Violence in Islam from the Bedroom to the Battlefield ~ Habib Kadhim As-Saqqaf ~ Australia Tour 2017
“There are certain texts within the Quranic revelation which if they are interpreted without due recourse to the life and dealings of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ then we are doing a great disservice to his life and the Quranic text.
If we now look at the relationship in the family home between husband and wife and other members of the family, we are going to discover that in fact Islam has no legitimisation of intimate partner or domestic violence, therefore to say there is any type of justification for violence in Islam in these situations again is a disservice and injustice. And due to unfortunate misinterpretation of Islamic texts within the Quranic revelation, there has occurred a misunderstanding with regards to the Islamic position on these topical and sensitive matters. When we begin to research and ponder upon the life of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ particularly that which would occur within the privacy of his own home we are not going to find any incidents of violence, we are not going to find any incidents of injustice we are not going to find any incidents of striking or wife beating or any of that type of terminology that could be found in translations and interpretations of the Quran widely distributed, unfortunately they are misinterpreted and mistranslated, rather what we do discover in the family of Prophet ﷺ is that there is love, there is mutual compassion there is respect, there’s even seeking permission by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ from his wives when he wants to go out and perform acts of worship.
If we were going to do a comprehensive analysis of the interactions between the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and all his wives in his family home that’s going to take longer than the time we have for this public lecture, so for that reason we are going to hone in on his interactions with one of his wives Aisha. So our lady Aisha may Allah be pleased with her she was a lady who had great and deep knowledge, she was an avid worshiper of Allah and had an astounding understanding of the Islamic principles within the sources of Islamic Law and so thereby would be a wonderful role model for all our women. When we begin to look at his life with his wife we are going to find that this was one of the most wonderful relationships and we are going to learn so much about how the husband and wife interact in the family home. If we are going to start to analyse the relationship of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ with his wife Aisha we are going to look at his relationship in the bedroom his relationship in the family home, his relationship outside the family home, his relationship whilst on a journey, and his relationship in any other type of incidental situation.
There was a delegation of a group of men who had come from the land of Ethiopia and they were performing a particular tribal dance within the mosque of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and given that there was an opening between his home and the mosque, what he would do is allow his wife Aisha to lay her cheek upon his shoulder and he would provide her a platform, so she could kneel on as she watched this form of entertainment. So these group of men were playing a form of recreation dance with the intention to entertain people a form of leisure. This is also an indication that an act like that as long as its attached to a noble and pure intention then there is no problems at all of performing inside a mosque. And so the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ would say have you watched enough and she would say no I want to watch more then time would lapse and he would ask again is that enough and she would say no I want to watch more, then that would continue for a period of time, what she was doing is prolonging her time that she was resting her cheek upon his shoulders, because she would say, I wanted to see my status and position with him. And finally after a period of time after our lady Aisha observed the Prophet Muhammmad ﷺ because he was getting tired he began to move his feet and legs up and down, rest on one leg then the other leg, because he was standing there in one position for a extended period of time. When she saw that she said ok I’ve had enough now. And so the moral of this story the lesson is look at how the Prophet ﷺ was so compassionate and able to contain the needs, and fulfill the emotional needs of this young wife of his.
In one journey the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was accompanied by his wife Aisha and as they were out in the open he turns to her and says Aisha do you want to race me, so she said ok, they started and she beat him she won the race, a period of time passed a number of years, she increased a bit in weight, so the Prophet ﷺ said do you want to race now? She said yes, however this time he beat her and his response to her at the end of the race was this one here was for that one back then, meaning he was getting her it was payback time. So look at this this was a beautiful incident where the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ at his sublime station of being Prophet and Messenger he was not embarrassed to actually have fun with his wife, but how many today if the opportunity arises will feel shy and embarrassed and say no I can’t race my wife.
In all of the interactions between the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ with his wives and family members all we have seen and witnessed is upright character and perfection in dealing and interactions we never find an incident where he raises his hand on a single human being. He doesn’t hit any child, he doesn’t hit any wife, he doesn’t hit any women, rather all we see is a soft gentle compassionate person.
There are some people who have taken one particular verse of the Qu’ran and began to interpret and translate it in a way that is at odds with the way of the life of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ himself and so therefore through that misinterpretation they have placed upon Islam a meaning and direction which Islam itself is innocent from.
If they had truly understood the intended meaning behind the words in that particular verse all their misunderstandings and misconceptions would have been elevated/lifted. If those people who interpret this verse as being a justification for hitting or striking between a husband and a wife, then this misinterpretation is at odds with the actions of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ because it was not known from him that he had ever done that, and for those who may say that it is obligatory or its permissible for a man to hit his wife, unfortunately they are placing upon Islam a ruling which it itself is innocent from.
If we look at the obligation of the man to come to the support of the women in various situations it’s not simply an obligation or permission. In Islamic law the rights of the women in regards to her situation a protection is greater than the rights of the man. The example given is that in our legal texts if a person or man is being attacked for instance in his home by some other person or Muslim, you are permitted to give up, you are permitted to submit that is fine you don’t have to defend yourself. However if the situation is a women being attacked you no longer have the option should I defend should I not defend you are obligated as a man to go to the defence of that particular women it is no longer an option, the strength that the Sharia and Islam gives a women as opposed to a man.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said in a sermon, those of you hit your women folk thinking you are the best of people, you actually are the worst of people.
Complete Video:
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~ Violence in Islam from the Bedroom to the Battlefield ~ Habib Kadhim As-Saqqaf ~ Australia Tour 2017
Vittles for the Soul 