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Muhammad's Marriages: Difference between revisions
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→Maymunah bint Al-Harith: cleaning up language
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The idea that Safiyah “needed” to marry Muhammad because her high rank meant “it would be inappropriate for her to be assigned to anyone other than the Prophet”<ref>[http://www.ispi-usa.org/muhammad/appendix2.html/ “The Prophet’s Marriages and Wives”] in Akhter, J. (2001). ''The Seven Phases of Prophet Muhammad’s Life''. Chicago: IPSI.</ref> seems to assume that Safiyah “needed” to be taken prisoner, unlike the remainder of khaybar folk who were allowed to remain free. Furthermore, Muhammad did not need to take prisoners, for he had already won the war and taken control of the city. The Jews in Khaybar had no further means to fight back, had surrendered unconditionally, and Muhammad did not need hostages to ensure their future cooperation. | The idea that Safiyah “needed” to marry Muhammad because her high rank meant “it would be inappropriate for her to be assigned to anyone other than the Prophet”<ref>[http://www.ispi-usa.org/muhammad/appendix2.html/ “The Prophet’s Marriages and Wives”] in Akhter, J. (2001). ''The Seven Phases of Prophet Muhammad’s Life''. Chicago: IPSI.</ref> seems to assume that Safiyah “needed” to be taken prisoner, unlike the remainder of khaybar folk who were allowed to remain free. Furthermore, Muhammad did not need to take prisoners, for he had already won the war and taken control of the city. The Jews in Khaybar had no further means to fight back, had surrendered unconditionally, and Muhammad did not need hostages to ensure their future cooperation. | ||
Once Muhammad had decided that Safiyah was his hostage, he had to feed and shelter her, and there was no welfare-related reason to marry her; he had to provide for her material needs regardless. The idea, as some put it, that “this marriage protected her from humiliation”<ref>[http://www.al-islam.org/muhammad-yasin-jibouri/8.htm/ Al-Jibouri, Y. T. “Marriages of the Prophet” in ''Muhammad''. Qum, Iran: Ansariyan Publications.]</ref> shows a strange perception of what is “humiliating”. Safiyah might not have liked to be a domestic slave or a commoner’s concubine, but she surely would have found these options less humiliating than being married to the man who had just killed her husband. Safiyah’s husband was not, as is sometimes claimed, “killed during the battle of Khaybar”;<ref>E.g., [http://www.al-islam.org/muhammad-yasin-jibouri/8.htm/ Jibouri].</ref> rather, his torture and execution had been specifically ordered by Muhammad and, this too, ''after'' the declaration of truce.<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 515.</ref> | Once Muhammad had decided that Safiyah was his hostage, he had to feed and shelter her, and there was no welfare-related reason to marry her; he had to provide for her material needs regardless. The idea, as some put it, that “this marriage protected her from humiliation”<ref>[http://www.al-islam.org/muhammad-yasin-jibouri/8.htm/ Al-Jibouri, Y. T. “Marriages of the Prophet” in ''Muhammad''. Qum, Iran: Ansariyan Publications.]</ref> shows a strange perception of what is “humiliating”. Safiyah might not have liked to be a domestic slave or a commoner’s concubine, but she surely would have found these options less humiliating than being married to the man who had just killed her husband. Safiyah’s husband was not, as is sometimes claimed, “killed during the battle of Khaybar”;<ref>E.g., [http://www.al-islam.org/muhammad-yasin-jibouri/8.htm/ Jibouri].</ref> rather, his torture and execution had been specifically ordered by Muhammad in order to find his buried gold and, this too, ''after'' the declaration of truce.<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 515.</ref> | ||
Muhammad’s family – not only his wives and descendants, but his extended family too – lived off the wealth of Khaybar for the rest of their lives.<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 521-523.</ref> Since Safiyah represented the leading family of Khaybar,<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 437-438.</ref> there is a very real sense in which Muhammad’s whole clan was living at her expense. Muhammad was not providing for Safiyah; it was she and her people, rather, who provided for him and his family. | Muhammad’s family – not only his wives and descendants, but his extended family too – lived off the wealth of Khaybar for the rest of their lives.<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 521-523.</ref> Since Safiyah represented the leading family of Khaybar,<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 437-438.</ref> there is a very real sense in which Muhammad’s whole clan was living at her expense. Muhammad was not providing for Safiyah; it was she and her people, rather, who provided for him and his family. | ||
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====Maymunah bint Al-Harith==== | ====Maymunah bint Al-Harith==== | ||
Maymunah was never poor; she was born into the | Maymunah was never poor; she was born into the relatively affluent Hilal tribe.<ref>Ibn Hisham note 918; {{Tabari|9|p. 135}}.</ref> After her husband died, she became the house guest of her married sister, Lubabah.<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:94: “Al-‘Abbas ibn al-Muttalib married her to him. He took care of her affairs.”</ref> Lubabah’s husband was Muhammad’s uncle, Abbas ibn Abdulmuttalib, who was “one of the richest of the Banu Hashim.”<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 114.</ref> He “used to go often to the Yaman to buy aromatics and sell them during the fairs”<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 113.</ref> and was also apparently a banker: “he had a great deal of money scattered among the people.”<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 309-310.</ref> Maymunah offered to marry Muhammad without taking any dower.<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:97: “Maymuna bint al-Harith was the woman who gave herself to the Messenger of Allah.” Also: “‘Amra was asked whether Maymuna was the one who gave herself to the Messenger of Allah. She said, ‘The Messenger of Allah married her for 500 ''dirhams'' and the guardian for her marriage was al-‘Abbas ibn al-Muttalib.’”</ref> Muhammad agreed, but this was not acceptable to Abbas, who unexpectedly provided Maymunah with a dower anyway.<ref>Ibn Hisham note 918 says the dower was 400 ''dirhams'', like that of all Muhammad’s other wives. Bewley/Saad 8:97 says it was 500 ''dirhams'', in keeping with Ibn Saad’s other traditions that Muhammad’s wives received 12½ ounces of silver. The higher sum is from the later histories, suggesting that the chroniclers adjusted it for inflation.</ref> | ||
It has never been entirely clear why Muhammad married Maymunah. What is clear, however, is that she was not poor or homeless and so was not in need of any form of rescuing. | It has never been entirely clear why Muhammad married Maymunah. What is clear, however, is that she was not poor or homeless and so was not in need of any form of rescuing. | ||