==
| | And if a Sahabia (female companion) lady was unable to control over her love and desire for the 1st husband, and if she was ready to come up with false slanders to achieve her desire, then it could not be expected from the women of today to not to love their ex-husbands and not to make such false moves in order to achieve their true desires. |
| No revelation came for 'Aisha's innocence for the whole month. Then Muhammad came to 'Aisha (who was staying in her parent's house at that time) and he claimed that Allah will ''''soon'''<nowiki/>' reveal the verses about her innocence. And then surprisingly, only after one minute, he claimed that revelation came and it made 'Aisha free of those accusations.
| |
| {{Quote|{{Bukhari|||4141|darussalam}}|Allah's Messenger came, greeted us and sat down. He had never sat with me since that day of the slander. '''A month had elapsed and no Divine Inspiration came to him about my case'''. Allah's Apostle then recited Tashah-hud and then said, 'Amma Badu, O `Aisha! I have been informed so-andso about you; if you are innocent, '''then soon Allah will reveal your innocence''', and if you have committed a sin, then repent to Allah and ask Him for forgiveness for when a slave confesses his sins and asks Allah for forgiveness, Allah accepts his repentance ...
| |
| (Aisha said) 'By Allah, no doubt I know that you heard this (slanderous) speech so that it has been planted in your hearts (i.e. minds) and you have taken it as a truth. Now if I tell you that I am innocent, you will not believe me, and if confess to you about it, and Allah knows that I am innocent, you will surely believe me ... Then I turned to the other side and lay on my bed ... But, by Allah, before Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) left his seat and before any of the household left, the Divine inspiration came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). So there overtook him the same hard condition which used to overtake him. The sweat was dropping from his body like pearls though it was a wintry day and that was because of the weighty statement which was being revealed to him. When that state of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was over, '''he got up smiling, and the first word he said was, 'O `Aisha! Allah has declared your innocence!''''}}
| |
|
| |
|
| Islam critics point out that:
| | ===Two houses and two families are going to be destroyed due to the restriction upon the love=== |
| | This hadith of wife of Rifa`a also proves if religion is going to curb the love, and even succeeds in compelling her to marry another man, then still two families are going to be destroyed. |
|
| |
|
| *Muhammad could only make such claim (i.e. '''soon''' revelation will come for her innocence) '''when it was in his own hands to make the revelations at any time''' that he wished.
| | The house of first husband is going to be destroyed, while the children are without the mother. And the house of 2nd husband is going to be destroyed while there is no peace there and this house becomes the the center of beating of the woman. |
| *And it is strange that indeed the revelation came immediately after that as soon as Muhammad and 'Aisha finished their conversation.
| |
|
| |
|
| And regarding Muhammad's sweating due to the revelation, then Islam critics point out that all the people who show magic tricks, they play with the minds of others, and make many such dramas in order to convince the people that they are indeed talking with unseen creatures.
| | Therefore, it is not only the woman, but the children and the whole two families are going to pay the price of this restriction. |
|
| |
|
| Therefore, Muhammad once himself forgot that he had to sweat while claiming the descent of revelation, and instead of that, he slept and kept on snorting.
| | ==Halala (Tahleel Marriage)== |
| | In Halala (or Tahleel Marriage), the 2nd marriage tooks place with the intention of later giving divorce to the woman, so that she could become lawful (Halal) for her former husband to marry her again. |
|
| |
|
| {{Quote|{{Muslim||1180|reference}} and {{Bukhari|||1789|darussalam}}|A man said (to the Holy Prophet): What do you command me to do during my Umra? (It was at this juncture) that '''the revelation came to the Messenger of Allah''' (ﷺ) and he was covered with a cloth, and Ya'la said: Would that I see revelation coming to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He (Hadrat 'Umar) said: Would it please you to see the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) receiving the revelations 'Umar lifted a corner of the cloth '''and I looked at him and he was emitting a sound of snorting. He (the narrator) said: I thought it was the sound of a camel'''. When he was relieved of this (revelation) he said: Where is he who asked about Umra? When the person came, the Prophet (ﷺ) said: Wash out the trace of yellowness, or he said: the trace of perfume and put off the cloak and do in your 'Umra what you do in your Hajj.}}
| | There is a difference of opinion in different Fiqhs regarding the 2nd marriage with the intention of divorce<ref>[https://islamqa.info/en/answers/222367/what-is-tahleel-marriage Intention of Divorce makes Tahleel Marriage invalid. Islamqa.com]</ref> |
|
| |
|
| So, neither any hard condition overtook Muhammad, nor he sweat due to the heavy weigt of the revelation, but this time he forgot it and kept on sleeping and snorting comfortably while receiving the revelation.
| | *Hanafi and Shafi'i Fiqhs allow a woman to marry a 2nd man with the 'intention' of taking divorce later, and to remarry her first husband. That is why, we see 'Halala Centers' in the Islamic countries, and even in the western countries too where Muslim population resides. |
| | *While Hanbali and Maliki Fiqhs don't allow such marriage with the intention of later taking Talaq. In this case, practically all the doors are shut for a woman to reunite her children and the former husband. |
|
| |
|
| ==Why was the revelation delayed for the whole month?== | | ==References:== |
| Islam critics question here:
| | <references /> |
| | |
| *If at the end Allah had to reveal the verses of innocence of 'Aisha, why didn't then this revelation come earlier?
| |
| *The incident of 'Abdullah Ibn Ubai and the group of people was also over just in the beginning. Therefore, if Allah wanted to reveal the verses about 4 witnesses and about pure men having only the pure women, then it could have also be done immediately after the incident of 'Abdullah Ibn Ubai.
| |
| *Nothing more happened during the remaining whole month, except that Muhammad never visited 'Aisha in her parent's house to show any kindness towards her in her illness.
| |
| *So, why to torture 'Aisha for complete one month?
| |
| | |
| An intelligent investigator keeps all the doors of doubts open. And one of the doubt is that it might be that Muhammad waited for complete one month, '''while he wanted to make sure that 'Aisha was not pregnant''' (Note: If woman doesn't bleed at time of her first period, then it is a sign that she has become pregnant).
| |
| | |
| Had Muhammad announced the innocence of 'Aisha through revelation earlier, and later 'Aisha would have become pregnant, then it would have totally destroyed his claim of prophethood and revelation. That is why, although outside the house, Muhammad was strongly defending 'Aisha, but still he didn't use the revelation for this defence for complete one month.
| |
| | |
| ==Role of 'Islamic Modesty' in the incident of Ifk==
| |
| Let us look at the role of 'Islamic Modesty' in this incident:
| |
| {{Quote|{{Bukhari|||4141|darussalam}}|Narrated `Aisha:
| |
| | |
| ... '''I was carried (on the back of a camel) in my howdah and carried down while still in it (when we came to a halt)'''. So we went on till Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) had finished from that Ghazwa of his and returned. When we approached the city of Medina he announced at night that it was time for departure. So when they announced the news of departure, I got up and went away from the army camps, and after finishing from the call of nature, I came back to my riding animal. I touched my chest to find that my necklace which was made of Zifar beads (i.e. Yemenite beads partly black and partly white) was missing. So I returned to look for my necklace and my search for it detained me. '''(In the meanwhile) the people who used to carry me on my camel, came and took my howdah and put it on the back of my camel on which I used to ride, as they considered that I was in it'''...They made the camel rise and all of them left (along with it). I found my necklace after the army had gone.}}
| |
| | |
| Islam critics point out that this incident of Ifk happened due to the following two reasons:
| |
| | |
| #Firstly, Islam tried to make women disappear from the eyes of men, in name of Hijab.
| |
| #And even conversation, and any kind of interaction between men and women is considered vulgarity, and is against the 'Islamic Modesty'.
| |
| | |
| Therefore, in this journey too, 'Aisha was made to disappear herself from the eyes of men behind the curtains of her howdah. And since men and women could not even 'greet' each other as it is also considered vulgar in Sharia, therefore those men (who were lifting her howdah) were unable to find out if she was present in the howdah or not, by simply saying 'hello' to her.
| |
| | |
| The result of this Islamic modesty came in a form, where:
| |
| | |
| *'Aisha was weeping whole night long for one complete month and she was in pain. And even she was innocent, but still even Muhammad planted this slander in his heart and he showed no kindness towards her.
| |
| *And the rivers of blood were about to flow as two tribes of Muslims were close to wage a war against each other.
| |
| | |
| Moreover, Islam critics point out that:
| |
| | |
| *Such 'restrictions' in name of 'Islamic Modesty' are against the ''''NATURE'''<nowiki/>'.
| |
| *And these unnatural restrictions make the society so much paranoid and skeptic, that it becomes a 'psycho' case.
| |
| *Muslims are unable to tell why these 2 companions (i.e. Hassan bin Thabit and Mistah) made a slander against 'Aisha. But the reason seems to be simple that these unnatural restrictions are making members of Islamic society paranoid and turning them into psycho cases, where they believe in such things which actually are not there. (Note: Muslims still use "Radhi Allahu 'Anhu" for these 2 companions and consider them to be the people of high status).
| |
| *Even today, thousands of killings take place in Islamic societies, in name of ''''Honour Killing'''<nowiki/>', which are based merely upon doubts and paranoia.
| |
| | |
| The sole reason for this one month long drama was only this restriction upon the interaction of men and women in name of 'Islamic Modesty'. And this same thing is 'hunting' the Islamic society even today.
| |
| | |
| Also see again this lack of interaction between them when Safwan found 'Asiha.
| |
| | |
| {{Quote|{{Bukhari|||4141|darussalam}}|Narrated 'Aisha:
| |
| ... While I was sitting in my resting place, I was overwhelmed by sleep and slept. Safwan bin Al-Muattal As-Sulami Adh-Dhakwani was behind the army. When he reached my place in the morning, he saw the figure of a sleeping person and he recognized me on seeing me '''as he had seen me before the order of compulsory veiling (was prescribed)'''. So I woke up when he recited Istirja' (i.e. "Inna li l-lahi wa inna llaihi raji'un") as soon as he recognized me, '''I veiled my face with my head cover at once, and by Allah, we did not speak a single word''', and I did not hear him saying any word besides his Istirja'. He dismounted from his camel and made it kneel down, putting his leg on its front legs and then I got up and rode on it. Then he set out leading the camel that was carrying me till we overtook the army in the extreme heat of midday}}
| |
| | |
| Islam critics ask:
| |
| | |
| *How could Islam be considered a 'religion of nature' when it has made it so difficult that even in emergencies men and women don't even exchange a single word?
| |
| *What wrong could have happened if they would have greeted each other, and Safwan would have asked her about the problem why she was alone there, and if she needed some other kind of help too in that situation?
| |
| | |
| Even today Muslim ladies and girls are unable to take help without any hesitation in each and every field from men (either they are male doctors or male teachers etc). So much energy of the society is wasted in these unnatural restrictions, and half of the Islamic society (i.e. women) become practically useless and unable to help with the productivity.
| |
| | |
| PS:
| |
| | |
| Muslims are divided on the issue if woman's 'face' should be veiled or not. Those who support the veiling of face too, they present this tradition as a proof, while here 'Aisha veiled her full face from Safwan.
| |
| | |
| ==Did Muhammad practice Taqiyyah in case of 'Abdullah Ibn Ubai?==
| |
| Islam critics point out that:
| |
| | |
| *Punishment of making a false slander is not killing, but maximum 80 lashes (at it happened with Hassan bin Thabit and others who made the slander)
| |
| *But in his personal case, Muhammad still ordered to kill 'Abdullah.
| |
| *Nevertheless, Muhammad failed to incite 'Abdullah's tribe men to kill him.
| |
| *After one month later, other 3 Sahaba were punished with 80 lashes, but again 'Abdullah Ibn Ubai didn't even get the punishment of those 80 lashes. Why?
| |
| | |
| Doesn't it mean that Muhammad had to practice Taqiyyah in case of 'Abdullah Ibn Ubai?
| |
| | |
| And what about companions being the best of generations and best of the believers when they neither killed 'Abdullah nor let him be lashed, despite the clear Quranic verse and the clear prophetic orders?
| |
| | |
| ==Why did Muhammad use to take his wives during the battles?==
| |
| In the time of ignorance, the Kings acted like the dictators. They didn't allow their common soldiers to take their wives during the journeys, but for themselves, they wanted to enjoy their wives during the battles too, although those wives had no role in the battle and they were only an extra load.
| |
| | |
| Islam critics point out that Muhammad also followed the footsteps of those dictator kings. The incident of Ifk happened while Muhammad took 'Aisha with him in that journey.
| |
| | |
| In this same Hadith about Ifk, 'Aisha narrated:
| |
| | |
| {{Quote|{{Bukhari|||4141|darussalam}}|Narrated `Aisha:
| |
| | |
| Whenever Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) intended to go on a journey, he used to draw lots amongst his wives, and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to take with him the one on whom lot fell. He drew lots amongst us during one of the Ghazwat (in which the incident of Ifk happened) which he fought. The lot fell on me and so I proceeded with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ).}}
| |
| | |
| So, Islamic critics raise this question, why in the first place Muhammad started to follow the footsteps of those dictator kings of the time of ignorance?
| |
Remarriage to Ex-Spouse after the Divorce
According to Islam, if a man divorces his wife thrice, then he could not directly remarry her. But if the divorced woman marries another man, and he divorces her or dies, after that she is allowed to remarry her first husband. This ruling has been directly mentioned in Quran.
If a man divorces her again (a third time), she becomes unlawful for him (and he cannot remarry her) until she has married another man. Then if he divorces her there is no harm if the two unite again (by remarrying)
This affects the whole family, but especially women and the children are affected from it.
This was a practice of the Arab society of the pre-Islamic time of Ignorance, and Islam adopted it from there (along with the other related practices like only husband had the right to divorce, and the system of 3 divorces etc).
The logic behind this ruling was to "punish" the husband for divorcing his wife thrice. Nevertheless, this custom didn't take into consideration the miseries that it brought upon the woman and she was also punished even if she was innocent and didn't make a mistake.
This was the practice of the pre-Islamic era Arabs
This was a practice of the Arab society of the pre-Islamic time.
Actually, the whole "system" of pre-Islamic era consisted of[1]:
- Only husband had the right to give divorce, while the women didn't have this right.
- The 3 Talaqs (divorces) system[2] i.e. Husband was allowed to take his wife back till 2 divorces. But after the 3rd divorce, he was not allowed to take her back.
- But if he desired her even after the 3rd Talaq, then she had to first marry another man, and after the divorce from the 2nd husband, she could return to her former husband.
The logic behind this ruling was to "punish" the husband for divorcing his wife thrice. Nevertheless, this custom didn't take into consideration the miseries that it brought upon the woman and she was also punished even if she was innocent and didn't make a mistake.
ويظهر أن الجاهليين كانوا قد أوجدوا حلًّا لهذا الطلاق الشاذ، فأباحوا للزوج أن يرجع زوجه إليه بعد الطلاق الثالث، ولكن بشرط أن تتزوج بعد وقوع الطلاق الثالث من رجل غريب، على أن يطلقها بعد اقترانها به، وعندئذ يجوز للزوج الأول أن يعود إليها بزوج جديد.
It is apparent that the people from the era of Ignorance found a way to make their wives permissible (Halal) for them even after 3 divorces. Therefore, if the husband wanted to take her back, then that woman had to marry a stranger man on the condition that he would divorce her later. After this process had been completed (i.e. the divorce from the stranger), then the first husband was allowed to remarry her.
Later, Islam also adopted whole of this system of the pre-Islamic era (i.e. only husband having the right to divorce + 3 Divorces + the ruling of wife having to marry another man before returning to the 1st husband).
Islam added another extra condition to this pre-Islamic era practice i.e. no contract of divorce could be made at the time of marriage with the 2nd man[3]. This means, if the 2nd husband likes her, then he could keep her for himself. It was intended to make the punishment even more "severe".
The logic was to compel the husband to think more carefully before giving the 3rd divorce, and it was also a warning for a woman to solve the dispute, and to make her husband happy before he divorces her the 3rd time.
Nevertheless, this extra condition brought even more miseries upon the Muslim women as compared to the women of the pre-Islamic era of ignorance. Also, the children were also more affected.
The time period for solving the disputes in the Islamic 3 Talaqs System
There are 2 ways of giving 3 Talaqs in Islam.
- A husband gives 3 Talaqs (i.e. divorces) to his wife in one sitting i.e. if he says "Talaq, Talaq, Talaq" (i.e. 3 times Talaq) to his wife at the same time[4], then the final irrevocable divorce takes place within seconds.
- A husband gives the 1st Talaq (divorce) after the wife becomes free of her monthly bleeding. Then he gives the 2nd after the 2nd menstrual bleeding. These first 2 Talaqs (divorces) are reversible and he could took her back. But if he also divorces her the 3rd time after the third menstrual bleeding, then it becomes the irrevocable divorce[5]. This procedure of Talaq takes about 3 months time.
In the first case, if a husband pronounces 3 divorces at once in anger, then there is absolutely no time left to solve the disputes. The whole family is destroyed within seconds.
In the 2nd case, the procedure of Talaq takes about 3 months time. Nevertheless, still there is no guarantee that the dispute between the husband and the wife is going to be over within 3 months. Some people, sometimes need some more time to learn their lessons than the 3 months.
Why a divorced Muslim couple still wants to reunite?
First Reason: The couple still love each other, despite the temporary anger and dispute
A divorce may occur due to many reasons (like temporary anger, inexperience of the young couple to solve their disputes, or family pressure, or financial situation etc.).
But all these factors could change with time, and they may be able to solve their dispute later.
Nevertheless, problem occurs for the divorced Muslim couples that they don't have any chance to correct their mistake later, and to reunite due to this Islamic ruling.
Second Reason: Preserving the family life for their children
In case of irrevocable divorce, both the partners have to live separately, and thus the children are also separated either from the father or from the mother.
In both cases, the family life of the children is destroyed.
Therefore, for the sake of their children, the divorced couples often wish to reunite later.
But again, due to this Islamic Ruling, the divorced couple get's no chance to correct their mistake and to reunite for the sake of their children.
Women especially feel themselves compelled to reunite with their ex-husbands
Another Islamic Ruling stipulates that[6]:
- A woman will lose all of her children and they are separated from her if she marries any other man (except for her ex-husband).
- Islamic Logic is that all the time of the wife (except of the prayers) belongs to the new husband. He could call her for sexual enjoyment at any time. But if children from the first husband are still there, then it hampers the right of 2nd husband to enjoy her. Thus, the children should be separated from her if she decides to remarry another person.
In an Islamic society, it is very difficult for a woman to survive alone. She has to face a lot of restrictions (like taking Hijab and not to make interaction with men). Thus, her life becomes really difficult to go outside of house, and then to find a good job, and then to work whole day there, and at the same time to look after her small children at home too. Thus, the easiest way for a divorced woman to survive in an Islamic society, is to remarry and get the financial support from the 2nd husband.
Thus, all the divorced Muslim mothers are badly affected and they are in a hard rock and hard place. They are practically "compelled" to choose one of the following options below:
- Their first option is to choose to stay with their children. But then they could not marry another man, and they have to give away their natural need of being loved by a man, and the financial support of a man, which is very much needed in an Islamic society.
- Their second option is to marry another man of their choice, in order to get the financial support and love from him. But the evil for them in this option is that all their children will be separated from them. And it is one of the most horrible thing for any mother to loose any or all of her children.
- Their third option is to remarry their ex-husband. In this case, they will get the financial support and love of a man, and children will also not be separated from her. Even if the she does not love the first husband, still getting the "financial support" from him along with the option of separation from her children is enough reason for her to wish to reunite with the former husband.
This is one of the main reason why Muslim women are very harshly and unilaterally hit by divorce, and they may feel themselves strongly compelled to return to their first husband (even if these women were totally innocent, and it was the fault of their husbands to divorce them). This is the "Only Chance" available for a Muslim woman in Islam to have a complete family life (which includes husband and her children).
Combination of This Ruling + Wife Beating + Wife not having the right to get her freedom through divorce
This Islamic Ruling does not affect the woman's life alone, but it works in combination of two other Islamic ruling (i..e Wife beating + A wife does not have the right to take divorce).
The combination of all three of them in action is found in the following Hadith:
Rifa`a divorced his wife whereupon `AbdurRahman bin Az-Zubair Al-Qurazi married her. `Aisha said that the lady (came), wearing a green veil (and complained to her (Aisha) of her husband
and showed her a green spot on her skin caused by severe beating). It was the habit of ladies to support each other, so when Allah's Apostle came, `Aisha said,
"I have not seen any woman suffering as much as the believing women (i.e. men were not beating their wives so brutally during the era of ignorance as they beat after Islam). Look! Her skin is greener than her clothes!" When `AbdurRahman heard that his wife had gone to the Prophet, he came with his two sons from another wife. She said, "By Allah! I have done no wrong to him but
he is impotent and is as useless to me as this," holding and showing the fringe of her garment, `Abdur-Rahman said, "By Allah, O Allah's Apostle! She has told a lie! I am very strong and can satisfy her but she is disobedient
and wants to go back to Rifa`a (i.e. the first husband)." Allah's Apostle said, to her,
"If that is your intention, then know that it is unlawful for you to remarry Rifa`a unless `Abdur-Rahman has had sexual intercourse with you." Then the Prophet (ﷺ) saw two boys with `Abdur- Rahman and asked (him), "Are these your sons?" On that `AbdurRahman said, "Yes." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "You claim what you claim (i.e.. that he is impotent)? But by Allah, these boys resemble him as a crow resembles a crow,"
Why this Sahabaia lady (i.e. female companion) made false slander of impotency against her 2nd husband?
From the Hadith of wife of Rifa`a, it is clear that either this Sahabia lady (i.e. female companion) was telling a lie about the impotency of her husband (and that too in front of Prophet Muhammad himself), or her 2nd husband was telling a lie when he claimed to not to be impotent.
Muhammad later declared that female companion to be a lair, while her 2nd husband already had 2 sons from another wife.
So, what compelled that female companion to come up with this lie of impotency of her husband?
Answer is, in case of impotency, she had a chance to get her freedom through an Islamic court. Here you could read about these rare cases, where an Islamic court could give freedom to the women through Faskh (i.e. dissolution of marriage).
Risks involved for the Muslim woman in the 2nd marriage:
This hadith of the wife of Rifa`a also makes clear about the huge risks and the severe consequences that a woman could face in case of marriage with the 2nd husband.
Even if a woman marries with the intention of divorce to the 2nd man, still there is a huge risk for her that the 2nd husband would not grant her freedom by giving her divorce as it is solely his right according to Islam. A Muslim woman could not get her freedom even through Khul' in Islam, as Khul' is also the right of the husband in Islam and no Islamic court could compel him to set her free.
Even more risk is involved for her that Islam also allows the 2nd husband to beat her severely in order to make her submissive, so that she provides him with the sex-services properly.
This beating could be so severe that she could even get the bruises all over her body. Even 'Aisha was complaining and testifying that the women in the pre-Islamic era were not beaten so brutally, as the Muslim women were being beaten by their Muslim husbands.
Love and desire to reunite with the first husband is "natural" despite the irrevocable divorce
This hadith of wife of Rifa`a also proves that love is natural, and desire to return to him is also natural and no irrevocable divorce could end this love and desire.
And if a Sahabia (female companion) lady was unable to control over her love and desire for the 1st husband, and if she was ready to come up with false slanders to achieve her desire, then it could not be expected from the women of today to not to love their ex-husbands and not to make such false moves in order to achieve their true desires.
Two houses and two families are going to be destroyed due to the restriction upon the love
This hadith of wife of Rifa`a also proves if religion is going to curb the love, and even succeeds in compelling her to marry another man, then still two families are going to be destroyed.
The house of first husband is going to be destroyed, while the children are without the mother. And the house of 2nd husband is going to be destroyed while there is no peace there and this house becomes the the center of beating of the woman.
Therefore, it is not only the woman, but the children and the whole two families are going to pay the price of this restriction.
Halala (Tahleel Marriage)
In Halala (or Tahleel Marriage), the 2nd marriage tooks place with the intention of later giving divorce to the woman, so that she could become lawful (Halal) for her former husband to marry her again.
There is a difference of opinion in different Fiqhs regarding the 2nd marriage with the intention of divorce[7]
- Hanafi and Shafi'i Fiqhs allow a woman to marry a 2nd man with the 'intention' of taking divorce later, and to remarry her first husband. That is why, we see 'Halala Centers' in the Islamic countries, and even in the western countries too where Muslim population resides.
- While Hanbali and Maliki Fiqhs don't allow such marriage with the intention of later taking Talaq. In this case, practically all the doors are shut for a woman to reunite her children and the former husband.
References: