The Bible on marriage of young girls with much older men As it is Christian

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Bible on marriage of young girls with much older men
As it is Christian evangelists and other believers in the Bible who
have been bitterly reviling the Holy Prophet Muhammad on account of
his marriage with Aisha, we put to them thepractices of the great
patriarchs and prophets that are recorded in the Bible itself in this
connection. The main accusations regarding the marriage of Aisha
arethat she was too young in age while the Holy Prophet was a much
older man, being fifty years of age, and that consent to marriage was
either not obtained from her or she was not capable of giving it.
Abraham
In the book of Genesis in the Bible it is recorded about Abraham:
"Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an
Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she saidto Abram, 'The Lord has
kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I
can build a family through her.' Abram agreed to what Sarai said. So
after Abram had been living in Canaan tenyears, Sarai his wife took
her Egyptian maidservantHagar and gave her to her husband to be his
wife. He slept with Hagar,and she conceived. … So Hagar bore Abram a
son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. Abram
was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael." (Genesis,
chapter 16, verses 1–4, and 15–16, New International Version. Bolding
is mine.)
Firstly, it is evident that as Abraham (who then had the name Abram)
was 86 years old, Hagar must have been some fifty years younger than
him, and probably even younger, to bear a child. Secondly, the Bible
speaks of Sarai giving her maidservant Hagar toAbraham. So Hagar's
consent was not obtained but rather she was commanded by Saraito go
and become Abraham's wife.
David
The first book of Kings in the Bible begins as follows:
"When King David was old and well advanced in years, he could not keep
warm even when they put covers over him. So his servants said to him,
'Let us look for a young virgin to attend the king and take care of
him. Shecan lie beside him so thatour lord the king may keep warm.'
Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful girl and found
Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. The girl was very
beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king
had no intimate relations with her." (1 Kings, chapter 1, verses 1–4,
New International Version. Bolding is mine.)
So there seems nothing wrong, according to the Bible, in procuring a
young virgin, again apparently without her consent, whose duties
include lying with the elderly king in bed. The intention was
certainly for sexual enjoyment, otherwise there was no necessity of
looking for a young, beautiful virgin. Amuch older woman, perhaps a
widow, could have performed all these duties, including lying with the
king to keep him warm.
Mary and Joseph
The most famous marriage in Christianity isno doubt that of Mary,
Jesus' mother, with Joseph. While the following details are not in the
canonical Gospels in the Bible, it appears from other early
Christianwritings (known as apocryphal writings) thatMary was twelve
years old when the temple elders decided to find a husband for her.
They selected the husband by drawing lots, and Joseph whom they chose
was an elderly man, being according to some accounts ninety years old.
The husband was selected and Mary was handed over to him, and she
played no part in his selection.
These accounts are summed up in the Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913
edition, which is available online, as follows:
"It will not be without interest to recall here, unreliable though
they are, the lengthy stories concerning St. Joseph's marriage
contained in the apocryphal writings. When forty years of age, Joseph
married a womancalled Melcha or Escha by some, Salome by others; they
lived forty-nine years together and had six children … A year afterhis
wife's death, as the priests announced through Judea that they wished
to find in the tribe of Juda a respectable man to espouse Mary, then
twelve to fourteen years of age, Joseph, who was at the time ninety
years old, went up to Jerusalemamong the candidates; a miracle
manifested the choice God had made of Joseph …" [13] (Bolding ismine.)
Although these apocryphal accounts are not now accepted by many
Christians, and the Catholic Encyclopedia says that they "are void of
authority", yet it also speaks of their influence as follows:
"they nevertheless acquired in the course of ages some popularity; in
them some ecclesiastical writers sought the answer to the well-known
difficulty arising from the mention in the Gospel of the Lord's
brothers; from them also popular credulity has, contrary to all
probability, as well as to the tradition witnessed by old works of
art, retained the beliefthat St. Joseph was an oldman at the time of
marriage with the Mother of God."
However, these accounts are accepted by the Eastern churches. The
website of the Ukrainian Orthodoxy has an article on this subject
entitled An Elderly Joseph which agrees with the presentation in the
apocryphal writings "of Joseph as an elderly man,a widower with adult
children". It concludes:
"The Christian East's picture of Joseph as a courageous, faithful,
God-centred elderly widower rings true." [14]
We give below, as Appendix, a quotation from one of these apocryphal
books, The Infancy Gospel of James, describing how Mary's husband was
selected.
While the Western Christian churches may not accept these accountsas
authentic, the Eastern churches in Europe do accept that Mary was 12
years old and Joseph a widower 90 years old when they married.
Moreover, there is nothing in the Gospels of the New Testament to
contradict these accounts, and the Gospel stories are not at all
inconsistent with these ages for Mary and Joseph.
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References
[1]. Tirmidhi, Abwab-ul-Manaqib, i.e. Chapters on Excellences, under
'Virtues of Aisha'.
[2]. Muslim Saints and Mystics, abridged English translation of
Tadhkirat-ul-Auliya, by A.J. Arberry, p. 40.
[3]. Bukhari, Book of Qualities of the Ansar, chapter: 'The Holy
Prophet's marriage with Aisha, and his coming to Madina and the
consummation of marriage with her'. For Muhsin Khan's translation, see
this link and go down to reports listed as Volume 5, Book 58, Number
234 and 236.
[4]. Living Thoughts of the Prophet Muhammad, 1992 U.S.A. edition, p.
30, note 40.
[4a]. This Urdu pamphlet was published by the Ahmadiyya Anjuman
Isha'at Islam, Bombay, India. A partial English translation is
available at this Lahore Ahmadiyya website.
[5]. Tarikh Tabari, vol. 4, p. 50.
[6]. Mishkat al-Masabih, Edition with Urdu translation published in
Lahore, 1986, vol. 3, p. 300–301. (Go here to see an image of the full
entryin Urdu.)
[7]. Vol. 8, p. 346.
[8]. Those four places in Sahih Bukhari are the following:
Kitab-us-Salat, ch. 'A mosque which is in the way but does not
inconvenience people'; Kitab-ul-Kafalat, ch. 'Abu Bakr under the
protection of a non-Muslim in the time ofthe Holy Prophet and his pact
with him'; Kitab Manaqib-ul-Ansar, ch. 'Emigration of the Holy Prophet
and his Companions to Madina'; and Kitab-ul-Adab, ch. 'Should a person
visit everyday, or morning and evening'.
[9]. Muhsin Khan's Englishtranslation of Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 37,
Number 494. See this link.
[10]. Fadl-ul-Bari, vol. 1, p. 501, footnote 1.
[11]. Sahih Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Jihad wal-Siyar, Chapter: 'Women in war
and their fighting alongside men'. See this link in Muhsin Khan's
translation and go down to report listed as Volume4, Book 52, Number
131.
[12]. Fadl-ul-Bari, vol. 1, p. 651.
[13]. In article St. Joseph, under letter J. Here is a link to this
article in the online Catholic Encyclopedia.
[14]. Here is a link to this article An Elderly Joseph.
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Appendix: The Infancy Gospel of James, Chapter 8 verse 2 to Chapter 9 verse 11
"When she [Mary] turned twelve, a group of prieststook counsel
together, saying, 'Look, Mary has been in the temple of theLord twelve
years. What should we do about her now, so that she does notdefile the
sanctuary of the Lord our God?' And they said to the high priest, 'You
have stood at the altar of the Lord. Go in and pray about her. And if
the Lord God reveals anything to you, we will do it.' And the priest
went in taking the vestment with twelve bells into the holy of holies
and prayed about her. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord stood before him,
saying, 'Zachariah, Zachariah, depart from here and gather the
widowers of the people and let each one carry a staff. And the one
whom the Lord God points out with a sign, she will be his wife.' So
the heralds went out to the whole surrounding area of Judea and the
trumpet ofthe Lord rang out and all the men rushed in.
Throwing down his axe, Joseph went out to meet them. And after they
had gathered together with their rods, they went to the high priest.
After receiving everyone's rod,the high priest went into the temple
and prayed. When he was finished with the prayer, he took the rods and
went out and gave them to each man, but there was no sign among them.
Finally,Joseph took his rod. Suddenly, a dove came out of the rod and
stood on Joseph's head. And the high priest said, 'Joseph! Joseph! You
havebeen chosen by lot to take the virgin into your own keeping.' And
Joseph replied, saying, 'I have sons and am old, while she is young. I
will not be ridiculed among the children of Israel.' And the high
priest said, 'Joseph, fear the Lord your God and remember what God did
to Dathan and Abiron and Kore, how the earth split open and swallowed
them because of their rebellion. Now fear God, Joseph, so that these
things do not happen in your house.' Fearing God,Joseph took her into
his own possession."/-
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Rape, Zina and Incest

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Rape, Zina and Incest
Sisters in Islam shares theconcern expressed by theDeputy Prime
Minister that the absence of a definition on rape in syariah law has
led to victims of rape being charged for zina (illicit sex).
Throughout the history of Islam, differing humaninterpretations and
understanding of the word of God had always existed. We as a society
must debate and discuss in a rational and informed manner which
interpretation will serve the best interest of our multi-ethnic,
multi-religious, industrialising and modernising society.
In Pakistan, it is reported that three out of four women in prison
under its Hudud laws, are rape victims. Because rape is equated with
zina under Hudud law, rape victims are required to produce four pious
male witnesses. It is of course nearly impossible for the rape victims
to produce the four male witnesses required to prove their allegation.
Therefore their police report of rape was taken as a confession of
illicit sex ontheir part and they were duly found guilty.
In the real world, rape is unlikely to occur in the open, such that
four pious males can observe the act of penetration. If they actually
did witness such an act, and have notsought to prevent it,
thentechnically they are abettors to the crime. In reality, unless the
rapist confesses to the crime, women can never prove rape at all if
rape is placed under syariah jurisdiction.
It is because of such grossinjustice and abuse of the law that Sisters
in Islam objected to several provisions which discriminated against
women in the Hudud Enactment of Kelantan in 1993. The enforcement
ofsuch laws leaves rape victims who are unable to provide four male
eye witnesses liable to prosecution for illicit sex.
In Malaysia, rape is a crime under the Penal Code. There is therefore
no necessity for a new crime of rape under the Syariah criminal
offences legislation as this would lead to a further conflict of
jurisdiction between civil and syariah law. All citizens, whether
Muslimsor non-Muslims, who commit the crime of rape, which includes
incest, should be prosecuted under the Penal Code. According to the
Federal Constitution crime is a federal matter and effort must be made
to minimise areas of overlapping of jurisdiction between civiland
syariah law which have already led to numerous cases of conflict that
must be addressed by the authorities in consultation with NGOs.
We feel there are adequate provisions in the Penal Code to deal with
the Deputy Prime Minister's concern of sexual abuse at home. Even
though the crime of incest is not defined in the Penal Code, the
perpetrator could be charged for rape and the judge should take into
consideration the aggravating circumstances of a family relationship
and impose a higher sentence on the rapist.
Incest, however, is a specific crime under the Syariah Criminal Code.
In an unprecedented case in Kelantan recently, a 17-year-old daughter
was charged for incest with her father under theKelantan Syariah
CriminalCode. Sisters in Islam views this development with deep
concern.
That the Syariah prosecutors regarded thegirl as a willing partner in
the commission of the crime and therefore an offender, rather than a
victim, is totally against the grain of justice. The girl is a
juvenile under the authority and controlof her father. The failure of
the Syariah judicial officers to understand the dynamics of power
relationship led to the prosecution of a daughter, a victim of sexual
abuse by the father, as if she was an equal perpetrator and willing
partner in the crime.
In this case, the cause of justice would have betterbeen served if the
father was charged with rape under the Penal Code where he is liable
to imprisonment for not lessthan five years and not more than 20
years. This sentencing properly reflects the gravity of the crime
committed and society's abhorrence of such a crime. However, under the
Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code, the person who commits incest is
liable only to a fine not exceeding$3,000 or to imprisonment for a
term not exceeding two years, or both.
In the Kelantan case, society would regard the daughter as the victim,
not the offender. She is regarded as a minor under civil law and
should have been given the professional care andsupport she so
necessarily needed to help her overcome the trauma of an incestuous
relationship. She should not have been treated as a criminal.
Sisters in Islam urges the Government to form a committee which
includes women's groupsand other NGOs to reviewthe Syariah Criminal
Law and its many provisions which conflict or overlap with civil law,
which conflict with constitutional provisions on fundamental liberties
and which discriminate against women and marginalised communities./-
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Rape & Incest: Islamic Perspective

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Religious Wisdom - II

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Rules Pertaining to Religious Wisdom
1- Religious wisdom is either obligatory or recommended to use. When
this term is mentioned, many people think it refers to details of
religious wisdom and avoiding doubtful matters. Therefore, they think
that religious wisdom is not an obligation and that it is specifically
for people who have been selected and righteous, and that it is not
obligatory on every individual. Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said,
The religious wisdom that is recommended in the Sharee'ah and with
which Allaah The Almighty sent His Prophet Muhammad is refraining
fromwhat might make a person deserve to be dispraised or punished,
even though there is nothing in the Sharee ' ah that prohibits these
acts in the absence of what contradicts it. This includes performing
obligations and acts which seem to be obligatory, and avoiding
prohibitions and acts which seemto be prohibited. Also, if the
unfavorable acts are preformed then it may be a cause of imperfection
and punishment.
Obligatory religious wisdom is refraining from all that results in
dispraise and punishment. In other words, performing obligations and
avoiding prohibitions. The difference between the recommended and
obligatory forms of religious wisdom is in relation to the acts that
seem to be obligatory but not evidently and the acts that seem to be
prohibited but not evidently.
2- There is no religious wisdom inmatters that are absolutely and
patently permissible. Rather, religious wisdom in these matters is an
undue form of exaggeration. Ibn Taymiyyah said, "Religious wisdom does
not include avoiding absolutely permissible acts, just as there is no
religious wisdom in committing acts that are absolutely
impermissible."
3- Just as refraining from certain acts is considered to be religious
wisdom, performing certain acts is also regarded as religious wisdom,
as some people believe that it only includes refraining from
particular acts. Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said,
People may misunderstand religious prudence from three aspects: first,
many people think that it is concerned with avoidingcertain acts only.
In other words, they believe that religious wisdom requires refraining
from prohibitions, not performing obligations. Many religious and wise
people have this misunderstanding, and you may see them refraining
from uttering a lie, or gaining a Dirhamwhich is not for certain
lawfully obtained as it came from the property of an oppressor or a
corrupt transaction; or that he refrains from inclining to wrongdoers
due to their religious innovations and wicked people; while he does
not observe the acts that are either individual or communal
obligations that have become an individual duty on him. For example,
maintaining ties of kinship, observing the rights of the neighbor, a
needy person, a friend, an orphan, or the rights ofa Muslim, a person
in authority orof knowledge. He may also neglect enjoining good and
forbidding evil, or the obligation of performing Jihaad or other
obligatory acts that benefit Muslims in their religion and life. He
might perform these acts sometimes, not as acts of worship dedicated
to Allaah The Almighty, but as a duty on him, or something to that
effect.
4- Religious wisdom depends upon evidence from the Quran and Sunnah .
Ibn Taymiyyah said,
The second aspect of misunderstanding religious wisdom is that when
the person performs the obligations and acts that appear to be
obligatory and refrains from prohibitions and the acts that appear to
be prohibited, this obligation or prohibition should be based on
evidence from the Quran and Sunnah and knowledge, and not on one's
whims. In fact, many people are repulsed by things that are done out
of habit or custom, so that they become strongly prohibited or
doubtful to them. Some of them may even live in fantasies and false
assumptions based on invalid religious wisdom and in such cases would
be among those whom Allaah The Almighty Says concerning them(what
means): } They follow not except assumption and what [their] souls
desire. { [Quran 53:23]
This includes the type of religiouswisdom that the Prophet dispraised
in an authentic Hadeeth. When the Prophet consented to particular acts
and knew that some people refrainedfrom them, he said: "Why do some
people deny themselves what I have made permissible formyself? I hope
that I am the most knowledgeable and fearful of Allaah The Almighty
amongst you." In another narration, the Prophet said : "I am the
person who fears Allaah The Almighty most and is most awareof what He
has made prohibited and permissible for them." Also, there is the
Hadeeth of the man who kissed his wife while he wasfasting and became
very angry, even though he was informed that the Prophet used to kiss
his wives while fasting. Therefore, the religious person who is wise
needs a great deal ofknowledge of the Quran and Sunnah and
understanding of religion. If he fails to do this, his invalid
religious wisdom may ruinhim more than benefitting him. This is the
case with the disbelievers and religious innovators from the Khawaarij
and Raafidhah and others.
5- Religious wisdom is not fulfilled except with sincerity. Perhaps
there are certain considerations that drive a person to be religiously
wise. He may have a particular status or consideration with which he
feelsthat it is not proper for someone of his rank to do certain
things. In this case, ostentation is his motive. The motive might also
bethe person's needs or desires or any other urge. Like all acts of
worship that man offers to AllaahThe Almighty, religious wisdom
requires sincerity. Shaykhul-IslamIbn Taymiyyah said, "Religious
wisdom does not benefit man or grant him a reward except with him
attainingsincerity."
6- Strictness in matters related toreligious wisdom is exclusive to
selected people and not just anyone. Al-Haafith Ibn Rajab said,
There is an important issue that people should be aware of, whichis
strictness in refraining from doubtful matters, as this is only for
those whose actions are steadfast and for those whose deeds are
similar while in a state of piety and religious wisdom.However, it
does not befit the person who violates the obvious prohibitions of
Allaah The Almighty and who wants to refrain from doubtful matters.
Rather, he should be rebuked for this attitude.
Such is the state of some pretentious people who exaggerate in their
behavior. For instance, a man from the people of Iraq asked Ibn 'Umar
about the blood of mosquitoes. He answered, "They are asking me about
the ruling of the blood of mosquitoes while they have murdered
Al-Husayn ! I heard the Prophet saying: 'They [Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn]
are my fragrant flowers in this world.' "
Ibn Rajab compiled many traditions from the righteous predecessors to
this effect, and added that Bishr ibn Al-Haarith was asked about a man
whose mother ordered him to divorce his wife. He replied, "If heis
dutiful to his mother in everything except in her order to divorce his
wife, let him divorce her. However, if he wants to be dutiful to his
mother by divorcinghis wife but he beats his mother, he should not
divorce her."
Imaam Ahmad was asked about a man who bought greens and demanded to
pay the price ofthe band that these greens were tied with. Imaam Ahmad
said: "What a strange issue!" People replied: "It is Ibraaheem ibn Abu
Nu'aym who does so." Hesaid: "If it is Ibraaheem ibn Abu Nu'aym, then
it is not strange for him to do so [as he was known for his religious
wisdom.]" Imaam Ahmad denounced such issues from people whose actions
do not resemble that of Ibraaheem.
Imaam Ahmad himself used to follow such religious wisdom, as he used
to order the person who bought grease for him to return the paper in
which the grease was put on back to the seller. Likewise, he did not
used to take ink from the inkwell of his companions, but would only
use his own inkwell. Once a man asked his permission to use his
inkwell to write something and Imaam Ahmad said: "Write, for this is
invalid religious wisdom." Another man asked thesame request, but
Imaam Ahmad smiled and said: "Your religious wisdom and mine do not
reach this level." Imaam Ahmad said so out of modesty, since he
himself used to follow such religious wisdom. On the other hand, he
would denounce it when it was adoptedby a person who had not
reachedsuch a high level of righteousness, and who committed acts that
are clearly unfavorable and continuously committed doubtful acts.
This is an important matter that we should learn carefully when
reading some narrations on the religious wisdom of the righteous
predecessors. This is necessary in order to avoid making mistakes,
which negatively affect our souls. We are in desperate need of
following the obligatory form of religious wisdom. We also need to
avoid clearly prohibited acts, and try to reform our hearts. If we
occupy ourselves with such tiny details of religious wisdom, they
would negatively affect us. For instance, we may feel proud and hold
people in contempt. This would cause us to view people as lacking
religious wisdom and this would distract the person from doing more
significant acts such as reformingthe heart and following the
obligatory form of religious wisdom./-
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