Sahih Muslim, Book
004, Hadith Number 2127
says Prophet (sw) struck his wife Aisha (ra) on the chest which caused her
pain. The hadith narrates Prophet (sw) struck his wife Aisha (ra) because Aisha
(ra) doubted that God and His Prophet (sw) would
deal justly with her.
Islam
haters say Prophet (sw) struck his wife Aisha (ra) on the chest. Therefore, it
can be said that Prophet (sw) beat his wife Aisha (ra). Let’s analyze the claim
Islam haters. First, we need to ask ourselves what kind of “strike” that was.
“Strick” means “hit”. “Hit” can be many types, such as punch, slap, push,
elbow, and so on. The Arabic word “لْھَدًة” translated as “struck” in this
hadith. The Arabic word “لْھَدًة” means “pushed”. Therefore, it is clear that
Prophet (sw) pushed (slapped with an open palm) on the chest of Aisha (ra) that
caused her pain.
Did
Aisha (ra) consider it as a “beating” when Prophet (sw) pushed her on the
chest? The answer is “No.” In Sahih Muslim, Book 030, Hadith Number 5756,
Aisha (ra) says Prophet (sw) never beat anyone in his life, neither a woman nor
a servant.
Did
Prophet (sw) consider it as a “beating” when he pushed Aisha (ra) on the chest?
The answer is “No”. Prophet (sw) pushed (slapped with an open palm) on the
chest of Aisha (ra) in order to drive away her
doubt that God and His Prophet (sw) would deal justly with her. There are hadiths those say
Prophet (sw) pushed (slapped with an open palm) other people on their chests to drive away doubt or fear in their minds. For
example, Sahih Muslim, Book 004, Hadith Number 1787, Sahih Muslim, Book 031,
Hadith Number 6051, Sahih Muslim, Book 11, Hadith 3937, and Mustadrak al-Hakim,
Hadith 4492.
Some
Islam haters may say it doesn’t matter whether Aisha (ra) and Prophet (sw)
considered that push (slap with an open palm) as beating or not, that was an
act of beating because that push (slap with an open palm) hurt Aisha (ra). In
reply to this argument, I will say that it was NOT an act of beating if we look
up the meaning of “beat” in the Oxford dictionaries. Oxford dictionaries say:
beat (verb) means to “strike (a person or an animal) repeatedly and violently so as to hurt or injure them, typically with an implement
such as a club or whip”. Prophet
(sw) pushed (slapped with an open palm) on the chest of Aisha (ra) once, NOT multiple
times repeatedly. Moreover, that push (slap with an open palm) may cause Aisha
(ra) pain but was not violent to make Aisha cry in pain or lose control and
fall on the ground.
References:
Sahih Muslim, Book 004, Hadith Number 2127: Muhammad b. Qais
said (to the people): Should I not narrate to you (a Hadith of the Holy
Prophet) on my authority and on the authority of my mother? We thought that he meant
the mother who had given him birth. He (Muhammad b. Qais) then reported that it
was 'Aisha who had narrated this: Should I not narrate to you about myself and
about the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)? We said: Yes. She said:
When it was my turn for Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) to spend the
night with me, he turned his side, put on his mantle and took off his shoes and
placed them near his feet, and spread the corner of his shawl on his bed and
then lay down till he thought that I had gone to sleep. He took hold of his
mantle slowly and put on the shoes slowly, and opened the door and went out and
then closed it lightly. I covered my head, put on my veil and tightened my
waist wrapper, and then went out following his steps till he reached Baqi'. He
stood there and he stood for a long time. He then lifted his hands three times,
and then returned and I also returned. He hastened his steps and I also
hastened my steps. He ran and I too ran. He came (to the house) and I also came
(to the house). I, however, preceded him and I entered (the house), and as I
lay down in the bed, he (the Holy Prophet) entered the (house), and said: Why
is it, O 'Aisha, that you are out of breath? I said: There is nothing. He said:
Tell me or the Subtle and the Aware would inform me. I said: Messenger of
Allah, may my father and mother be ransom for you, and then I told him (the
whole story). He said: Was it the darkness (of your shadow) that I saw in front
of me? I said: Yes. He struck me on the chest which caused me pain, and then
said: Did you think that Allah and His Apostle would deal unjustly with you?
She said: Whatsoever the people conceal, Allah will know it. He said: Gabriel came to me when you saw me. He
called me and he concealed it from you. I responded to his call, but I too
concealed it from you (for he did not come to you), as you were not fully
dressed. I thought that you had gone to sleep, and I did not like to awaken
you, fearing that you may be frightened. He (Gabriel) said: Your Lord has commanded
you to go to the inhabitants of Baqi' (to those lying in the graves) and beg
pardon for them. I said: Messenger of Allah, how should I pray for them (How
should I beg forgiveness for them)? He said: Say, Peace be upon the inhabitants
of this city (graveyard) from among the Believers and the Muslims, and may
Allah have mercy on those who have gone ahead of us, and those who come later
on, and we shall, God willing, join you.
Sahih
Muslim, Book 030, Hadith Number 5756: 'A'isha reported
that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) never beat anyone with his hand, neither a woman nor a servant, but only, in the case when he had been fighting in the
cause of Allah and he never took
revenge for anything unless the things made inviolable by Allah were made
violable; he then took revenge for Allah, the Exalted and Glorious.
Sahih Muslim, Book 004, Hadith Number 1787:
Ubayy b. Ka'b reported: I was in the mosque when a man entered and prayed and
recited (the Qur'in) ina style to which I objected. Then another man entered
(the mosque) and recited in a style different from that of his companion. When
we had finished the prayer, we all went to allah's Messenger (may peace be upon
him) and said to him: This man recited in a style to which I objected, and the
other entered and recited in a style different from that of his companion. The
Messenger of allah (may peace be upon him) asked them to recite and so they
recited, and the apostle of allah (may peace be upon him) expressed approval of
their affairs (their modes of recitation). And there occurred in my mind a sort of denial which did
not occur even during the Days of Ignorance. When the Messenger of allah (may
peace be upon him) saw how I was affected (by a wrong idea), he struck my chest,
whereupon I broke into sweating and felt as though I were looking at allah with
fear. He (the Holy Prophet) said to me: Ubayy. a message was sent to me to
recite the Qur'an in one dialect, and I replied: Make (things) easy for my
people. It was conveyed to me for the second time that it should be recited in
two dialects. I again replied to him: Make affairs easy for my people. It was
again conveyed to me for the third time to recite in seven dialects and (I was
further told): You have got a seeking for every reply that I sent you, which
you should seek from Me. I said: O allah! forgive my people, forgive my people,
and I have deferred the third one for the day on which the entire creation will
turn to me, including even Ibrahim (peace be upon him) (for intercession).
Mustadrak al-Hakim, Hadith 4492: “The Messenger of Allah, may
Allah bless him, hit the chest of Umar bin Khattab with his hand three times
when he embraced Islam and he said, ‘O Allah remove the malice from his heart
and replace it with faith.’” (Hakim authenticated it)
Sahih Muslim, Book 031, Hadith Number 6051:
Jarir reported: Since I embraced Islam Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon
him) never refused to see me and he did not see me but with a smile on his
face. Ibn Numair has made this addition to this hadith which has been reported
on the authority of Ibn Idris that he (Jarir) made this complaint to him (to
the Holy Prophet): I cannot sit upon the horse with firmness, whereupon he
(Allah's Apostle) struck my chest with his hand and prayed: O
Allah, make him steadfast and rightly-guided.
Sahih Muslim, Book 11, Hadith 3937: Abu
Talha reported: 'Umar b. al-Khattab (Allah be pleased with him) delivered a
sermon on Friday and made a mention of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him)
and he also made a mention of Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased with him) and then
said: I do not leave behind me any problem more difficult than that of Kalala.
I did not refer to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) more repeatedly
than in case of the problem of Kalala, and he (the Holy Prophet) never showed
more annoyance to me than in regard to this problem, so much so that he struck my
chest with his fingers and said: 'Umar, does the verse revealed in
summer season, at the end of Sura al-Nisa' not suffice you? Hadrat 'Umar (then)
said: If I live I would give such verdict about (Kalala) that everyone would be
able to decide whether he reads the Qur'an or he does not.
