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 Muhammad used to take turns among his wives, visiting a different one each night. One night during the time allotted for [[Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Muhammads Wives and Concubines#Hafsa|Hafsa]], she had to take care of an urgent need involving another family member and so was not at home. Muhammad instead had intimate relations with [[Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Muhammads Wives and Concubines#Mariya|Mary]], a Coptic slave that had been given to him. Muhammad was not married to Mary the Copt.{{Quote|{{Al Nasai||4|36|3411}}|It was narrated from Anas, that the Messenger of Allah had a female slave with whom he had intercourse, but 'Aishah and Hafsah would not leave him alone until he said that she was forbidden for him. Then Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, revealed: '''"O Prophet! Why do you forbid (for yourself) that which Allah has allowed to you.'''" until the end of the Verse.<br>Grade: Sahih (Darussalam)}}
-When Hafsah found this out and questioned him, he promised (on oath) not to touch Mary again if she would keep this a secret, and promised that Umar and Abu Bakr should be his successors. Hafsah, however, did not keep quiet and told Aysha about this event. As a result Muhammad had no dealings with any of his wives for a full month, living with Mary alone.<ref>Gerhard Nehls & Walter Eric - [http://answering-islam.org/Nehls/tt1/tt2.html The Challenge of Islam/ Chapter II] - English Press Limited Nairobi, New Revised Edition 1996, ISBN 9966 895 16 7</ref> Aisha and Hafsa conspired with the rest of the prophet's wives against Muhammad and isolated him from physical relations.
+When Hafsah found this out and questioned him, Muhammad promised (on oath) not to touch Mary again if Hafsah would keep the occurrence a secret, and promised that Umar (Umar's dad) and Abu Bakr (Aisha's dad) would be his successors. Hafsah, however, did not keep quiet and told Aysha about this event. As a result Muhammad had no interactions with any of his wives for a full month during which he lived with Mary alone.<ref>Gerhard Nehls & Walter Eric - [http://answering-islam.org/Nehls/tt1/tt2.html The Challenge of Islam/ Chapter II] - English Press Limited Nairobi, New Revised Edition 1996, ISBN 9966 895 16 7</ref> In response, Aisha and Hafsa conspired with the rest of the prophet's wives against Muhammad and isolated him from physical relations.
-Justify his actions with Mary, Muhammad received the following revelation:
+Regarding his actions with Mary, Muhammad received the following revelation:
 {{Quote|{{Quran|66|1}}|'''"O Prophet! Why do you ban (for yourself) that which God has made lawful to you.."'''}}
-Allah then proceeded to chastise Aisha and Hafsa for getting upset with Muhammad for having sex with Mary the [[Slavery|slave]] girl:
+Allah then proceeded to chastise Aisha and Hafsa for getting upset with Muhammad for having sex with Mary:
 {{Quote|{{Quran|66|3-5}}|And (remember) when the Prophet disclosed a matter in confidence to one of his wives (Hafsah), so when she told it (to another i.e. 'Aishah), and God made it known to him, he informed part thereof and left a part. Then when he told her (Hafsah) thereof, she said: "Who told you this?" He said: "The All-Knower, the All-Aware (God) has told me".  If you two (wives of the Prophet , namely 'Aishah and Hafsah) turn in repentance to God, (it will be better for you), your hearts are indeed so inclined (to oppose what the Prophet likes), but if you help one another against him (Muhammad), then verily, God is his Maula (Lord, or Master, or Protector, etc.), and Jibrael (Gabriel), and the righteous among the believers, and furthermore, the angels are his helpers. It may be if he divorced you (all) that his Lord will give him instead of you, wives better than you, Muslims (who submit to God), believers, obedient to God, turning to God in repentance, worshipping God sincerely, fasting or emigrants (for God's sake), previously married and virgins."}}
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 ===Excusing the Satanic Verses===
 {{Main|Satanic Verses (Gharaniq Incident)}}
-Pre-Islamic Mecca was a hotbed of [[Pagan Origins of Islam|paganism]] and polytheism. It is said 360 idols surrounded the [[Kaaba|Ka'aba]] and were worshiped as gods. Thus, it is storied that when Muhammad first began preaching monotheism and denouncing the other 359 gods, he was met with much resistance and hostility.
+Pre-Islamic Mecca was a center of [[Pagan Origins of Islam|paganism]] and polytheism. It is said 360 idols surrounded the [[Kaaba|Ka'aba]], with additional idols stored inside, and that these were worshipped as gods. Thus, it is storied in the hadith that when Muhammad first began preaching monotheism and denouncing other gods, he met resistance and hostility.
-In an attempt to appease the Meccans, buy some time and bring relief to his followers from hostility, Muhammad one night had a revelation found in [[Surah]] 53:19-22 which originally read, "Have you thought of al-Lat and al-Uzza and Manat the third, the other; these are the exalted Gharaniq whose intercession is approved." <ref>ibn Ishaq, p. 165-166; see also History of al-Tabari , vol VI: Muhammad at Mecca, p. 108-109 </ref> Al-Lat, al-Uzza and Manat were three female deities, known as daughters of Allah. By this revelation Muhammad acknowledged these deities as worthy of worship and whose intercession in heaven was to be sought. Acknowledging these deities had the desired effect. Later, the angel [[Gabriel]] chastised Muhammad for uttering these verses and informed him that Satan, not Allah, had put these words in Muhammad's mouth. Thus, these verses are known as the [[Satanic Verses]].
+In an what was apparently an attempt to appease the Meccans, buy some time and bring relief to his followers from hostility, Muhammad one night had a revelation found in [[Surah]] 53:19-22 which originally read, "Have you thought of al-Lat and al-Uzza and Manat the third, the other?; these are the exalted ''Gharaniq'' whose intercession is approved." <ref>ibn Ishaq, p. 165-166; see also History of al-Tabari , vol VI: Muhammad at Mecca, p. 108-109 </ref> Al-Lat, al-Uzza and Manat were three female deities, known as daughters of Allah, who were considered especially important by Arabs in the region. By this revelation Muhammad acknowledged these deities as extant, worthy of worship, and as entities whose intercession in heaven was to be sought. Acknowledging these deities had the effect of rendering the Arabs accommodating towards Muhammad, who reportedly fell into prostration in approval upon hearing the acceptance of these deities. Later, the angel [[Gabriel]] chastised Muhammad for uttering these verses and informed him that Satan, not Allah, had put these words in Muhammad's mouth. Thus, these verses became known as the [[Satanic Verses]] (''al-Ayaat al-Shaytaniyyah''). Later, Islamic theologians would have tremendous difficulty reconciling this grievous error, which amounted to [[Shirk|''shirk'' (polytheism)]], with Muhammad's status as the infallible and perfect man (''[[Uswa Hasana|uswa hasana]]'').
-Muhammad then received another revelation to relieve him of any wrongdoing:
+Muhammad then received another revelation absolving him of responsibility for the verse:
 {{Quote|{{Quran|22|52}}|'''"Never did We send an apostle or a prophet before thee, but, when he framed a desire, Satan threw some (vanity) into his desire:''' but God will cancel anything (vain) that Satan throws in, and God will confirm (and establish) His Signs: for God is full of Knowledge and Wisdom."}}
-There exists, however, no such instance of prophets succumbing to Satan's trickery and pronouncing false revelations in either the Bible or in Jewish literature.
+Christian and Jewish polemicists would later mount criticism of Islam on the basis of these story, citing the fact that no such instance of prophets succumbing to Satan's trickery and pronouncing false revelations was found in either the Bible or in Jewish literature. Indeed, Christian and Jewish scripture (scriptures recognized by the Qur'an as containing the words of other prophets) were quoted by these polemicists to the contrary:
-In fact, Christian and Jewish scripture, scriptures recognized by the Qur'an as containing the words of other prophets, we see the following attestation made:
 {{Quote|1=[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy%2018:20&version=NIV Deuteronomy 18:20 NIV]|2='But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.}}