Thursday, November 26, 2020

Sam Shamoun "The Prophet of Sensuality and Inconsistency; The Case of Maria The Copt"


As regards the number of right hand posessions (an expression that includes but is not restricted to "concubines", see articles below), There is the case of Tukana who was taken under his care until he died. She lived in his household under the status of right hand possession without becoming his concubine. After her death, she married Abbas, the prophet's uncle. This indicates that the prophet would not have had intercourse with her during her years as a right hand possession in his household. Further, had any of she been taken by the prophet as concubine, then we would have read of the kind of tension which is abundantly found in the history books between the prophet's wives and the prophet's only concubine, Maria the Copt. The prophet would have also settled her in a seperate house as he did with Maria. 

There were several such right hand posessions that lived in the prophet's household, side by side with his wives, as maids only. Such assistance was certainly needed and justified, given the number of guests constantly entering, day and night, and who were always kindly hosted to such an extent that they would overstay. The very fact that the history books speak of only one such right hand posession, Maria, as having had issues with the prophet's wives on account of her concubine relationship with him, the only right hand posession that was settled in her own house, while there is complete silence regarding his other right hand posessions, means that the burden of proof is upon those leveling the claim, to establish that the prophet was intimate with other women than those that are known, whether from his wives or right hand posessions.

Through the verse 33:52, the prophet was specifically told not to marry more women or divorce anyone from the wives he already had, if it is for purely physical motives. Here is a man who is supposedly lustful for women, forbidden from taking wives on the basis of their beauty only, which is precisely what is supposed to satisfy his alleged lusts. And besides, the ones leveling this type of mindless arguments, mainly Christians nowadays should ask themselves; how does having multiple or young/beautiful wives stain his truthfulness as a prophet, considering the marital and concubinal history of the prophets of the Hebrew Bible?

33:52 was an answer to the hypocrites' annoying talk and unjust provocations the likes that were directed at other righteous men and women 33:48,57-58. The prophet is not here being denied the right to divorce. He is denied to do it for purely physical motives. He could divorce a woman if she misbehaved, then replace her with one regardless of her age or marital history, whose selection would strictly be on the basis of high morality and spiritual qualities 66:5. His divorces therefore would be dictated not by whims or lust but by righteousness and uprightness in conduct, or as the HB states in Prov31 after listing the true qualities of a married woman 
"Charm is false and beauty is futile; a God-fearing woman is to be praised". 
That is based on the notion that 
24:26"corrupt women are for corrupt men, and corrupt men, for corrupt women - just as good women are for good men, and good men, for good women". 
This negates the charges and calumnies raised by modern critics, mainly from a Judeo-Christian background, concerning the motives behind the prophet's marriages and these critics should rather turn attention towards their own scriptures where "divine ordinances" regulate whom is to marry whom, strictly on a physical basis 
Ezek44:22"And neither a widow nor a divorced woman may they (the high priests) take for wives, but they shall take virgins from the descendants of the House of Israel".
Such calumnies werent reserved to Muhammad, in the prophetic history, the likes of Moses were slandered to such an extent that the HB portrays YHWH wrathfully descending on the culprits Numb12,Ex2:21,Quran33:69. Despite these talks, the prophet is consoled that he is under constant spiritual blessings by God and His angels. These blessings in themselves will bring to naught all such imputations levelled against him or the believers in general, while a grievious sin will be written upon the culprits 33:56-8.  

What is very interesting is that the verse, although restricts any future marriage, allows him still to have as many right hand possessions as he would like to have and establish concubine relationships with them. And yet, here again is a man supposedly lustful, taking only 1 such women although he had the possibility of having much more, even as many as he would have liked. Again, we see a clear pattern from the prophet, abiding by all the restrictions imposed on him but not taking advantage of the legal relaxations. 
The religion of Islam, as exemplified in the life of the prophet, is against the concept of monasticism, the depraved idea of conflict between the flesh and the spirit, and the rejection of this world's legitimate pleasures. Accordingly, the Prophet said 
“By Allah, I fear Allah more than you do, and I am most obedient and dutiful among you to Him, but still I observe fast and break it; perform prayer and sleep at night and take wives. So whoever turns away from my Sunnah does not belong to me”. 
That balance between wordly enjoyments and spirituality is encapsulated in another hadith, placed by an Nasa'i in the chapter on the kind treatment of women 
“In your world, women and perfume have been made dear to me, and my comfort has been provided in prayer". 
Al-Suyuti offers the following insights on this report 
"In view of the fact that what is understood from the context of this Hadith is that the Prophet wanted to clarify what he received from the enjoyments of this world; he started his statement saying, “In your world, women and perfume have been made dear to me …“. In view of the fact of what has been made dear to him from the enjoyments of this world is the best thing of it; the women, as evidenced by his saying in another Hadith “The world is but a (quick passing) enjoyment; and the best enjoyment of the world is a pious virtuous woman” [Muslim]. It is appropriate to include the best religious matter, prayer, in the same Hadith, as prayer is the best worship that ranks second to faith. Therefore, we learn that this Hadith is a rhetorical one as it includes the best worldly enjoyments besides the best religious worships. Furthermore, the Prophet simply used the words “made dear to me” for the worldly matters while for the religious worships, he used the great expression of “my comfort has been provided in” as we can see that the word ‘comfort’ is used to express a great love not a normal one like the word “dear”".
The single right hand posession that was in addition his concubine was the noble Maria the Copt, who wasnt even a war captive, meaning the prophet didnt even go out of his way to find a woman that pleased him. She was given to him out of reverence by an Egyptian notable. It is interesting to note that there are at least 2 similar precedents in prophetic history, of a prophet's union with the Egyptian daughter of royalty. First Hagar who was given to Abraham, and then Solomon's unnamed Egyptian wife 1Kings3. The Egyptian notable wanted to establish political relations with the prophet, and this gesture was considered normal as per the decorum of ancient societies. Some reports say that two women were given, Maria and Sirin. The prophet freed Sirin whom he married to a close follower and took Maria as his concubine and lodged her in one of his followers' houses temporarily, Haritha. 

The prophet died only 2-3 years later. It is reasonable to assume that he would have eventually freed then married her, as seen from his relationship pattern in his household.
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