"...And his Wives Are Mothers to them..." (Quran 33:6)

Published in February 1, 2018

Translated by: Ahmed Fathy

Introduction:

1- We have received this very good question via email from one of our dear Quranist friends: (... God says the following in the Quran about the wives of Muhammad: "...and his wives are mothers to them..." (33:6). My question is as follows: since Muhammad's wives were like mothers to his contemporaries among the early believers, why has God demanded believers to talk to these wives from behind a curtain/screen? Would a son talk to his mother that way? Would you please explain this further to me? ... Thank you ...).

2- The brief answer is as follows: the meaning of this phrase "...and his wives are mothers to them..." (33:6) is simply that no man was allowed to marry those wives (as widows) after the death of Muhammad. This special sharia legislation was not fully understood by many of the companions/contemporaries of Muhammad whose hearts were sick with desires and disbelief; they used to enter into the chambers of Muhammad and talk to his wives; Muhammad was too embarrassed to stop them and too shy to drive them away; this is why some Quranic verses explain this and impose special temporary legislations (i.e., they are non-applicable now since the persons concerned died) to deal with this issue.   

3- This question we have received via email makes other topics and issues come to our mind: special legislations pertaining to Muhammad and his wives, Muhammad's wealth and chambers, Muhammad's household and chambers, the companions include believers, hypocrites, and those sick at heart, harming Muhammad and praying for him, and the mercy and high moralistic level of Muhammad. Of course, we have tackled these topics extensively before, each in a separate article; yet, we tackle them briefly here in this article that you are reading now.

Firstly: special legislations pertaining to Muhammad and his wives:

 The Quranic Chapter 33 has a special feature; it contains the special legislations pertaining to Muhammad and his wives and how they dealt with others around them; this means that these special legislations are non-applicable now since Muhammad and his wives died. These special legislations are now part of the Quranic story of Muhammad's lifetime. These special legislations are as follows.

1- Being loyal to Muhammad must come before any other loyalties; the wives of Muhammad are like mothers to believers in Yathreb and elsewhere at the time: "The prophet's alliance with the believers exceeds that they have amongst themselves, and his wives are mothers to them..." (33:6).   

2- God has prohibited the wives of Muhammad from marrying anyone after his death and prohibited that any men at the time would seek to marry these women after they would be widowed: "...You must never offend the messenger of God, nor must you ever marry his wives after him, for that would be an enormity with God." (33:53).

3- In case of proven guilty of adultery, any of the wives of Muhammad would be flogged with 200 lashes instead of 100 lashes; likewise, their rewards in Paradise are doubled if they would be pious women: "O wives of the prophet! Whoever of you commits a proven indecency, the torment for her will be doubled. And that would be easy for God. But whoever of you remains obedient to God and His messenger, and acts righteously, We will give her a double reward; and We have prepared for her a generous provision." (33:30-31).

4- Because of the high stature of Muhammad's wives, they are prohibited from doing the following.

4/1: They are prohibited from speaking too softly with men: "O wives of the prophet! You are not like any other women, if you observe piety. So do not speak too softly, lest the sick at heart lusts after you, but speak in an appropriate manner." (33:32).

4/2: They are prohibited from getting out of their homes for any reason: "And settle in your homes..." (33:33); in contrast, the polytheistic imams of the Sunnite religion have invented a silly tale of Muhammad's accompanying his wife, Aisha, within the events of an imaginary battle that never took place, as it is never mentioned in the Quran, and they have invented an embedded tale about Aisha being slandered and accused, within rumors, of adultery and then proven innocent. God has guided Muhammad in many issues of less importance than that; why does not the Quran mention such 'important' Sunnite tale? Because it is fake and untrue, of course. We are never to forget that as per historical accounts, Aisha disobeyed the command "And settle in your homes..." (33:33) by leading Arab troops into the very first civil war after Muhammad's death, and she invented falsehoods and fabricated lies to urge men to fight, kill, and die. Thus, Aisha is cursed – and the same applies to all inveterate liars known as fiqh and hadith scholars – by God, the angels, and all people.   

4/3: Thus, it is not obligatory for Muhammad's wives to engage into self-defense fighting jihad; this religious duty is imposed on men and women who are able to do it; the excuses for not to participate in self-defense endeavors apply to males and females: "There is no blame on the blind, nor any blame on the lame, nor any blame on the sick. Whoever obeys God and His Messenger - He will admit him into gardens beneath which rivers flow; but whoever turns away- He will punish him with a painful torment." (48:17).

4/4: They are prohibited from showing too much ornaments and embellishment within their appearance and looks: "...and do not display too much ornaments about yourselves..." (33:33). 

5- Men must pay dowries to their wives/brides; yet, there is a temporary, special Quranic legislation which pertains only to Muhammad: he has been told by God that he may marry any women who offer themselves to him in marriage without paying them dowries. After that, within another temporary, special Quranic legislation, God has prohibited Muhammad from marrying more women and from divorcing his wives at some point in time until his death: "O prophet! We have permitted to you your wives to whom you have given their dowries, and those you already have, as granted to you by God, and the daughters of your paternal uncle, and the daughters of your paternal aunts, and the daughters of your maternal uncle, and the daughters of your maternal aunts who emigrated with you, and a believing woman who has offered herself to the prophet, if the prophet desires to marry her, exclusively for you, and not for the believers. We know what We have ordained for them regarding their wives and those their right-hands possess. This is to spare you any difficulty. God is Forgiving and Merciful. You may defer any of them you wish, and receive any of them you wish. Should you desire any of those you had deferred, there is no blame on you. This is more proper, so that they will be comforted, and not be grieved, and be content with what you have given each one of them. God knows what is within your hearts. God is Omniscient and Clement. Beyond that, no other women are permissible for you, nor can you exchange them for other wives, even if you admire their beauty, except those you already have. God is Watchful over all things." (33:50-52).

6- God has prohibited contemporaries of Muhammad from entering into his chambers/homes without permission and from staying for a long time after they ate food; God has commanded them to talk to Muhammad's wives from behind a curtain or a screen: "O you who believe! Do not enter the homes of the prophet, unless you are given permission to come for a meal; and do not wait for its preparation. And when you are invited, go in. And when you have eaten, disperse, without lingering for conversation. This has harmed the prophet, and he shies away from you, but God does not shy away from the truth. And when you ask his wives for something, ask them from behind a screen; that is purer for your hearts and their hearts. You must never offend the Messenger of God, nor must you ever marry his wives after him, for that would be an enormity with God. Whether you declare a thing, or hide it, God is Aware of all things." (33:53-54). There are exceptions to this rule of talking to Muhammad's wives from behind a curtain: "There is no blame on them concerning their fathers, or their sons, or their brothers, or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or their female servants. But they should remain conscious of God. God is Witness over all things." (33:55).

7- Within the Quranic Chapter 49, God has prohibited contemporaries of Muhammad from shouting at, or in the presence of, Muhammad, as this was the habit of uncouth Bedouins. "O you who believe! Do not raise your voices above the voice of the prophet, and do not speak loudly to him, as you speak loudly to one another, lest your works be in vain without you realizing. Those who lower their voices before God's messenger - those are they whose hearts God has tested for piety. They will have forgiveness and a great reward. Those who call you from behind the chambers - most of them do not understand.Had they remained patient until you came out to them, it would have been better for them. But God is Forgiving and Merciful." (49:2-5).

Secondly: Muhammad's wealth and chambers:

 We infer from the verses 33:53-55 that Muhammad was wealthy and his chambers/homes were open for multitudes of people who came to talk and/or eat; Muhammad was embarrassed because of their long stay and their intrusion within the privacy of his household members. These verses refute the Sunnite false hadith inside the Al-Bokhary book about Muhammad's being impecunious to the extent that he pawned his shield to a Jew inside Yathreb in return for some money to buy some flour to make bread.

Thirdly: Muhammad's household and chambers:

1- Shiite myths and falsehoods include the notion that the Quranic term (people of the house) refers to his daughter, Fatima, her husband, Ali, her two sons, and their descendants later on. Nothing can be further from the truth. This Shiite lie contradicts the Quran: the term (people of the house) simply means the women in men's household members; i.e. wives and/or daughters. For instance, when the Potiphar's wife accused Joseph falsely, she said the following to her husband: "...What is the penalty for him who desired to dishonor your people of the house..." (12:25); the angels used the same term to refer to Abraham's wife: "They said, "Do you marvel at the decree of God? The mercy and blessings of God are upon you, O people of the house..." (11:73); the angels used the same term to refer to daughters of Lot: "They said, "O Lot, we are the envoys of your Lord; they will not reach you. So set out with your people of the house during the cover of the night, and let none of you look back, except for your wife. She will be struck by what will strike them. Their appointed time is the morning. Is not the morning near?"" (11:81). For further information on that topic of Muhammad's household or people of the house, we refer readers to our article (in English) titled "The Notion of Descendants of Muhammad's Household Is a False, Hateful, Racist One of Disbelief", found on this link: (http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=16080).

2- Likewise, the term (people of the house) is used here to address Muhammad's wives: "O wives of the prophet! You are not like any other women, if you observe piety. So do not speak too softly, lest the sick at heart lusts after you, but speak in an appropriate manner. And settle in your homes; and do not display too much ornaments about yourselves, as in the former days of ignorance. And perform the prayer, and give regular charity, and obey God and His messenger. God desires to remove all impurity from you, O people of the house, and to purify you thoroughly." (33:32-33). Thus, the Shiites must feel ashamed of themselves when they read the verse 33:33 that refutes their false notion; all of the Muhammadans must feel ashamed of themselves when they read this verse addressed to Muhammad's wives: "And remember what is recited in your homes of God's Verses and Wisdom. God is Kind and Informed. " (33:34). Both terms (God's Verses) and (Wisdom) refer to one thing: the Quran itself. Reciting and pondering the Quran are religious duties wasted and lost by the Muhammadans because of their devilish hadiths of the so-called five pillars of Islam; for more details about our refuting this Sunnite myth, we refer readers to our article in English: http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=14259   

3- The term (house) in some Quranic contexts refers to one's household members or wives/daughters; these two verses show that Muhammad never made his wives accompany him during self-defenses battles (unlike the falsehoods and hadiths of the polytheistic Sunnite imams). "Even as your Lord brought you out of your house with the Truth..." (8:5); "Remember when you left your house in the morning, to assign battle-positions for the believers..." (3:121).

Fourthly: the companions include believers, hypocrites, and those sick at heart:

1- Tens of Quranic verses talk about hypocrites among Muhammad's contemporaries who (as per the Quran) deserve being tormented within the inner depths of Hell; yet, the Sunnite books make such historical figures as infallible and immortal deities. Within the Quranic Chapter 33, there are verses talking about coward companions (hypocrites, disbelievers, and those sick at heart) as Yathreb was sieged by confederates of the aggressive, attacking polytheists. This is why within the verses about the special legislations pertaining to Muhammad and his wives, we read about those bad persons: "...So do not speak too softly, lest the sick at heart lusts after you..." (33:32).   

2- The Omniscient Lord God has known that some men who came and ate inside chambers/homes of Muhammad directed their lustful looks at Muhammad's wives and desired to marry them after his death: "He knows the deceptions of the eyes, and what the hearts conceal." (40:19); ""O you who believe! Do not enter the homes of the prophet, unless you are given permission to come for a meal; and do not wait for its preparation. And when you are invited, go in. And when you have eaten, disperse, without lingering for conversation. This has harmed the prophet, and he shies away from you, but God does not shy away from the truth. And when you ask his wives for something, ask them from behind a screen; that is purer for your hearts and their hearts. You must never offend the Messenger of God, nor must you ever marry his wives after him, for that would be an enormity with God. Whether you declare a thing, or hide it, God is Aware of all things." (33:53-54); "O wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women, if you observe piety. So do not speak too softly, lest the sick at heart lusts after you, but speak in an appropriate manner." (33:32).

Fifthly: harming Muhammad and praying for him:

1- The expression "...This has harmed the prophet..." (33:53) means that some of his contemporaries harmed him with their words and behaviors; this is why after the verses about special legislations related to Muhammad and his wives, we find this comparison and contrast between (1) praying for Muhammad and (2) verbal and nonverbal harming of him: "God and His angels give blessings to the Prophet. O you who believe, pray for blessings on him, and submit in peace. Those who insult God and His messenger, God has cursed them in this life and in the Hereafter, and has prepared for them a humiliating torment." (33:56-57). Thus, praying for Muhammad to be blessed by God's Mercy is contrasted with insulting and harming him; thus, hypocritical contemporaries of Muhammad used to trespass on his privacy and that of his household members (i.e., his wives) when they stayed for long durations inside the chambers/homes to eat and talk. The Sunnite polytheistic imams of disbelief later on, in their books, have violated the privacy of Muhammad and that of his household members (i.e., his wives) by inventing sexual hadiths/narratives/falsehoods about them: about how their sexual and private lives looked like and how they performed complete ablution, etc. No Sunnite man would accept such sexual tales about his wife, mother, or daughter, and yet, the Sunnites accept such hadiths of lewdness as part of Islam and as part of the life of the messenger of Islam!

2- There is equality between praying for God to bestow Mercy and blessings on Muhammad and God's bestowing them on pious believers.

2/1: God bestows His Mercy and blessings on real believers and the angels pray to Him to bestow His Mercy and blessings on pious believers; God has bestowed His Mercy by revealing the Quranic Light and by making the angels pray for the real believers: "It is He Who Bless you, and His angels, to bring you out of darkness into the Light. And He is Ever-Merciful towards the believers." (33:43). God bestows His Mercy on the patient, steadfast believers: "We will certainly test you with some fear and hunger, and some loss of possessions and lives and crops. But give good news to the steadfast. Those who, when a calamity afflicts them, say, "To God we belong, and to Him we will return." Upon these are blessings and mercy from their Lord. These are the guided ones." (2:155-157).

2/2: Muhammad, likewise, used to pray to God and to implore Him to bestow His Mercy on real, pious believers: "Yet among the Desert-Arabs are those who believe in God and the Last Day, and consider their contribution to be a means towards God, and the prayers of the messenger. Surely it will draw them closer, and God will admit them into His Mercy. God is Forgiving and Compassionate." (9:99); "Receive donation to the poor from their wealth, to purify them and recommend them with it; and pray for them. Your prayer is comfort for them. God is Hearing and Knowing." (9:103).

3- Likewise, God bestows His Mercy on Muhammad and the angels pray to God for him to bless him; hence, the real believers must imitate the angels in praying to God for Muhammad so that God will  bless him and bestow His Mercy on him: "God and His angels give blessings to the prophet. O you who believe, pray for blessings on him, and submit in peace." (33:56).

4- The expression (and submit in peace) in 33:56 does NOT mean to submit to Muhammad but to God, within piety and monotheistic faith; it does not mean to greet Muhammad or to heap praise on him as done by the Sunnites who deify and venerate him. The real relation between pious monotheistic believers and Muhammad after his death is monotheistic faith; i.e., the belief in the Quran by following it, reading it, pondering on it, adhering to it, and applying it. This way, the Quranic Light is the means to obtain God's Mercy and to be truly guided. In contrast, the polytheistic Sunnite imams of disbelief still insult, slander, verbally abuse and harm Muhammad after his death by their belief in, and propagation of, devilish hadiths/narratives that deify him and make him appear as if he were a terrorist, a murderer, and a criminal. Their portrayal of their imaginary, fake deity whom they have called (Muhammad) has nothing to do with the real depiction of the real Muhammad found exclusively in the Quran.  

Sixthly: the mercy and high moralistic level of Muhammad:

1- Because Muhammad was too shy to advise or even to drive away from his chambers/homes the long-staying guests among the companions who spent hours on end, talking and eating. They were embarrassing him by intruding within the privacy of his wives; God has addressed the following to the believers: "O you who believe! Do not enter the homes of the prophet, unless you are given permission to come for a meal; and do not wait for its preparation. And when you are invited, go in. And when you have eaten, disperse, without lingering for conversation. This has harmed the prophet, and he shies away from you, but God does not shy away from the truth..." (33:53).

2- Some other companions used to slander and verbally harm Muhammad once he settled in Yathreb, and he was patient and never defended himself; God has defended him in the Quran: we infer this from this command addressed to these believers (i.e., peaceful ones) to stop harming him verbally: "O you who believe! Do not be like those who harmed Moses; but God cleared him of what they said. He was distinguished with God." (33:69). This insulting and verbal abuse of Muhammad went on, as we infer from this verse: "And among them are those who insult the prophet, and say, "He is all ears." Say, "He listens for your own good. He believes in God, and trusts the believers, and is mercy for those of you who believe." Those who insult the Messenger of God will have a painful penalty." (9:61). Hence, God defends His messenger Muhammad as he was a source of mercy for his people.

3- Muhammad used to react to his being verbally insulted and harmed by the hypocrites by imploring God to pardon them, until God has told him the following: "Whether you ask forgiveness for them, or do not ask forgiveness for them - even if you ask forgiveness for them seventy times, God will not forgive them. That is because they disbelieved in God and His Messenger. God does not guide the immoral people." (9:80). The term "His Messenger" here means the Quran itself. Of course, this verse 9:80 refutes the falsehood of the penalty of apostates or Hisbah/inquisition fabricated by the devilish imams of the Sunnite religion. For more details about this topic, we refer readers to our books in English titled "Hisbah: A Historical Overview", found on this link: (http://www.ahl-alquran.com/arabic/book_main.php?main_id=99) and "The Penalty of Apostasy", found on this link: (http://www.ahl-alquran.com/arabic/book_main.php?main_id=91).

4- Within the last verses of the Quranic Chapter 9, God has said the following to those companions: "There has come to you a messenger from among yourselves, concerned over your suffering, anxious over you. Towards the believers, he is compassionate and merciful." (9:128). And in case these companions would turn away from Muhammad, God has told him to say the following: "If they turn away, say, "God is enough for me; there is no God except He; in Him I have put my trust; He is the Lord of the Sublime Throne."" (9:129).

5- Let us be reminded that the verses 9:128-129 are among the last ones descended shortly before Muhammad's death; i.e., they describe the stances of the so-called companions, or contemporaries of Muhammad, at the time.

6- These were the companions or the vast majority of the contemporaries of Muhammad; the Sunnite-religion books make those companions appear as if they were infallible gods and make Muhammad appear as if he were a god of terrorism and war waged against humanity; this is in contrast to what God has said to Muhammad: "We did not send you except as mercy to the humankind." (21:107). 

Lastly:

 How great the religion of Islam is, and how base and vile the Muhammadans are!